If someone had told me a few months ago that there was such a book as chick-lit romantic suspense, I would have said they were crazy. Alas, little did I know that not only does such a book exits, it's a totally awesome new genre! You really don't want to miss HIDE YOUR EYES by Alison Gaylin, and you definitely don't want to overlook her brand of sassiness, sarcastic humor, and down-and-dirty romantic suspense. Poor Samantha Leiffer-the girl just cannot get a break! She moved to New York to be with the love of her life, Nate, a man more breathtaking than a god and more charming than a snake. The only problem was, Nate really was a snake, one who boinked everyone within walking distance of his and Samantha's apartment. And by everyone, I mean everyone-seems old Nate wasn't very discriminating when it came to the male or female status of his conquests. So here's poor Sam, working two jobs-one as a teacher at the Sunny Side nursery school, the other in the box-office of an off-off-off-off-off Broadway theater named the Space-and on Valentine's Day, that day of love and passion, she just so happens to witness a man and woman drop an ice chest into the Hudson River. That alone might be suspicious, but after all, it's a low point in Sam's life, and she's suspicious by nature. What follows is something that even her mother, Sydney Stark-Leiffer, self-help guru and mostly off-her-rocker publicity hound, wouldn't be able to come up with a quick answer to. There really was something suspicious in that hastily dumped ice chest-a body, to be exact, and one with it's eyes gouged out, to be even more exact. Suddenly, Sam's life is in more upheaval than her Space coworker who took a three-year vow of silence to save her voice for her upcoming one-woman show. Now a mystery psychopath in mirrored sunglasses is following her around, she's getting heavy-breathing and intimidating phone calls in the middle of the night, and a one-man Hercules show by the name of John Krull is helping Sam in her find-the-bad-guy detective show. HIDE YOUR EYES is, beyond and without a doubt, simply awesome. Told in first person, you'll nevertheless feel as if you're walking beside Sam as she comes to terms with everything that's going on in her life-the departure of slimy Nate, the entrance of yummy Krull, the schizophrenia of her mother, the eccentricities of her circle of friends, and not to mention her need to single-handedly bring justice to New York. Alison Gaylin has penned a true winner, and I can't wait for the sequel.
I enjoy reading books that were nominated for awards but didn't win; this was one of those books (Edgar nomination). The nomination usually means the book is well written, has something unique and compelling, and is a good choice when faced with a vast array of books in the chosen genre. I'm not sure I would have given this book the nomination. It was fine, but it wasn't compelling. The crimes were darker than the writing; the book was fluffier than it should have been for its topic. It flirted too close to the "chick lit" edge for me.That being said, it was easy to pick up and put down during several short flights, and the theater setting with its theatrical cast of characters was not the English countryside! I'll try another by this author, just to see her progression with future books, but I'll borrow them or find them in the library, just to make sure my Kindle $$ is well spent!
What do You think about Hide Your Eyes (2005)?
I made a rookie mistake. I read two books by the same author back to back-two different series no less. What I like: I like that Gaylin has strong, well developed characters. Even though I found Samantha to be a bit of a ninny, I'd totally bogart Yale for a best gay.What I found annoying: The character pattern. Spunky heroine with kooky male sidekick. Brenna Spector/Trent (And She Was) and Samantha/Yale seem awfully interchangeable. Plus the hunky cop as love interest. What I found really, really annoying: The public servant with a Hollywood name. Sally Fields the cop receptionist and Debbie Reynolds RN. It's too cutesy.I hope that doesn't occur in every book. I may read one or two more just to be sure.
—Vivisection
After reading the excellent AND SHE WAS, I had to go back and see some of this author's earlier work. This, I believe, is one of her first novels. It was enjoyable, but flawed--the mix of humor with dark suspense (very dark--the murder of children) did not really gel and Gaylin got bogged down in her plot, taking time away from what could have been a suspenseful story for fluffy passages about the main character's work that didn't really advance the story (although it helped us know better her very likable main character). Verdict: I would read the next book in this series, with the hope the author learned from her mistakes in this outing.
—Rick
