The Deep End was a surprising mystery - it has very real characters that you recognize immediatly in your friends, family or professional circles.

Giselle and Marta are a stable lesbian couple, still madly in love after 20 years. been together for almost 20 years. However, their love story is secondary to the mystery.

The mystery of Giselle's missing sister turns their lives upside down.

The story is filled with unpredictable twists and turns. Family secrets are revealed - Giselle's sister and extended family are not as they seem on the surface.

A satisfying murder-mystery with strong female characters is exactly what I like and I found it here. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb sounding intriguing but I ended up struggling with this one. Giselle, a veterinarian, receives a call in the night regarding her missing sister. She and her long term partner, Marta, fly out and become mired in family dysfunction and the mystery of her sister's disappearance and that leads to more mystery.

Giselle is a hard character to connect to - she prefers animal over people and that ambivalence bleeds into the her first person POV. The supporting characters are kind of awful (no wonder Giselle doesn't like people), with the exception of Marta. The relationship between Giselle and Marta was actually nice - long term partners who are still in love is something you don't see in lesfic as the focus tends to be the phase when they meet and fall in love rather than down the road where they have settled into a life and love together. Overall flat, a bit confusing and just didn't engage me as a reader.

The book was nicely written and moderately interesting, but it wasn’t exactly what I hought it would be. Mysteries and thrillers are hit or miss for me most of 5he time.

This is the type of book that I might not typically choose to read. I tend to pick ‘light’ reads and The Deep End is definitely not light. It is, however, both intriguing and realistic, something my beloved ‘cozy’ reads aren’t.

If you are interested in a book that has layers upon layers of revelations, this is the book for you. The main character seems to be controlling her emotions by focusing on the ‘whys’, something I can see myself doing.

All in all, this was a book that surprised me. I liked it and recommend it.

The Deep End is a complex mystery that keeps you guessing all the way to the end. It’s starts with a phone call to Giselle from her brother in law telling her that her sister is missing. So Gia flys to Phoenix to help with her 15 year old nephew and find out where her sister is. Gia is in a long term relationship with Marta who later flies out to help as well.

In Phoenix the mystery of her missing sister, Tiffani, gets complicated and the finger gets pointed a her nephew first and then moves to other people. Gia finds out more about her sister and her marriage that she didn’t know about before. I was a very good story and there are many layers to the mysterious disappearance of Tiffani. I’d recommend the book to others and will recommend to friends.

Stevie‘s review of The Deep End by Ellie Hart
Contemporary Lesbian Mystery Fiction published by Bold Strokes Books 16 Apr 18

I don’t recall seeing many detective stories in which the protagonists are a long-established lesbian couple; then again, I don’t think there are many novels in which a pair of women, together for more than two decades, are perfectly content in their relationship, all the conflict coming from outside and not threatening the way they feel about each other. So this book was a breath of fresh air, even if I agree with other readers that the blurb doesn’t entirely reflect the book’s plot and themes.


Giselle is a veterinarian who has lived with her social worker partner, Marta, on the West Coast of the US ever since the pair of them graduated and began their careers. After early struggles, they’ve built up Giselle’s practice and bought the house of their dreams, as well as enjoying a social life that encompasses a varied mix of other couples. Their peace is disrupted, however, when they receive a late-night call from Giselle’s brother-in-law, reporting that neither he nor his fifteen-year-old son have seen Giselle’s younger sister since early that morning. Concerned at how out of character this behaviour seems, Giselle immediately makes plans to join the men at their home in Phoenix and do whatever she can to help reunite the family.

When Giselle arrives, she discovers that it’s not just her sister who’s been behaving oddly. Her brother-in-law seems remarkably unconcerned with looking for his wife, continuing to go into the office for long periods of the day, while his son – Giselle’s nephew – has an odd, though seemingly platonic, friendship with a girl living over the road. The teens appear to be watching overtly violent videos and to be accessing parts of the internet that stray into even dodgier areas. Once the police get involved, it soon becomes apparent that they are treating the case as a murder investigation rather than a disappearance, and the youngsters are their chief suspects.

Marta flies out to support Giselle, and this was the part of the book I really liked, over and above the main mystery plot. The pair are so settled in their relationship, even as they uncover the secrets behind Giselle’s sister’s less-than-ideal marriage, and in the face of hostility from the inhabitants of their temporary neighbourhood. I loved some of the contrasts in their attitude towards major decisions about where to take their relationship next – Marta would like a child, while Giselle is unsure – and their various excuses as to why they need to get out of the house. Never underestimate the power of ‘female problems’ to prevent men of any age asking further questions.

I figured out parts of the convoluted mystery plot, but others came as a surprise to me as well as to the characters. Although the detective story worked for me, the main part of this book that stays with me is the relationship between the women, and I would love to visit them again, with or without a crime to be solved.

Grade: B

I really enjoyed this book! It had the right amount of mystery and romance. I will seek out more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC to read and review!

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I am, indeed, a true crime nut. I am just ever so slightly enamored of Karen Kilgariff, and just last week I sacrificed precious sleep in exchange for refreshing Facebook over and over in the middle of the night to keep up with the buzz in all my true crime groups about the Golden State Killer actually being caught! (Gratuitous shout-out to I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer while we're at it!)

It's also no secret to anyone who knows me that I am very gay and very proud. So, all that said, when I saw The Deep End on NetGalley and read the description, I thought it sounded right up my alley. It's a book about a lesbian couple who travel to Arizona when the narrator, Giselle, receives a phone call informing her that her sister is missing. Giselle and her partner, Marta, travel to Arizona (where Giselle's sister, brother-in-law, and nephew/godson live) to try putting together the pieces as to where Tiff, the sister, went. Of course it doesn't end up being as simple as just that, and The Deep End follows Giselle and Marta throughout all the twists and turns they soon uncover hiding just beneath the surface of Tiff's seemingly picture-perfect life.

I will say that I did not hate The Deep End. I clearly enjoyed it enough to keep reading, and I really did want to know what would happen. But I can't quite decide whether I wanted to know what would happen because I truly cared, or because I'd put so much effort into the book already that it seemed silly to give it up.

The main issue was that I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters, not really. The only possible exception to this was Marta. You read that right- I couldn't even bring myself to really care about the narrator herself, Giselle. She states at one point something along the lines of, being a veterinarian, she cares more about animals than she does people, and as the book progressed, this felt extremely accurate, which I don't really think is a good thing in a story such as this. I just never fully believed that Giselle cared about what was going on, that she cared about her sister being missing or about her nephew Leif's troubles. It almost felt like her emotions were caricatures of actual emotions, like she was trying so hard to convey the proper emotions in any given scene that she juuust missed the mark.

Speaking of Marta, she was my favorite character, and I think I would've loved this book a whole lot more if it had been from her point of view! She was fun and supportive and intelligent, and her interactions with the other characters made me truly believe she could be an actual person and not just a character in a book. She provided a good balance with the other less dynamic characters and made sticking with the book worth it.

Plot-wise, I felt like The Deep End just had a little too much going on. The mystery described in the blurb quickly devolves into something else entirely, something extremely complicated and messy, and by the end of the book I just... didn't feel satisfied. I still have questions that were never really answered, and everything felt the tiniest bit too intense and dramatic. It was curve ball after curve ball after curve ball after... well, you get it. And trust me, I do love a good plot twist, but The Deep End didn't so much provide plot twists as it provided plot mazes that made me feel like I might never escape.

Another issue I found with The Deep End was, admittedly, a bit more personal, but it really started grating on my nerves after a while. It got to the point where, at times, I considered DNF-ing the book, so I figured it was worth mentioning in this review. Giselle, as the narrator, seemed to be incredibly preoccupied with weight- both her own and that of others. I began noticing it when the character of Ines Hernandez was introduced, and Giselle's narration described Ines's "moon face" and how plump she was. Okay, fine. However, I would then go on to notice throughout the book that Giselle would almost always describe the size of a new character in one way or another, whether it was mentioning Sammy Giametti's "pudgy fingers" or a thin young detective at the police station (not to mention, almost any time a scene featured Ines, we were reminded in one way or another about her weight, whether by mentioning her "ample bosom" or any number of other such descriptors). There were a couple different instances of Giselle mentioning her nephew Leif's weight, how skinny he was, and at one point in her narration she even mentioned, in passing, being concerned he might have an eating disorder. And besides describing other characters, in almost every single scene in which Giselle was eating (and there were quite a few), she would complain about how much weight she was going to gain from eating all this food, how she better not become an emotional eater, how she really needed to start an exercise regimen, how her jeans were somehow feeling tight already, so on and so forth ad nauseam. It got to the point where food would come up in a scene and I would dread the next few pages because Giselle's inner dialogue about eating became so tiring. It certainly did not make me like her as a character any better.

Finally, I would like to mention how much I loved Giselle and Marta's relationship. This is the first book I've ever read with an older lesbian couple as main characters, and I enjoyed it so very much! Them being lesbians had absolutely nothing to do with the plot itself, which was fantastic- I'm very used to reading YA and NA books where the characters' sexuality is integral to the plot, and that's oftentimes great, of course, but for once in my life I got to read a book, with The Deep End, where the characters just were gay, and that was that, and we got on with the rest of the plot. It felt really nice to read that, to break out of the heteronormative mold for a bit and read a story featuring a successful and happy couple who happen to be gay. I would love more books like that, frankly!

I know I had some gripes with The Deep End, but overall I really did enjoy it. My rating wavers between 2.5 and 3 stars, but I'm leaning closer to the 3, after all is said and done. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting a twisty turny thriller (with the caveat that some of your questions might very well go unanswered), or to anyone who simply wants a non-heteronormative book for once! And I'd certainly read Ellie Hart's writing again, I can also say that.

Hmmmm......The positive; great writing skill. I look forward to other stories by this author. The dialogue is crisp and entertaining. The 2 lady main characters had a very warm relationship. I was very interested in where this story was leading me. It was definitely a page turner I had no idea where the story was going. Something new continued to surprise me on each progressive page.
The negatve; unfortunately it is one thing to create a mystery and another to solve it and tie up all the loose ends. I eagerly read it, thrilled with the anticipation of answers to all the
mysteries and red herrings set before me. But in the end, most of it remained a mystery. When you get to the last page you are still left with many questions about many of the characters involvement. That was very disappointing. Also I was a bit confused about the light heartedness of the main characters while all the gruesome events were happening. Again...easy to create a mystery.....Not so easy to resolve the mystery and tie up all lose ends.

The Deep End reads like a tribute to the late great Sue Grafton and her Kinsey Milhone Alphabet series. Grafton allowed readers to witness every step of each murder investigation through the eyes of her dogged protagonist. Instead of PI Kinsey we have Giselle (Gigi) Cutler as amateur sleuth trying to understand why her sister has gone missing while also providing support for her 15 yr old nephew Lief and her less than open brother-in-law. Giselle admits she is more comfortable with animals than she is with people and with the use of first person point of view you feel that detachment. Lucky for Giselle, she has a loving partner Marta to help her sort through her sister’s mess of a family.

It was nice to see a mature and comfortable lesbian relationship for a change. Gigi and Marta may disagree on a few things but they support and encourage each other and make a solid if amateur pair of sleuths. Marta won for best use of google searches while Gigi shone as the loving if quirky Aunt. There wasn’t much to love about the rest of the cast from the creepy brother in law to his not so perfect son and girlfriend. It was hard to buy into anyone being that upset that Tiffani was actually missing including Gigi. More character development with the secondary characters might have improved the readers empathy. Lacking empathy and expecting the worst lessened the impact of the mystery to be solved.

ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.

When Veterinrain Dr. Giselle Culter finds out her sister, Tiffani is missing she has no choice but to go help find her and look after her nephew Leif. Her sister's husband is acting strange, he hasn’t even contacted the police. What unfolds turns out to be a great mystery. With the help of her partner Marta she uncovers some very troubling information. Did I mention Mob is also involved in too. Very good read.

A modern murder-mystery, the Deep End was intriguing and surprising at the same time. First of all, there is no developing romance, nor is there any sexy scenes. Giselle and Marta have been together for almost 20 years. They are completely devoted to one another and utterly adorable that they are still so much in love after so long. It was nice to read about a stable couple with the ability to communicate respectfully. The intrigue begins almost immediately when Giselle hops a plane to Arizona to be there for her sister’s family after she goes missing. The layers that are revealed to expose her sister’s abductor/murderer had me surprised at almost every turn. Sometimes more than others, and we ride that roller coaster with Giselle emotionally as she realizes how deep her sister and brother-in-law got involved with the wrong people. Giselle and Marta are amazing women. They are strong and level-headed enough to keep their wits about them to assist in bringing those responsible to justice. They are also each other’s lifeline during those moments of uncertainty and crushing sadness when emotion overcomes them regarding the situation. I kept in mind that everyone reacts differently during times of stress. Giselle wants answers and her focus stays laser sharp, and it is Marta, who later joins her in Arizona that is her safe zone when she finally succumbs to the sadness of the situation. A satisfying murder-mystery with strong lead characters is exactly what I like and I found it here.

2.5 Stars. I’m sorry to say I found this read to be pretty rough. I guess the way to describe it would be a drama-mystery. I love mysteries, but this didn’t have the feel of a regular murder mystery. I found myself too disconnected to the story to enjoy it.

The story is about Giselle and her long term partner Marta. They get a call that Giselle’s sister is missing, so they quickly fly out to Arizona. What is first thought to be a missing person’s case soon becomes something much more. Giselle’s sister’s family is a mess and one of them just might be behind her sister’s disappearance.

My first thought reading this is I didn’t care for the writing. Not that it was bad, it just didn’t make you as a reader feel a part of the story. This has happened to me in other books before. It’s like you are watching through a window that has a film covering everything. You just don’t have a clear picture and it stops you from really connecting with the story.

Another issue I had was that it was tough to read a book where all the characters, except for Marta and Giselle, where pretty awful. I don’t remember reading a book that had such an unlikeable cast of characters for a long time. It also threw me how little emotion was involved with the whole book. If something ever happened to my brother, I would be a mess until he was found. It was just odd how detached everyone was acting.

The one part that saved this book a little bit was Marta and Giselle’s relationship. I thought it was well written and realistically reflected a long term couple. But besides this one aspect, nothing else really worked for me personally in this book. Unfortunately, I just cannot recommend this one.

I am confused by this book and it's synopsis which didn't seem to align with the story. Also I am surprised the main character would be so detached and distance, almost witty about the disappearance of her sister and the role her nephew might have played in it. I would believe the main character would be desperate, devastated and inconsolable.


Positives of the book the 20 year great relationship between Giselle and Martha. And I loved the banter, and I feel if this were a detective story Giselle's demeanor would of been great. But not for this type of storyline. The writer has a lot of talent, but maybe take this type of witty banter and detachment into a different genre.

There is quite a bit going on in this read and in my opinion, confusion abound. One aspect of the read I did enjoy was the dynamics between Giselle and Martha. The couple is not only familiar with each other but understand they have a relationship that is loving as well as stable. They also understand that there is different between falling in love and being in love. What I appreciated the most was a read that entailed a long term commitment that did not have the couple bickering and name calling. I like a good mystery but not in this case. I was waiting for the story to grab me but it never happened. The story was intricate and to some extent complex yet not very engaging.

As I was reading The Deep End, I was troubled by the characters’ demeanor. Their reaction to the disappearance of Tiffani- a mother, wife, sister-felt kind of bizarre. There was such an emotional detachment displayed by the characters, especially after learning about Leif’s role in his mother’s disappearance. Because of this detachment, it was difficult to like, or more specifically, to get invested in these characters’ lives.
I did, however, like the solid 20 year relationship between Giselle and Martha. They sometimes knew each other’s thoughts and actions without the use of words. Their playful, loving banter was a redeeming factor in this story.

The Deep End by Ellie Heart is an interesting mystery that just happens to involve a lesbian couple. They are what I call “incidental lesbians”. I use that phrase because the book isn’t a romance and the plot does not center around their relationship.

Gigi is called to Arizona when she finds out her little sister has gone missing. She is pulled into a mystery that’s reveals what lurks underneath the pristine image her sister and brother-in-law have construed and how it has affected her nephew. Once things escalate her longtime partner, Marta flies out to be her main support through the escalating investigation. I don’t want to say much more so I don’t give away any spoilers.

I liked this book a lot. I like that neither Gigi nor Marta were detectives. It was interesting to see two civilians put the pieces of this puzzle together. I liked Gigi’s character and I thought the author did a good job showing how Gigi responds to the events as they unfold. Its like she is moving through fog that gets more and more dense, but Marta is there like a beacon to keep her from completely crashing.

The book is written in the first person, present tense. I usually do not care for that style. If its not done well it can ruin a book. In this instance, it really felt appropriate for me since we were uncovering clues right along with Gigi and Marta.

I don’t read a lot of mystery so I’m not familiar with many of the nuances of the genre. I just know that I liked it.

I received ARC via Netgalley from Bold Strokes Books in exchange for a fair and honest review

This book seemed to drag on forever! I kept hoping that it would get interesting, but it never happened. I couldn’t get invested in the characters or plot.

It seemed interesting at the beginning but it was too slow and didn’t progress in an exciting way. It was rather boring and drawn out with not a lot happening in between the meaningful parts.

I also I didn’t quite get the emotions in this book... the sister/ wife/ mother was missing and something happened to her and everybody just preceded like normal... going hiking, working etc.

The blurb for this novel doesn’t really marry up with the storyline but fortunately I had forgotten it by the time I started reading. Giselle Cutler is woken in the middle of the night by a call from her brother-in-law, James, telling her that her sister is missing. She has never really taken to James but knows her sister, Tiffani, would never leave her 15-year-old son without a good reason.

She wakes Marta, her partner of 20 years, who books her a flight to Phoenix. When she arrives the following afternoon she finds her nephew and godson, Leif, at home with a friend and James off at work without having reported his wife missing. What initially seems like gross self-involvement and lack of care quickly starts taking on sinister undertones. Giselle, a veterinarian, is much better with animals than she is with humans and calls Marta asking her to join her when she starts feeling overwhelmed by the dysfunction surrounding her.

Written in first person from Giselle’s point of view, and given her discomfort with people, there is a distance created between the reader and the slowly unravelling mystery. In essence this is a mystery as experienced by someone on the outside of the drama with little connection to most of the people submersed in it. And it’s not a bad mystery but it lacked tension and I found I wasn’t invested beyond being a bystander. Giselle seemed to display a reasonable amount of concern for her nephew but no marked emotional connection. There is a striking emotional disconnect between Giselle and her missing sister. It is evident that they haven’t seen each other very much in the past and that they don’t always get on well but Giselle isn’t portrayed as caring terribly much that her sister is missing.

The relationship between Marta and Giselle is quite a realistic depiction of two people who have been together for twenty years in the way they interact and communicate without words. The blurb suggests Giselle has an inner struggle around her ability to maintain a lasting relationship (really, after 20 years?) but I didn’t experience that reading this at all. If anything, their relationship was in the background giving preference to the mystery. I was a bit surprised by the few references to people giving them dirty looks when they held hands or touched platonically. Is Phoenix really that conservative that people would glare, and surely after 20 years of being together they wouldn’t notice or care?

The lack of emotional connection between the characters extended to me too but I didn’t mind ‘peering through the window’ watching the story unfold and it’s a reasonable story.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.