A Kind of Justice by Renee James
Against all odds, Bobbi Logan, a statuesque transgender woman, has become one of Chicago's most celebrated hair stylists and the owner of one of the city's poshest salons. She is finally comfortable with who she is, widely admired in her community, about to enjoy the success she deserves.
Then her impossibly perfect life falls apart.
In the space of a few weeks, the Great Recession drags her business to the brink of failure, her beloved ex-wife needs help in facing a terrible tragedy, and a hateful police detective storms back into her life, determined to convict her of the five-year-old murder of John Strand―pillar of the community―and a sexual predator.
As the detective builds an ever more convincing case against her, both of them will be shaken by revelations―about themselves, about their own deeply held secrets, and about the bizarre ritual murder of John Strand.
I’ve read lots of books with gay/lesbian/bi characters but this was my first one with a transgender character and I was very curious to see how it would flow. I was especially curious because the book is written from her point of view which helps someone who does not have that much familiarity with transgendered people get a greater understanding. I was hooked from the first chapter because the author has a great writing style and has written a character you want to get invested in. This is a charmingly written mystery that has the surprising ability to take the reader on an emotionally satisfying journey. Reading about the violence faced by transgender people simply for being who they are was so heartbreaking and a stark reminder of the reality people like Bobbi face every day. I admired the main character, Bobbi, a great deal and it helped give me insight into a world I did not have that much experience with before. The ending is beautiful and was thankfully satisfying, I just can’t imagine a better written conclusion for this book. As a woman I thoroughly enjoyed reading a powerful story about a fellow female who fights back to survive and overcome adversity to change her life. If we all had a little bit of her strength this world would be a better place.
*synopsis and pic from amazon.com