My first venture into the world of Micky a Si didn’t realise it was an ongoing series, but really enjoyed getting to know her. Fast paced interesting storyline, with a healthy dose of family drama.

This series is brilliant. Redmann, is up there as one of the best mystery writers ever. Ten books in a row and all of them are great to fantastic, it’s just damn impressive. I loved this book and crave for more!

This is the 10th book in the Micky Knight mystery series. Micky is a P.I. living in New Orleans. In all of the books in this series, Micky is the main character, and the books are always set in the backdrop of New Orleans. Micky’s character possesses many flaws, and this leads readers to feel as though she could be a real individual.

When I began reading the Micky Knight series, I felt as though I was her sidekick while she solved the mysteries and confronted physical and emotional trauma. This compadre sensation carries through all of her books.

Not Dead Enough can be read as a standalone. However, I believe readers would gain a better understanding of Micky’s character by reading the entire series. Over the years Micky has experienced a cornucopia of feelings. For example, in one book Micky and her friends go through the impact of Hurricane Katrina. As a reader, I felt the raw emotions in that book and shed many tears. Ms. Redmann, who lives in New Orleans, continues to bring out the vivid feelings of the people of this city through her series.

The plot of this complex mystery is well planned. Without reading the preceding books in this series, readers will still find well developed characters.

I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Private Investigator Micky Knight is approached by a woman requesting help in finding her sister. Much to Knight's surprise, the woman winds up in the morgue .. or is this only someone who looks like her?

And then another woman goes missing .. one who looks a lot like her former client. Is this the sister .. the same woman?

Micky has to uncover what the game is and who’s playing. Because the stakes are murder.

Although 1oth in the series, this easily works as a stand alone. While not getting lost, I believe I would have benefited greatly from reading the first books in this series. This is a well written mystery with compelling characters. The suspense starts on page one and maintains a satisfying pace until the unpredictable ending.

Many thanks to the author / Bold Stroke Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Lesbrary review: I didn't realise until I was halfway through J. M. Redmann's <em>Not Dead Enough</em> that it was part of a series; I thought it was the first book in a series where all of the characters had very detailed backstories! It follows Micky Knight, a private detective who's been asked to track down a woman's missing sister, only to find that <em>someone</em> matching her client's description has been murdered.

The mystery is convoluted, with a tangled web of identities that <em>could</em> be Micky's client or her sister turning up in the unlikeliest places. I thought it worked really well, especially for the parts where Micky does the sensible thing and <em>actually loops her detective friend in on what she finds</em>! PIs who actually do the sensible and legal thing are still a novelty to me. The way that the different strands, cases, and Micky's personal life all tie together by the end worked for me, even though there were A LOT of moving parts.

The fact that Micky's backstory and friend-group are explained well enough that I didn't realise that I was starting with book ten of a series was really helpful, but I do wonder whether that means that people who <em>are</em> up-to-date on the series might be frustrated by the degree things are explained. And I do like that Micky's non-crime problems are things like who gets custody of their friend group after she and her partner broke up, and realising that she's slightly too old to be seducing damsels in distress like a true pulp detective.

But it's fun! I liked Micky and her circle, I liked how practical and done she was, and I liked this take on the classic pulp tropes! I don't think it's necessarily doing anything <em>new</em>, but if you're like me and still revelling in people queering mysteries and giving characters happy endings, this one is pretty good!

[Caution warnings: Spousal abuse and murder, misogyny, homophobia, drug overdoses]

Short Lady Business review: I don't know whether it's good or bad that I didn't realise that Not Dead Enough was the tenth book in a series until after I'd read it. (No, really, I just assumed everyone had really complicated and thought-out backstories.) But for the most part it's an enjoyable mystery where the detective is aware of how much of a disaster she is and taking steps to remedy it, and the actual case is a convoluted web of connections and mistaken identities. I don't want to recommend it wholesale, as there is a bigoted abusive crime family that is a huge problem in the book and I completely understand not wanting to deal with that in your media, but on the other hand if you want to watch bigoted abusers get thrown around by middle-aged lesbians and threatened by a trans woman with a shot-gun, this isn't a bad bet!

[Caution warnings: Spousal abuse and murder, misogyny, homophobia, drug overdoses] [This review is based on an ARC from Netgalley.]

This is book ten (yes, 10) of the 'Micky Knight' private detective series. It's remarkable how Ms. Redmann has written these books in the span of 30 years (the first one was published in 1990) and kept the stories flowing and the characters so realistic. Even though this is a standalone mystery, Micky's personal issues are a relevant part of the book which is connected with the previous installments, so reading the whole series is highly recommendable. I know that
committing to reading ten books might be too much but they are all so worth it. However, you can always start here and, if you like it, read the rest afterward.

Personally, I've started reading this series several years ago in their chronological order and I'm hooked up for good. To start with, the books are well-written page-turners. These are hard-boiled mysteries, not cozy ones in which the main character finds who did it from the comforts of her sofa. The stories seem real and they don't sugarcoat any human tragedies. Additionally, the character development is superb, not only for the lead but also the supporting ones.

Micky is the epitome of the anti-heroine, a woman with serious flaws who had a hard childhood and who paid a high price for her life achievements as an adult. The great thing about this character is that she seems so realistic in her self-deprecation, her sarcasm, even her loneliness. It's inevitable that your heart goes with her as life gives her yet another blow. I absolutely love this character with all her flaws and also her strengths.

The setting of this book as the rest of the series is in New Orleans, where the author lives. Her descriptions of the city are so realistic that you seem to be there, and that includes not only the landscape but also the soundscape and the weather. The constant presence of the heat and humidity is a metaphor for the suffocating environment in which some of the characters live. I like that the author doesn't give us a view of the city taken from a tourist brochure but a place plagued with contradictions. New Orleans is the main pillar of these books, so much so, that if you'd change the setting of these novels, they would lose half of its appeal. I can't wait to see where Ms. Redmann's next book is taking Micky and her friends.

Overall, an excellent lesbian mystery book, part of a fantastic series. Hopefully, there are many more to come. 5 stars.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com

What an interesting as well as unsettling series. Michele Knight is at it again, reaching out to the downtrodden and solving cases that seem tough to get a handle on. It is indeed her saving grace as she continues to work on/ignore her personal issues. I have enjoyed this series because the main characters are multidimensional and to some extent flawed which in my opinion can make for an excellent read especially if the read is a series. The writing provides depth as we continue to gain insight about the main characters. The writing provides some funny lines which had me chuckling. The story also provided a visit with some characters from previous books in the series which was good to see and we learned a little more about Cordelia and what she is doing and possible thinking?

This is a murder mystery that follows Private Investigator Micky Knight. This is the 10th novel featuring Micky Knight. I didn’t know it was the 10th story when I started it and while I think. I would have benefited from reading the previous stories first, I never felt lost or confused. The story is well written and stands on its own and all back story and necessary character information was well explained. Anyone could pick up the story here and feel caught up.
Micky is a complex and interesting character she spends much of her time trying to convince herself she doesn’t care about others then goes out of her way to help them. She can be jaded and judgmental because of her profession and experiences but she is also intelligent and introspective.
The mystery of this story was very well crafted and constantly kept me guessing.
The characters were all interesting and fun to follow.
This book did not have any romance and while I would have enjoyed it if there was, I never felt like The story was lacking without it.
I loved the way Redmann made me thing about other peoples perspectives and experiences. From the characters and all of their trials to the people of New Orleans and their struggles. It was truly humbling and I am grateful to have experienced it.
This is a must read for fans of mystery.

An absorbing crime novel featuring the wonderful lesbian private eye Micky Knight, she is strong, funny, thoughtful and capable! No getting herself into dangerous situations here, she uses her wit and her strength to investigate the case of a missing twin sister. The thread leads her to a major misogynist crime family in Atlanta but when she is cornered by an incompetent and angry young man she fights him and gets away. She follows her hunches and proves to be right about a lesbian drama sub plot featuring her exes cousin. I was gripped and read this in two sittings!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Micky Knight, is up to her neck in twisted, knotted mysteries.

This book has it all - mystery, old love, friends and family awkwardness. I love how true to life parts of the story is - how do friends treat a former couple, how do you "choose" sides?

The mystery has several angles and is very well done.

Power, money, revenge, acceptance - it's all there.

I should start by saying two things - I love Micky Knight and there are no spoilers in this review. I will leave you to soak up the New Orleans atmosphere and try to figure out the complicated layered plot by yourself. It is worth it!

Micky is now in her tenth adventure and the character has grown and developed - as have we. She is no longer the immature player with the poor self esteem - although we still get glimpses which adds to the feeling that Micky is “real”. The writing by Ms Redmann is excellent, fast paced, clues dripped regularly, side characters and series regulars introduced as needed to move the plot along. All good work, but the winner is the case Micky gets, which grows beyond New Orleans and way beyond her expectations.

A woman asks Micky to find her missing sister. Easy money Micky thinks but still she won’t dive in too deep till the cheque clears, as something about the woman doesn’t ring true. The suspicions prove right when a body turns up but who is it and why does Karen Holloway feature so often in the case? And unfortunately for Micky seeing Karen, gets her thinking about Cordelia.

The pathos and politics of friends and lovers is very well covered by the author and will be familiar to many readers. I’m already waiting on Chapter 11 but I may have to reread the others to get my Micky fix in the meantime.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Love this series. J.M. Redmann is one of my all time favorite story tellers. She keeps the reader interested and yearning for more. I couldn't put this down. Although it's the tenth book in her Micky Night series, you could read this as a stand alone. But why would you? Her books are fantastic. I highly recommend you read them all.
More please.

4.50 Stars. After ten books this series is still brilliant. Redmann, is up there as one of the best mystery writers ever. Ten books in a row and all of them are great to fantastic, it’s just damn impressive. It’s has been almost 3 decades Redmann has been writing these books and the characters are still not stale. Think about how impressive that really is.

All of the books star Micky, one of my all-time favorite characters ever. She is a flawed character that has been through more than you can imagine, still drinks a little too much and sometime slips over to the wrong side of the law. But what makes Micky so damn likeable is that her hard outside shell, is really protecting a heart of gold.

In every one of these books is a standalone mystery. You could just pick this book up and read it fine. I personally would suggest starting at good old number one. While the mysteries are completed each book, the drama, angst, heartbreak and love is a continued storyline through all of the books. Micky and her core group of friends, you read about their lives and how they change over the years with each and every book. And sometimes it’s even more than that. A character that was important to the mystery of book one, actually popped back up in this book. Had you not read the first book, you would miss their history together. I know it is daunting to start a series that has ten books. But I honestly dare anyone to read the first three books in a row and not become completely hooked. It’s that good of a series.

I don’t want to talk about what happened in this book too much for spoiler reasons for people who might be new to the series. I will say this was an important stepping block for Micky. Micky needed this book to better understand herself and to have some more inner peace. I guess technically Redmann could end the series here. Micky’s on a good track and it’s a nice even 10 books… but I sure hope not. I want even more for Micky and a big send off, so Redmann, please bring on number eleven.

If you are a mystery fan, these books are a must. Redmann is an excellent author and this series is fantastic. I do believe reading these in order you will get the most out of the Micky experience. My only complaint is I wish Redmann wrote faster, I want more Micky now.

So... I have a problem For the last week or so I've been binge reading this series in order to get caught up and read this newest book. My problem - now that I'm done I'm stuck with a serious book hangover and don't know what to read next!

It should be very telling to know that this is book 10 in the series and I don't think I rated a single book lower than 4 stars. Most are 4.5 - 5 star reads. Starting a series that's this long already can be daunting, but mystery fans can't afford to miss this one. Yes, every single book in this series can be read as a standalone, but I don't recommend reading them that way. There's always a mystery that's neatly wrapped up within the pages, but you'll be missing out on a lot of the overall goodness of Micky's life if you read this as a standalone. Start at book 1 for the full picture and you won't be sorry.

A major benefit to reading the books in this series back to back is that I feel like I've really gotten to see Micky grow as a person over the last few novels. Not only that, but I feel like Redmann's grown as an author too. The first few books were wonderful, but once this series got to the book Water Mark, it really hit a whole new level of greatness. I'm completely invested in what happens to Micky next, and even though I know it's unfair to Redmann for me to just inhale a book in a few hours that she's been working on for years and immediately beg for more, that's exactly what I'm doing. I want more and I wish I didn't have to wait to find out what happens next!

A minor spoiler, I was a bit surprised to see that this book had <spoiler>no sex in it for the first time in the entire series. There's mention of a former relationship, but there's no on page kissing, romance, sex, etc in this one for the first time all series. I'm taking that as a hint that Micky is really maturing and hope that it means she's ready for her HEA in the next one</spoiler>! 4.5 stars.

**Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

Not Dead Enough is a milestone book in J. M. Redmann’s Micky Knight mystery series: book ten! Like all the other novels in the series, Not Dead Enough offers fresh character insight, a compelling mystery, and addictive pacing. If you haven’t met Micky Knight yet, this book is a perfect place to jump in – but I suspect you will want to go back to the beginning of the series once this latest is experienced.

Micky Knight is a middle-aged lesbian private investigator working in her hometown of New Orleans. Micky also happens to be one of the most relatable characters in series crime fiction. Every reader who has watched her mature over the course of these novels will remember moments and situations that reflect back on their own real world lives. For example, besides the focal mystery in Not Dead Enough, this book also finds Micky learning to navigate the challenges of sharing a core group of friends with her ex-girlfriend. How one maintains those relationships without letting the stress and anger of the breakup taint every interaction is something everyone can relate to. The constant dread of running into her ex at a social engagement hovers over Micky, even as this new case continues to demand more and more of her time.

Some longtime fans are still bitter about Redmann’s decision to split up Micky and Cordelia, but as the subsequent novels demonstrate, these characters have changed both because of/and despite their relationship and fissures were inevitable. For me, this development has added another layer to Micky’s personality, so while I have no idea what the future holds, it is hard to fault the breakup in terms of character arc, reflection of the real world, and seismic reverberations.

As for the mystery, Not Dead Enough also succeeds on that level. When Micky is approached by a woman who would like help locating her missing sister, it seems like an easy enough job to help pay the mounting bills; but when that woman (or her doppelganger) turns up at the morgue, Micky realizes there is something much more complicated going on. This is further confirmed when Cordelia’s cousin, Karen Holloway, shows up at Micky’s office. As a realtor, Karen has legal papers from a recent buyer who has vanished, papers that list Micky Knight’s name as an extra contact. The only trouble is, Micky has no idea who this woman is – but she does know she looks an awful lot like the woman who is currently in lying in the morgue. Is it her client or her client’s sister? And what the hell is going on?

In terms of disclosure, I should say that there is minor character in Not Dead Enough who was named after me. This has had not influences on my review and while I would like to claim otherwise, Kristopher Zgorski – or Red as he comes to be known – doesn’t provide Micky with the vital clue that helps her to solve the case. Darn!

J. M. Redmann brings New Orleans to life with her authentic mentions of iconic locales, delicious food, and the unique vibe of this unforgettable city. The plot of Not Dead Enough eventually comes around to the Mafia element that plays a part in this history of the Big Easy. Fentanyl distribution and other unsavory behaviors are also woven into this complex case. Through it all, Micky Knight continues to impress. Sure she makes mistakes – both professional and personal – but she remains a character readers can champion and this book proves just how resilient Micky is. It will be exciting to see where J. M. Redmann takes her as she heads toward a dozen novels in this first-class series.

Loved this new Mickey Knight novel. I have read this series from the first. What should be an easy case for PI Mickey Knight turns into a very strange case with Mafia ties.

I’ve never read any of the other books in this series. I was actually a bit too far into the book to realise it...
That being said, you do miss a bit of the background of the characters but you can read this book without having all that knowledge.

Micky is a PI who gets sucked into a scheme by a mystery woman. The assignment she gets from her turns up nothing, but when the cheque clears she keeps digging. She uncovers a big pile of trouble. Luckily she has some friends in the police force and she has some good common sense. And of course years on the job as PI to get her and her friends out of a sticky situation.
Did I just say sticky? The author does an excellent job to describe the heat and humidity in New Orleans. I’ve never been there but I can imagine it being a “sticky” place.
I think the author does great job taking you through this story and building suspense. I am usually quick to figure out who is involved and why and how the story will end. For this one it took me quite a bit longer to figure out who was involved and I had no clue how it would end. I think it ended perfectly.
I will definitely read another of these books!

*book provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review*

This was my first book by this author. yeah, I started with the tenth installment in a series...crazy, right? But everything I read about this series said it was a "must-read!' So I jumped in the pool late.
This book loses nothing as a stand-alone. You truly can read it, and enjoy it, without reading the previous nine. (I own the first in the series too, but I bought that one. This book I received as an ARC, and so owe a review. Otherwise, I would have read the first book first)

Anyway, this is a wonderful example of classic P.I mystery for lesbians. Twisty, head-scratching and a real stumper...I loved the many layers of the plot! I had no idea who had hired Micky until the very end. As much as I play the "whodunit" game, I don't want to figure it out too soon, you know? Character interactions were sometimes messy, as they are in RL, and I really enjoyed that bit of realism. The characters were real, even the angst over cashing a check. The food made me hungry, the cold beer made me thirsty and at times, the rest of my world fell away, and I was right there with Micky at the bar.

If you enjoy lesfic, and mysteries, and P.I stories, you definitely want to read this book. And if the previous nine stories in this series are as good as this one...get them too. I bought the first one and don't regret a thing.
Except perhaps never having a po' boy sandwich...

NetGalley:

This series is 100% queer required reading. I don't know when I started to feel this hard for these characters but I think it was sometime during Katrina. As the storm hit, and the chasm between Mickey and CordeIa went to new heights, I developed a persistant anxiety that has never fully subsided. I spent all of this book with knots in my stomach. I can see how that might seem like I am not recommending this series, but it is absolutely wonderful.

Mickey is the best and worst in all of us, and she lives in a world where her friends and acquaintances only see her through the charged and stressful moments they cross her path. I can feel everyone around her misunderstanding her. I can also see that I would do the same. The vodka bottle she purchases but does not open, only to drink martinis the next day. Her battle with alcohol, with guilt, with belief in her self, with loss, she is constantly in dualities. And then there is Cordelia. The ever-present spectre haunting every choice Mickey makes. The constant questioning, "did I abandoned her? was I unlovable"? She never says it, but you can feel it. Cordelia is more present in this book, which had me on edge from start to finish. I am angry at Cordelia, but I love her all the same.

I recommend this book to anyone who has read the series and would like another high paced mystery with a melancholy thread woven through.

Not Dead Enough is a well written book and J.M. Redmann is a gifted author. Mickey is growing up, maturing in these books and it's a well crafted story. I enjoyed the characters and it is nice to see Karen have some redeeming qualities. I would prefer to see some movement in the Cordelia area, as Mickey just seems to be drifting case to case. Overall a good read .