THE WRONG SIDE OF THE FLAME

In West’s mystery novel, a fire-twirling, whip-cracking amateur detective in Los Angeles brings the heat when it appears that her friend has been met with foul play.

Don’t call Brighid LaFlamme a dominatrix; she prefers to be called an event coordinator, or as her friends call her, “Fire Goddess.” She schedules performances for Hedon’s Sanctuary, “one of the best and safest BDSM and kink play spaces in Los Angeles County,” in which clubgoers use whips, paddles, handcuffs, and other toys; she also finds belly dancers, fire breathers, and pin jugglers for Renaissance fairs and other events needing such talent. As dangerous as their skills can be, the fire-wielding folks are well-trained, and they’re more likely to chat up a fire marshal than wreak havoc. When one of her own small tribe of “Fire Buddies,” Galen Kenneth Greene, dies alone in a fire-related accident, Brighid suspects there’s more to the story, as she trained him in fire safety herself. As with many LA tales, there’s a few sleazy movie producers, including Zayne “Wally” Wallace, who makes small but profitable straight-to-DVD movies with promising, attractive actors. There’s also a bachelor cop, Sgt. Harvey Simon, who, like Brighid, knows something’s rotten in Big Bear, where Galen’s body was found, and there are other Fire Buddies, including Mark and Matt, identical twin fire-breathers from Missouri. The cast also includes two of Brighid’s college friends, Layla and Godiva, who’ve belly-danced their way with her into their 30s, but who have more traditional jobs during the work week. West’s double narrative effectively weaves the history of Brighid and her Fire Buddies, which includes Galen’s death, together with the aftermath of his murder. This gambit enables the reader to see some things more clearly than the main characters do as each plot nears its climax. The book doesn’t entertain easy answers for why some people are drawn to such fiery ways of living; however, it doesn’t entertain complex ones, either, as it’s more interested in the mystery plot. After all, when the two timelines stop twirling like flaming batons and readers see how everything connects into one story, the author’s done her trick—she doesn’t have to tell all her secrets.

A whodunit with twists and turns and some literary pyrotechnics.