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Dee DelValle and her best friends Tully, Jenny, and Felicia are having a great time in LA. They are all working, and their love lives are reasonably OK. Well, Dee's was, until she had a brief romance with Sheila Shelbourne, one of the local newscasters. Evie Taylor didn't like that, so Evie and Dee are no longer an item. Felicia is lusting after Jenny, who seems to be oblivious to what is blatantly obvious to all others. All in all, life is fairly good. Ms Shelbourne's murder changes all of this. Dee is a prime suspect, having met all three of the requirements: means, motive, and opportunity. It doesn't seem to matter to the local police that she didn't do it, though. So the four women decide to take matters into their own hands, and find out who murdered Sheila before Dee is hauled away. The list of suspects usually shrinks over time. Sheila was such an unpleasant woman that the list just expands the more Dee and friends look into her death. There are squirmy things under every rock they turn over. There is at least one more death. Dee's apartment is trashed. We find out that Sheila has been writing a book -- a tell-all that will make many people's lives unpleasant. For one reason or another, someone thinks Dee has this book. There is an attempt on Dee's life. The women keep investigating. I found RELATIONSHIPS CAN BE MURDER to be an entertaining mystery, with enough humor to keep the overall tone of the book very light. DiLucchio captures the venom-laced honey that permeates the LA news/entertainment field, the competition for jobs, and so many relationships. Her portrayal of the friendship shared by these four women is a welcome alternative to what passed for friendship with Sheila. I would have liked to see some more sub-plots, or more complexity to the sub-plots already in place. RELATIONSHIPS CAN BE MURDER is a very short book at 191 pages. Had there been a bit more complexity, I think the overall feel of the book would have been improved. I'm not saying it's a bad book, just that I'd have liked a little more. While this is very obviously a book about lesbians, the plot would have worked just as well with straight characters. This helps make RELATIONSHIPS CAN BE MURDER a book not just for lesbians or gay people, but for any reader interested in how relationships affect those in them, and those touched by them. I found DiLucchio's book entertaining, the plot complex enough to have kept me guessing, and the characters believable and (mostly) people I'd like to know. I'd like to read more about Dee, and her friends. Give DiLucchio a chance, if you can find the book. It's another small press delight.
Reviewed by P. J. Coldren, April 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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