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Nora Delaney #1
Femme Noir
Dames, booze and murder is the oldest story in the book; but this time, it happens too fast to Nora Delaney, who is a notorious, womanizing college basketball coach. After her ex is found murdered, Nora chases the scent all the way from Los Angeles to Tulsa to find some right angles in this nasty business only to be waylaid by a gorgeous, gin-swilling skirt who has information as well as an appetite for women like Nora. Femme Noir is full of cock-eyed optimism, vivid sexual fantasy, tough broads and big babes who know their ways around drinks, trash talk and murder. If you enjoy satire, you'll have fun with this book. Femme Noir is intended as a wry homage to retro outlooks of a bygone tough guy/femme fatale age. In this book is something to offend everyone.
252 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 6, 2016
This book here is my second book by this author.
This is a book about a hugely successful college basketball coach (Mooreland University Wildcats) who, and this is important to the story, is a bald black butch. Apparently powerfully built, physically fit, smokes like smoking will be outlawed tomorrow and she wants to get as much as she can beforehand, and drinks like there’s no tomorrow. Also chases every woman who is appropriately femme enough.
Characters
Nora Delaney is the 35 year old basketball coach mentioned above. Tall, powerful, orally fixated (cigarette, leaking pen, finger, she needs to suck on things) and currently living in Los Angeles as a basketball coach. A hugely successful basketball coach. The fact that she is a hugely successful basketball coach is the least believable part of this book – she has no impulse control, put a drink in her hand and she’ll drink it (no matter who puts it into her hand, or what is in the drink), put a woman in front of her, and she’ll fuck her (even if she doesn’t like the woman; even if she’d prefer to leave and hump a different woman), but most importantly, for a big strong butchy basketball coach, she sure is wimpy. In that, she has no ability to deal with people with strong personalities, who do not take no from her, who literally leap onto her back. This? This is a hugely successful basketball coach? Someone unable to control the situation or the personalities around her? A basketball coach, sure, but hugely successful?
Max Abbott is a woman who, despite the book description, is barely in this book as a character. She’s apparently quite voluptuous, has red hair, and is very pale in coloration. She is lusted after and stalked by Nora. Oh, and Max, for all I know, is as sex-crazed as the description describes, but she sure isn’t in this book. Everyone else is, but not her.
Michelle McKerr is Nora’s ex. And is the reason why Nora is in Tulsa, because Michelle had apparently been living there before she died . . . in L.A.
Darcy Tate is Nora’s contact in Tulsa. She’s hooked up with Ava-Suzanne Morgan-Frazier (girlfriend) and Jhoaeneyie Crosswaithe (friend). Ava is a musically inclined artist. Jhoaeneyie works in a gas station. Though tells everyone that she’s a shrink.
Sloane Weatherly is one of the people who knew Michelle and one of the people Nora talks with. She is also one of the few black people in Tulsa (maybe the only one she actually speaks with).
Jack Irving is a gay man Nora meets in the first bar she enters in Tulsa.
Amber is Michelle’s local ex. And a woman who enjoys disrobing and not taking no for an answer.
Lila and Reese are a couple. Kind of. Lila sings and has a restaurant. Reese is an artist who beds all the femmes in town. Nora doesn’t like either, though spends time with them anyway. Because, what the fuck, why not, right?
Tonya is Nora’s best friend in L.A. And, other than a few scenes in the beginning of the book, not really in this book.
Plot
Pussy hound Nora Delaney gets a call from her crazy ex-Michelle. Michelle wants her to ‘come here’ immediately. To help her. Course Nora thinks that Michelle is in Tulsa, and since Nora is in LA going to her immediately is kind of out of the question. Plus, Michelle is her crazy ex, not her crazy current girlfriend. Still, she sits up that night, wondering if Michelle really is going to come over (which she threatened after Nora refused to go to her) before slumping over asleep.
In the morning Nora heads back to the woman she had fucked the day before, for some nice breakfast. Upon returning to her apartment she finds that it has been trashed. Eventually learns that Michelle had been murdered, and immediately heads to Tulsa. Mostly so that she could be in the area Michelle had been in, definitely not to do anything grand like investigate her death.
Upon arrival in Tulsa, Nora immediately heads to a bar, and meets three of the oddest ducks in the world. Darcy, Ava-Suzanne, and Jhoaeneyie. Nora instantly takes a dislike to them, but sticks close to them like glue. Instead of, you know, fleeing in the opposite direction. Though she does make a few attempts, unsuccessful, to flee. Nora also meets Sloan, Max, and Jack in this bar.
Nora hangs out with Darcy and her gang, despite disliking all of them, and despite her desire to spend time stalking Max (which she has a tendency to do, stand outside her wide open window gazing up at her while thinking about how she wouldn’t allow her to do stuff (like have uncurtained windows) – that’s a theme for Nora, how she wishes to control others). Also, once she hears of it, she investigates the race riot that took place in Tulsa in 1921. And attends Michelle’s funeral. At no time, though, does she investigate Michelle’s murder (though people would occasionally slip information into her ear for no inherent reason; well, technically, she does occasionally ask people questions about Michelle, but about Michelle, not necessarily about her murder).
Overall
The constant daydreams by Nora about fucking people were annoying. Visiting Tulsa, and Nora’s reactions to the place were interesting. There are a lot of ‘characters’ in this book, and while I wouldn’t particularly want anything to do with any of them in real life, they were interesting to read about.
The book was more coherent than the other book I’d read by this author. It was easier to ‘take’ how poor the mystery part of the book was this time around, since the prior book I’d read involved many murders, and a police officer who seemed more determined to not work, than to solve crime. While this one involved a woman grieving the death of an ex, and one who actually noted, at least once, that she wasn’t investigating the death. So the lack of real investigation was actually expected. Still this wasn’t a mystery, so I’ve removed the book from that shelf.
To a certain extent, the greatest weakness in this book is the character of Nora. Specifically the part where she meets three people who she kind of likes in Tulsa, but spends the majority of her time with people she kind of despises and dislikes. Mostly by her own choice.
The ‘mystery’ of Michelle’s death is both logical and kind of stupid. But, meh. The book wasn’t about the mystery. But about the journey. Or something. Also, Nora’s quite insane.
May 10 2016
This is a book about a hugely successful college basketball coach (Mooreland University Wildcats) who, and this is important to the story, is a bald black butch. Apparently powerfully built, physically fit, smokes like smoking will be outlawed tomorrow and she wants to get as much as she can beforehand, and drinks like there’s no tomorrow. Also chases every woman who is appropriately femme enough.
Characters
Nora Delaney is the 35 year old basketball coach mentioned above. Tall, powerful, orally fixated (cigarette, leaking pen, finger, she needs to suck on things) and currently living in Los Angeles as a basketball coach. A hugely successful basketball coach. The fact that she is a hugely successful basketball coach is the least believable part of this book – she has no impulse control, put a drink in her hand and she’ll drink it (no matter who puts it into her hand, or what is in the drink), put a woman in front of her, and she’ll fuck her (even if she doesn’t like the woman; even if she’d prefer to leave and hump a different woman), but most importantly, for a big strong butchy basketball coach, she sure is wimpy. In that, she has no ability to deal with people with strong personalities, who do not take no from her, who literally leap onto her back. This? This is a hugely successful basketball coach? Someone unable to control the situation or the personalities around her? A basketball coach, sure, but hugely successful?
Max Abbott is a woman who, despite the book description, is barely in this book as a character. She’s apparently quite voluptuous, has red hair, and is very pale in coloration. She is lusted after and stalked by Nora. Oh, and Max, for all I know, is as sex-crazed as the description describes, but she sure isn’t in this book. Everyone else is, but not her.
Michelle McKerr is Nora’s ex. And is the reason why Nora is in Tulsa, because Michelle had apparently been living there before she died . . . in L.A.
Darcy Tate is Nora’s contact in Tulsa. She’s hooked up with Ava-Suzanne Morgan-Frazier (girlfriend) and Jhoaeneyie Crosswaithe (friend). Ava is a musically inclined artist. Jhoaeneyie works in a gas station. Though tells everyone that she’s a shrink.
Sloane Weatherly is one of the people who knew Michelle and one of the people Nora talks with. She is also one of the few black people in Tulsa (maybe the only one she actually speaks with).
Jack Irving is a gay man Nora meets in the first bar she enters in Tulsa.
Amber is Michelle’s local ex. And a woman who enjoys disrobing and not taking no for an answer.
Lila and Reese are a couple. Kind of. Lila sings and has a restaurant. Reese is an artist who beds all the femmes in town. Nora doesn’t like either, though spends time with them anyway. Because, what the fuck, why not, right?
Tonya is Nora’s best friend in L.A. And, other than a few scenes in the beginning of the book, not really in this book.
Plot
Pussy hound Nora Delaney gets a call from her crazy ex-Michelle. Michelle wants her to ‘come here’ immediately. To help her. Course Nora thinks that Michelle is in Tulsa, and since Nora is in LA going to her immediately is kind of out of the question. Plus, Michelle is her crazy ex, not her crazy current girlfriend. Still, she sits up that night, wondering if Michelle really is going to come over (which she threatened after Nora refused to go to her) before slumping over asleep.
In the morning Nora heads back to the woman she had fucked the day before, for some nice breakfast. Upon returning to her apartment she finds that it has been trashed. Eventually learns that Michelle had been murdered, and immediately heads to Tulsa. Mostly so that she could be in the area Michelle had been in, definitely not to do anything grand like investigate her death.
Upon arrival in Tulsa, Nora immediately heads to a bar, and meets three of the oddest ducks in the world. Darcy, Ava-Suzanne, and Jhoaeneyie. Nora instantly takes a dislike to them, but sticks close to them like glue. Instead of, you know, fleeing in the opposite direction. Though she does make a few attempts, unsuccessful, to flee. Nora also meets Sloan, Max, and Jack in this bar.
Nora hangs out with Darcy and her gang, despite disliking all of them, and despite her desire to spend time stalking Max (which she has a tendency to do, stand outside her wide open window gazing up at her while thinking about how she wouldn’t allow her to do stuff (like have uncurtained windows) – that’s a theme for Nora, how she wishes to control others). Also, once she hears of it, she investigates the race riot that took place in Tulsa in 1921. And attends Michelle’s funeral. At no time, though, does she investigate Michelle’s murder (though people would occasionally slip information into her ear for no inherent reason; well, technically, she does occasionally ask people questions about Michelle, but about Michelle, not necessarily about her murder).
Overall
The constant daydreams by Nora about fucking people were annoying. Visiting Tulsa, and Nora’s reactions to the place were interesting. There are a lot of ‘characters’ in this book, and while I wouldn’t particularly want anything to do with any of them in real life, they were interesting to read about.
The book was more coherent than the other book I’d read by this author. It was easier to ‘take’ how poor the mystery part of the book was this time around, since the prior book I’d read involved many murders, and a police officer who seemed more determined to not work, than to solve crime. While this one involved a woman grieving the death of an ex, and one who actually noted, at least once, that she wasn’t investigating the death. So the lack of real investigation was actually expected. Still this wasn’t a mystery, so I’ve removed the book from that shelf.
To a certain extent, the greatest weakness in this book is the character of Nora. Specifically the part where she meets three people who she kind of likes in Tulsa, but spends the majority of her time with people she kind of despises and dislikes. Mostly by her own choice.
The ‘mystery’ of Michelle’s death is both logical and kind of stupid. But, meh. The book wasn’t about the mystery. But about the journey. Or something. Also, Nora’s quite insane.
May 10 2016
April 20, 2010
Yeah, um… I don’t quite know what to say about this book. It’s kind of all over the place with every cliché out there. But that over the top way about it was also what kept me interested in this book.
First, the blurb makes this book sound more exciting and noir-ish than it is. I bought this book because of the blurb. I really like noir and was hoping that it would be a female or lesbian version of the typical 40’s private dick type of book. Yes, it is sort of, in feel. Apparently, the paper version is done in old style typing font to add to the ambience I guess. For me though, I think the author took a risk that worked in some parts but was too ridiculous in others.
Let’s start with Nora. She’s a tough talking woman. a player who’s not too interested in the feelings of her partners. While it does seem like she doesn’t really care about anyone, we do get to see that Nora is not as tough as she likes to come across. She gets knocked for a loop a time or two, which I thought made her a bit more real and less a caricature.
She's gone to Tulsa to find out what happened to her ex, Michelle, who was murdered just after calling Nora one night. One thing I didn't get here was why. She and Michelle had an acrimonious split and Michelle wasn't exactly Mother Theresa with Nora, so that was missing for me. Why?
One thing I need to bring up, only because it’s mentioned over and over and over again is that Nora is a black woman. She makes reference to it many times describing her beautiful black body and the women she comes across mention it as well with various old school and modern descriptions for a person of color. She brings up racial discrimination on a regular basis, so there’s much ado about race in this story, which I think was both interesting and distracting.
The noir part of this story is that it’s set in some time anywhere between the 40’s and 90’s although no references were made to cell phones or such modern things that would give it a completely contemporary feel. Unfortunately, mostly this came off as a B grade 70’s flick with Nora using language typical to Blaxploitation films of the time. While she brings up quite often prejudices she’s faced, she also acts in a reverse prejudicial way, with stereotypical ideas of country people.
Racial or sexual blurbs:
“No you ain’t , cracker!
“Oh Tanya, honey chile!”
“You want me to call some brothers to take care of this cootchie for you?”
“Of course.” Tonya sat on the bed , crossing her molasses-colored legs in a breathtaking way.” (cinnamon and chocolate were used as well to describe Nora)
“Friend. You want me to draw you a map to Max’s cootchie? Nigga be a man.”
“I guess you’re the furniture,” I said, our eye’s met.” “Guess you’re the negro,” she answered tranquilly.
“If a nigga could just get a motherfuckin’ breath!” I shouted, leaning on the car for support, filling my chest with soaked air. (she’s complaining about Tulsa’s crappy air and allergies, a constant theme throughout the book as well)
Reverse:
On a plane to Oklahoma:
“If it was going to be a crowded airplane, I expected barefoot hillbillies in overalls and live chickens under their arms.”
“You’re just a corn-fed butter-eater, aren’t you?”
She’s shocked to find all normal people on the plane. This is what had me wondering what time period this is happening in. Then at the airport she comments to herself many times about her being the only black person in Tulsa and that the only other ones there were all doing menial jobs. She teases and insults the locals treating them as ignorant backwater types saying she’s from Uganda, as if they would be stupid and think all black people are from Africa, when they ask where she’s from. She’s from L.A. where I guess in this particular time period, black people are abundant. She also seems to find it strange that people are so kind and helpful, another country stereotype.
I get that in noir, old school noir, social conscience in language use is non-existent, or that stereotypes can be exaggerated, but much of this was over the top and offensive in some parts.
Next are the gaggle of exotic and weird characters that Nora meets. She’s told to meet a woman who apparently has all the inside connections in the lesbian world in Tulsa so she can find out what’s happened with Michelle. She meets with some women in a bar who tell her where to meet this person, but this woman, while acting like a gang leader on the surface, is nothing special in the end. This group of women, all with different quirks, don’t really have much to do with the story and don’t really further the plot, but seem to be there mainly to showcase Nora’s tough talking and acting ways.
She does meet the owner of the bar, Lila who with her partner, Reese are characters in themselves. They talk like women from those 30’s films, which was confusing with the mix of 70's slang throughout the rest of the book:
“I don’t mean anything, darling. It’s such a marvelous party. And I love any excuse for a good party, don’t I Reese Angel?”
Reese pulled Lila back and wagged her finger in her face. “Lila, my queen, you mustn’t arouse suspicion. Remember whose girl you are.”
“What a bore. But as you wish, Reese Cup.” Lila grinned at me but then stood straight and solemn with a pouty mouth to face Reese. “I’m a harmless flirt. Simply everybody says so. You’re such a square.”
Then there is Max. According to the blurb, Max is a sex-crazed dame. Um, no. She’s more an elusive 30's type woman who sort of engages Nora in a sexual flirtation, but is not as mysterious as the author tried to portray her. Mostly, Nora has it bad for Max, but her interactions with Max are mostly through Nora’s fantasy life. She imagines conversations and sex with Max throughout the book, while Max herself comes only as close as she wishes.
One other thing that drove me nuts throughout this whole book was Nora’s constant search for a cigarette. She’s so proud that she hasn’t bought a pack of ciggys in a year, trying to quit. And yet, she's either thinking about having a ciggy, craving a ciggy, begging for a ciggy, or smoking a ciggy at every single turn. Really, I wanted to just say buy a dammed pack of ciggy’s a smoke to your heart’s content. Personally, I thought it was a plot device to make Nora a bit more stereotypically hard-nosed, but mostly it got on my nerves.
On to good things about this story, I did enjoy Clara Nipper’s writing style. She came out with some really colorful phrasing that grabbed me:
“Just great. They’re going places, I think” I put my face in my drink as if it were an oxygen mask.”
“In spite of myself, I laughed and slapped Ava-Suzanne on the back. As if they were monkey’s following the group, everyone else laughed too.”
In the end, there is character growth, which I liked as well. Nora gets in touch with things about herself that she’s denied, like wanting family and people that really care about her. This is one of the main things that kept me hooked into this story, besides the quirkiness of a lot of it. And it did have a certain unique ambience to it that made it interesting enough to keep reading.
I think if you’re looking for a different kind of read, one that takes you on a wild trip with odd characters, this book will be good. There’s no romance in this story though, so if you’re looking for that, it’s not happening.
First, the blurb makes this book sound more exciting and noir-ish than it is. I bought this book because of the blurb. I really like noir and was hoping that it would be a female or lesbian version of the typical 40’s private dick type of book. Yes, it is sort of, in feel. Apparently, the paper version is done in old style typing font to add to the ambience I guess. For me though, I think the author took a risk that worked in some parts but was too ridiculous in others.
Let’s start with Nora. She’s a tough talking woman. a player who’s not too interested in the feelings of her partners. While it does seem like she doesn’t really care about anyone, we do get to see that Nora is not as tough as she likes to come across. She gets knocked for a loop a time or two, which I thought made her a bit more real and less a caricature.
She's gone to Tulsa to find out what happened to her ex, Michelle, who was murdered just after calling Nora one night. One thing I didn't get here was why. She and Michelle had an acrimonious split and Michelle wasn't exactly Mother Theresa with Nora, so that was missing for me. Why?
One thing I need to bring up, only because it’s mentioned over and over and over again is that Nora is a black woman. She makes reference to it many times describing her beautiful black body and the women she comes across mention it as well with various old school and modern descriptions for a person of color. She brings up racial discrimination on a regular basis, so there’s much ado about race in this story, which I think was both interesting and distracting.
The noir part of this story is that it’s set in some time anywhere between the 40’s and 90’s although no references were made to cell phones or such modern things that would give it a completely contemporary feel. Unfortunately, mostly this came off as a B grade 70’s flick with Nora using language typical to Blaxploitation films of the time. While she brings up quite often prejudices she’s faced, she also acts in a reverse prejudicial way, with stereotypical ideas of country people.
Racial or sexual blurbs:
“No you ain’t , cracker!
“Oh Tanya, honey chile!”
“You want me to call some brothers to take care of this cootchie for you?”
“Of course.” Tonya sat on the bed , crossing her molasses-colored legs in a breathtaking way.” (cinnamon and chocolate were used as well to describe Nora)
“Friend. You want me to draw you a map to Max’s cootchie? Nigga be a man.”
“I guess you’re the furniture,” I said, our eye’s met.” “Guess you’re the negro,” she answered tranquilly.
“If a nigga could just get a motherfuckin’ breath!” I shouted, leaning on the car for support, filling my chest with soaked air. (she’s complaining about Tulsa’s crappy air and allergies, a constant theme throughout the book as well)
Reverse:
On a plane to Oklahoma:
“If it was going to be a crowded airplane, I expected barefoot hillbillies in overalls and live chickens under their arms.”
“You’re just a corn-fed butter-eater, aren’t you?”
She’s shocked to find all normal people on the plane. This is what had me wondering what time period this is happening in. Then at the airport she comments to herself many times about her being the only black person in Tulsa and that the only other ones there were all doing menial jobs. She teases and insults the locals treating them as ignorant backwater types saying she’s from Uganda, as if they would be stupid and think all black people are from Africa, when they ask where she’s from. She’s from L.A. where I guess in this particular time period, black people are abundant. She also seems to find it strange that people are so kind and helpful, another country stereotype.
I get that in noir, old school noir, social conscience in language use is non-existent, or that stereotypes can be exaggerated, but much of this was over the top and offensive in some parts.
Next are the gaggle of exotic and weird characters that Nora meets. She’s told to meet a woman who apparently has all the inside connections in the lesbian world in Tulsa so she can find out what’s happened with Michelle. She meets with some women in a bar who tell her where to meet this person, but this woman, while acting like a gang leader on the surface, is nothing special in the end. This group of women, all with different quirks, don’t really have much to do with the story and don’t really further the plot, but seem to be there mainly to showcase Nora’s tough talking and acting ways.
She does meet the owner of the bar, Lila who with her partner, Reese are characters in themselves. They talk like women from those 30’s films, which was confusing with the mix of 70's slang throughout the rest of the book:
“I don’t mean anything, darling. It’s such a marvelous party. And I love any excuse for a good party, don’t I Reese Angel?”
Reese pulled Lila back and wagged her finger in her face. “Lila, my queen, you mustn’t arouse suspicion. Remember whose girl you are.”
“What a bore. But as you wish, Reese Cup.” Lila grinned at me but then stood straight and solemn with a pouty mouth to face Reese. “I’m a harmless flirt. Simply everybody says so. You’re such a square.”
Then there is Max. According to the blurb, Max is a sex-crazed dame. Um, no. She’s more an elusive 30's type woman who sort of engages Nora in a sexual flirtation, but is not as mysterious as the author tried to portray her. Mostly, Nora has it bad for Max, but her interactions with Max are mostly through Nora’s fantasy life. She imagines conversations and sex with Max throughout the book, while Max herself comes only as close as she wishes.
One other thing that drove me nuts throughout this whole book was Nora’s constant search for a cigarette. She’s so proud that she hasn’t bought a pack of ciggys in a year, trying to quit. And yet, she's either thinking about having a ciggy, craving a ciggy, begging for a ciggy, or smoking a ciggy at every single turn. Really, I wanted to just say buy a dammed pack of ciggy’s a smoke to your heart’s content. Personally, I thought it was a plot device to make Nora a bit more stereotypically hard-nosed, but mostly it got on my nerves.
On to good things about this story, I did enjoy Clara Nipper’s writing style. She came out with some really colorful phrasing that grabbed me:
“Just great. They’re going places, I think” I put my face in my drink as if it were an oxygen mask.”
“In spite of myself, I laughed and slapped Ava-Suzanne on the back. As if they were monkey’s following the group, everyone else laughed too.”
In the end, there is character growth, which I liked as well. Nora gets in touch with things about herself that she’s denied, like wanting family and people that really care about her. This is one of the main things that kept me hooked into this story, besides the quirkiness of a lot of it. And it did have a certain unique ambience to it that made it interesting enough to keep reading.
I think if you’re looking for a different kind of read, one that takes you on a wild trip with odd characters, this book will be good. There’s no romance in this story though, so if you’re looking for that, it’s not happening.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2019
Cigarettes, alcohol, women is the primary theme of this story. The secondary theme is a weak reason and awful attempt at PI work by the protagonist to find her ex killer amongst the eclectic set of people and history she meets in Tulsa.
I'd have to read more by this author to be convinced of literary prospects because while this was somewhat entertaining it wasn't grasping
I'd have to read more by this author to be convinced of literary prospects because while this was somewhat entertaining it wasn't grasping
September 20, 2010
This book was outside my preferred playground of romance, but the character of Nora Delaney is so intriguing that I had to keep reading after the first chapter. Nipper is a skilled story-teller and, while her gritty, gin-swilling, tough talking bad girl is certainly not my usual fare, her story is colorful, well-written and worth reading.
March 5, 2024
If I could give this book a minus 5 stars I would.
Read
April 6, 2016I read Nipper’s latest book, Murder on the Rocks, before I read this one. That was a mistake because the two books are so different in quality. In fact, I began Femme Noir thinking that it would be really bad. It is not, although the two books have several elements in common. First, both take place in good old Tulsa, Oklahoma, although Nora Delaney, the main character in Femme Noir is a visitor while Jill Rogers (from Murder on the Rocks )has lived there all her life. Second, both are butchy. Third, both like to play with fire (oh oh; have I just uncovered some symbolism? I wouldn’t be surprised)—Nora has a habit of lighting wooden matches with her thumbnail while Jill snaps a ubiquitous Zippo lighter open and closed throughout her adventure. And both think about sex approximately 40 hours every single day. Both are minorities: Nora is African-American; Jill is Native-American.
Well, the good news is that Femme Noir,is better than Murder on the Rocks, although to actually call it noir you have to alter the word’s definition. It is more in the tradition of books like Jaye Maiman’s I Left My Heart, where the protagonist is called to another city when an ex-lover is murdered. In this case, it is a woman that Nora lived with for three years in Los Angeles before the woman moved to Tulsa. In the course of Nora’s investigation—the police are rarely, if ever, mentioned—she finds out a lot about her ex-lover that she didn’t know.
She also learns about the 1921 Tulsa race riot—which was one of the worst in this country’s history—in which the most affluent black community in America was burned to the ground, dozens were killed, and hundreds arrested. As Nora’s research continues, she finds reason to believe that her ex-lover’s murder is directly related to that fateful event almost a century earlier. It is an important inclusion, but it is not the only thing that brings this book up above the ordinary. Many of the scenes that include people she meets in Tulsa are fresh and humorous; a scene in an alternative bookstore featuring a lesbian on roller skates is one of the funniest in the literature. And the second half of the book is just plain well written. There is no trace of the unfocused author of Murder on the rocks.
It is not all good, though. Otherwise it would have won prizes, right? It was enough for Nora to look into the Tulsa race riot without having her new white friend Jack go into a tearful, drunken tizzy when he thinks about it. And Nipper’s habit of having her protagonist drop everything to go into an almost pornographic fantasy about Max—her current love interest—although I have to admit that the last time she does this it is a hoot. The rest are superfluous and boring. Think about it: reading about sex is not as exciting as actually having it, but reading about someone thinking about sex is another layer removed from the real thing.
There is something about this author that intrigues me. On a personal level, I like the fact that she works for the safety of animals, that she is a roller derby queen, that she feels it is important to let her readers know about the Tulsa race riot—which had been hidden from public knowledge for 90 years—and that writing is the most important thing in her life. I think it is interesting that Nipper—who some might describe as a voluptuous blonde if her pictures do her justice—makes her protagonists minorities; Nora Delaney is black while Jill Rogers is Native American. It is even more interesting that the love interests of the two protagonists Max and Sophie, are not only almost interchangeable, but they are described as voluptuous blondes that Jill or Nora have vivid sexual fantasies about.
Give this one anywhere between a 3 and a 4 that you wish. I’ll say 3.7. Both of these Noir Series books are currently available as e-books at a very reasonable price.
I read the April, 2015 ebook version of this novel.
Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 1250 other lesbian mysteries by over 400 authors.
Well, the good news is that Femme Noir,is better than Murder on the Rocks, although to actually call it noir you have to alter the word’s definition. It is more in the tradition of books like Jaye Maiman’s I Left My Heart, where the protagonist is called to another city when an ex-lover is murdered. In this case, it is a woman that Nora lived with for three years in Los Angeles before the woman moved to Tulsa. In the course of Nora’s investigation—the police are rarely, if ever, mentioned—she finds out a lot about her ex-lover that she didn’t know.
She also learns about the 1921 Tulsa race riot—which was one of the worst in this country’s history—in which the most affluent black community in America was burned to the ground, dozens were killed, and hundreds arrested. As Nora’s research continues, she finds reason to believe that her ex-lover’s murder is directly related to that fateful event almost a century earlier. It is an important inclusion, but it is not the only thing that brings this book up above the ordinary. Many of the scenes that include people she meets in Tulsa are fresh and humorous; a scene in an alternative bookstore featuring a lesbian on roller skates is one of the funniest in the literature. And the second half of the book is just plain well written. There is no trace of the unfocused author of Murder on the rocks.
It is not all good, though. Otherwise it would have won prizes, right? It was enough for Nora to look into the Tulsa race riot without having her new white friend Jack go into a tearful, drunken tizzy when he thinks about it. And Nipper’s habit of having her protagonist drop everything to go into an almost pornographic fantasy about Max—her current love interest—although I have to admit that the last time she does this it is a hoot. The rest are superfluous and boring. Think about it: reading about sex is not as exciting as actually having it, but reading about someone thinking about sex is another layer removed from the real thing.
There is something about this author that intrigues me. On a personal level, I like the fact that she works for the safety of animals, that she is a roller derby queen, that she feels it is important to let her readers know about the Tulsa race riot—which had been hidden from public knowledge for 90 years—and that writing is the most important thing in her life. I think it is interesting that Nipper—who some might describe as a voluptuous blonde if her pictures do her justice—makes her protagonists minorities; Nora Delaney is black while Jill Rogers is Native American. It is even more interesting that the love interests of the two protagonists Max and Sophie, are not only almost interchangeable, but they are described as voluptuous blondes that Jill or Nora have vivid sexual fantasies about.
Give this one anywhere between a 3 and a 4 that you wish. I’ll say 3.7. Both of these Noir Series books are currently available as e-books at a very reasonable price.
I read the April, 2015 ebook version of this novel.
Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 1250 other lesbian mysteries by over 400 authors.
August 26, 2016
This book is one of the worst that I've ever read. I have suffered through my fair share of lesbian fiction, but this was truly at the bottom of the pile: the main character is a vile, selfish and ignorant human being with no redeeming qualities, and is overtly and proudly misogynistic - quite explicitly objectifying almost every single woman in the novel and acting as if women's bodies and minds are hers to own and treat as she pleases - and the whole book serves merely to indulge Nora's chauvinistic fantasies and pander to her incredibly unwarranted high opinion of herself. Lack of plot, cringe-worthy and cliché writing throughout and no relatable, likeable or even realistic characters. If I could have given this book zero stars, I would have, because frankly it deserves no praise or even recognition whatsoever.
August 25, 2008
This book was only so-so. The sex (or fantasy sex) was OK... not great, but not awful. The story was convoluted and while it may have been in the "noir" vein, it didn't really go any where. I think that Nora, the protagonist, has a lot of potential, but it wasn't realized.
February 23, 2015
Raw, sassy, sexy- this won't be everyone's idea of a great read but i found the characters strangely compelling & am looking forward to the next installment!
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