cover image Killing at the Cat

Killing at the Cat

Carlene Miller. New Victoria Publishers, $10.95 (192pp) ISBN 978-0-934678-95-7

Lesbian newspaper reporter Lexy Hyatt is on hand at her favorite bar, The Cat, when Darla Pollard, an insurance agent, is murdered in this provocative debut. Wary of the kind of coverage her Florida paper might give the story, Lexy convinces her editor to assign it to her. Lexy learns that homophobic Edward Driscoll blamed Darla for the suicide of his teenage daughter, who had worked in the insurance office and confided in Darla. He had vowed revenge, and was at the bar when Darla died. Also, a gay-bashing skinhead gang had targeted The Cat. While Lexy would like to believe in Driscoll's or the gang's guilt, she unearths more unsavory secrets about the victim's friends and clients than she can ignore. Among those who fit on the suspect list are The Cat's owner, Darla's secretary, and a former love of Lexy's; the solution, however, begins in left field. While not graphically sexual, Miller's debut is steeped in the details of lesbian culture and romance. (Oct.)