Apparition Alley

September 1, 1997
Her ability to cover incredible amounts of procedural detail without losing the thread of her narrative distinguishes the work of the Lambda Award--winnning Forrest. Here, lesbian LAPD homicide detective Kate Delafield (Murder at the Nightwood Bar, etc.) finds herself drawn into turmoil surrounding the outing of gay cops when she's sidelined after being accidentally shot by one of her own police officers. Recuperating, Kate is asked by Luke Taggart, a bad-news cop accused of a bad shooting, to be his representative at his Board of Rights hearing. Luke's most recent partner, Tony Ferrera, was killed while off-duty. After Luke tells Kate that Tony was gay, he stuns her by saying that Tony was killed by cops who feared that he was going to release the names of gay and lesbian LAPD officers. Worse, Luke thinks that Kate was shot on the orders of the same homophobic cops he thinks killed Tony. Kate's skeptical, but then she learns that Tony was indeed about to make a list of names public. Forrest's hard-hitting story is made even more intense when Kate, as part of her rehabilitation, is forced to visit a very perceptive and compelling psychiatrist who challenges her to see herself in a new light. Forrest shows insight into all sides, from the most proudly brash gays and lesbians to the most adamant homophobes. Few mystery writers combine such an intelligent take on issues with such solid storytelling. Author tour. (Sept.) FYI: Murder at the Nightwood Bar is a forthcoming film from director Tim Hunter (River's Edge).