Review: Lily White Rose Red-A Joyfully Recommended Title!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 7, 2010
Private detective Grey Randall hasn't exactly had the big cases since he moved to Las Vegas.  That all changes when famous Vegas dancer Lily McIntyre strolls into his office with murder on her mind; her protégé's murder, that is.  Lily wants Grey to track down Marguerite Saint-Ville's killer and Grey is all-too-happy to catch his first murder case.  What Grey doesn't count on is the case taking him to Lambda, a high class, highly secret club for gay men.  Nor does he expect the instant attraction that flares when he meets Phillip Martin, AKA Mr. Big, AKA Mr. Beautiful AKA one of Grey's suspects.  It's hard enough for Grey to "keep up appearances" concerning his choice of gender when it comes to his choice of partners, and it's doubly difficult when the case keeps throwing him in Phil Martin's path.  He'll have to juggle his desire for Mr. Beautiful, a client who isn't telling him the whole truth about the case, cops who don't want a private dick butting into their case, and a host of shady characters if Grey hopes to solve the mystery of Marguerite Saint-Ville's murder.Catt Ford weaves together murder, mobsters, secrets, and lust to deliver a detective novel unlike I've ever read.  Lily White Rose Red reminds me of the noir detective films of the 1940s (the era in which the story is set), albeit with a few delicious twists that wouldn't have made it to the silver screen back then.  I fell in love with Lily White Rose Red's snappy dialogue, it's smart, hard-boiled detective, and a certain suspect said private dick just can't resist.  Lily White Rose Red is a fast-paced, energetic story, one that kept me reading into the late hours of the night.  Grey's humor is infections and I can't express enough how much the banter in the book charmed me.  Like all good detective stories, everyone is more than they seem on the surface, and it was a delight to peel back the layers not just of Grey, but everyone else in the novel.In Lily White Rose Red Ms. Ford captured my attention from the very beginning and before I finished the first five pages, I was in love with the book.  Lily White Rose Red was a joy to read all the way through.  It's sensual, exciting, and, best of all, it's pure fun.  I Joyfully Recommend Lily White Rose Red and I can't wait to see where Ms. Ford takes Grey and Phil next!ShaynaReviewed for Joyfully Reviewed