Books like Stoner McTavish

When the protagonist of Stoner McTavish was only a week old, her aunt won her in a card game with her mother, who was a straight-laced, anti-feminist. A compromise was reached and the mother got to keep the baby as long as the aunt could name it. So she did: Stoner, after Lucy B. Stone. In other words, before we get into the meat of the novel we are hit by a fatal flaw—a tale so implausible—ridiculous even—that it becomes impossible to trust the author. And generally, when I find a fatal flaw, I drop the book and go on to another. But because I strive to do as good a job as I can in my chosen endeavor, I finished the book anyway. Was it good? No, not really. But it certainly deserves to be discussed because it is one of the first dozen lesbian mysteries ever published.Storner McTavish is a travel agent in Boston. When a friend of her aunt fears that her granddaughter—Gwen Owens—has married a man who plans to off her for her money, Stoner agrees to travel to Wyoming to keep an eye on the young bride. Why? Who knows, maybe because of a blurry picture she was given by Gwen’s grandmother. Maybe for no reason; Stoner often seems . . . well, stoned.The truth is, Stoner is as nice a person as you could want to meet. We know this through her inner dialogue and the plans she makes. But she is not particularly lovable. When she talks to Gwen—and to most of the other characters in the book—she is either squeaking, stammering, or apologizing. At one point, the bad guy—Gwen’s husband—tells Stoner that he is trying to understand why his wife is so fascinated with her. Well, join the club, Bryan. Although it is not hard for anyone to believe that Stoner falls in love with Gwen at first sight, it is not so easy to see why Gwen comes to like Stoner in the sane way. In fact, lack of realistic motivation is the main problem that this book suffers from. Why does Stoner follow the couple to Wyoming? Why does Gwen marry Bryan in the first place—he is a decided asshole from start to finish? Why does Gwen fall in love with Stoner? Why does Gwen change her will? Why does Bryan want to kill her? None of it really makes sense. On the other hand, Stoner can be seen as an interesting character—an antihero, gauche and shy. She is more than a bit butch (is that why Gwen likes her? Is that why Dreher has fans?) but way socially defective. If Dreher meant to portray Stoner thus, she did it pretty well. Stoner has a more interesting backstory than most protagonists in lesbian mysteries, and some of the scenes near the end of the book are almost Zane Grey-like in their excitement. Yet there is nothing in the book that comes unexpected. The story, the dialog, the descriptions, everything. The reader knows exactly what is going to happen almost from page one. Every. Single. Thing. Although the writing is professional—especially the descriptions—it often comes off as either banal or clichéd. Juvenile is maybe a good word. Nevertheless, lots of us wish that we could overcome our fears and our shyness and get the girl of our dreams—that she could see through our rough outer shell to the pearl we have within us. Maybe this is the appeal.I would rate this book somewhere around a 2.3—closer to a 2 than a 3. The other books in this series may delve into fantasy or the paranormal so I will probably avoid them. That doesn't mean you should.If you are interested in this genre, please join the Goodreads Reading Group Lesbian Mysteries.