Without looking back, casting a bad marriage and going-nowhere stage career behind her, forty-something Sheila Mackenzie, nee Ryan, took a lover, discovered crime, embraced danger, and reinvented herself under an alias in a.k.a. Sheila Doyle. Tough, wild, and sexy, she returns for another excursion into a steamy south Florida underworld of Orthodox Jewish hit men and lesbian pimps in this hard-boiled, hotly paced sequel. Sheila and Bobby Squared, her devilishly magnetic Cherokee from North Carolina who dances in strip clubs when he’s not running guns or drugs, again hitch up with Bobby’s shady business partner Sol Bilstein, as well as a flamboyantly gay black hairdresser, Sampson de la Plaine (a.k.a. Reggie Johnson)—this time for a heist that very quickly goes bad, deadly, and dangerous. Indeed, the ruthless and menacing Angela Scarpetti—also known as Angel Scot or, more familiarly, the White Witch—and Neanderthal hit man Billy the Bear prove to be foe enough to transform the recklessly passionate Sheila Doyle into a harder, colder, more formidable Sheila Weinstein.
Part-time actress Sheila Weinstein returns with a new alias for her latest excursion into the shady Florida underworld of hit men, lesbian pimps, and dirty characters in a hardboiled mystery full of twists and surprises. First serial, Penthouse.Sheila (a.k.a. Sheila Doyle) uses many last names, depending on her mood and the task at hand. With several other sympathetic, loosely connected, on-the-fringe characters, she plots a way to steal the contents of a safe owned by a vicious lesbian beauty salon owner, a prostitute runner, and an Orthodox Jewish "hit" organizer. Sheila's Cherokee boyfriend, Bobby, who's been hiding out as a dancer in a Key West gay club, joins with fat, bigoted Sol and a black, gay hairdresser recruit named Sampson to infiltrate the salon and get the cash. Of course, the owner wants revenge. Featuring wry humor, crisp prose, and steamy locales, Jordan's latest Sheila adventure is highly recommended for those who like their Florida mysteries with a gritty, hard-boiled twist. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
In this nasty Florida underworld romp, the sequel to A.K.A. Sheila Doyle (2002), Jordan's antiheroine, the former Sheila Ryan, must deal with unfinished business from her previous illegalities before she can reunite with her lover and partner in crime, Bobby Squared. Opportunity soon presents itself when a gay black hairdresser crosses their path and provides them with inside information that could lead to one of the biggest scores in their career. Sheila uses her training as an actress to transform herself into the divorced Sheila Weinstein, who manages to master her inhibitions in order to join a stable of high-priced escorts who work for the White Witch, a lesbian gangster. Unfortunately, clichéd characters walk through a predictable and slow-moving plot against a perfunctory Florida backdrop. Sheila and her crew aren't even competent thieves; having gained an initial victory over the White Witch, these "experienced pros" don't even consider that their adversary might seek retribution. Jordan devotes most of his energy to depicting oral sex better suited to a pornography magazine than, as described in the press release, "A Novel of Crime." Numerous popular-culture celebrities also come in for gratuitous insults. Callous violence only adds to the unpleasantness. Leonard and Hiaasen fans are advised to steer clear. (Aug. 20) Forecast: With first serial rights sold to Penthouse, expect some crossover from fans of explicit erotic fiction. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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