Sandman

This book was recommended to me by the author after she saw my Instagram post that mentioned my interest in lesbian fiction outside of romance (don’t be afraid to plug your own book if you think I’ll enjoy it), and I’m glad she did! 

My fiancé has been vacationing with her family at the outer banks (OBX) since she was a girl and I’ve accompanied twice now so I’m sort of familiar with the area where this book takes place. I thought imagery here was spot on. Bird provided a lot of details in her descriptions that really connected me to the story. As my college lit professor used to say, “God is in the details.” I need to know- is there a lesbian bar in OBX? If there’s a Pink Clover I’m visiting on my next trip. 

Okay, so here’s the premise-

Katia is an EMS worker who lives at home with her father to help care for her autistic little brother, Marco. After a category three hurricane, a dead body is uncovered on the beach while Katia is working. Police officer, and Katia’s possible love interest, Zahra is on scene with the help of Paige, a cadaver dog trainer. The story unfolds as more bodies are uncovered from the dunes and it quickly becomes apparent that a serial killer has been residing in the area for quite some time. The three women bond over the traumatic experience and a playful friendship is formed as they discuss the case in search for clues and patterns. 

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of when the narration tells you things that could have been assumed through action and dialogue. I felt like there was a bit of over-telling here that, at times, jolted me away from the story. For example, I thought it was affective to learn of the cadaver dogs’ names and their meanings because it, by default, told us information about Paige. But I think some of the descriptions about what characters, like Andrew, were thinking/feeling would have benefited from a “less is more” approach. Just my thoughts. 

This book gets an A+ in diversity. Marco’s autism serves as an important plot point and two of the leading women are minorities. The relationship between Katia and Zehra didn’t really develop until the end of the book so there weren’t any heavy romantic scenes here, but they were very cute together in their interactions, and besides, I don’t think anything more would have fit with the tone. I actually really appreciated that the main focus wasn’t on a lesbian relationship and instead was on a lesbian living her life amongst the chaos of organized crime.  

As for the Sandman’s identity- I figured it out about halfway through (more or less by process of elimination), but there were definitely enough turns to keep me engaged and enjoying the ride. 

If you’re a fan of dogs, solving mysteries, and don’t mind the dark and disturbing then, check out Sandman. 

https://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Tammy-Bird/

Follow Tammy Bird here @tammy_bird and here @tammybirdauthor