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So you reckon you've heard it all when it comes to different detectives. Bet you won't have come across one like Amanda Gillen in Brian Freeman's STRIPPED – she's a non-operative transsexual. Amanda is just one of a number of fantastic creations in STRIPPED. Freeman's first book in the series, IMMORAL, was set in Minnesota. In STRIPPED cop Jonathan Stride has uprooted and moved across the country to Las Vegas to be with girlfriend Serena. Instead of being a lieutenant, though, he's a bog-standard homicide detective with a slimy and annoying boss in the form of social climber Sawhill whose loyalty to his team is decidedly questionable. Las Vegas is a brilliant setting for this book where, beneath the glitzy and in-your-face glamour, are years and years of lies and secrets and corruption. Jonathan and Amanda find that some of these secrets date back to Rat Pack days when they're called in to find out who's murdered a vacuous young man-about-town. When the bodies start to pile up, they can't work out what his death and those of a young boy and an elderly woman in Reno have in common. STRIPPED is an exceptional crime novel with a rock-solid plot and the best character development I've seen in an age. Jonathan, Serena and Amanda are all well-rounded, complex characters. And Freeman provides the most convincing and sympathetic view of different sexualities than any writer I can think of. Jonathan's the kind of man you want on your side – he's solid, brave and dependable and deals admirably with the miles and miles of baggage that Serena brings to the relationship. Freeman is particularly strong in his portrayal of Amanda, particularly the discrimination and abuse she suffers. But never once does he descend into clichés during the portrayal of her and her boyfriend. There's also a very unpleasant cast of baddies, coupled with an unexpected but downright nasty twist at the end. The only slight weakness in the book is a bad attack of the CAPE FEARS, where the India-rubber baddie looks like he'll never be brought down, and where the Las Vegas police force seem to be going down like nine-pins. But that really is small potatoes. STRIPPED is a quality book and Freeman a writer who's clearly going places.
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, November 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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