Scan barcode
bryceoc's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.
This novel, centered around a transgender hairdresser and the murder investigation following her, feels real and authentic to a level I didn't expect. I loved Bobbi Logan, and I feel like I gained some genuine insight on what it's like to be a trans person, likely due to the fact that Renee James is both transgender herself and an excellent writer.
The central "mystery," if you can call it that, is really secondary to the story of Bobbi's life and relationships with the people around her. One of the central themes of the book is that outward appearances can be deceiving, and people can change/be much different than you thought initially. The warmth that radiates from the main character (and the book itself) makes this theme feel true and moving, but even with that warmth, the book never shies away from the violence, bigotry, and turmoil trans people often face. The characters in A Kind of Justice are so well-drawn and compassionately written that it might even make you think twice about easy judgments, and that's a takeaway message that couldn't be more necessary in the world.
This novel, centered around a transgender hairdresser and the murder investigation following her, feels real and authentic to a level I didn't expect. I loved Bobbi Logan, and I feel like I gained some genuine insight on what it's like to be a trans person, likely due to the fact that Renee James is both transgender herself and an excellent writer.
The central "mystery," if you can call it that, is really secondary to the story of Bobbi's life and relationships with the people around her. One of the central themes of the book is that outward appearances can be deceiving, and people can change/be much different than you thought initially. The warmth that radiates from the main character (and the book itself) makes this theme feel true and moving, but even with that warmth, the book never shies away from the violence, bigotry, and turmoil trans people often face. The characters in A Kind of Justice are so well-drawn and compassionately written that it might even make you think twice about easy judgments, and that's a takeaway message that couldn't be more necessary in the world.
undertheteacup's review against another edition
4.0
Full of warmth, a great blend of suspense, romance, and just general slice-of-life story. On one hand Bobbi's problems are the ones many of us deal with: trying to keep a business afloat in lean economic times, figuring out how to relate to the queer community when you're an 'elder,' navigating loneliness, sex, romance and all those wonderful queer permutations of relationships, friends, & family. But interspersed with that you have the delicious tension of Detective Willikins' investigation and him trying to build a murder case against her, while the events of a mysterious night in her past are slowly being revealed. The drama of whether Bobbi will rekindle her old love with her ex wife or start a new thing with hunky officer Phil, and whether her business will succeed and how, had me on the edge of my seat just as much as the question of who the murderer might have been and whether Willikins will manage to ensnare Bobbi with his case.
I loved Bobbi as a main character, she was brave and afraid, hopeful and cynical- basically so so human. And delightfully earnest about those vulnerabilities we are normally ashamed to admit to, even when it comes to the portrayal of women in fiction! (How many novels do you know where a woman character decides to relieve her loneliness and horniness by purchasing the services of a male escort, and the narrative doesn't treat this like a moral failing or shame her for it?)
This book is one of the unfortunately few fiction books that I know of both written by and about a trans woman. Queerness and trans-ness pervade everything in the book, from Bobbi's familial ties and friendships to the way the economic downturn affects her business, and I think one of the book's biggest accomplishment is the way it shows the idea of 'justice' shift under the light cast by queer and trans perspectives.
I loved Bobbi as a main character, she was brave and afraid, hopeful and cynical- basically so so human. And delightfully earnest about those vulnerabilities we are normally ashamed to admit to, even when it comes to the portrayal of women in fiction! (How many novels do you know where a woman character decides to relieve her loneliness and horniness by purchasing the services of a male escort, and the narrative doesn't treat this like a moral failing or shame her for it?)
This book is one of the unfortunately few fiction books that I know of both written by and about a trans woman. Queerness and trans-ness pervade everything in the book, from Bobbi's familial ties and friendships to the way the economic downturn affects her business, and I think one of the book's biggest accomplishment is the way it shows the idea of 'justice' shift under the light cast by queer and trans perspectives.
liana's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating 3.5 stars. Reading this book has been an incredible experience for me. I've never read a book with a transgender woman as the main character before, and discovering that the author is also a transwoman made me go for it.
Bobbi Logan is a transgender hairdresser and a police officer is after her, trying to convict her for the murder of a sexual predator ( or an abusive, disgusting, misogynistic piece of shit). The book is a bit slow and not much happens throughout its course. The plot's dragging and a bit boring at times.
Bobbi herself however is a masterpiece. She is hilarious, kind and fair, often vulnerable and self-conscious. James was managed to create a very authentic character, an actual human being and not a caricature or a stereotype.
What really made the book for me was its diversity and its representation of the transgender community; most main and secondary characters were women and more importantly, transwomen and queer women and women of colour. Every character was three-dimensional and unique, never falling into a stereotype.
Overall, even if this book has disappointed me as a crime/mystery read, it definitely didn't disappoint as a book about the lgbt+ community and the daily struggles of queer people.
trigger warning: the book contains transphobic and homophobic slurs, as well as mentions of r*pe
Bobbi Logan is a transgender hairdresser and a police officer is after her, trying to convict her for the murder of a sexual predator ( or an abusive, disgusting, misogynistic piece of shit). The book is a bit slow and not much happens throughout its course. The plot's dragging and a bit boring at times.
Bobbi herself however is a masterpiece. She is hilarious, kind and fair, often vulnerable and self-conscious. James was managed to create a very authentic character, an actual human being and not a caricature or a stereotype.
What really made the book for me was its diversity and its representation of the transgender community; most main and secondary characters were women and more importantly, transwomen and queer women and women of colour. Every character was three-dimensional and unique, never falling into a stereotype.
Overall, even if this book has disappointed me as a crime/mystery read, it definitely didn't disappoint as a book about the lgbt+ community and the daily struggles of queer people.
trigger warning: the book contains transphobic and homophobic slurs, as well as mentions of r*pe
blinker's review against another edition
3.0
I was delighted to find a mystery novel with a trans protagonist on the new releases shelf at my library. As mystery novels go, it is okay - the plot was not glaringly obvious and the characters were interesting although some of them seemed a little one-dimensional. It is the sequel to a previous novel, but can be read on its own just fine because it's set five years after the events of the first novel.
joharis's review against another edition
1.0
No pude terminar de leer este libro.... me siento tan mal pero en verdad no pude.
Quise leer este libro porque quería una historia con una persona trangenero, no me pude meter en la historia de Bobbi, en verdad quería leerla porque me parecía muy interesante(una historia me crimen!!!!)
NO ME DI CUENTA QUE ERA EL SEGUNDO LIBRO!!!!!!! FUCKKKKKK
Quise leer este libro porque quería una historia con una persona trangenero, no me pude meter en la historia de Bobbi, en verdad quería leerla porque me parecía muy interesante(una historia me crimen!!!!)
NO ME DI CUENTA QUE ERA EL SEGUNDO LIBRO!!!!!!! FUCKKKKKK
jamieson's review
this book was provided to me from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
dnf @31%
I just ... couldn't. PLEASE NOTE: there is nothing inherently wrong with this book. Actually, I think possible for another audience it could be really enjoyable
A Kind of Justice follows Bobbi Logan, a trans woman working in a popular, up market hair salon. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but what this book turned out to be alot of was ... business falling apart, the stress of going broke and that fun business jazz. And by fun I mean, boring.
I didn't HATE THIS, because there was elements of it I really liked. I really liked the friendships between the girls at the salon, I really liked it was diverse, I really liked some of the characters.
But there was also things I didn't - like super cliche detectives, and some of the comments on lgbt+ communities.
I just had zero interest in finishing or continuing this, and I don't want to drag myself through books I don't like anymore.
I DO think people could enjoy this, if you like adult contemporaries it'd probably be more enjoyable.
jamesflint's review
Rep: trans woman mc
DNF @ 14%
This is just another of those ones that I've started and within about 10 pages been bored out of my skull. I don't know if it's just because I wasn't in the mood for it, or the writing didn't do it for me, or if it genuinely is a boring book - I couldn't get further than this. I stopped reading last night thinking that I would be able to come back to it this morning it would be a more appealing prospect, but that hasn't been the case at all. Which is a shame, because I was really looking forward to this.
DNF @ 14%
This is just another of those ones that I've started and within about 10 pages been bored out of my skull. I don't know if it's just because I wasn't in the mood for it, or the writing didn't do it for me, or if it genuinely is a boring book - I couldn't get further than this. I stopped reading last night thinking that I would be able to come back to it this morning it would be a more appealing prospect, but that hasn't been the case at all. Which is a shame, because I was really looking forward to this.
More...