I can't believe I missed this when it was released in 2014! This was so much fun...a quick, light read that was just what I needed today. Mystery/fantasy/alternate history...imagine a world very much like the 1950s, where women can only work until they married (and are expected to be of good moral character, i.e. a virgin), and are expected to only be working in order to find a husband. The police force is privatized (you need insurance or money to pay for an investigation), but medicine is socialized and poorly paid. "Sideways" men are tolerated (unlike the real 1950s), and live openly. Kadin Stone has just become a detective's aide, a glorified secretary (but she can't even make decent coffee!). She's trying to "catch" a young detective as a husband, and is also involved in trying to catch a murderer. The detective she has in her matrimonial sites is a jerk, but she still feels she must encourage his interest. Fortunately, Kadin turns out to be a talented investigator, and the author leaves us hanging with the sense that there will be a sequel. I'll be looking forward to it!

Catching A Man by Elizabeth Corrigan

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Elizabeth Corrigan brings to her readers a new mystery series based in an alternate reality that falls a bit flat and requires little of the readers imagination or logic to solve the mystery.

I’m just gonna be very honest right here: this book was not very good. I felt like I was reading the diary entries of a high-schooler that had been printed in book form. Ms Corrigan offers readers an alternate world in which women are only allowed importance if they are married. Single women must be virgins ( not a bad idea in itself) to work in this kingdom called Valerial, but it is assumed that these women are only working until they can find someone to marry – preferably as soon as possible. Heaven forbid if they actually try to do their job! Enter Kadin Stone, newly graduated detective aid who is determined to do her job, and do it well, before she resigns herself to marriage. Problem is, Kadin is smarter than the detectives would like and this makes things twice as hard for her to find a place to belong. And because she is kind, she will find herself the confidant of more than one person involved in the case as well as the first to discover how the murder was committed and by whom. There was a lot of potential here for a good story, unfortunately Ms. Corrigan chose to make her story obvious and juvenile. As soon as the suspect who turned out to be the murderer was introduced to the main character I knew it was him. And then the rest of the story was Kadin bumbling around trying to find clues to an oversimplified case. And the whole inclusion of “sideways” men ( used as a euphemism for gay men) throughout the story was unnecessary and just silly. It was like the story wasn’t sure if it wanted to offer a mystery story or promote the gay lifestyle. I personally would have found it much better if Ms. Corrigan had spent more time “beefing up” her characters and the suspense of the book rather than using the majority of the pages to discuss the social habits and conversations of Kadin and her friends. As I already know, few authors who self-publish are really going to make it big in the world of writing. If a publishing company doesn’t like the story then I probably won’t either because it has no depth. I did give this story one star, however, because I liked the idea that this woman was not going to let others tell her how to live and work. And she had enough brains to try to find someone to marry who would treat her well rather than just give her a home and provisions. So, perhaps Ms. Corrigan can try again and create characters that have depth and personality that readers will connect with better. I will not recommend this book to others and will offer my review as a warning to avoid only. I will give Ms. Corrigan another chance in the future perhaps, if her next book comes from a real publisher and with a real, engaging plot.

I received this E-book free of charge from Elizabeth Corrigan/Xpresso Book Tours via NetGally in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation from either of these companies for this review.

The 1950s are reimagined in Elizabeth Corrigan’s debut mystery - Catching a Man.  I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but I was quickly swept up into the story.  Kadin Stone became an investigator’s aid in order to find a husband - a necessity because in Valerial unmarried women must be virgins to have a career, and women who are not married or virgins have no legal income opportunities.  Valerial is a harsh world for a woman, but Kadin isn’t bitter.  She is determined to do a good job.  Her first case is the murder of Queen Callista.  The detectives see her as little other than a pretty accessory to make java.  What they don’t realize is that she has a sharp mind and just may be the key to finding a surprising killer.

Catching a Man is a great book, serious and funny in the right combination with interesting characters and a richly imagined world.  I was impressed.  I look forward to reading more novels by Elizabeth Corrigan.

5 / 5

I received a copy of Catching a Man from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

— Crittermom