The lead character is transgender. No priblem there. The lead chacter repeatedly brings up aspects of their life before their change. Bug priblem there.

“Seven Suspects” by Renee James is the third in the “Bobbi Logan” series. Since I had not read the previous books, I had to spend time sorting out all the players and the backstories, however the author provided background explanations within the context of the storyline to help fill in information from the previous books. Ideally, a reader should start with the prior books before reading this one.

I begin with a caution; this book deals with a difficult social issue and contains graphic violence and sex. The underlying circumstances of the book will not please every reader, but this is all too real in the world in which we live. If as a reader, you can balance the good against the bad and accept that someone else’s reality is not your own, you will enjoy this book.

Bobbie Logan, a Chicago business owner, a renowned hairdresser, and a transgender woman with a traumatic past, tells this story as a first person narrative. The dialogue takes some getting used to, but Bobbie is unique and credible. We get to know her sense of self, her fears, and her sense of humor.

Bobbie worries that an enemy from her past is stalking her. The first person narrative focuses the plot as the threats become more blatant and more powerful. Bobbie focuses her investigations on six suspects. However, who is really after her? Is there a yet unknown seventh suspect? The suspense builds. The end is chilling, dramatic, and unexpected.
I received a copy of “Seven Suspects” from Renee James, Oceanview Publishing, and NetGalley. I recommend this book with the previously mentioned cautions, thus only three stars. It is not a book for every reader. The content is dark, and it contains graphic violence and sexual content. However, that should not deter people from reading it. Readers who approach “Seven Suspects” with an open mind will see the world through the eyes of a strong yet unconventional character who is no longer a victim.

The central character of this novel is forty-something Bonnie Logan, a transgender woman running a high class, and extremely successful hairdressing salon in Chicago. Bonnie transitioned a number of years before the story begins and now has a close, sisterly relationship with her (his) ex-wife Betsy and Betsy's daughter Roberta from a subsequent relationship.

I hope I haven't lost you, as it becomes more complex as Bonnie's transgender friend Cecilia, and the lost love of her life, Phil, are added to the mix.

Life for a transgender woman in Chicago is not easy and the author I am sure draws on her own experience in this most macho city. In Bonnie's case, she is a woman who, due to her height and build is instantly recognised as a 'tranny', that most derogatory of insults and her passage is not helped by the combination of a high libido and a big mouth! Cecilia has warned her many times to moderate both her sex life and her straight-talking and suddenly Bonnie comes to appreciate the wisdom of her friend's advice.

It is difficult to give any detail of the plot without spoiling it for other readers, so I will limit the details to the fact that Bonnie was viciously raped some years before and now is the victim of a stalker who may or may not is connected to that rape. Her habit of alienating her sexual partners mean that the stalker may be any one of them - hence the list of seven suspects.

This is a very readable book with the suspense building satisfyingly as it progresses. I cannot say that I warmed to Bonnie, she is too abrasive for that, but I did have sympathy for the difficulties of her life. I also found some of the sexual passages rather more graphic than comfortable, but no doubt they were necessary to put across the lives and choices made by women like Bonnie.

A good read and an insight into the issues facing those who find their bodies do not match their gender identity, and who make the far from easy decision to transition.

Pashtpaws


Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Firstly, many thanks to Netgalley, Renee James and Oceanview publishing for a preview copy of this book.

I quickly realised that this is third of a series and now wish to read the previous books. At first this was frustrating and I wish I'd known. However, upon finishing the book, I'm glad I didn't know as I'd probably not have received this preview copy and missed out on a really, really good read as well as an enlightening one.

This is a story about transgender experiences, family, friendships, love, murder, rape and stalking! And, somehow, the author manages to balance the thrills, suspense and terror, along with humour and life lessons. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this book. I didn't know such a series existed, I should have started with the first volume, but I don't think I lost much. There are enough references about other dramatic episodes in Bobbi's life to fill in the gaps. And you can't help liking the novel and the character.
Bobbi is unique, she's a survivor, reckless and outspoken. Are these female or male features? Is fighting back and seeking revenge testosterone driven or estrogen driven behaviour? Bobbi blames her feistiness on her belated transition (in her thirties) and she often mistrusts her instincts. One thing she trusts and that is the magic of numbers three and seven. When her life is once again (the third time, I presume) turned upside down, she hunts down the possible suspects and comes short of finding the seventh. It's only her shortsightedness, because I began to suspect who that might be from their first encounter, which was disappointing.
Anyway, after another gory kidnapping and rape, Bobbi accepts her vulnerability, something that makes her more feminine than short skirts or generous cleavage.

I had to give upon this book as I found it very down beat. On every page Bobbi tells us something that is wrong with her life. She doesn't look feminine, her staff cause problems, she is unhappy in love and has a talent for picking the wrong man, her niece is becoming uncomfortable with her etc . And then there are the major problems including rape and stalking. There seems to be no joy at all, except for one friendship.
Sorry but not for me.

Fun, fast-paced mystery that kind of crosses the cozy and more noir. I look forward to reading more in this series.

My actual rating is 2.5, because I am on the fence about this book. This is the third book in a series about the protagonist, trans*woman Bobbi, but unlike other reviewers, I do not think the main issue of this book was me not having read the previous installments.

(Trigger warning for assault, rape, trans*phobia and slurs.)

What was good: I enjoyed reading a queer book that was not about coming out, because I feel this might still be a rarity. The open conversation about trans-sexuality, the inclusion of PTSD and addressing of issues like slut shaming, gun violence and even Black Lives Matter was another positive surprise. The writing had a nice, tongue-in-cheek subtle humor to it, but could also get serious and emotional. The plot proper, that is, the stalking and Bobbi's investigation of it, was done well. However, I do think it could have gotten to the point a little earlier - the novel needs a good 70 pages before the action gets going. In the end, the crime plot is pretty obvious and easy to solve as a reader. However, all of this together would have still made me give the book maybe 4/5 stars.

What was bad, or at least very confusing: the treatment and self-image of Bobbi as a trans*woman. Disclaimer: I am not trans*, I am not at all queer, so maybe the mistake is on my part ... But I have read plenty of queer books, and I rarely had such a weird feeling in my stomach. Something did not add up for me, I and do think that is a sign of bad representation. But I will be glad if someone corrects me on this. Also: the author Renee James is - as far as I understand - not trans*, but gender-fluid or gender non-conforming. So this is not own voices.

Basically, my issue was with Bobbi, despite having undergone surgery and hormone treatment, acting like she is a man. When she is misgendered as a man, she actually makes apologies: "He probably saw me as an Amazonian woman." - he saw you as a woman and called you a man? In contrast, when someone genuinely compliments her: "You are trans*? I would have never guessed.", she deducts out of nowhere: "A lie, of course." There are other instances: "It is not hard to find the transgender in the room.", "I am not a woman, not a man, but a little of both.", worrying that she needs to be more ladylike. Bobbi is surprised when people find her voice feminine, she checks her body for femininity each morning and constantly refers to people noticing her trans-sexuality as "they read me", as if discovering a big, dirty secret. There are many mentions of her being "oversized" or "not a real woman" in contrast to "natural", "genetic" and "genuine" women. Momentarily, all this "I look like a man / manly woman" had me so confused, I thought we were talking about transvestites, rather than transgender... Or is the lesson here that not all trans*people pass as their gender?

In stark contrast, she at times acts like a woman with no issues. She takes no offense at being called "cunt", because at least a cunt is female. She also says things like: "from one woman to another" and "I am glad to be a woman." Interestingly enough, all of the trans*scene of Chicago that is introduces in this novel, even at big talks and events, seems to consist solely of m-to-f trans*people. Where are the trans*men? Do they not count?
The cherry on top of the weird-representation-cake was the end of the book, where Bobbi literally spells out the "lesson" she learned - and I assume the readers are to learn as well: "I finally understand that it is dangerous to be a woman." Is that really the message you want to send? "Be careful out there, especially scantly dressed, because as a woman, you are constantly in danger"? Is that what you want to teach young girls? Rather than, maybe: People, men, are idiots and sex-driven assholes, defend yourself!

As I said: something about this: "I look like a man, not like a real woman" after 12 years of hormones and surgery combined with a vulnerability of "all woman are victims" did not add up for me. So, 2,5/5 stars - at best.

In exchange for an unbiased review, I accepted this ARC from NetGalley. Gratitude offered to Oceanview Publishing for making this edition available.

Renee James gave me an intimate, close-up look into the life of a transsexual woman living in a closed-minded, for the most part, unforgiving world. Opposition to the norm. An eye-opener. This well-written narrative took me by surprise as I'd witnessed her daily struggle to belong. Actually, to cope. After proper introductions, the main characters were well-developed, although, the plot became a bit stagnant as it hardly strayed from the main protagonist. It droned on finishing with an ending that caught me off guard. Chilled me to the bone.

There are a multitude of roadblocks every entrepreneur faces when trying to keep a business in the black. Throw into the mix being a transsexual. A whole new level. Bobbi Logan, is owner and operator of an upscale beauty salon, Salon L 'Elegance. She's managed to successfully slice out her own piece of the pie. No small feat in the fiercely, competitive city of Chicago. It came with a heavy price.

Bobbi walks the streets of Chicago in a endless state of paranoia. Always looking over her shoulder. Expecting the worst. Always feeling someone's eyes on her. Knows it for sure. It's inescapable. Who's after her now? Watching. Waiting. Survivor of a brutal rape thirteen years earlier, she'd vowed never to be taken victim again. Now it's time to walk the talk.

Over the years, she'd come to make her fair share of enemies. Last count put it at six. Six too many. For some reason though, she thinks there's a seventh stalker. Something to do with the law of sevens. Such as, " a football score, the number of dwarfs sleeping with Snow White, a divine or fatal number in craps, the number of the greatest wonders of the world..." Call it superstitious. Call it what you want. She's guided by her animal instinct to survive. It's kept her alive. So far.

Her business and home had been vandalized by an unknown assailant. Probably one of the six. Maybe seven. She struggles along in a constant state of fear. Always walking on thin ice. Continuing on this way would age her quickly, long before her time. That, certainly wouldn't do. In a state of desperation, she decided to turn the tables around. In a word, the prey becomes the predator. From the frying pan into the fire. If there's going to be a confrontation, it'll be on her terms. Hopefully, she'll see it coming. If she's lucky.

I didn't realize this was the third book in a series - but I felt that the book stood on it's own. I've never known a transgender person (that I know of anyway!) but the character of Bobbi is so well done in the book, I feel like I know HER. She's funny and smart and vulnerable - though a bit too reckless for her own good. The only part of the book I didn't care for was the extremely violent and graphic scenes at the end. I suppose they were necessary to the story, but I cringed through them. Also, I was rather surprised that with Bobbi's 'intuition', she didn't guess the identity of the seventh suspects earlier. I was sitting here yelling at her - IT'S HIM! IT'S HIM!!!

An unusual and worthwhile read.

Third in the Bobbi Logan series about a transgender woman

I know I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read the two previous books in this series. It is told from a first-person POV by Bobbi Logan and she does tell some of the backstory but I still felt like I missed out on some of the finer points of the series.

This was an interesting book to me. I've never read a book about a transgender woman (or man either for that matter) and I felt a great deal of empathy for Bobbi's character.

Bobbi is a very tall, somewhat masculine looking woman. She owns an elite hair salon and is a gifted stylist.

She is trying to recover from a love affair with "the love of her life" and ends up placing herself in risky situations as she tries to find comfort from other men.

She suddenly finds herself the focus of malicious stalker that vandalizes her home and salon and she has to try to figure out who she might have made angry enough to do these things.

I did feel like there was a lot of repetition and filler in the story - that's why I rated this three stars instead of four. But, all in all, it was a unique story with a sympathetic character.

I received this book from Oceanview Publishing through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

This is my second Bobby book. I thought I'd give the second (third in the series) book a try even though the first (second in the series) was a bit of a hit a miss for me. This time I remained in the same boat still hitting and missing.

My wishes for Bobby:

I wish her comfort with herself and with her body.
The assurance that woman can be strong
And that she believes that it is woman-like to be angry if anger is required
To be a woman does not mean to be soft and outwardly beautiful all the time, with tears ready to sprout out at the touch of an emotion.

I know all the above might be part of the transition Bobby is going through but for me it did not make for pleasurable reading.

A well written enjoyable read by Renee James. Held my interest the whole time.

Seven Suspects is the third book in Renee James’ crime fiction series featuring transgender hairdresser, Bobbi Logan. As she did with the previous novels, Renee James opens the door to a world unfamiliar to many readers, allowing compassion and respect to harness their hearts.

The crime fiction world needs a character like Bobbi Logan and Renee James is the perfect author to bring her to life. As Seven Suspects opens, Bobbi is still dealing with symptoms of post-traumatic stress induced by the rape she previously suffered. Being a trans woman, Bobbi tends to be extra tuned into her surroundings and the actions of those around her; so when she begins to experience an ominous feeling of being stalked, she takes it very seriously – especially since she is currently watching her eleven-year-old “niece” Roberta while Betsy (Bobbi’s pre-transition ex-wife) is off on vacation.

This is probably a good place to say that as confusing at all this sounds, Renee James is masterful at making the reader feel comfortable in this world – even for those new to the series. The writing flows with such ease that readers immediately trust the process and quickly find that all the past connections and issues feel familiar. This is especially important here, as an emotional sub-plot dealing with how children react to transgender individuals packs quite the punch.

Once Bobbi determines that she really is being watched, she makes a list of the most likely suspects – those with possible reasons to dislike her. With no proof to convince the authorities, Bobbi goes about researching each individual on her own. Readers know how difficult it can be to create convincing motives for an amateur sleuth to become entangled in an investigation, but with Seven Suspects, Renee James makes it look easy.

There is a sense of imminent danger throughout Seven Suspects, but there are many lighter moments as well. Renee James really ushers readers into Bobbi’s life. Episodes detailing her interactions with her friends and her “family of choice,” her experiences on the dating circuit, and her professionalism as the owner of a successful business enterprise all expose important aspects that make Bobbi Logan a fully-formed character that readers will champion.

Seven Suspects could easily have become a didactic exercise intended to teach readers about the transgender experience. However, by wrapping the subtle lessons within a compelling suspense plot, Renee James instead leads readers to connect with Bobbi as a person first and foremost, thereby allowing the rest of the equation to develop organically. The transgender experience is a welcome addition to the crime fiction repertoire and hopefully, Renee James and Bobbi Logan will be around for a very long time.

For the record, I was unaware that this was part of a series before I started but that took absolutely nothing away from the story.
In a nut shell the story follows Bobbi, a transgender and who had previously suffered through rape as she struggles to discover who is stalking her. After narrowing her suspicions down to a list of 6 she hunts them down and eliminate them one by one from her list. I loved Bobbi, she is so strong and determined and so easy to care about and I really got to like her and enjoy her sense of humor.
Reading a lot of thrillers, I love finding a gem like this, with plenty of diversity and representation, and genuinely surprising twists. It is a brilliant with out a doubt an edge of your seat mystery with plenty of suspense.
I am 100% going to go back and start the series from the beginning.

It is NOT a stand-alone. Seven Suspects is the book #3 in the Bobbi Logan Crime Novel Series and you SHOULD read BEFORE at least the previous book to understand and to enjoy it.

***

My first reaction, when I found out that Renee James wrote a new sequel in Bobbi Logan Crime Novel Series was a mixture of excitement and concerns. As much as I enjoyed the series, I was a bit skeptical: The case was solved (you have to know that the both books ARE about the same case, but from different perspectives), sealed up, the guilty ones got what they deserved and Bobby Logan became her life fully under control (at least it is what I desperately hoped to). And Bobby is not a detective, but a businesswoman, an owner of a beauty salon, a very talented hairdresser. What a new sequel in the mystery series could be about? With an emphasis on MYSTERY? Don't worry, buckle up and be ready for a rollercoaster ride!

Maybe it is a good possibility to warn that violence sciences are very graphical, but if you read the previous books, and I hope you did, then you must know that the author does not spare her readers a detailed description when she writes about hate crime.

I read Seven Suspects with a MC Bobby Logan, a transgender woman, an amazing character, an owner of a beauty salon and a very talented hairdresser, almost in one sitting and I loved every minute of it. The dynamic and the unexpected twists in the second part of the book, in contrast to the smooth and quiet beginning made me forget about everything around myself, I don’t know who drove me more crazy - Bobby with her good faith, or the author for putting us both through this.

Bobby has arrived at a point in her life where she lives in balance with herself and her body, she leads a quiet and content life, she runs successfully her own business, she has people she loves and who cares for her around. But she is a survivor type and a natural born fighter: to become a person she is now she had to overcome some extremely difficult stages in her life. And though she mastered them all with bravery, she made some enemies along the way.

When one day she becomes a feeling, she has been trailed and watched by someone, she is concerned but first tries not to pay too much attention to it considering it for an obsessive idea. Though the situation becomes much serious when she starts to receives anonymous threats. When one day her salon fells victim to vandalism, and shortly after an unknown intruder breaks into her apartment leaving behind a trail of destruction, she realizes that she can’t be a silent observer who waits for the police to find the villain. She is torn between her female nature and her male side that is still there, hidden deep inside.

The other part of me wants to take bloody, unrelenting revenge on the sick coward who did this. I know this is my male side, the one I’m not supposed to have, the one that was supposed to go away along with the testosterone that made me strong and hairy and inclined to violence. This feeling reveals me as a fraud, a hopeless queer with no real gender, but just now, I don’t care . The anger feels right. The determination to defend myself feels right. The willingness to kill or maim this villain feels good. The motherfucker who did this is going to pay.


She has to take the law into their own hands.

She makes a list of six suspects of her own. But maybe she missed someone? Who is this person? And why does he want to hurt her?



I have to admit, I was actually surprised that Bobby didn’t have THIS person on her list from the beginning. Even if I didn’t know FOR SURE who it COULD BE. (All six were not trustworthy, to tell the truth). But when it became clear WHO it WAS....the last 15% left my blood frozen.(Or boiled)

Absolutely great resolution, excellent writing, but the most a magnificent attraction of the series is the main character. Bobby Logan belongs to one of my favorite characters EVER. I could have never imagined that to be in a head of a transgender woman could be so fascinating. Transgender fiction is a difficult genre to win a wide audience; it belongs to a marginal genre of LGBT fiction. But maybe one of the reasons, there are not enough GREAT books to attract readers?
For this reason I appeal to all my GR friends and people who read LGBT fiction, and for all those who read General fiction and mystery, you simply HAVE to read this series.

Please, read it.

Thanks Netgalley and respective publisher for giving me such a good book.

Excellent thrilling book,

It made me remind the kind of story-telling as Agatha Christie's thrillers.
I would not like to spoil , But as name suggest, 7 suspects were there behind a wonder woman(not exactly a woman).

Some moments were greatly defined and written.

Intriguing storyline and wonderful writing.

If you enjoyed the first two books in this series then book three is an absolute must!

I really enjoyed revisiting Bobbi and seeing her life after transition. Bobbi is now a business owner and a property owner, and although she has come close to losing both her life and her business, this book shows her making real progress on both fronts. Despite all the challenges of transition and the battle she had to fight against the person who was intent on murdering her, Bobbi is in Chicago living her life freely.

It isn't an easy road though. Bobbi is still coming to terms with what it means to live as a transgendered woman. She still has issues with what she sees as a lack of femininity and the love of her life has moved on, and now it seems she also has a stalker.

Bobbi focuses on day to day life, work, friends and family but she still wants to meet her 'special someone' and this quiet desperation leads her to take risks with unsuitable men and it appears that one of these men might be stalking her.

For Bobbi the stalker brings back all the darkness of the past; the rape, the threats and the fear, and Bobbi once again decides to take back control and she does this by trying to find the stalker herself. Bobby suspects that there are possibly seven people who could be stalking her but she can only identify six and she can't rest until she discovers who the seventh is. But the seventh suspect knows who Bobbi is and he is hunting her.

The story has a thrilling pace and a tense buildup. We know there is somebody out there who is determined to get her but we really don't know who this person is.

I enjoyed the thrill and the build up and I thought the story was written in a way which is really gripping but I do feel towards the end Bobbi acted in a 'too stupid to live' way, blind to obvious danger. I loved the endings of book one and two. These endings were quite surprising and provided a twist that just couldn't be predicted. In this book I could see the end approaching and that element of surprise wasn't there but the story is still a gripping read.

It is very brutal in places but Bobbi Logan is clearly a survivor. She has survived childhood in the wrong gender with parents who didn't care for her. She has survived a broken marriage but has managed to create something lasting and a caring relationship with her former wife. Bobbi has risen from the destruction of John Strand's violence against her and despite everything she continues to thrive.

Bobbi has spent so much time worrying about her appearance and her lack of femininity but here she is facing violence because she is female. Bobbi learns that being a woman can mean that she is vulnerable to gender based violence. In other words because she really is a woman there is always the danger of male violence and this potential for violence is common whether you are trans or whether you were born a woman. In our world today being a woman is to be vulnerable in all sorts of ways and in ways men will never experience and Bobbi comes to realise this. She may never have the petite appearance she desires but she is truly a woman.

The story has parts that are very hard to read because of this violence but Bobbi is not only a woman, she is a strong woman. She is a woman who knows how to dream and how to fly. I found myself willing her to struggle and to fight back against those people both male and female who thought they could put Bobbi down mentally and physically. Bobbi struggles with those who would pull her under and she resurfaces, she wins.

As you read these books you become invested in Bobbi Logan. You want her to succeed and to be everything she has ever wanted to be. I enjoy the way the writing evokes this kind of reader response. I have enjoyed this series so much that I can't let go of Bobbi just yet and I have even decided to go back and read the early version of book 1.

I just want more Bobbi Logan.

I now need to see more of Bobbi putting the world to rights in her own determined and indomitable way.

This is an excellent series. It is sometimes hard to read but it is gripping and pulls the reader in, not letting go of the reader until the very end and even after finishing the book the reader is left knowing that they have really met someone who has learnt to live and who has learned to be who she really is.

Copy provided by Oceanview Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Where do you start trying to describe this book, first of all Bobbi the central character is terrific, she is brave humorous, her one liners are fab she is a successful hairdresser and business woman, and she is a transsexual woman and that is obviously a main theme throughout the book.The prejudice and even hostility she faces takes place on a daily basis and is unfortunately part of her life.When it becomes obvious that she is being stalked and someone does not have her best interests at heart, putting it mildly ,she has as the title of the book would suggest seven suspects , who are they and who is the one who really means to harm her, who indeed.No spoilers from me ,but it made for an interesting read.I really liked Bobbi, I didn't know at first that there were other books before this one, but this does read ok as a stand alone book.I enjoyed this book and would read more in the series.Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This story is set in Chicago and involves Bobbi Logan, a successful business woman and owner of Salon L'Elegance. Originally born a man, but went through gender transition to become the woman she is now. The story is told through Bobbi, she has a tough life as a woman, having to deal with bullying, bigotry and people's ignorance as well as having t deal with the process of being a rape victim. When Bobbi realises she is being stalked, her paranoia and insecurities are evident. But with assistance from her ex-wife Betsey, her best friend Cecelia and the help of her ex boyfriend Phil a policeman, they start work out who it could be. They come up with a list of six names between them that could have a possible grudge. Bobbi has an ability to annoy people, it's a trait that she cannot seem to control.

I admit to being intrigued by this book when I requested it via Netgalley, the synopsis seemed a little bit different from most stories I normally read. But by the end I felt a little deflated, the characters were reasonably well described and the setting descriptions were okay. I think however the pacing of the story just didn't quite feel quite right for me, it felt like it had a more laid back ambling feel to it when I was expecting something a little faster given the subject matter. I would also like to point out , that towards the end of the book that there is some violence that does not make very nice reading, and I did skim through those parts. I am not going into detail about what this was about, but if I had been aware of the inclusion of this I would not have requested the book. This is a book that describes how life as a transgender woman has to deal with living a normal life. It gives some examples of how dealing with humiliation, ignorance and bullying on a regular basis for being different is like. In some ways this aspect of the story stood out more that the main plot itself.