Mini Book Reviews of a Q Nature Twins, The Actor's Guide to Greed, and Easy Street. By Angel Curtis and Donalevan Maines
Twins Marcy Dermansky William Morrow (www.harpercollins.com) Twins explores the complex relationship between twin sisters as they struggle to become adults, find their places in the world, and break out of the “identical” mode. Abandoned both emotionally and literally by their lawyer parents, these girls struggle to find their own way to adulthood. Along that way, they experience the many perils facing all youth. Their salvation comes from relationships with characters entirely different from what they have known, leading them down paths they would have never found otherwise. A poignant, compelling story, Dermansky's debut successfully reconnects us with adolescent angst and leaves us wondering which is the “eviål twin.” — Angel Curtis
The Actor's Guide to Greed Rick Copp Kensington Books (www.kensingtonbooks.com) Hollywood never made good on its promise of a gay Hart to Hart TV series, but never fear: Veteran sitcom writer Rick Copp has penned a flamboyant whodunit that shamelessly weaves up-to-date references to real-life stars into a story that reveals which fictional actor, agent, writer, has-been, or hanger-on has killed an Oscar-winning actress. Copp knows that backstage is where the real drama lies, so that is where he's set this first-person account of a fictional former child TV star whose lover is an L.A. cop. — D.M.
Easy Street Elizabeth Sims Alyson Books (www.alyson.com) Elizabeth Sims's latest, Easy Street, immediately captures and captivates the reader. As always, Sims's characters and their relationships ring true, taking the reader on a real-life emotional rollercoaster. Sims's protagonist, Lillian Byrd, faces the same struggles we all do: not enough money (and how to get more), how to behave ethically (and still get what we want), how to reconcile our heads and our hearts (the original psycho-bitch-from-hell girlfriend), and how to honor our commitments to our animal companions (she does). And like all of us, sometimes she is all too human. Great characters, superb storytelling and an interesting mystery. This one is not to be missed. — A.C.
