Book: Butch Fatale, Dyke Dick – Double D Double Cross, by Christa Faust (2012)

Because what says Valentine’s Day more than a hardboiled detective novel crossed with hardcore lesbian erotica? Nothing, sez I.

Dedicated readers may recall that the latest project by my pal Christa Faust was kinda sorta announced right here in a Q&A late last year. The official release date is today, but true to sharp-elbowed form the book slipped out a few days early and is already lighting up the Kindle charts. Why wouldn’t it, with that title? And as is always the case with Faust, it delivers the goods.

Roberta “Butch” Fatale is an L.A. shamus – “Never been pretty, but I’ve grown into handsome pretty well” – with a crummy office in Echo Park and a Tony Curtis haircut. She’s got a nose for trouble and an eye for the ladies. Those body parts and pretty much every other one get a workout by the time this caper’s over.

Double D Double Cross – seriously, is that a title or what? – succeeds gloriously as both pulp and smut. It’s a fast, well-plotted crime novel that culminates in a wild, over-the-top climax that Christa’s inspiration Richard S. Prather of Shell Scott fame would have loved. Then every few pages you get a different kind of action, no-holds-barred sex scenes that don’t bother to close the door for privacy. And all of it’s funny as hell, too. It’s the kind of book e-publishing was made for. So go to Amazon and get in on the fun.