This book was fast paced and I really enjoyed it, I would recommend this book

Great read. Gets you hooked from the start. Would highly recommend!!

This book tackled a number of important issues sensitively, but was a bit stereotypical. The book would have benefited from would have more character development in supporting roles. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! It's very different, has a sense of menace lurking about it and tells an incredible tale of Bobbi, a transexual hairdresser who is being stalked. She works through a list of suspects to find the person responsible for making her feel vulnerable & scared whilst dealing with some quite scary incidents.

I loved Bobbi. She's coping well with her transition, runs her own business, has a great relationship with an ex-wife and loves her niece. She just needs to find a partner of her own who'll love her for her and not because of what she was/is.

Highly recommended.

I received this book free from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Although like many other readers, I was not aware "Seven Suspects" was 3rd in a series, I was turning pages. Thank you to Renee James for having the courage to write from the first person of Bobbi, a transwoman with character, intelligence and attitude. It makes one wonder what motivates the haters, the discrimination and abuse. Bobbi is a great example of the humanity in all of us. The story is suspenseful with a very interesting and unique cast of characters. I look forward to more from this author.

A very interesting book exploring transsexuals, the publics reactions and how all our choices and interactions can cause our futures. There is someone stalking Bobbi but seven possible suspects, through researching and following the suspects... Bobbi finds out who has it in for her.

It’s not often that you get to say you learnt something from a work of fiction that will leave an indelible mark on who you are as a person. But this book is capable of making such a change on a reader.

The world of transgendered people is not, I'm willing to bet, something that many people have experience with. Sure, we might have seen a documentary or two on it, but the day to day life, the reality of what a transgendered person goes through in this world of cisgendered people is something to behold, and we get a small glimpse of it in Renee James’ book, Seven Suspects.

Clearly this book is part of an ongoing serious (it is number three in the Bobbi Logan Crime series) that follows the trials and tribulations of one Ms Bobbi Logan. She is six feet tall, forty-seven years of age, and was born a white male, transitioning to her female self in her thirties living in Chicago. She is a business owner and she has all the same dreams and hopes that most anyone has. She wants to have a successful career, a nice home and a fulfilling relationship. She has a sister relationship with Betsy, her former wife, is an honorary aunt to Betsy’s child Roberta and had a wonderful relationship with a cop named Phil, although that is on the skids in this chapter of her story.

In this book Bobbi begins to feel as if something is not quite right, and she slowly comes to the realisation that she is being stalked. Her dearest friend Cecilia makes note that Bobbi has not been winning hearts and making friends of all she meets lately, and that she might indeed have a few enemies. Bobbi makes a list of all the people who might possibly be stalking her and comes out with a list of six people. But Bobbi believes that numbers are part of the celestial working of the world, and believes that there should be seven suspects on her list, as seven is an important number. She then sets off to confront each and every one of the suspects to try and ferret out who is stalking her, trying to get them to stop, but she is convinced after her initial ‘investigations’ that none of the men on the list are the actual criminal. So it comes down to who she isn’t seeing who must be the seventh suspect out to get her, and it is indeed the way the universe works, making the seventh suspect ‘the one’.

This book gave a wonderful insight into the world of transgendered women, and the daily struggles they face to be seen and accepted as the women they are. Little things that never generally come to mind, such as the whole height factor for a transwoman and the possible male facial features that no amount of hormones can overcome. Or the desire to be treated as a woman and being mistaken for a man despite her best attempts to ‘pass’ as a woman. Little things that cisgendered people take for granted.

Although this was the third book in the series, it was easy to form an attachment with Bobbi as a character and not feel like there were many details written previously that we were not privy to now. It was easy enough to pick up the thread and understand who she was as a person and what her motivations were. There is a small cast of characters to keep track of, but all play an important part of the overall story and all are people that you care about.

This book is not written for faint of heart to read. If you are of a delicate constitution, then maybe this book isn’t the one for you. If you can’t cope with obscenities, then its best if you don’t read this book, as there are cuss words used and there is a line that, when you get to it, you’ll know it, and it resulted in a rip-snorting laugh for this reader with it poetic vibe, which is not the sole source of poetry in this novel. There are some chapters that leave one reeling with the brutality of what is occurring and James has not given an inch towards gentility, so if you are easily frightened or are triggered by rape scenes and talk, then this is not the book for you. This volume is cold and rough and violent in part and it leaves the reader feeling quite disturbed. When it goes dark, its goes black. That’s not to say that this book should be avoided, rather, forewarned is forearmed.

Themes of family and what that looks like in a modern world, the assumptions we make of other people and the façade that people can put up are also explored. Themes of transgendered people’s difficulties are explored several times in this book.

**My mind shifts gear. Every slight, every bigoted sneer, every nasty laugh, all the things I thought didn’t touch me come racing through my vision now, summoned by the certainty that there will always be people who see people like me as targets, not people. **

**If Nightmare Man jumps me here, he can beat me to death and leave without being seen. He might even be able to get in a quick rape, though that would be much riskier.**

It’s hard to imagine life under those constant thoughts, but that’s what this book makes come alive.

This is a suspenseful novel that is entertaining as well as insightful. Well worth the time to read.

This is a really interesting, almost brave whodunnit stepping out of the usual framework both in style and content.
The main character is a sassy, strong and intelligent transexual woman with a secret past which is touched on but not quite fully explored. Despite some extremely violent scenes, its almost a gentle tale, which sounds bizarre to say.
I liked it. It kept me busy into the early hours and left me with a satisfaction similar to a decent hot chocolate.

Living the life of a transsexual woman isn't easy in no way shape or form. Life is an uphill battle. When you decide to live life with this choice expecting anything less is crazy. You know everything will be harder because of the decisions you have made. As a strong woman, you are ready for the state's and rude remarks. However you are not ready to be stalked and terrorized. You are not ready to have your home broken into and vandalized. You place of business is also vandalized and hate words spray painted all over.
This is the terror that Bobbi has been going through. She has come to the belief that there has to be seven possible suspects. It's a countdown and she still hasn't figured it out.
5 Stars

I'm not sure why I chose this book. After all, a deep South, straight, male, baby boomer, retired Army officer is hardly the intended audience. Add to that the fact that I am not accustomed to, and usually not appreciative of first person present tense writing, particularly from the POV of a transsexual woman, and I expected to hate it. Funny thing is, I liked it. A lot. Quirky? Yes. Overly (to me) concerned about being assaulted? Yes. Unrealistic? Yes, again, to me. But I liked the flow, the story, the book, and would most certainly recommend it. I'm still not sure why. But I may re-read it, and will certainly look for Renee James' next work.

This is a book that cuts beyond gender or any class in society.
Bobbi is a character deep down we can all relate to. Yes, she is transgender but the experiences that she has to go through at the end of the day can happen to anyone. The author brings out clearly how a woman is vulnerable and how society can play apart in making sure you stay in that position. She struggles with her weaknesses of wanting to be accepted as a woman, her physical appearances that push her to trust to quickly and not really see what kind of people are around her. She wants to love so much and this exposes her to be too easy with the men who show some interest in her.
At any one minute we can be victims or survivors depending on what end of the scale you are tipping on. How we manage to move on with life fully depends on our own attitude in life. She is fearless as she tackles the law of sevens and does not give up. The tenacity she up holds in solving the puzzle is almost insane.
Bobbi decides to take it in stride and move on with life even after being sexually and physically abused two times in her life. This is a mantra that we should all embrace in life. Bobbi says: “One of the things I’ve learned in life is that you never know when your life is going to end. So I try to keep my debts paid. Not just the money ones. I try to be as good to the people around me as I can, and to make sure they know I appreciate them” All I can say she is a heroine to be able to overcome all that trauma.
I experienced every emotion that the characters were going through and they became a part of me. At the end I wanted to make every character’s life that had gone wrong right and where there were tears a smile. The author keeps you wanting more of the book.
Bobbi at the end of the day is just a human being who wants love and to be loved. She wants a family and someone to call her own.
We should all give this book a try.

I received Seven Suspects as an ARC from NetGalley.

I had no idea that this was book 3 in a series, had there been something stating that I may not have requested it. Some books you can jump into the middle of a series but this did make me feel more than a little lost! There has obviously been a lot happen to Bobbie in the previous books that I really feel I need to know in order to better understand the dynamics of this one.

That being said it is clear that Bobbie is a strong, fighting female character who has endured so much to get to where she is today - transition from male to female is hard enough for her but add a rape into the mix, I just cant imagine how she copes with the day to day prejudices that are thrown her way - the constant name calling, side-way looks etc
This is quite a dark read in some parts and once I got going I could not put it down. Bobbie had the feeling that she is being watched/followed which brings back the events of her rape back to the forefront of her mind. Is it someone connected to that who is following her? With the help of her ex-boyfriend & detective Phil she gets to the bottom of it all.

The ending was a little gritty but also very fitting for the story,

Trigger warnings: violence, rape

This is my third Renee James book to read about Bobbi and probably the toughest one for me to get through. My issue wasn’t the writing which was great as usual but some of the content because of how vivid and detailed James writes.

Her character work allows you to explore the world around Bobbi, her protagonist who is a transwoman, thanks to some interesting supporting characters. Her characters are definitely the best part of the story as the plot line is pretty brutal. In Bobbi we find a strong woman, a rape survivor, and someone who is still dealing with the psychological torment of what was done to her.

I lost track of how often my heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds, my body tense from the horror unfolding before my eyes, or my eyes dripping with tears at the evil humanity is willing to inflict on each other for the most asinine of reasons. At times this book nearly became too depressing to continue but I felt forced to continue because I had to know where this story would lead.

If you have issues with violence and rape scenes, you may need to steer clear of James as she doesn’t hold her punches which I found to be a good thing because it provides a deeper experience into understanding the character of Bobbi not to mention taboo subjects. But if you’re willing to give her a chance you’ll also find she has an insightful ability to create a love story; one that forces you to recognize our tendency to prejudge people and how we would be better off waiting until we know them so our lives can be richer for the experience.

Hopefully throughout her series, readers will develop an appreciation for the fact that Transgendered people are no different than anyone else as James reflects this in her character style.

This story is told in first person, present tense, and completely from Bobbi's point-of-view. I struggled with the narration when I read this authors last book, however, now that I'm more familiar with Renee's writing style, I had no issue with the dialogue. Quite the opposite. I adore Bobbi, and can't even begin to fathom all the prejudice she encounters, simply from being true to herself, something that takes guts!

In this installment, Bobbi has the uneasy feeling she is being stalked, and thus begins the arduous journey of figuring out who wants to do her harm. Six people come to mind, but the seventh eludes her, and me - the reader.

There are some great supporting characters, Betsy, Roberta, Cecilia, and bits and pieces about the salon, which I adored revisiting. And Phil, dear dear Phil. What I wouldn’t give to have just five minutes in the mans head. *sigh*

Moving on, the main focus of this story is who wants to harm Bobbi, and why. The conclusion is far from pretty, it would be fair to say it's brutal. My heart was in my throat as I frantically flipped the pages. The epilogue goes a little way to stop the ending from being outright depressing, but I'd still call it a HFN, which was fitting to the plot.

As much as I loved this story, and am no stranger to darker content, I feel the need to issue a warning - if violence and/or rape are triggers for you, please approach this story with caution.

Summary, I highly recommend this story to readers who enjoy unique plots and don’t mind dark content.

Copy provided by the publisher, via NetGalley

Lots of good suspects with a twist. The protagonist is smarter than the author let her be. I have enjoyed this series because of the information I have learned about the GBLT community.

Bobbi Logan is being stalked. She doesn't know who it is. But she is making a list. She was raped a decade ago and she darn sure won't be again. Bobbi decided to confront her suspected stalkers but her list has only six names. There should be seven since culturally things seem to revolve around the number seven.
Bobbi experiences several frightening events including serious vandalism of her home and business Bobbi is fearless or so she pretends. Along the way Bobbi learns some valuable lessons about herself and her suspects. But number seven is real and he is coming. And Bobbi will have to learn one more lesson or she might die.

Great book. Bobbi is brave and inspiring. I wish I knew this was. A third book in a series.

Where do you start trying to describe this book, first of all Bobbi the central character is terrific, she is brave humorous, her one liners are fab she is a successful hairdresser and business woman, and she is a transsexual woman and that is obviously a main theme throughout the book.The prejudice and even hostility she faces takes place on a daily basis and is unfortunately part of her life.When it becomes obvious that she is being stalked and someone does not have her best interests at heart, putting it mildly ,she has as the title of the book would suggest seven suspects , who are they and who is the one who really means to harm her, who indeed.No spoilers from me ,but it made for an interesting read.I really liked Bobbi, I didn't know at first that there were other books before this one, but this does read ok as a stand alone book.I enjoyed this book and would read more in the series.Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

If you enjoyed the first two books in this series then book three is an absolute must!

I really enjoyed revisiting Bobbi and seeing her life after transition. Bobbi is now a business owner and a property owner, and although she has come close to losing both her life and her business, this book shows her making real progress on both fronts. Despite all the challenges of transition and the battle she had to fight against the person who was intent on murdering her, Bobbi is in Chicago living her life freely.

It isn't an easy road though. Bobbi is still coming to terms with what it means to live as a transgendered woman. She still has issues with what she sees as a lack of femininity and the love of her life has moved on, and now it seems she also has a stalker.

Bobbi focuses on day to day life, work, friends and family but she still wants to meet her 'special someone' and this quiet desperation leads her to take risks with unsuitable men and it appears that one of these men might be stalking her.

For Bobbi the stalker brings back all the darkness of the past; the rape, the threats and the fear, and Bobbi once again decides to take back control and she does this by trying to find the stalker herself. Bobby suspects that there are possibly seven people who could be stalking her but she can only identify six and she can't rest until she discovers who the seventh is. But the seventh suspect knows who Bobbi is and he is hunting her.

The story has a thrilling pace and a tense buildup. We know there is somebody out there who is determined to get her but we really don't know who this person is.

I enjoyed the thrill and the build up and I thought the story was written in a way which is really gripping but I do feel towards the end Bobbi acted in a 'too stupid to live' way, blind to obvious danger. I loved the endings of book one and two. These endings were quite surprising and provided a twist that just couldn't be predicted. In this book I could see the end approaching and that element of surprise wasn't there but the story is still a gripping read.

It is very brutal in places but Bobbi Logan is clearly a survivor. She has survived childhood in the wrong gender with parents who didn't care for her. She has survived a broken marriage but has managed to create something lasting and a caring relationship with her former wife. Bobbi has risen from the destruction of John Strand's violence against her and despite everything she continues to thrive.

Bobbi has spent so much time worrying about her appearance and her lack of femininity but here she is facing violence because she is female. Bobbi learns that being a woman can mean that she is vulnerable to gender based violence. In other words because she really is a woman there is always the danger of male violence and this potential for violence is common whether you are trans or whether you were born a woman. In our world today being a woman is to be vulnerable in all sorts of ways and in ways men will never experience and Bobbi comes to realise this. She may never have the petite appearance she desires but she is truly a woman.

The story has parts that are very hard to read because of this violence but Bobbi is not only a woman, she is a strong woman. She is a woman who knows how to dream and how to fly. I found myself willing her to struggle and to fight back against those people both male and female who thought they could put Bobbi down mentally and physically. Bobbi struggles with those who would pull her under and she resurfaces, she wins.

As you read these books you become invested in Bobbi Logan. You want her to succeed and to be everything she has ever wanted to be. I enjoy the way the writing evokes this kind of reader response. I have enjoyed this series so much that I can't let go of Bobbi just yet and I have even decided to go back and read the early version of book 1.

I just want more Bobbi Logan.

I now need to see more of Bobbi putting the world to rights in her own determined and indomitable way.

This is an excellent series. It is sometimes hard to read but it is gripping and pulls the reader in, not letting go of the reader until the very end and even after finishing the book the reader is left knowing that they have really met someone who has learnt to live and who has learned to be who she really is.

Copy provided by Oceanview Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thanks Netgalley and respective publisher for giving me such a good book.

Excellent thrilling book,

It made me remind the kind of story-telling as Agatha Christie's thrillers.
I would not like to spoil , But as name suggest, 7 suspects were there behind a wonder woman(not exactly a woman).

Some moments were greatly defined and written.

Intriguing storyline and wonderful writing.

It is NOT a stand-alone. Seven Suspects is the book #3 in the Bobbi Logan Crime Novel Series and you SHOULD read BEFORE at least the previous book to understand and to enjoy it.

***

My first reaction, when I found out that Renee James wrote a new sequel in Bobbi Logan Crime Novel Series was a mixture of excitement and concerns. As much as I enjoyed the series, I was a bit skeptical: The case was solved (you have to know that the both books ARE about the same case, but from different perspectives), sealed up, the guilty ones got what they deserved and Bobby Logan became her life fully under control (at least it is what I desperately hoped to). And Bobby is not a detective, but a businesswoman, an owner of a beauty salon, a very talented hairdresser. What a new sequel in the mystery series could be about? With an emphasis on MYSTERY? Don't worry, buckle up and be ready for a rollercoaster ride!

Maybe it is a good possibility to warn that violence sciences are very graphical, but if you read the previous books, and I hope you did, then you must know that the author does not spare her readers a detailed description when she writes about hate crime.

I read Seven Suspects with a MC Bobby Logan, a transgender woman, an amazing character, an owner of a beauty salon and a very talented hairdresser, almost in one sitting and I loved every minute of it. The dynamic and the unexpected twists in the second part of the book, in contrast to the smooth and quiet beginning made me forget about everything around myself, I don’t know who drove me more crazy - Bobby with her good faith, or the author for putting us both through this.

Bobby has arrived at a point in her life where she lives in balance with herself and her body, she leads a quiet and content life, she runs successfully her own business, she has people she loves and who cares for her around. But she is a survivor type and a natural born fighter: to become a person she is now she had to overcome some extremely difficult stages in her life. And though she mastered them all with bravery, she made some enemies along the way.

When one day she becomes a feeling, she has been trailed and watched by someone, she is concerned but first tries not to pay too much attention to it considering it for an obsessive idea. Though the situation becomes much serious when she starts to receives anonymous threats. When one day her salon fells victim to vandalism, and shortly after an unknown intruder breaks into her apartment leaving behind a trail of destruction, she realizes that she can’t be a silent observer who waits for the police to find the villain. She is torn between her female nature and her male side that is still there, hidden deep inside.

The other part of me wants to take bloody, unrelenting revenge on the sick coward who did this. I know this is my male side, the one I’m not supposed to have, the one that was supposed to go away along with the testosterone that made me strong and hairy and inclined to violence. This feeling reveals me as a fraud, a hopeless queer with no real gender, but just now, I don’t care . The anger feels right. The determination to defend myself feels right. The willingness to kill or maim this villain feels good. The motherfucker who did this is going to pay.


She has to take the law into their own hands.

She makes a list of six suspects of her own. But maybe she missed someone? Who is this person? And why does he want to hurt her?



I have to admit, I was actually surprised that Bobby didn’t have THIS person on her list from the beginning. Even if I didn’t know FOR SURE who it COULD BE. (All six were not trustworthy, to tell the truth). But when it became clear WHO it WAS....the last 15% left my blood frozen.(Or boiled)

Absolutely great resolution, excellent writing, but the most a magnificent attraction of the series is the main character. Bobby Logan belongs to one of my favorite characters EVER. I could have never imagined that to be in a head of a transgender woman could be so fascinating. Transgender fiction is a difficult genre to win a wide audience; it belongs to a marginal genre of LGBT fiction. But maybe one of the reasons, there are not enough GREAT books to attract readers?
For this reason I appeal to all my GR friends and people who read LGBT fiction, and for all those who read General fiction and mystery, you simply HAVE to read this series.

Please, read it.

For the record, I was unaware that this was part of a series before I started but that took absolutely nothing away from the story.
In a nut shell the story follows Bobbi, a transgender and who had previously suffered through rape as she struggles to discover who is stalking her. After narrowing her suspicions down to a list of 6 she hunts them down and eliminate them one by one from her list. I loved Bobbi, she is so strong and determined and so easy to care about and I really got to like her and enjoy her sense of humor.
Reading a lot of thrillers, I love finding a gem like this, with plenty of diversity and representation, and genuinely surprising twists. It is a brilliant with out a doubt an edge of your seat mystery with plenty of suspense.
I am 100% going to go back and start the series from the beginning.

Seven Suspects is the third book in Renee James’ crime fiction series featuring transgender hairdresser, Bobbi Logan. As she did with the previous novels, Renee James opens the door to a world unfamiliar to many readers, allowing compassion and respect to harness their hearts.

The crime fiction world needs a character like Bobbi Logan and Renee James is the perfect author to bring her to life. As Seven Suspects opens, Bobbi is still dealing with symptoms of post-traumatic stress induced by the rape she previously suffered. Being a trans woman, Bobbi tends to be extra tuned into her surroundings and the actions of those around her; so when she begins to experience an ominous feeling of being stalked, she takes it very seriously – especially since she is currently watching her eleven-year-old “niece” Roberta while Betsy (Bobbi’s pre-transition ex-wife) is off on vacation.

This is probably a good place to say that as confusing at all this sounds, Renee James is masterful at making the reader feel comfortable in this world – even for those new to the series. The writing flows with such ease that readers immediately trust the process and quickly find that all the past connections and issues feel familiar. This is especially important here, as an emotional sub-plot dealing with how children react to transgender individuals packs quite the punch.

Once Bobbi determines that she really is being watched, she makes a list of the most likely suspects – those with possible reasons to dislike her. With no proof to convince the authorities, Bobbi goes about researching each individual on her own. Readers know how difficult it can be to create convincing motives for an amateur sleuth to become entangled in an investigation, but with Seven Suspects, Renee James makes it look easy.

There is a sense of imminent danger throughout Seven Suspects, but there are many lighter moments as well. Renee James really ushers readers into Bobbi’s life. Episodes detailing her interactions with her friends and her “family of choice,” her experiences on the dating circuit, and her professionalism as the owner of a successful business enterprise all expose important aspects that make Bobbi Logan a fully-formed character that readers will champion.

Seven Suspects could easily have become a didactic exercise intended to teach readers about the transgender experience. However, by wrapping the subtle lessons within a compelling suspense plot, Renee James instead leads readers to connect with Bobbi as a person first and foremost, thereby allowing the rest of the equation to develop organically. The transgender experience is a welcome addition to the crime fiction repertoire and hopefully, Renee James and Bobbi Logan will be around for a very long time.

In exchange for an unbiased review, I accepted this ARC from NetGalley. Gratitude offered to Oceanview Publishing for making this edition available.

Renee James gave me an intimate, close-up look into the life of a transsexual woman living in a closed-minded, for the most part, unforgiving world. Opposition to the norm. An eye-opener. This well-written narrative took me by surprise as I'd witnessed her daily struggle to belong. Actually, to cope. After proper introductions, the main characters were well-developed, although, the plot became a bit stagnant as it hardly strayed from the main protagonist. It droned on finishing with an ending that caught me off guard. Chilled me to the bone.

There are a multitude of roadblocks every entrepreneur faces when trying to keep a business in the black. Throw into the mix being a transsexual. A whole new level. Bobbi Logan, is owner and operator of an upscale beauty salon, Salon L 'Elegance. She's managed to successfully slice out her own piece of the pie. No small feat in the fiercely, competitive city of Chicago. It came with a heavy price.

Bobbi walks the streets of Chicago in a endless state of paranoia. Always looking over her shoulder. Expecting the worst. Always feeling someone's eyes on her. Knows it for sure. It's inescapable. Who's after her now? Watching. Waiting. Survivor of a brutal rape thirteen years earlier, she'd vowed never to be taken victim again. Now it's time to walk the talk.

Over the years, she'd come to make her fair share of enemies. Last count put it at six. Six too many. For some reason though, she thinks there's a seventh stalker. Something to do with the law of sevens. Such as, " a football score, the number of dwarfs sleeping with Snow White, a divine or fatal number in craps, the number of the greatest wonders of the world..." Call it superstitious. Call it what you want. She's guided by her animal instinct to survive. It's kept her alive. So far.

Her business and home had been vandalized by an unknown assailant. Probably one of the six. Maybe seven. She struggles along in a constant state of fear. Always walking on thin ice. Continuing on this way would age her quickly, long before her time. That, certainly wouldn't do. In a state of desperation, she decided to turn the tables around. In a word, the prey becomes the predator. From the frying pan into the fire. If there's going to be a confrontation, it'll be on her terms. Hopefully, she'll see it coming. If she's lucky.

I didn't realize this was the third book in a series - but I felt that the book stood on it's own. I've never known a transgender person (that I know of anyway!) but the character of Bobbi is so well done in the book, I feel like I know HER. She's funny and smart and vulnerable - though a bit too reckless for her own good. The only part of the book I didn't care for was the extremely violent and graphic scenes at the end. I suppose they were necessary to the story, but I cringed through them. Also, I was rather surprised that with Bobbi's 'intuition', she didn't guess the identity of the seventh suspects earlier. I was sitting here yelling at her - IT'S HIM! IT'S HIM!!!

An unusual and worthwhile read.

Third in the Bobbi Logan series about a transgender woman

I know I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read the two previous books in this series. It is told from a first-person POV by Bobbi Logan and she does tell some of the backstory but I still felt like I missed out on some of the finer points of the series.

This was an interesting book to me. I've never read a book about a transgender woman (or man either for that matter) and I felt a great deal of empathy for Bobbi's character.

Bobbi is a very tall, somewhat masculine looking woman. She owns an elite hair salon and is a gifted stylist.

She is trying to recover from a love affair with "the love of her life" and ends up placing herself in risky situations as she tries to find comfort from other men.

She suddenly finds herself the focus of malicious stalker that vandalizes her home and salon and she has to try to figure out who she might have made angry enough to do these things.

I did feel like there was a lot of repetition and filler in the story - that's why I rated this three stars instead of four. But, all in all, it was a unique story with a sympathetic character.

I received this book from Oceanview Publishing through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

A well written enjoyable read by Renee James. Held my interest the whole time.

Fun, fast-paced mystery that kind of crosses the cozy and more noir. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this book. I didn't know such a series existed, I should have started with the first volume, but I don't think I lost much. There are enough references about other dramatic episodes in Bobbi's life to fill in the gaps. And you can't help liking the novel and the character.
Bobbi is unique, she's a survivor, reckless and outspoken. Are these female or male features? Is fighting back and seeking revenge testosterone driven or estrogen driven behaviour? Bobbi blames her feistiness on her belated transition (in her thirties) and she often mistrusts her instincts. One thing she trusts and that is the magic of numbers three and seven. When her life is once again (the third time, I presume) turned upside down, she hunts down the possible suspects and comes short of finding the seventh. It's only her shortsightedness, because I began to suspect who that might be from their first encounter, which was disappointing.
Anyway, after another gory kidnapping and rape, Bobbi accepts her vulnerability, something that makes her more feminine than short skirts or generous cleavage.

Firstly, many thanks to Netgalley, Renee James and Oceanview publishing for a preview copy of this book.

I quickly realised that this is third of a series and now wish to read the previous books. At first this was frustrating and I wish I'd known. However, upon finishing the book, I'm glad I didn't know as I'd probably not have received this preview copy and missed out on a really, really good read as well as an enlightening one.

This is a story about transgender experiences, family, friendships, love, murder, rape and stalking! And, somehow, the author manages to balance the thrills, suspense and terror, along with humour and life lessons. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend.

Really enjoyable ..if I had not been devouring this diverting work of a transgender hairdresser., turned detective, seeking took trap her own stalker, I would have found the list of suspects unlikely and their trail too long not only because she takes it on herself to do personally (except she's a burly transwoman) , but she gets away with things that might easily have seriously killed her off. Of course we have figured it out before she has! I think it's the smart, witty commentary as she examined and grapples with lovers, and an 11 year old closer to her that to anyone that I really. could not or it down .. I hope another one pops up desire my inner voice saying this is not credible, I did not pay attention to that. voice and carried on ..

SEVEN SUSPECTS by Renee James is book three in the Bobbi Logan series, however it did read well as a standalone. The author brings the reader into a world of paranoia, stalking, and the life of one woman trying to figure out who, of her seven enemies, is harassing her.

Bobbi Logan is a successful hairdresser and business owner. She's gone through her share of hardships to get to where she is now. She's gone through gender transition (which has come with bigotry and bullying), survived rape, and even been part of a murder investigation. None of that can stop her or keep her down but needless to say, she's created a few enemies along the way. One day she begins to receive threats from a stalker. The threats become increasingly violent and personal as each day passes. Bobbi has vowed to never be a victim again, so she compiles a list of six men it could possibly be. When she confronts each of them she quickly realizes there's probably a seventh suspect.

I will say that this was both a frustrating and interesting read. Bobbi was both likeable and irritating. Despite her history she continues to let men she doesn't know into her home. I agree with my reader in crime, Chandra, on this one - you just want to shake her and tell her to snap out of it! I did love her friendship with Cecelia though. It felt so genuine and real. I'm sure every reader will be able to relate to that connection and think of their best friend.

I don't want to give away too much more information about the ending or other events, but it definitely comes to a climax at the end.

Overall, I did like this book. It was a good mystery and you get invested in the characters. It gives the readers a glimpse into a world that not many know a lot about - at least I don't. The hardships that Bobbi faces from gender transition are what made her mentally stronger.

I give this one 3.5/5 stars!

"Fate. Karma. God's grand design. Call it what you will, some days are just fucked before you get out of bed." Ain't life grand? 👀 And Renee, I agree - sometimes life just deals you what it deals you, no matter which side you get up from.



I'll be honest, I struggled through the first few parts of this book. Bobbi comes across as this extremely smart, strong and successful woman but the insecurities rise like the sludge of leftover soup. The constant need to make everything sexual became very off putting at times... and trust me, I'm not one to cower or run from any type of sexual implicity. However, every time Bobbi meets a man, whether it's by first glance, or a small encounter, or with her ex (Phil), the love of her life, it immediately goes to whether that man finds her attractive, repulsive or how quickly she can get into bed with him. EVERY ENCOUNTER.




Bobbi's character has been raped and abused in the past and yet she STILL lets strange men into her home and bed. (I know that this is sometimes a natural reaction for those who have been through such trauma - it can be this extreme or the flip side, but it's frustrating to read sometimes.) Even goes after each suspect in who could possibly be stalking her. She's taken self defense classes and her body is still large and intimidating but yet all these men are a threat to her, not only mentally but physically. WOMAN, stop it already!!




What ended up happening though is that I completely started to feel for Bobbi with each chapter. Yes, I was frustrated with her. Yes, I wanted to shake her and give her a good talking to... but she had Cecelia for that. I really enjoyed their friendship - it reminded me a lot of my friendship with my best friend, completely and unabashedly honest with that cut of sarcasm. Always looking out for the best in each other while still accepting each other wholeheartedly. You can't ask for more than that and it resonates throughout this book.




The final scene was hard to read - and not because I'm squeamish or haven't read worse - but because of how invested I started to get into Bobbi's character. You'll have to read to see how it all turns out.




Now, I know very little of the trans world so I can only imagine what Bobbi has gone through. What this novel did for me was to shed some light into this community and for that I am ever grateful. It also prompted me to look into the author some more and I found that she is transgender and based Bobbi on her physically. I found this link to the publisher's site where you can learn more about her... and I suggest that you do:
http://oceanviewpub.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Conversation-with-Renee-James-about-Seven-Suspects.pdf

The protagonist, Bobbi Logan, has had her share of challenges. She is a strong, successful business woman, who is transsexual. She has survived bullying, rejection, a rape, a murder investigation, and, now, she is being stalked. She believes in the theory of 'sevens', and she is right! Bobbi is tough, witty, and likeable. The writing is well done. I had a difficult time with the final conflict, and rooted for Bobbi all the way. Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 4/5 stars.

The hero/heroine is an interesting character bringing an unusual to the thriller genre. The question of sexuality is a significant theme but is handled well without resort to prurient details. The plot held the attention and had sufficient twists to make a worthwhile read.

How these books really work for me is as a character study and how a character grows and changes and in the context of Bobbi Logan, how she metamorphosed from a man into a strong confident woman. In the context of the trilogy (thus far) we have run the gamut of emotion as well as all the stages the protagonist has gone through on this journey and it was great to get more of the story with this installment.

The "thriller" portion of the book is decent as well with someone following her, vandalizing her business and just terrorizing her. Who is the suspect? Well, she narrows it down to seven people. Just when she seems to eliminate them all, well lets just say you need to read this one to find out.

I will say that you should read them in order since there are details and plot points that develop over the course of the three books.

I received this book in exchange for an unbiased review from Net Galley.

Seven suspects is an interesting take on how difficult the life of a transgender women Bobbi Logan is. Bobbi is a hairdresser. She has a few great friends and a supprt system. Bobbi can never get passed the horrors of her past when a horrible attack and rape. She is also no longer with the love of her life. She is also paranoid as most victims and she knows someone is stalking her.Bobbi is not afraid to confront people who are questionableas being the stalker. Quite a surprising ending! yes, this is some what explicit but that doedn't bother me .
My only problem with the book was I felt it was way to repetitive about a lot of her life.

What a rush this book was. I loved it.. The characters were so funny and loveable. I highly recommend this book