KV Forrest - Murder by Tradition

Katherine V. Forrest

Winner of the

Lambda Literary Award,

Best Lesbian Mystery

Murder by Tradition: A Kate Delafield Mystery

Katherine V. Forrest

Publisher: Alyson Books; 1 edition (September 2003)

ISBN-13: 978-1555837198

List Price: $12.95

When a successful gay restaurateur is stabbed to death, Kate Delafield's investigation puts her in conflict with her own fear of being outed as a lesbian. Can Kate testify for the prosecution with her integrity intact, when the killer's attorney, the only man who knows the truth about Kate's -sexuality, prepares a "homosexual panic" defense?

In addition to penning the legendary Kate Delafield mystery series, Katherine V. Forrest has written the lesbian romantic classic Curious Wine and the science fiction novels Daughters of a Coral Dawn and Daughters of an Amber Noon. She lives in San Francisco.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lambda Literary Award winner Forrest ( The Beverly Malibu ) transcends the run-of-the-mill police procedural and courtroom drama with this thought-provoking fourth in a series featuring Los Angeles lesbian homicide cop Kate Delafield. Kate and her partner, Ed Taylor, are called to the scene of the stabbing death of gay restaurateur Teddie Crawford. Working with information from a blood-spatter specialist, the cops learn that the killer has been seriously wounded, and soon pick up Kyle Jensen at the hospital where he has gone for help. Although Jensen claims that he killed Teddie in self-defense after Teddie made a pass at him, Kate suspects that Jensen is a gay-basher and investigates on her own. Just as she is making headway, Kate learns that the only heterosexual male who knows of her sexual preferences will be representing Jensen. She fears that the defense will broadcast her lifestyle, thereby weakening her testimony about the scene of the crime and, worse, jeopardizing her job. Kate's effort to persuade the jury to accept her conclusion while keeping her integrity intact is the primary focus of this compelling story.

From Library Journal

Lesbian LAPD detective Kate Delafield's fourth appearance should quash any doubts concerning Forrest's abilities as a mystery writer, mainstream or otherwise. Well-detailed police procedure, sizzling courtroom drama, and a firm belief in ethics characterize this story of the gory murder of a handsome, gregarious gay man by a muscle-bound "straight." In tandem with assistant district attorney Linda Foster, and supported by lover Aimee, Kate struggles against departmental homophobics to destroy the murderer's plea of self-defense. Quality writing; for most collections.

From Independent Publisher

In the brutal murder of Teddie Crawford, co-owner of Tradition, a trendy restaurant/catering business, presence of cocaine, multiple stab wounds, and a blood-spattered crime scene initially suggest a coke party gone bad, but homicide detective Kate Delafield quickly senses that this answer is too simplistic. The first half of the book goes quickly as we watch Kate move through the painstaking process of identifying the suspect and booking him. This is more than just a police procedural, however. The story also explores public attitudes toward homosexuality and the paradoxical nature of a judicial system that sometimes thwarts justice. A high-powered attorney takes the suspect's case and it becomes apparent that he intends to persuade the jury that Crawford deserved his death for attempting to force himself sexually on his straight client. Kate allies herself with Linda Foster, a tough young female d.a., who takes center stage for the remainder of the book. The murder trial that follows is taut and at times more compelling than the police investigation that preceded it. Forrest also lets us see the strains on Kate's life as she pursues the case. The defense attorney knows she is a lesbian and could use it against the prosecution. Kate's male partner is lazy and contemptuous of gays. Her lover, Aimee, appears briefly to provide comfort, although her inability to truly understand the affect of the politically explosive case on her older lover is vaguely troubling. Apart from a couple of strident message scenes in a lesbian bar, Murder by Tradition is suspenseful and wellwritten and Forrest's realistic depiction of the uneven justice afforded gays adds an important dimension to a solid story.