In Reporter on the Run Carlene Miller fulfills the promise of great writing hinted at in her earlier books. Her strengths -- strong plot, believable characters, and valuable themes -- here come to fruition, making Reporter the best of the Lexy Hyatt series.
As usual with Miller, red herrings abound, opening up a plethora of possibilities for pinning down the perp. And yet the variety of potential killers is not spurious; any one of them COULD have done it. The reader roots for first one and then another, figuring "Aha, I've got it!" each time, but when the real culprit is revealed, there is the sense of inevitability needed for a strong plot; this one HAD to be It.
To carry out the intricacies of the plot, Miller has created characters that captivate. Welcome returnees, besides Lexy herself, are the invincible Iron Maiden, gentle Wren, and Cop Exline. In addition, new personalities abound, many of whom one hopes to see again, especially the young Kell, a child reminiscent of the best of Martha Grimes. Even the evil characters are convincing in their all too human frailties so that one hopes to see them again also, if only to make sure they get their come-uppance.
The less savory characters contribute to the strength of the themes in this book which is very definitely lesbian mystery, but much more. As complex as the orienteering course featured in the story is the path Lexy must navigate among multiple conflicts. Dealing with lesbian prejudice, racial prejudice, chicanery in the banking industry, evil underlying the smiling face of religious fanaticism, even politics -- the reporter is truly on the run.
With this third in the series, Miller has definitely reached her stride.

With Reporter on the Run, Carlene Miller has hit the stride that her earlier books gave promise to. Plot, character, and theme, all quite adequate in Cat and Marina, are, respectively, in Reporter wonderfully complex, believably lifelike, and toughly realistic.
Always a strong point in Miller's books, the plot in Reporter has as many twists, turns, and side lanes as its featured orienteering course. Red herrings abound and yet are so intricately woven into the reader's search for "whodunnit" that they are not at all extraneous; any one of them COULD have done it.
Readers will welcome the return of Lexy Hyatt and her friends from the earlier books, like the crusty Iron Maiden, but will also delight in the new characters that had better become regulars, especially the vulnerably precocious Kell, reminiscent of some of the best of Martha Grimes. Even the evil characters are too real to be stereotypes, unfortunately. Anyone living and awake has met just such people and wished them ill, yet Miller does not make them two-dimensional.
Entwined with the plot and characters, the themes of Reporter make it a significant contribution to the lesbian mystery genre. Lexy is more than a lesbian and a sleuth, though these characteristics remain central, as they should. The chicanery in the banking empire, the hypocrisy in fundamentalist cults, and the continual problem of racial injustice are among the realities that conspire to make Lexy's life not a black and white cardboard cutout, not a casual sprint but a marathon.
Right up through the solving of who did "dunnit," Reporter on the Run remains a complex, believable, valuable book -- eminently readable.

Ms. Miller's debut mystery novel is a sensually riveting romp through a kaleidoscope of characters. Lexy Hyatt is our central feline. This complex woman has turned to reporting after inner pressures boil over while teaching. And her first criminal assignment hits very close to home indeed.

Lesbian sexual scenes are purr-fectly written--leaving us smiling with just a trace of lust in more than our hearts. The mystery of who killed the purple suited woman at the busy lesbian bar, The Cat, almost becomes a non-sequitar whilst the reader becomes deeply attached to people we want to invite over for late night latte's and bold truths.

There is the Leather bar, the Billet, the meeting of Wren (who is brought out more in the sequel), soft touches on subjects of parental anguish over gay children, how to overcome deaths of loved ones...and of course the solving of the murder. Somehow Ms. Miller comforts us with love, lust, meanings of friendship, vivid descriptions of antique fairs, softball games and quiet moments in Florida rains.

A tantalizing novel which meanders through one's mind long after the cover is closed & 'til the sequel--Mayhem At The Marina is opened.

Carlene Miller's book is a breakthrough -- a wonderful mystery with well-developed characters I feel as if I now know. I particularly enjoyed reading first person account of Lexy Hyatt, former english teacher turned newspaper reporter, who went above and beyond the call of duty to help track down the murderer. Ms. Miller did an astounding job of revealing just enough detail to keep the reader guessing to the very end.

Why a breakthrough? Not only did Carlene Miller write a great mystery, but she wrote from inside the circle of a gay (lesbian) community. I recommend the book to anyone who possesses an open mind and a passion for mysteries no matter what their sexual orientation may be. Be warned...it's pretty steamy! ;-)

Oh, my. Oh, my. Despite the truth that most adults over a certain age have sex, the child's mind exempts certain persons, including, in this case, one's high school english teacher, from that group. No more. Oh, my. Carlene Miller's Killing at The Cat sizzles unmercifully. And yes, she was my high school english teacher. Oh, my.

Of course, hers is masterfully crafted sizzle, like a rare steak arranged perfectly on fine china and garnished with coddled baby vegetables. Her characters are intriguing, her plot is engaging, and her ending is satisfyingly surprising, alongside all that sizzling.

As I told our local librarian as I ordered a copy for the library, "there are a few lesbian characters in this book." Remember, the Bible defines "a few" as ten or more. And a few classic gay themes emerge briefly and powerfully, themes such as the awkwardness of coming out to parents, the pain of discovering sexual identity in adolescence, and the heartbreak of hiding one's soul in the workplace. But for me, what was most impressive was the literary magnetism with which Miss Miller drew even this straight, preferably non-fiction, reader into her characters and scenery. Ample evidence was found in these pages that the power of words can transcend apparent differences in thought, in emotion, in spirit.

As I recall, a really good english teacher once taught me that.

Sara Ann Conkling

Ms. Miller has pleased her mystery readers again in Mayhem At The Marina. Entertwining plot lines pick up from her first novel--The Killing At The Cat and send us off to a wonderfully full community of warm characters at a Florida marina.

Descriptive and vivid, we cannot wait to thumb the pages and see what Lexy gets into next. A dysfunctional family murder, holiday fireworks, lust, love, compassion and Lexy's realization of her craving for Wren & settling down in a lesbian relationship which any hetrosexual would yearn for.

A flowing read with just enough twists & turns to make us trowel our fingers through our hair & still smile.

Carlene Miller integrated character development, intrigue, sex, and mayhem all into a tidy little ball. The author gives each character many roles. Damaris was an alluring yet spooky international icon...fighting against the evils of her country. Charlie was the tough kid, needing some place to call home and some one to love her. And Lexy finds herself in many daring situations from being killed to being committed to Wren. I enjoyed the way community (straight & lesbian plus the spanning from the very young to the elderly) was integrated even though there were a few snags. It take a lot for people to step out and say they'll help when there are so many unknowns, yet Robbie, Marilyn (the Admiral), Meg, Cap, and Lexy all took a chance to make Charlie a new life. I found Lexy Hyatt's second book before her first and I can't wait to read it too.

In Mayhem at the Marina, Carlene Miller capitalizes on her ability to weave an intricate plot and to create believable characters. The plot is easier to follow than in Killing at the Cat, but is also more believably complex. Instead of setting up characters as suspects like tenpins and then knocking them down, she has the several strands of the plot quite logically produce people who have urgent motives for killing. The plot also deals with contemporary issues that matter to the people of her setting, a small marina in small-town Florida. As in Cat, Miller creates a sizable group of disparate characters, all of whom connect to each other in some way. Most are vividly drawn and individual, especially the perversely charming Charlie and the exotic Damaris. Some of the older women do not stand out as sharply -- Fran and Donna, for example -- but the "Iron Maiden" from Cat reappears, strong and unique. Even the men in this female genre are well-drawn, particularly Cap and the vile Steve. With this second book, Miller has honed her style, making it cleaner and sparer. Occasionally it becomes too spare, too many sentences beginning with the subject-verb beginning, for example. Gone are many of the heavy references to Lexy's past as an English teacher with a penchant for correcting grammar. Instead, that past is used to develop character, helping her to understand the teenage Charlie. Still somewhat annoying is the speech habit of starting sentences with the verb (Looked out and saw... Wanted to know...), a habit which could conceivably belong to one character but not to so many. One major drawback of the novel is the vagueness of Lexy's character and/or personality. It is difficult to understand sometimes what the other characters see in her when so many of them are more interesting than she is. Perhaps it is the choice of writing in the first person that makes Lexy not as fully limned. A future book written in third person might showcase Miller's considerable talent for creating believable characters in arresting plots.

In Death Off Stage, Carlene Miller has done superbly what she does best: create believable characters involved in an intricate plot in a realistic setting. With Tory Gordon and Tandy Byers she has introduced two strong females equally but disparately likable so that the reader cares what happens to them. Even more beautifully limned than the leads in this drama are the supporting characters, especially the women -- indomitable Miss Verda, sailor-mouthed Maxine, talented and lovely Selinda -- and many more. Every character in the book supports the theater adage that there are no small parts, only small actors; but Miller allows no small actors. This large cast becomes involved in a murder mystery so carefully plotted that it ravels and unravels like fishline or like a drama unfolding on stage. The intertwined lives of the characters produce many motives, means, and opportunities making a Gordian knot for Captain Gordon and the reader to slash through. Finally, Miller's homey small town setting sets the stage with realistic local color -- the community theater undergoing remodeling, the Shack with its inimitable chowder, the annual River Festival complete with raft race, and the Coffeepot where everyone exchanges the latest gossip. Lending depth to the story is the realistic feel for the challenge of lesbian life in Small Town, South. All together, the characters, plot, and setting make Death Off Stage Carlene Miller's best book to date.