After reading the back-cover copy of Allyson Roy’s BABYDOLL, I knew the novel could go one of two ways: an over-the-top ride or a truly glorious train wreck. I’m happy to report it’s the first, with enough humor to put a smile on any seasoned crime fan’s face. I mean, there is only so much depressing noir one can take before you need a change of pace.
This is the second book in the Saylor Oz series from this husband-and-wife writing team. Saylor is a sex therapist by trade, but thinks of herself as some ad hoc detective trying to help out her roommate, Benita, whose photographer brother has been arrested and jailed for the murder of three models he worked with, and the big-time lawyer they hired pretty much quits on them.
Saylor thinks herself as some sort of female Mike Hammer, but with her short stature and pocketbook filled with sex toys, she is ready for the case. She comes across a piece of evidence that seems to mirror these murders: an old porno movie called BAD, BAD BABYDOLL, the “plot” of which revolves around three models being killed off by a jealous model to make herself the star.
Like I stated, this is not your typical noir tale. It’s also not for those who are prudish, although there’s nothing too graphic. It just has fun in the whole idea of murders being based around some old, bad porn. Adding to all this is the idea of Saylor becoming a star model for an upcoming designer who thinks she will be the centerpiece to his new line. Saylor figures it would be the best way to draw out the killer, but as smooth as that seems, she makes her missteps in huge, catastrophic ways.
The only drawback is that in one scene, I felt the authors tipped their hat in a throwaway line. It stuck out for this reviewer, but most readers will pass it by until the reveal at the end. This writing duo seems to be a fan of a certain old-school mystery writer, since they make an amalgam of the author and his creation as one of the characters in the books, or maybe it was just a happy accident.
BABYDOLL itself is a total page-turner that flies by in no time. The authors have fun with the mystery genre and their creation of Saylor is a blast. Sure, she might not be the next V.I. Warshawski, but she’s completely fresh. I mean, how many other sex-therapist detectives are out there? BABYDOLL more than delivers as a solid mystery, with plenty more to the plot than murdered models, as something even darker shakes things up. Don’t let the chick-litish cover throw you. —Bruce Grossman
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- Q&A with SECRETS OF THE MODEL DORM’s Amanda Kerlin
- The Shadow Walker
- Baltimore Noir
- How the Dead Live
