Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Femme Faux Fatale
SERIES: Dreamspun Desires
AUTHOR: Susan Laine
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 190 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 20, 2018
BLURB:
Mystery. Murder. Men in silk stockings. Hollywood nights are heating up.
Hardboiled Los Angeles PI Cain Noble is hired by wealthy and gorgeous Camille Astor to find her husband and a priceless work of art, both of which have disappeared.
At the nightclub owned by Mr. Astor, Cain encounters the mesmerizing Lily Lavender, who has the body of a goddess and the sultry voice of an angel—but is really a young man named Riley who attracts trouble like a magnet.
What’s a private dick in the vein of LA’s bygone era and a cross-dressing burlesque starlet to do when faced with the hidden decadence and lethal dangers of the Hollywood Hills? They have their work cut out for them because they haven’t even scratched the surface of an elaborate scheme more twisted than anyone could ever have imagined.
REVIEW:
This book nails the film noir atmosphere, with both characters and settings conveying a sense of tarnished decadence.
Our main characters are private investigator, Cain, and drag queen burlesque star, Dark Lily, aka Lily Lavender, aka Riley. The two men meet in a very Jessica Rabbit-esque fashion, when sex-bomb Lavender Lily appears in Cain’s office and attempts to seduce him into doing her bidding. Cain finds himself attracted to a woman for the first time in his life, the poor man having no idea that his gay card need not be canceled. It’s not until their third meeting that Cain clues into the fact that there is a penis beneath the sexy dresses.
This story wasn’t what I expected, in fact, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The plot was full of unpredictable twists and turns as our main characters follow the clues in the hunt for the missing Mr. Astor, and his missing statue. The cast is peppered with catchy names like Bianca Banks, Mirabel Martinez and William Woolrich and every character who pops up seems to have hidden allegiances and secrets that the reader has no hope of guessing. Unfortunately for our sleuths, they have plenty of difficulty figuring out the truth too. Even the props turned out to be puzzles, which led to more puzzles with booby traps and treasure. At times the story almost had an Indiana Jones feel to it, which is rather apt considering who the bad guys turned out to be.
While the whole story had an old fashioned, black and white feel to it, the author skillfully managed to add some contemporary political jabs in. This is actually the second book that Susan Laine has recently released (well, that I’ve read) that has done this, and I really appreciate the shrewd writing she demonstrates. Many readers don’t like politics in their stories, but Ms. Laine includes it in such a way that it’s subtle but obvious. Does that sentence even make sense? The author utilizes the disaster that US politics at the moment to create havoc in her stories, yet at no time does the book come off as political.
I’ve read several books by this author now, from this contemporary mystery, to a fluffy (pun intended) sheep shifter novel, and her clever, appealing writing hasn’t failed to impress me yet.
RATING:
BUY LINKS: