I love a book focused on a private investigator and that fact that As You Look is not only a PI, but a lesbian PI, made me immediately more intrigued. Written by Veronica Gutierrez, who is herself a part of the LGBTQ community and was born and raised in Boyle Heights, the setting of the novel, is something that should immediately make any reader excited. When you can read a story that connects with the writer’s own story, even if she is not a PI, means that you will be given something you can fully immerse yourself in and you know is rooted in real moments they have experienced. With my favorite type of investigator in the helm I was definitely excited to start reading.

Yoland Avila, a former LAPD-cop, who now works as a private investigator believes that her mother’s death was her fault. While this is often a feeling that can emerge out of grief, she believes that the reason her mother died in a road rage accident was tied to a person she had pursued in connection to an unrelated case. She believes she should have caught him, just like she believes any good detective would have. She though got cocky and thought she would catch him through clues in a dream instead of just by tracking his license plate number. After that moment she has vowed to reject any of the things she views as juju crap. This all changes when her godson is kidnapped and his own parents are suspected of murder. Yolanda’s wife also finds herself threatened by a stalker, who is trying to warn Yolanda off the case. The only thing she can do is delve into the very thing she swore she would no longer invest in as a truth, what she calls juju. As she navigates her grief she will have to try and find a solution or risk the lose of another loved one.

This thrilling mystery blends together two elements that I love, mystery and the mystical. I have always loved stories that blend real life, especially a thrilling sort of who done it, with the idea that something can be solved with an unexplainable power of sorts. I loved Yolanda as our main character and I loved that this character was not only married, but a lesbian. That was just such a perfect touch for me and made me so very happy. Gutierrez is a great writer and knows how to keep you wondering as the plot evolves. You can get your copy of As You Look today.

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