Stella Duffy has an impressive style of writing. The form makes the narrative sway back and forth as we read about 2 stories side by side without any of them interfering with each other. In 1 we find standup comedian Maggie falling for "the girl with the Kelly McGillis body". Yes Kelly Mcgillis in our age would look a bit old so what about going a bit further and imagining what she looked like in ’Top Gun’.
Tall long legged hot blonde ! Maggie and this mystery girl’s romance occupies a major portion of the book.
This girl whose real name we only come to know at the end. This beautiful woman and the passionate high strung affair only prepares you for the painful wrenching end of the story. I could not help shedding a tear or two with what destiny does at the end.
Saz Martin is Sarah Martin, a goodlooking detective, who is herself going through a heartbreak phase. Saz and Maggie’s stories cross. Saz is on the trail of a woman known only as September, who commutes between London and New York in a whirlwind of drug smuggling, gambling and high-class prostitution.
Who is this September? Can Saz find out. Hot on her trail Saz lands up in the same position as September must have been. There’s a tense moment when Saz almost gets caught while investigating undercover and read the book to know how she escapes.
This book is abundant with witty 1 liners which is typical of this English writer.
My favourite is: "Safe S**, Unsafe driving."
It’s also a study of human relationships. When sometimes things look perfect but still they are not. Of hidden aspirations in people, of unsatisfaction, or overreaching and the risks involved.
It’s a story of loving and losing. Of how one’s past catches up and may destroy everything. When Maggie slapped her girl with the Kelly Mcgillis body, little did she know that it was the end of their relationship. To know how read this book.
This book does have intimate descriptions which straight people may feel uncomfortable reading, but they never seem to be tasteless or cheap. Read and be sensitive when you read this murder mystery, and only then will you enjoy.