Christa Faust

tbh i woulda read a comic about a lot of these characters that didn't even have a murder mystery aspect to it. the protagonist is a sex worker, a self-described "professional masochist" who "gets paid by the bruise." honestly? i can take a lot of pain, but not like she can, otherwise i'd probably immediately pivot to that career. (now, if i could get paid to get tied up...)

the thing i really love about the way she's written is that i'm someone who really is a masochist irl and, yeah, i 100% show more buy everything she says. she describes specific kinds of pain she prefers (more thuddy, less stingy) and things like that in terms that had me nodding along in understanding. on the rare occasions that i've been lucky enough to encounter characters who are masochists in media i consume, they're almost always side characters and the way they're written never feels relatable at all. so this was such a great surprise.

the other character i loved was sadist lo, a super dommy enby that lulu books a session with to get information from late in the story. i um. yeah. i crushed on them pretty hard. and loved seeing all the bondage gear in their studio, not to mention the throne that dominates the room.

... ahem. i also liked lulu's "guard dog," he was a really sweet boy, and i'm really glad they're both smart enough to know that they aren't a good match even though he's full of puppy love for her, but she's also willing to risk her life on multiple occasions to try to save him. just. yes. give me complicated relationships that are still healthy & fiercely loyal. i love that shit.

and on top of all the awesome character work (and kink, fuck, it's so nice to read kinky shit created by actual kinky people, i need more of this), there's a great murder mystery plot. i love how lulu's kinks & experiences as a badass sex worker really help her navigate this, but she's very explicit about the fact that being in these situations is not hot for her. like, it's not hard to imagine that she's fantasized about things adjacent to the things she finds herself dealing with--the gods know i have--but that doesn't mean that you find it hot when you're in real danger with people who genuinely do not care about your well-being.

so, yeah! tl;dr, this comic kicks so much ass, and i would just love it if y'all would recommend stuff that hits a similar spot! show less

The cover and the title... well... they'd normally make me move on without reading the book. Except, this is an original novel published by Hard Case Crime who are famous for their retro covers. This cover was an Anthony Award Nominee for Best Paperback Original and Best Cover Art (2009) and the novel was a Barry Award Nominee for Best Paperback Original (2009)and an Edgar Award Nominee for Best Paperback Original (2009) and besides, I was reading the ebook version so no-one was ever going show more to see the cover... except you guys of course.

In Money Shot Christa Faust has produced a Hard-boiled crime novel that is very different from the typical macho gumshoe flexing his muscles and firing his gun as he wise-cracks his way to catching the bad guy.

The book opens with our heroine Angel Dare, naked and bound hand and foot in the trunk of a car in a remote lot. She's been left for dead but she's still breathing. A fact that the man who tried to kill her will come to regret.

Angel is a strong woman who has survived being in front of the cameras in the porn industry and gone on to carve a place for herself managing the new generation of talent performing in porn films and gentlemen's clubs through her Daring Angels agency. She knows the challenges that women working in the porn industry face and she does her best to keep her Angels safe while helping everyone to make money, She was satisfied with her business and her life. Until her life was blown up when a close friend betrayed her to ruthless men ready to torture, rape and kill to get what they want.

And that's just the first couple of chapters.

This is not a comfortable or cosy book. It's an unflinching look at some terrible people doing some nasty things. This is a story of a woman coming to understand that her old life is gone, that her friends are either dead or have betrayed her or both and deciding that none of that is going to stop her from killing the men who did this to her.

This isn't the kind of thriller where you sit on the edge of your seat wondering what clever twist is going to allow the heroine to escape in the nick of time. It's the kind of thriller where bad things happening lead to worse things happening until everything is in ruins. It's a story that focuses on trauma and its consequences rather than on complex plots.

What kept me wading through the soulless sex, the vicious violence, the grimly plausible exploitation and the constant bloodshed was Angel Dare herself. She felt very real to me and what happened to her was truly awful. What she did about it wasn't any better. The price she paid for it may even have been worse but I could see it happen.

She's a smart, tough, occasionally witty woman who has survived things that might have broken other people. Christa Faust has given her a unique and relatable voice that kept me moving forward as the plot got darker and darker. Angel often said or thought things that made me smile, like her view on shopping malls:

"I hate malls. They're like strip clubs for women. All tease and sparkle and the empty promise that if you just drop enough cash, somehow you’ll be fulfilled."

The second and, I think last, Angel Dare book is called Choke Hold. I'll be adding it to my TBR list shortly. show less

Fast, brutal, and mostly satisfying, this tale of an ex-porn star's battle against ruthless traffickers of Eastern European girls has a fascinating, realistic background in Southern California's porn industry, with a side trip to Las Vegas. The writing is quite good except for a few awkward passages and one or two plot twists that don't really ring true. Nevertheless, the strength of the story will leave you wanting more.

Bad Mother is a 2021 comic series featuring April Walters and her teenaged daughter Taylor. The story opens with April grocery shopping when armed robbers appear. All the staff and shoppers are on the floor hoping not to get shot when the police arrive. A shootout ensues in favor of the cops. When April gets home she realizes that Taylor is not home. She reviews her text messages from Taylor and sees Taylor's response to leave her alone. The next morning Taylor is still not home so April show more tries to make a missing persons report at the police station. She is told to wait 48 hours but instead April embarks on a harrowing mission to find her. April's journey that takes her through the underworld of her suburban community and sets her on a collision course with a massive crime syndicate and its lethal matriarch. Tested to her limits and beyond, April discovers that hell hath no fury like a mother scorned.

I loved this story! I read it in one sitting because it was so intriguing. April is not your ordinary soccer mom. She will go to any extreme to keep her kids safe. She also is one hell of a fighter who gets in rumbles with crime figures but manages to come out on top. The pacing was fast and with the colorful comic book panels this book is fantastic. The plot was very well thought out with plenty of twists and turns and the characters were realistic. This book is a winner. show less