My slightly off review of Hunter's Way
Once upon a time, I was browsing Amazon.com’s pages in search of interesting titles and my attention got drawn to Gerri Hill’s Hunter’s Way, a detective novel with a queer twist. I got interested instantaneously and went on a search for the book because, duh, what fangirl misses out on the opportunity to read about a badass lady detective who happens to be gay and for reals? So I tried to get the book with no luck. First, the book was sold out and then when I found at another source they said they do not ship books to my country. Well, crap!
But then lovely sweetmel76 said she found the book, cheap and in excellent condition and she’d be willing to hook me up. Woo!
So I got the book (thanks again, Mel), I got a weekend off and I decided to spend some of it with detective Hunter.
First thing I noticed about the book is that it’s exceptionally easy to read. The pages just fly through your fingers (which isn’t always so good), and then I noticed - while I was reading this book - that a strange feeling of déjà vu sneaked up on me every so often. I realized that the same feeling followed me while I was reading Patterson’s books. It’s not that the narration is bad, it’s just the fact that I’ve been spoiled by all those fabulous fanfiction writers and their mad writing skillz so these authors’ writing doesn’t quite come up to par. You think I’m overreacting? I am certainly not. Hunter’s Way, even though I liked the book and enjoyed reading it, reads pretty much like an average fanfiction story, and you know the story really well: a lady cop with a tragic past gets a new lady cop partner, things happen between them, they fight it, they give in to their feelings, they make sweeeeeeet love, they doubt their feelings, drama, drama, angst. All is well that ends well. The end. Also, there was another thing about the book that seemed interesting: there’s Hunter, a tall, dark woman with a no nonsense I-will-kick your-ass attitude and a tragic past, and Sam, a slightly less tall, chatty blonde who manages to melt the heart of the closed off, misanthropic cop in no time. Sound familiar? At first I thought I was hallucinating (or just having my inner fangirl in overdrive) but the book was giving off a huge über Xena vibe. And then I found a few more people who read the book and claimed that indeed a strong über Xena vibe was present in the book. Ding!
So what am I actually saying here? The book is okay; something you can read on a ten-hour train ride and make it fun. If you’re a fangirl it’ll remind you of all those glorious times we imagined our leading ladies as lovers only this time they really are, no subtext, no bullshit. It’s maintext all the way, baby. But if you’re looking for something deeper and really thrilling, go watch an episode of Criminal Minds. There’s not so much maintext in there with JJ and Emily, but, fuck, the story is fabulous! Plus, a fangirl’s imagination has no bounds.