This is not to her detriment, for she managed to fool me for 315 riveting pages of assuming that the author was a man. Well, you can hardly blame me, as her male protagonist is crafty so perfectly that one almost believes that it is he writing his own story. I am not a fan of female authors who try desperately to "speak" for their male characters, as they usually just sound like a woman speaking like a man – a man to whom she is married or from whom she has been divorced, or perhaps a brother or father. And that kind of writing can ruin an otherwise perfectly good plot. Women do not think like men, as we all know, so it is not easy for them to put create a believable male character. On the other hand, men seem to be more capable of "speaking" for a female character, although it doesn't always work.

Ms. Emery's main character, Monty Collins, comes across as thoroughly male. He thinks like a man, behaves like a man, and speaks like a man. No wonder I thought he was written by a man.

Barrington Street Blues is a happy mix of crime and detection, a rather unusual friendship between Monty and a Priest who, by the way, is successfully portrayed as a not quite perfect one, and various strange and interesting characters that drop in and out of the plot as it develops. The title? Well, that's a reflection of Monty's love of – you guessed it ---- the blues, and there are several references to some of the old blues greats throughout the book.

This book is entertaining, well-written, and makes the reader cry out for more by this very talented author.
Review by Litera Scripta