Everything You Have is Mine (1992)

The best mysteries don't just solve one crime; they expose a whole range of abuses. Chandler and MacDonald took on California's ruling elite. Scoppettone targets the entire male sex. Her lesbian detective, Lauren Laurano, uncovers a slew of crimes against women — rape, incest, murder. Although Laurano's a delightful figure — smart, self-aware, addicted to chocolate cake — her clients, by contrast, lack even minor vices. They're ciphers in a feminist expose. But Scoppettone writes a nice line of banter in Everything You Have is Mine, and her tart scenes of Greenwich Village street life could almost make you homesick for New York. B+