Seven Suspects by Renee James

Title: Seven Suspects
Author: Renee James
First Published: Oct 2017
Publisher: Ocean view Publishing
Price on Amazon: Hardback £20.79 Kindle: £19.74
ISBN: 1608092550

Seven suspects the third novel in the Bobbie Logan Series.

Bobbie Logan is a successful business woman, a wonderful hairdresser and a tremendously strong person. She has survived rape, gender-transition, bullying and bigots, a murder trial and so much more and now she has another battle to survive.

Along the way, Bobbie has made enemies and now she has a stalker, as each day passes he gets closer. Bobbie comes up with a list of six suspects and having made the decision a long time ago she is never again going to be a victim she decides to stalk her possible stalkers. As Bobbie tried to work out who her stalker is, going through her list of suspects one by one with nothing but her witty one liners and a can of mace for protection can Bobbie figure out who her stalker is before he gets her.

One thing that is bothering Bobbie while on her mission to find her stalker is the number seven, there must be a seventh suspect but who is he? When Bobbies stalker is revealed can Bobbie escape with her life this time?

I received this book as an advanced copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Now when I got this book, I didn't realise it was the third in the series, whilst reading it I did wonder if there was another book before it as things seem to have happened before the book that was discussed as if I was expected to know about them however, I continued with the book and I am so glad I did because I really enjoyed it. I must say I will be heading on over to Amazon to buy the others in the series as I enjoyed it that much.

This is the first book I have read that involved the Transgender community and I think it is fabulously written. I found Bobbie to be a wonderfully written, strong feminine yet powerful character. The plot flowed really well and was easy to read and follow. I loved the fact that Bobbie and her ex-wife were friends and had become like sisters after Bobbie's transition. I enjoyed how it showed the real life side that we in the LGBT community get both negative and positive reactions from people. I loved how Bobbie dealt with the negativeness and the bullying as that is how I myself deal with homophobia I use sarcasm and snappy one liners rather than getting into what I see as stupid heated arguments.

All in all, i gave this book four out of five stars I think if I had read the others in the series first I would have gone on to give the book five out of five stars.

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This is the third Bobbi Logan novel. 3.5 stars.

Bobbi Logan is a successful business woman and a celebrated hairdresser. She is a witty, articulates omen who has survived rape, gender transition, a murder investigation and countless acts of bullying and bigotry. She's also made enemies along the way. Now she's being stalked. Each day the threats become more brazen, violent and personal. No one knows who the stalker is or why they are after her. Bobbi is intimidated but had vowed never to be a victim again.

This story is told in the first person and is completely from Bobbi's point of view. The story does have some humor but the rape and violence are told in great detail which might upset some readers. It gives an insight into transgender women and the struggles they face. I did not notice that this was the third book in the series when I requested it. I would have preferred to read the other two first. The pace is well set and I just loved Bobbi.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Oceanview Publishing and the author Renee James for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

James has written an incredible story. Gripping from the start with clever writing and intricate plot lines.
Complex, deep, eerie and generally an all together enjoyable read.

Great book. Bobbi is brave and inspiring. I wish I knew this was. A third book in a series.

I just wasn't able to get into this book and therefore, didn't finish it. I can't pinpoint what exactly turned me off of it or if I just hit a reading funk.

I like that the protagonist is transgender (more of that please!), but the story just didn't hold my interest and the prose was too functional for my taste. I'd try another in the series though.

This was a really good book. It was a good insight into the world of transgender women. The violence was very disturbing, yet a stark reality, especially in our current intolerant time. The cruelty and hate are horrible. However, that being said, the main character made me smile often. Ms. James is a very good writer. I enjoyed her wit and humor. The descriptions of the people closest to her seemed spot on. I especially enjoyed Roberta, as Ms. James nailed that age perfectly. I loved the scenes in the hair salon and wished there was more about the salon, the customers, and the stylists. I recommend reading this book. This is the first book I've read from this author, but it definitely won't be my last.

I was interested in this book from the beginning after reading the description & seeing the cover. The storyline seemed intriguing; however; as I began to read it, I quickly realized it wasn't for me. I continued to have a hard time focusing on the main character & storyline due to the constant paranoia she had. I'm not sure why it was so difficult for me.

I'm sure there are some readers who would really enjoy this book; it just wasn't for me.

Thank to the author & Netgalley for giving me a chance to read it.

Seven Suspects is something of a whodunit - with a difference. The main character Bobbi does a DIY job on finding her stalker before he does kill her - which of course, he very nearly does, complete with all the forensic trimmings of sadistic pleasure in the deed ( the real bad guy was not that difficult to spot either, but then this is as much a tale of self-discovery as it is a dark thriller).

Bobbi by virtue of who she is, makes a good target amy way. As a transessual she is alays a potential target for a certain type of hater anyway. She is also not necessarily blessed with tact or an awareness of the difficulties others may be experiencing in their lives: the bad tenant may be ill, the sullen employee clinically depressed rather than her not having her heart in it. These are post-Depression tIme, people are up against it.

The book explores the issues a transexual may have with the larger world in general - with ex-wives, lovers who need to catch up with their changes, children whose class mates may not understand. But for those who like their dark thrillers dark, Seven Suspects also delivers the good as BobbI does battle with the monster she finds in her basement. Bobbi grows up a lot in the process too.

A NetGalley e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a good idea but just didn’t do it for me.

There are triggers, so avoid if you are sensitive to rape, stalking and bullying.

This is the story of a transgender woman who has pissed off one too many people in the past decade. She is being left nasty messages at work and at home and being followed through the streets of Chicago.

The story got repetitive. I felt like we were explained each part of the book several times and the dialogue started to repeat itself in the end as well.

It was a decent mystery until towards the end and then the plot twist was not as twisty as I would have hoped.

This book was fast paced and I really enjoyed it, I would recommend this book

Great read. Gets you hooked from the start. Would highly recommend!!

This book tackled a number of important issues sensitively, but was a bit stereotypical. The book would have benefited from would have more character development in supporting roles. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! It's very different, has a sense of menace lurking about it and tells an incredible tale of Bobbi, a transexual hairdresser who is being stalked. She works through a list of suspects to find the person responsible for making her feel vulnerable & scared whilst dealing with some quite scary incidents.

I loved Bobbi. She's coping well with her transition, runs her own business, has a great relationship with an ex-wife and loves her niece. She just needs to find a partner of her own who'll love her for her and not because of what she was/is.

Highly recommended.

I received this book free from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Although like many other readers, I was not aware "Seven Suspects" was 3rd in a series, I was turning pages. Thank you to Renee James for having the courage to write from the first person of Bobbi, a transwoman with character, intelligence and attitude. It makes one wonder what motivates the haters, the discrimination and abuse. Bobbi is a great example of the humanity in all of us. The story is suspenseful with a very interesting and unique cast of characters. I look forward to more from this author.

A very interesting book exploring transsexuals, the publics reactions and how all our choices and interactions can cause our futures. There is someone stalking Bobbi but seven possible suspects, through researching and following the suspects... Bobbi finds out who has it in for her.

It’s not often that you get to say you learnt something from a work of fiction that will leave an indelible mark on who you are as a person. But this book is capable of making such a change on a reader.

The world of transgendered people is not, I'm willing to bet, something that many people have experience with. Sure, we might have seen a documentary or two on it, but the day to day life, the reality of what a transgendered person goes through in this world of cisgendered people is something to behold, and we get a small glimpse of it in Renee James’ book, Seven Suspects.

Clearly this book is part of an ongoing serious (it is number three in the Bobbi Logan Crime series) that follows the trials and tribulations of one Ms Bobbi Logan. She is six feet tall, forty-seven years of age, and was born a white male, transitioning to her female self in her thirties living in Chicago. She is a business owner and she has all the same dreams and hopes that most anyone has. She wants to have a successful career, a nice home and a fulfilling relationship. She has a sister relationship with Betsy, her former wife, is an honorary aunt to Betsy’s child Roberta and had a wonderful relationship with a cop named Phil, although that is on the skids in this chapter of her story.

In this book Bobbi begins to feel as if something is not quite right, and she slowly comes to the realisation that she is being stalked. Her dearest friend Cecilia makes note that Bobbi has not been winning hearts and making friends of all she meets lately, and that she might indeed have a few enemies. Bobbi makes a list of all the people who might possibly be stalking her and comes out with a list of six people. But Bobbi believes that numbers are part of the celestial working of the world, and believes that there should be seven suspects on her list, as seven is an important number. She then sets off to confront each and every one of the suspects to try and ferret out who is stalking her, trying to get them to stop, but she is convinced after her initial ‘investigations’ that none of the men on the list are the actual criminal. So it comes down to who she isn’t seeing who must be the seventh suspect out to get her, and it is indeed the way the universe works, making the seventh suspect ‘the one’.

This book gave a wonderful insight into the world of transgendered women, and the daily struggles they face to be seen and accepted as the women they are. Little things that never generally come to mind, such as the whole height factor for a transwoman and the possible male facial features that no amount of hormones can overcome. Or the desire to be treated as a woman and being mistaken for a man despite her best attempts to ‘pass’ as a woman. Little things that cisgendered people take for granted.

Although this was the third book in the series, it was easy to form an attachment with Bobbi as a character and not feel like there were many details written previously that we were not privy to now. It was easy enough to pick up the thread and understand who she was as a person and what her motivations were. There is a small cast of characters to keep track of, but all play an important part of the overall story and all are people that you care about.

This book is not written for faint of heart to read. If you are of a delicate constitution, then maybe this book isn’t the one for you. If you can’t cope with obscenities, then its best if you don’t read this book, as there are cuss words used and there is a line that, when you get to it, you’ll know it, and it resulted in a rip-snorting laugh for this reader with it poetic vibe, which is not the sole source of poetry in this novel. There are some chapters that leave one reeling with the brutality of what is occurring and James has not given an inch towards gentility, so if you are easily frightened or are triggered by rape scenes and talk, then this is not the book for you. This volume is cold and rough and violent in part and it leaves the reader feeling quite disturbed. When it goes dark, its goes black. That’s not to say that this book should be avoided, rather, forewarned is forearmed.

Themes of family and what that looks like in a modern world, the assumptions we make of other people and the façade that people can put up are also explored. Themes of transgendered people’s difficulties are explored several times in this book.

**My mind shifts gear. Every slight, every bigoted sneer, every nasty laugh, all the things I thought didn’t touch me come racing through my vision now, summoned by the certainty that there will always be people who see people like me as targets, not people. **

**If Nightmare Man jumps me here, he can beat me to death and leave without being seen. He might even be able to get in a quick rape, though that would be much riskier.**

It’s hard to imagine life under those constant thoughts, but that’s what this book makes come alive.

This is a suspenseful novel that is entertaining as well as insightful. Well worth the time to read.

Seven Suspects was just bland. I don't know. Nothing kept me full of suspense. Too repetitive that Bobbi wanted to be sexy...

This is a really interesting, almost brave whodunnit stepping out of the usual framework both in style and content.
The main character is a sassy, strong and intelligent transexual woman with a secret past which is touched on but not quite fully explored. Despite some extremely violent scenes, its almost a gentle tale, which sounds bizarre to say.
I liked it. It kept me busy into the early hours and left me with a satisfaction similar to a decent hot chocolate.

The writing is really good, it has a flow to it that makes a comfortable, fast read. The characters were good, fleshed out and true personas. But...
The constant repetition of the same facts was incredibly unnerving. Summarising previous books of a series for new readers is one thing but shoving facts down their throats every third page is another. Hadn't I read beforehand that this was part of an entire series, it would have been clear after the first third. John Strand here, John Strand there but never as much as a further detail. I have a name and two or three facts about the person and that was it. Either you give me the entire thing as an overview (brief and not every ten pages again) or you leave it at that and stop making all those countless references.
I also understand that transgender and trans-persons is a big topic and although I like and appreciate the way the author presented it in this book I think it's a pity that their protagonist is reduced time and again to just that. The struggles with all of it would have worked with their descriptions alone. I don't need to be told again and again where the struggles came from. Grant the reader some brain and ability of thinking and understanding.
I don't mean to make the book sound bad. I really liked it but the aforementioned points got annoying.