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 Wonderful first book! Jul 09, 2009
Wow, I was so surprised to find Colleen's book on the shelf in the local library! Brought it home and found a great read inside. It was the best kind of story: a strong female character with an engaging personality and 'voice'; a mystery set in a very familiar setting and a surprise ending! I can't wait to see another.
Becky Maddock
La Grande
PS: LOVE Hoover! LOL
 Little Sis May 01, 2009
I have known Colleen all of her life. I was fortunate enough to read her manuscript while it was hot off her printer. It's an excellent story, and as a former police officer, and current state investigator, her story is not only interesting, but very believable. Colleen weaves a part of herself into the Cate Conway character that I can appreciate. It's a great story, you will enjoy it till the very end.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
nice little detective story May 01, 2009
First off, a couple of disclosures.
One, I am not really a fan of detective books, although I do love that genre in the movies. My fiction of choice is Sci-Fi, both for writing and reading.
Second, I know the author and her husband (see my review of Al MacLeod's "Joy To The World" CD for more details), and I am intimately acquainted with the part of the Northwest in which this story takes place.
The story is about one Cate Conway, a female Private Investigator based in Eastern Oregon in contemporary times. Sort of a rural "Phyllis Marlowe." It is the story of a missing persons case Cate is drawn into (relax, no spoilers here). It is an easy and enjoyable read, even for someone like myself who is not a fan of this genre.
While the book starts off a bit slowly, it gathers energy and I found myself liking the Cate character, and found her very believable. There is more than a little of the author in Cate, which helped me enjoy the book even more. I found the writing to be easy to read, although there were places the editor in me would want to tighten up a bit, and from time to time it did begin to feel a tiny bit more like a travelogue/marketing piece than fiction (but then, I do know this area pretty well).
That said, for a first novel, I think Colleen did a very good job. I cared about the characters and the story, identified with Cate, and was easily moved along to the clever ending. (Hey, I said no spoilers, didn't I?) It is not a white-knuckle page-turner, but it does have a solidly developed arc, well done dialog, and enough clever writing and twists to keep one interested and entertained.
You will get a healthy dose of Eastern Oregon and Columbia Gorge geography and local color, and most, if not all, of the places mentioned are quite real. It was a fun read for the local references alone. The realism is obvious and natural. There is much of the feel of good noir detective films here. Heck, I could smell the Nell's curly fries with Cate's cheeseburger! (Made me hungry, too.)
As is the true test of all good fiction, it left me wanting more, and a bit sad that the story was over. I want to visit Cate's world again as she and her canine partner Hoover tackle other cases. I hope that Colleen will write more Cate Conway stories. Who knows, maybe she can make me a fan of the genre.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Great read! Apr 25, 2009
What a great read! Colleen MacLeod is the next Mickey Spillane. I just wish she had started writing sooner. Don't start this book unless you know you have time to finish it. You won't put it down.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Terrific tale in a perfect setting Apr 15, 2009
Colleen has written a first class mystery; one of those "I couldn't put it down" books. She has a wonderful ability to tell a story, weaving bits and pieces of asides reflecting character personalities and quirks. I gave my copy to a friend with the request that she pass it along. I'm buying two more, one for my library and one to pass along to another friend. The storyline should be easily adapted to a movie script. The Eastern Oregon to Portland environment for this story would generate, I think, considerable interest. Ok Colleen, when can we expect to read about Cate's next adventure? I'm waiting. Roger Anderson
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