Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)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.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Rage of Aquarius
Cate Conway has given up the big city mean streets only to find that the rural town of La Grande, Oregon repeatedly offers its own brand of danger and intrigue. A steady stream of missing persons and simple record searches provide a dependable income, but occasionally what appears routine validates her determination to keep her defensive skills sharp. Cate discovers a decades old mystery that forces her back in time, where the counter culture trilogy of sex, drugs and rock & roll still exist. Discover scenic Oregon from the eastern Blue Mountains, through the beautiful Columbia River Gorge to Portland. Cate follows a magical mystery trail and discovers where drugs are concerned, everything old is new again and those who found themselves lost in the 60's may have taken a permanent and rocky detour.
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