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Elizabeth Sims

Easy Street (Lillian Byrd Crime Series Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Elizabeth Sims (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 75 ratings

Book 4 of 6: Lillian Byrd Crime Series

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Lillian Byrd's battered Chevrolet Caprice is convulsing through the last of its death throes; her pet rabbit, Todd, ails; and as usual she's single--and flat broke. For a few extra bucks she signs on to help an old friend, retired police detective Erma Porrocks, renovate her house, but of course nothing ever goes smoothly in the life of Lillian Byrd. The end of her first day on the job yields a partially demolished wall, a mysterious stash of cash, and a fresh corpse. And Lillian's attentions are diverted by the appearance of a drop-dead gorgeous neighbor. In trying to figure out the twisted facts, Lillian uncovers greed, deception, and love, not necessarily in that order!

Book 4 of 6

Lillian Byrd Crime Series
Print length

275 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

July 17, 2011
File size

997 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"I read Easy Street in one delicious gulp. It's a book that just begs you to keep turning the pages. Sims is also a master of the genre, she knows the conventions and plays with them smartly."
-Charlotte Cooper, RainbowNetwork.com

"Violent and hilarious. Lillian is a true original."
-KIRKUS REVIEWS (unpaid review)

"You'll be happy to know that Lillian has returned in all her dry, witty splendor to pull us all into yet another totally enjoyable and satisfying mystery."
-Lynne Jamneck, THE L LIFE LITERATURE REVIEW

"Sims's writing deserves to burst from the confines of gay literature to be accepted by mainstream readers who might otherwise overlook the work of this excellent and entertaining author."
-Denise Pickles, MARY MARTIN BOOKSHOP REVIEW (Australia)

"Great characters, superb storytelling, and an interesting mystery. This one is not to be missed."
-Angel Curtis, OUT SMART MAGAZINE (Houston, Texas)

From the Author

Enjoy this interview of Elizabeth discussing Easy Street: Q: The fourth in your series of Lillian Byrd crime novels begins at a hotel in Detroit and ends on a boat in the Atlantic Ocean. Did you have a good time writing it?

A: I had a blast with this one. Lillian not only gets around, she finds it necessary to adopt various strategic identities: a veterinary professional in Cleveland, the adopted daughter of a Chippewa medicine woman in Boise, and a slutty marina chick in Ft. Lauderdale. Lillian's luck is always hard, but it gets even worse in this adventure. It all starts at a retirement party for Erma Porrocks, a detective she's known for years. At the party it's clear to Porrocks that Lillian's so poverty-stricken that she isn't even eating enough, so Porrocks tries to help her by paying her to help renovate her house. Lillian makes the critical mistake of trying to help someone else in turn, which leads to mysterious death and chaos.

Q: Death and chaos--typical Lillian themes.

A: Yes, and given the strength of Lillian's conscience and her sense of loyalty, she's got to avenge the violence and clean up the mess.

Q: There's hidden treasure involved. How did you get the idea for that?

A: I have an impressive collection of trashy true-crime books, and in one of them I read about Prohibition-era gangsters hiding money in the walls of their hangout. I thought how interesting it would be for somebody's hidden stash to make trouble for a down-and-out person who stumbles upon it. So I took that ball and ran with it, to use the kind of cliché I avoid in my writing. Hm, I might better say, I took that cup of sugar and made my own cake with it.

Q: Very good.

A: Thank you. Lillian herself only finds the dregs of this treasure, and she has to figure out what it was doing there and why it led to someone's death. Pretty quickly she realizes that Porrocks, the owner of the house, might be in danger, and soon after that she realizes that she herself isn't safe.

Q: What parts of Detroit do we get to know in this book?

A: We learn a little bit about Wyandotte, a community south of Detroit right on the Detroit River, where Porrocks's house is. There's a river-style boathouse on the property. We also get to see more of the Detroit street-people scene, which I explored a little in Lillian's previous adventure, LUCKY STIFF. The character of Drooly Rick is much more complete in this book.

Q: There's a very funny, yet terribly sad, scene where Lillian poses as a Chippewa shaman in order to extract information from a Native American wannabe.

A: Whenever Lillian assumes a false identity, it's for the purpose of getting at the truth. She is good at figuring out other people's weaknesses and vanities, and she uses these to get what she wants from them. Basically, she's learned that most people love to be flattered, they love to be listened to, they love to think they've got a new friend or a new champion. Well, who doesn't? But the thing is, while most people are quite skeptical about any number of things, when it comes to their vanity and pet ideas, they are not at all skeptical. Not at all on their guard against treachery. Lillian exploits this fact, using the full powers of her creativity and sense of justice. Enjoy the book!

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005D9DS4S
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Spruce Park Press (July 17, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 17, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 997 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 275 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #458,821 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #477 in LGBTQ+ Mystery (Books)
- #675 in LGBTQ+ Mystery (Kindle Store)
- #2,640 in Lesbian Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.2 75 ratings

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Elizabeth Sims

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Elizabeth Sims learned the art of fiction by listening to tall tales on her father's knee, and by reading all sorts of books brought home by her mother, a teacher. (These ranged from Grimm's Fairy Tales to the Canterbury Tales, from Laura Ingalls Wilder to Ernest Hemingway.)

Today Elizabeth is the author of the Rita Farmer Mysteries and the Lambda and GCLS Goldie Award-winning Lillian Byrd Crime Series. She’s been published by a major press (Macmillan) as well as several smaller houses, and she’s written short works for numerous publications.

In addition, Elizabeth is an internationally recognized authority on writing. She writes frequently for Writer's Digest magazine, where she’s a contributing editor. Through her articles, coaching, and editing, she has helped thousands of fledgling authors find their wings.

Are you a writer too, or would you like to be one? You might find inspiration in her book, You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams (Writer's Digest Books). This lively, practical book has been specially recognized by NaNoWriMo and hundreds of other web sites and bloggers.

Elizabeth earned degrees in English from Michigan State University and Wayne State University, where she won the Tompkins Award for graduate fiction. She's worked as a reporter, photographer, technical writer, bookseller, street busker, ranch hand, corporate executive, certified lifeguard, and symphonic percussionist. She is represented by the Donald Maass Literary Agency. Elizabeth belongs to several literary societies as well as American Mensa.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

75 global ratings

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Vicky R.

Fantastic

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

Hate that I waited soooo long to review this series, but I literally couldn't put it down, read the first 3 books in a little over a day. I freakin LOVE Lillian! She's funny, quirky, cultured, a little naive but it works for her ( ok, maybe... not really, she gets in a lot of trouble... but I can't help but like it ). Throughout every book it feels like Ms. Byrd is telling ME the story personally, that's how relatable I find the narrative. I also adore the Calico Jones interludes, they just seem to fit right in. On to book 5.

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A L Humphrey

vivid characters, smart humor, great plot

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2019

Verified Purchase

I'm a new Sims reader and really psyched about her work. I've read Byrds 1-4 in 10 days and can't wait to start 5 tonight. every single character has a full 3 dimensional technicolor and at least partly metaphorical physicality that begins with compassion even when it ends with laughter. Sims writes compelling beauty -- by which i mean sexy, of course -- into various body types, including aging, debilitated, and completely whacko women. she avoids the temptation to be mean to men as she focuses on women. Byrd's self-denigration is believable, unexaggerated, and. finally adorable. and I really love the various ticks Sims plays with as she tells her stories.

i was sad to see Todd go, but what a loving relationship. i can't wait to see who Byrd adopts next.

got to go now. Book 5 awaits.

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

I love Lillian Byrd. She’s delightful and tender and funny and flawed, but her heart is always in the right place. If you’re new to this series, start at the beginning, but don’t stop until you’ve read them all. Easy Street has all of the drama and humor of the previous books, but Sims kicks everything up just a bit. Your investment of time will be well rewarded.

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2013

Verified Purchase

This has been my least favorite. Too much Calico Jones--- for what? filler? This writer can and has done better. I found it a bit patronizing as well. But I guess there really are truly stupid people eager to buy a load of crap to keep their fragile egos aloft. Disappointed but hopeful. I will read the excerpt more carefully and the reviews more critically before i buy the next episode.

3 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Easy Street

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2013

Verified Purchase

Another great Lillian Byrd crime mystery. This book is very hard to put down the story holds your interest throughout the book. I would definitely recommend reading this book. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I'm sure there will be one.

3 people found this helpful

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jean utley

A new find.

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2014

Verified Purchase

What a discovery- a wonderful writer and a fascinating book. Great characters(i realyy like Lou), and a plot that dares to go just a little further. I bought the other three inthis series when I finished Easy Street.

3 people found this helpful

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Happy Reader

No, Thanks

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

Not for me....I am not interested in the "drop-dead gorgeous" neighbor. I'll move on to another book and will delete this one.

One person found this helpful

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Linda

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2016

Verified Purchase

GREAT BOOK

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

AnneB

A gem! Very witty, funny and clever

Reviewed in France on January 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

The three first books in the Lillian Byrd series have totally reconciled me with the first person narrative, but this one, Easy Street, is really, really good. The book is a mixture of seriousness -profound topics are touched, poverty, use of drugs, loss of work, homeless people, betrayal, loss of loved ones, murder- and of humour and has very funny moments. Lillian Byrd, apparently your average woman, is a very obstinate, and optimistic, person. She overcame difficult circumstances and is resilient. She often finds herself in dire situations, and in danger. She is also a bit of a jinx, as her friends find some trouble because of her. Full of ressource, she is a seeker of truth, whatever the cost for her.
The language is very colourful and the dialogues sound really authentic. You feel that you are listening to a real person, and you want to tell her don't do that, be careful, stop that nonsense, or help her and comfort her when she is in trouble or sad.
As in Elizabeth Sims's other books, there are lots of detailed (and beautifully written) descriptions of the surroundings, outdoor as well as indoor, and of people's appearance and clothing.
But the part I love above all in Easy Street, is when Lillian visits the thief/killer(and Lillian's ex lover) 's sister. In order to obtain information, she pretends to have been adopted by members of the Native nation. This part is absolutely brilliant and should be given to depressed people in lieu of antidepressants.
I wonder where Elizabeth Sims gets her ideas from, she has a wild imagination (like Lillian!), and extensive knowledge on lots of subjects, which makes her books all the more interesting, because they not only funny, they are much more. Hurry up and read her, you won't regret it, guaranteed. Have fun
P.S. I was going to forget to mention the references to the Calico Jones books (written by an outstanding author whose name she can never remember) that Lillian loves so much and that she quotes quite often. I let you discover by yourself.

Bennett

Very compelling

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2022

Verified Purchase

Another chance encounter of a series by way of Amazon Audible "included" and KU.
There is a lot about this series the characters and the punchy storyline that keeps you wanting to go into the next chapter.
Recommended.

woody