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Review in Cozies Capers and Crimes PILIKIA IS MY BUSINESS By Mark Troy LTD Books March 2001 Paperback $15.00 Reviewed by Mary Haywood of Dallas, Texas   Val Lyon is a newbie private eye in glamorous Honolulu. She crossed the wrong higher-up in her old job with the San Francisco PD, served a short prison term for reasons not immediately specified, and played professional basketball in Italy, so she's wicked tough. And pilikia, Hawaiian for "trouble," doesn't faze her in the slightest. When she's approached by Brian Magruder to help him protect his client, she's intrigued both by Magruder himself, ex-Public Defender and scion of one of the oldest haole families in Hawaii, and the job. Jean Pfeifer, the client, is involved in a bitter custody dispute with her ex over their nine-year-old son, Nathan. She has become the focus of intense feminist interest because she refuses to reveal the whereabouts of the boy, and will go to jail rather than turn him over to a father she says abuses him. She has received death threats, as has Brian himself, and he feels she needs armed, professional protection. Val agrees to at least go to the rally at the jailhouse, as Jean begins serving her sentence, and talk to her. Events begin to unfold with alarming speed. Jean is almost killed at the rally, and it turns out that she herself doesn't know where Nathan is; she has given him into the care of a shadowy women's group known only as "Harriet." As Val quickly discovers, "Harriet" has its murky roots in the days before Roe vs. Wade, when abortions were illegal and women had to go underground to obtain one. Her sense of triumph in beginning to figure out who some of the women involved are is short-lived when they begin turning up dead. And it seems that Brian, to whom she's becoming more and more attracted, has connections with Jean's ex-husband, an unsavory video-store owner, that he neglected to tell her about. All of this means pilikia at every turn for Val, who handles it with finesse and courage. I really like Val Lyon, and this book is a very good combination of interesting characters and a compelling setting. The peripheral players, such as Val's therapist and her old mentor, are strong, and will serve well in what I hope will be a series. I'm already eager to read the next one.

Review in BookPage REVIEW BY DAVID G. LAGRAFF Pilikia is a Hawaiian word, and it means trouble. Yes, you're going to Hawaii in this one, but you can forgetabout the Hawaii you're familiar with, the one with the free Mai-Tai's included in the 8-day, 7-night touristpackage. Instead, you're going into the real Hawaii, from the high society to the devious and violent underworld.And you're going in hard and fast, with a gun in your purse. Did I say purse? A good mystery needs a good P.I., and this one has Val Lyon, a tough private eye whohappens to be a woman. She served time on a big city police force, got her tail caught in a high profile crackand did hard time. It's a tricky thing to strike just the right balance between hard and soft with a femaleprotagonist, but author Mark Troy walks this delicate tightrope expertly. He manages to come up with a realand believable female private eye that everyone will enjoy prowling the streets with (think Janet EvanovichísStephanie Plum). Pilikia Is My Business kicks off with P.I. Val Lyon answering the call to work for Brian Magruder, a wealthylawyer who needs someone to protect Jean Pfeiffer, a honey-blonde high society mother involved in an uglychild custody battle. Jean and ex-hubby Jock Pfeiffer are fighting over who gets Nathan, the pimply13-year-old prize of their now-finished bad marriage. The no-good father is a thick-necked bull with a badattitude, too much money, influence and testosterone, and a history of violent abuse. As a pre-emptive strike,Jean has tucked the kid safely away, somewhere not even she knows about. Only her friends know for sure,and Jock begins working through her list of friends to find the kid. But Daddy Jock's idea of working throughMommy's friends involves killing them, and Val is hired to find the kid before daddy does. The plot is classic stuff, as labyrinthine and convoluted as the branches of a Banyan tree, and one you'llpleasantly agonize over trying to figure out. Just don't get too comfortable with your assumptions, which willconstantly be proved wrong. And don't get too comfy with the other people in the story, who have a tendency towind up dead, just when you least expect them to. Val Lyon is an interesting female character, one for whom the lines of self-identity and social definition areblurred. She is an enigma, but one with promise, and I hope to follow her further down those dark Honolulustreets as she wanders through the wreckage of other people's lives in search of herself. Pilikia Is My Business is a good, strong debut by a talented author. Add this download to the shopping cart,punch in your plastic number, curl up in front of your screen with a single malt scotch and enjoy. David LaGraff is the author of five envelope-pushing romantic suspense novels currently appearing at Wordbeams.com.Like the book? Agree? Disagree? Email LaGraff at dlagraff@concentric.net.

Review in Mystery News Pilikia Is My Business by Mark Troy LTDBooks $14.95 ISBN: 1-55316-533-0 Trade Paperback July 2001 Private Eye This is my first foray into reviewing product obtained from the emerging world of alternative publishing, but I doubt it will be my last. For one thing, the growing proliferation of small genre presses - be they vanity/self published, Print-On-Demand, e-books, or traditional print run houses - suggests they ain't gonna fold up their tents and slink off softly into the good night. For another thing, genre fiction published by a small press doesn't necessarily equate to inferior writing and storytelling. The mental image I call forth is analogous to a scene in Jurassic Park III - sometimes you just gotta stick your hand into a pile of dinosaur dung in order to find a working cell phone. Pilikia..., the first full-length novel featuring distaff Hawaiian private eye Val Lyon, is a case in point - it's a highly-polished working cell phone. The novel was first published as an e-book earlier this year, and has now been issued in a trade paperback format. Does that mean this is a paperback reprint? Damned if I know. Some of you might already know that Val Lyon was introduced to mystery fans through half a dozen short stories published in various locations (Murderous Intent, Mystery Buff, Plots With Guns, Nefarious, Futures) beginning in 1998. She'll also show up in a forthcoming hard-boiled anthology from Wildside Press. Val is a nicely-developed character (and I don't say that in a sleazy manner), a former member of the SFPD who played professional basketball in Italy, and now works for a private agency in Honolulu. Pilikia (pronounced pee-LEE-kee-uh per the author; the accent is my own assumption) presents Val with a complicated case that involves child abuse, resurrection of a gay and/or feminist rights underground, the Catholic church, Hawaiian real estate, and murder. Mark Troy is an accomplished wordsmith, does an exceptional job writing in a female voice, and providing a powerful sense of place. Val's investigative techniques are logical and well-thought for the most part. The author exhibits a solid grounding in the private eye sub-genre, and though character language is quite salty, the violence level is low and for the most part, off-stage. If Pilikia was a movie, I'd assign a PG rating (despite the eff words). Interested readers should know more about Pilikia's distribution and packaging if they want to find a copy. LTD Books is a small publishing house specializing in electronic and Print-On-Demand formats. For those who frequent electronic venues, LTD Books has won a few IPPY and EPPIE awards for their work in that field. According to the publisher's web site, www.ltdbooks.com, there are two ways to purchase Pilikia - order directly from them, or order on-line using a search engine through Amazon.com or maybe Barnes and Noble (the author receives a larger profit percentage if you order direct). I recently accessed the site and couldn't find a link to Mark's book, but the HTML format was bouncing all over the place and my search may have fallen victim to hit and miss clicking. Amazon might be the quickest method of access. From a packaging point of view, LTD produces a fairly nice, well-bound trade paperback that doesn't crack or separate during reading. A minor point is that the book bears no cover price, and the only reference to private eye fiction (or mystery, or even novel) is given on the back cover blurb. Clearly, you have to know exactly what you want in order to obtain a copy of the novel. But those caveats aside, Pilikia provides evidence that a strong new voice has been added to the private eye sub-genre, and is well worth exercising your own investigative abilities to locate. Despite vagaries of small press distribution, I plan to follow the adventures of Val Lyon now that I've gotten to know her. Reviewed by: Reed Andrus Rating: 3 quills

Review in Wicked Company Message: 21 Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2001 19:35:52 -0700 From: "d.l. browne" <browned@thevine.net> Subject: Review of Pilikia is My Business She pumps iron, punches out bullies, and performs table dances for appreciative groups of senior-citizen lepers (no, that's not a typo). She has a mean crossover dribble, drinks single-malt Scotch, curses like an Italian longshoreman, and has excellent taste in athletic footwear, to boot. Be still, my beating heart. She has killer legs, killer blues, and killer smarts. Did I mention that she spent thirteen months in prison? With other women? Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Val Lyon no, not Pamela Anderson's character in television's top-rated syndicated series VIP. . . that's Val Irons. Val Lyon is the star of Mark Troy's fine new detective novel, Pilikia is My Business ("pilikia" is the Hawaiian word for "trouble," for those of you who've forgotten your high-school Polynesian). Val, a former San Francisco police inspector recently released from prison after doing time but not the crime, has hung out her shingle on the island of Oahu. And big-time pilikia comes a-knocking in the person of attorney Brian Magruder, youngest son of an old and powerful Hawaiian family. Magruder represents Jean Pfeifer, currently involved in a bitter court battle with her brutish husband Jock (yes, Jock) over custody of their son, Nathan. Amid allegations that Jock is abusing him, Nathan has disappeared via a network of radical feminists (known collectively as "Harriet") whose specialty is "saving" at-risk children from the destructive and violent patriarchal well, you get the picture. Jean faces contempt charges because she can't or won't reveal Nathan's whereabouts, so Brian hires Val to find the boy and keep his client out of prison. A piece of cake for Val except some very dangerous and violent people are also looking for Nathan, and dead bodies start popping up everywhere. Throw in a lesbian subtext, a vicious attack dog, and some great Hawaiian locations, and you've got a story that will keep your interest right up to the end. Pilikia is simply a gas to read. After learning what the title meant, I expected something more tongue-in-cheek, but this is a straightforward hardboiled mystery that deals with serious issues like child abuse, sexual politics, and the role of the Catholic Church in Hawaiian society. The plot jumps right along, with few slow spots but plenty of twists and turns, and I enjoyed watching Val use actual detective skills and proceed in a logical manner during her investigation; most of the "mysteries" I read these days don't offer much in the way of detecting or logic (no names here, but if you've read any catering mystery published in the last ten years, you'll probably know what I'm talking about). A veteran of Europe's professional basketball leagues, Val can handle plenty of pilikia this is a chick who'd wipe the floor with Stephanie Plum or Kinsey Milhone without breaking a sweat (or a French-tipped nail). Troy throws in some eccentric secondary characters, such as Leo, Val's titular boss, who has only one eye and one lung; and Moon Ito, a huge, cryptic Hawaiian who is to Val what Hawk is to Spenser. Setting has been an important part of the hardboiled mystery since Raymond Chandler made the seedy side of Los Angeles a main character in his novels, and Troy uses Hawaiian settings to great advantage here. Although I've seen every episode of Magnum, PI twice, I've never actually been to Hawaii and don't know if all of the places Troy describes even exist, but I don't think that really matters. What does matter is the way Troy uses setting to underscore his theme. Perhaps the best example is Val's trip to the former leper sorry, Hansen's disease colony on the Kalaupapan Peninsula in search of young Nathan. The parallels Troy suggests between the two groups of social outcasts lepers and abused children who have gone "underground"and the stigmas both face struck me as thoughtful and, well, pretty brilliant. A few points about Pilikia did bother me. The romantic relationship that develops between Val and Brian Magruder, the attorney who hires her, struck me as slightly contrived. Magruder is a chubby, earnest, Captain Kangaroo-lookalike (Val's own description) whose Nordic Track hasn't seen much use, and Val is . . . well, hell, she's Val Lyon! She's a total butt-kicking babe! Yet after enduring only a few moments of Magruder's chubby earnestness, she can't wait to drag him off to bed. Perhaps this gives her character added complexity (and all of us chubby, earnest guys hope), but I didn't find it very believable. The romantic relationship does serve some key plot purposes, but I think Troy could have accomplished everything he needed to accomplish had he kept their relationship purely professional, and it would have saved readers Val's reaction upon the relationship's termination, which is particularly strained and the only part of the book that struck me as dishonest. Or maybe I'm just jealous and want Val all to myself. The dialogue is wildly uneven. In some chapters it positively crackles, especially in those spots where Val is eviscerating smug Catholic bishops, unsettling rhetoric-drunk feminists, putting male-chauvinist pigs in their places, or sparring with Lt. Nakashita, her homicide-detective nemesis. In other places, however, the characters don't really speak; instead, they recite background information about the social issues that the novel addresses or spout facts that advance the plot. Then there's Pam, Val's former prison shrink and present best friend, who, despite her Ph.D., seems incapable of uttering a sentence that doesn't include the epithet "girlfriend." But even at its worst, the dialogue in Pilikia is My Business is better than what you'd encounter in your typical Stuart Woods bestseller. In short, Pilikia is My Business is a great read that I didn't want to put down (if one "puts down" ebooks), and I'd recommend it to anybody who enjoys the hardboiled subgenre. I don't know what Mark Troy has planned for Val Lyon, but I hope there are more adventures on the horizon. Now I'm off to check Hotwire for cheap fares to Honolulu. Reviewed by Jude Peters, author of GUILTY EMPLOYERS

Review on Amazon.com An Excellent P.I. Novel, September 6, 2001 Reviewer: A reader from Detroit Fans of the detective or private eye genre should read this book. Mark Troy has created an original and interesting character in Val Lyon, the woman who works as a private investigator in This novel. Many different and fascinating characters live in this story, which deals with serious issues of child abuse, and Church and corporate corruption. Val Lyon herself is an entertaining and very believable character, who spices up the book with salty dialogue that reminds me of the popular Stephanie Plum mysteries. This book was a fast, entertaining read. I highly recommend it to any mystery fan.

Review in Word Weaving A book review by Cindy Penn Pilikia is My Business by Mark Troy LTDBooks Mystery Copyright 2001 ISBN 1553160339 eBook/Multiple Formats Download $5 disk $6 Absolutely intriguing -- Very highly recommended Val Lyon makes trouble her business. With a background as an ex-cop, ex-con, and ex-pro basketball player this private investigator boldly faces down anyone who blocks her chosen path. Lawyer Brian Magruder hires Val to protect his client. A lot of people have taken sides on one of his cases and passions run high. Brian's representing Jean Pfeifer, who is locked in a bitter war over custody of her son Nathan. Her ex-husband is accused of abusing the boy. Because she sent her child into hiding, the mother now faces contempt of court charges. When a rally to support Jean's cause erupts into violence, Val quickly learns that more than a simple child custody case is at stake. Jean's thirteen-year old son Nathan protects a secret that positions the Magruders, a wealthy local family with powerful connections, against an unyielding group of feminine activists determined to keep the child hidden. During the course of her investigation, Val becomes emotionally involved with Brian, who is also a member of the powerful family. In addition, Nathan's testosterone laden, abusive father likewise has had unfortunate dealings with the Magruder family. As danger builds around this fiery triangle, leaving behind a trail of bodies, Val finds herself pitted against politics, power, and murder. Author Mark Troy's hard boiler mystery PILIKIA IS MY BUSINESS will thoroughly satisfy even the most demanding readers. The authentic feel for Hawaii, as the background for this mystery thriller, is only the intriguing beginning. The first person narrative offers a compelling mix of vulgarity and sensitivity, outlandish characterizations and off the cuff humor. Further, Troy strikes a surprising balance between brashness and femininity with this tough talking, enigmatic heroine. In addition, this classically convoluted plot presents surprising twists and turns, with characters dropping dead and teasing details that keep the pages turning. Very highly recommended.

Review in Sharpwriter Pilikia Is My Business by Mark Troy Reviewed by Grabbermcgrew   Rating System Excellent Read ***** Highly Recommended **** Very Good *** Good ** Not Recommended * Reviewer Rating: * * * * * Title: Pilikia Is My Business Category: Mystery Author: Mark Troy Publisher: LTD Books ISBN: 1- 55316- 033- 9 Release Date: Available Now "Pilika Is My Business" is an excellent excellent book! I'm pretty stingy with my Excellent Read ratings and wow-wee; does this one deserve it!! When I am reading a book for review, I just start reading. I don't pay attention to who the author is or anything like that. To be honest with you, I thought this book was written by a woman. Mark Troy does a wonderful job of getting inside a woman's head, figuring out and sorting all the various feminine emotions. But just so the men out there know; this is one tough woman. This book is riveting reading for both the male and female genders. 'Pilika Is My Business' is set in Hawaii and 'pilika' means trouble. This book is built around a woman detective, the Catholic church, abortion issues, laws that are currently in effect, and of course the obligatory romance. The detective, Ms. Lyons, is recruited by a son/brother from a wealthy and VERY influential family for protection and to find a boy who is missing. The mother of the son has retained this wealthy man, who is a lawyer, to represent her in a highly publicized abuse case. She refuses to let anyone know where her son is and as a result the judge presiding over the case has held her in contempt of court until such a date as she sees fit to produce the child. Well - she refuses on the grounds that he's been abused. This novel gets involved quickly and is pretty high action. This one would make an excellent movie. I hope to see more books out by Mr. Troy. It was a true delight to read. Copyright © 2001 by Grabbermcgrew

Review on Dorothyl Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 09:18:23 -0500 To: Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 17:07:04 -0400 From: Linda Anderson <lpa1@ptdprolog.net> Subject: mini review of "Pilikia is my Business" Ah, to be twenty something and a former pro US basketball player (in Italy)! And a former police detective now in Hawaii. sigh. <G> This is the concept behind "Pilikia is my Business" by Mark Troy. Now, if that intro doesn't have you running to the bookstore, that is my fault. I really, really, liked this book. Not only for the background of Hawaii (which will get me every time) but for the solid characterization of the main gal and her troubles and love-life and the secondary characters with the wonderfully convoluted plot about a child hidden and people dying because of what that child might mean to the big landowners and oh, did I mention the Hawaiian background? sailing to islands? Airplane tours over the islands? Thomas Magnum where are you? double sigh. Of course, this book is really, actually, better than any of the "Magnum PI" tv series episodes. This one is real; scary; "who knows who is going to live thru this" type of book. Read it. Now. You'll regret it if you don't. Why? Because you'll never know what "H. I. T." means if you don't read it.*   * for those who can't get to the book that means "Hunks in Trunks". <G> You hadda be there. Linda Anderson aka Eeyore lpa1@ptdprolog.net

Review in Romance Reviews Today PILIKIA IS MY BUSINESS - Mark Troy LTD Books www.ltdbooks.com ISBN: 1-55316-033-9 April 2001 Mystery Present Day - Honolulu, Hawaii For thirteen months, former San Francisco Police Detective Val Lyon spent time behind bars after being wrongly accused of a crime. After the Governor expunged her record, Val moved to Honolulu where she works as a private investigator. When she receives a job offer from Brian Magruder, she immediately accepts the job. Her assignment is to protect Jean Pfeifer from pilikia, the Hawaiian word for "trouble";. Jean's abusive ex-husband is furious with Jean for hiding their thirteen-year-old son Nathan. Jean claims Jock has been abusing Nathan, so she turned him over to a women's group called HARRIET, knowing that they would hide him. To guarantee his safety, Jean has no idea where the boy is being hidden. When Jean and Brian receive threatening messages and a member of HARRIET is murdered, Val realizes she must work fast to locate Nathan or he could be next to show up dead! PILIKIA IS MY BUSINESS is a must read for fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum. Val's sarcastic wit and no-nonsense attitude is reminiscent of Stephanie's sassy character. The fast-moving plot and snappy dialogue unite to form an entertaining story from the very first page. I am hoping that Mark Troy will follow this story with a line of other Val Lyon books. I do feel I should warn certain readers from the book. The latter part of the story deals with the sexual abuse of a child. It is dealt with very tactfully, but I do understand that not all readers care to read about such matters. Tracy Farnsworth

Review in Sime~Gen Pilikia Is My Business ByMark Troy Reviewed by Steve Gitre Publisher: LTDBooks ISBN: 1553160339 Publishing Format: e-book Publisher's Web site: http://www.ltdbooks.com Rating: ***** stars Former cop, Val Lyon, now a private investigator, is hired by an attorney to locate a missing child in a bitter custody battle. The youngster guards a secret that pits a wealthy local family with powerful connections against a staunch group of feminine activists seeking to keep the young boy hidden. During her investigation, Val becomes romantically involved with the lawyer who hired her, who is also a member of the powerful family. Things get even more complicated when a killer begins stalking Val, leaving a trail of dead bodies behind. Val tries to stay one step ahead of her nemesis as she deftly goes about unraveling the mystery. An aloof monsignor, a bitter ex-husband, a killer dog, and other assorted denizens make this exciting mystery a rousing success. It's not only the writing skill of the author but how he lays out the plot, which compels the reader to follow along in near messianic obedience. The cast of characters are all well-developed and extremely interesting. Dashes of humor from the acid-tongue of Ms. Lyon, (who reminds me of a cross between Kinsey Millhone and V.I. Warshawski) highlight dialog which crackles and sizzles throughout the novel. Although it sounds paradoxical, every well-written fictional novel must gush with authenticity and resound with a ring of truth. Mark Troy's mystery accomplishes this task with ease. If Mark keeps writing he's going to give e-books a much needed shot in the arm as far as quality is concerned. I'm looking forward to the further adventures of Val Lyon. If there is only one e-book you're thinking of purchasing this year, "Pilikia Is My Business" is the one you want to buy. Even though I consider myself a rather cynical critic with high standards, this work deserves my five star rating. Read it, you'll love it!

Review in Scribes World Four and a half stars Pilikia is My Business Mark Troy LTDBooks ISBN 1553169700 (Gemstar), 1553165330 (Paperback) Val Lyon is not your everyday private investigator. For one thing, she lives in Hawaii-and this book will give you an insider's view of what life in Hawaii is really like, and not just deep blue oceans, sandy beaches, and bikinis. For another, she doesn't always live by the rules that other people make. If the cause is great enough-and in this case, it is-she doesn't hesitate to do her own breaking-and-entering, or borrow her client's car, or get totally wiped out on her favorite alcoholic beverage-in a convent, no less. At the center of this case is Nathan Pfeifer, an adolescent whose mother refuses to give him up to the father suspected of abusing him. But Nathan's mother's friends are many and resourceful, and they have hidden Nathan from everyone (including his mother) until they deem it safe for him to return. The Macgruders, however, have power-and connections to Nathan's family. Brian Macgruder is the teddy-bear-like attorney who hires Val; Ken is a hotshot real estate developer, and Frank is on the fast track to the Holy See. Somewhere, there's a connection-and Val must find it before the killers find Nathan. Whether she does or not, the cost turns out to be higher than Val wants to pay. The plot keeps the action moving, but the author has done his research well and the characters are realistic. It's easy to identify with Val-and it's rare for a male author to write a well-done female character-and the writing flows off the page. Reviewed by: Ann M. Beardsley

Review in Reviewing The Evidence PILIKIA IS MY BUSINESS by Mark Troy LTD Books, June 2001 245 pages $22.99 ISBN: 1553160339 Move over, Irene Kelly, Kay Scarpetta, and Kinsey Millhone; there1s a new gal in town, and she1s taking numbers and turning up the heat on the bad guys. Mark Troy gives us Val Lyon, Hawaii P.I., and she more than fills the void left in America1s tropical paradise after the departure of Magnum. Val carries the baggage required of a tough private eye: she1s an ex-San Francisco homicide detective who was framed for murder and spent ten years in the slammer for it. She also spent several years in Europe as a professional basketball player. Needless to say, these experiences give her something of an attitude, which she takes with her to Hawaii to work for Leo Laskowitz, colorful owner of a local detective agency. He puts her onto a client, attorney Paul McGruder, who wants her to help him with a nasty child custody case. McGruder represents the mother, who has been jailed on contempt charges for failing to produce her son for his court-assigned visit with the father. Troy writes him as a classic testosterone-driven jerk who the mother believes has abused their son. The boy has been hidden away by a group of women1s rights activists in a location not even known to the mother, who1s afraid she might be forced to divulge it if she knew where it was. Attorney McGruder wants Val to find him to be sure he1s safe and in good hands. Val soon finds all is not as it seems. Dead ends and roadblocks tell her something more sinister is going on. Troy creates a complex knot: the possibility of the father running a child pornography ring, shady property development deals in the hands of McGruder1s powerful family, and some stubborn feminists with their own agenda. As Val begins to unravel the knot, she enters into a lustful affair with McGruder while trying to keep someone from killing them. She handles both of these tasks with just the right mixture of aplomb and frailty so that the reader can easily root for her. Troy provides a sufficient number of deftly drawn red herrings to keep us turning the pages, and he adroitly hides the true identity of the evil person lurking at the center of it all until the very end, providing a nice twist. Val1s penchant for the cynical wisecrack brings to mind the prototypeÐPhilip Marlowe. Is it coincidence that Troy1s title, Pilikia is My Business, translates, as 3Trouble2 is My Business? This puts Troy in the company of Robert Crais, Elizabeth Cosin, and Barbara Seranella, all of whom have been able to bring Chandler1s style into the new millennium, adapting it enough to avoid being derivative. This review would not be complete without a brief foray into the minefield of gender. All of the tough and resourceful female protagonists mentioned above are written by female authorsÐJan Burke, Patricia Cornwell, and Sue Grafton, respectfully. Of course men have been writing women, and women, men in the general field of literature for a long time. But the mystery-crime genre has remained for the most part 3gender matched.2 Mark Troy has been brave enough to cross these boundaries, and he1s a good enough writer to pull it off with complete believability. Reviewed by George M. Scott, February 2002