Murder at the Nightwood Bar

by Katherine V. Forrest

Paperback, 1987

Status

Available

Call number

PS3556.O737M8 1987

Publication

Tallahassee, FL : NAIAD Press, 1987.

Description

Dory Quillin, nineteen-years old, her white-blonde hair ruffled by the gentle breezes of a June evening, lies dead in the parking lot of a lesbian bar. Her bewildered silver-blue eyes stare beseechingly into the mind and soul of the woman who kneels beside her: LAPD homicide detective Kate Delafield. The investigation is far from a simple matter. Kate uncovers shocking facts about the brief life of the murdered young lesbian. She finds her road to the killer obstructed by Dory's uncooperative, judgmental parents, the waning interest of her own partner, and most frustrating of all, the open hostility of women who should be her allies-the lesbians who frequent the Nightwood Bar. Kate's emotional equilibrium is further disturbed by her powerful attraction to one of those women, the enigmatic Andrea Ross. Who killed Dory Quillin? And why? Accompany Kate Delafield on her electrifying, emotional journey to the answer, an answer you will never forget.… (more)

Media reviews

Publisher's Weekly

Dory Quillin, a homeless 19-year-old cocaine addict and prostitute is found outside the Nightwood Bar, a lesbian hangout, with her head smashed in. Is one of the older lesbians who frequent the bar the murderer? Was it a random ""fag bashing?'' Was her elusive ex-lover involved? What is the

significance of the drugs and john list found in the victim's Volkswagen van? These are some of the questions facing Kate Delafield, an L.A.P.D. homicide detective and a lesbian herself, who must overcome the ingrained reticence of Dory's friends and her own discomfort at her official rolewhich antagonizes women she feels sympathy for. The trail to a solution goes by way of Dory's businessman clients, her wonderfully eccentric psychiatrist (a woman who regularly uses ``Goddess'' as an interjection), her repressed, deeply religious parents and her former lover. Refreshing in part for not portraying all women as wonderful and all men as evil, this bookwith its surprising endingmakes for a satisfying mystery. (May)

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User reviews

LibraryThing member ex-labrys

This was probably one of the first lesbian detective fiction books i read - and the rest of the series in quick succession afterwards.
At one time Cybill Shepherd had the rights to this book and tried to get a movie made.

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LibraryThing member DanieXJ

This second book in the Kate Delafield mystery series is so much better than the first one on multiple levels. They mystery itself seems more tightly constructed and there's more of a 'usual' mystery than in "Amateur City", one set up in a more conventional way.

It's the murder of a young woman in

the parking lot of a strip mall that also includes a lesbian bar that begins this mystery. From there it wasn't too surprising a middle or an ending, but it was an enjoyable read.

Again, there were lots of characters and each of them was just as --unique-- as in the first book.

I will say that the whole 'fling with a person somehow related to the case' thing got a bit old, but, we'll see what happens in the next book in the series.

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