Although there are three words in the title of the book MY LOLITA COMPLEX AND OTHER TALES OF SEX AND VIOLENCE that immediately sold me on its merits, so did its author: Max Allan Collins.

Or authors, I should say, as these nine stories are cowritten with Collins’ frequent researcher/collaborator Matthew V. Clemens. His solo work was unknown to me, but on the basis here, his style meshes well with the modern crime master.

COMPLEX makes good on its title, offering one mystery after another crackling with sexual tension – if not outright fornication – and fisticuffs, scuffles and more fatal fights. Don’t misjudge the sex, either; though hot ‘n’ bothered, it’s more of a hard-R nature than trenchcoat-friendly pornography, and it doesn’t detract from the plots. In fact, it might even heighten them.

The collection opens with “A Woman’s Touch,” a Civil War-set suspenser about a wounded Union soldier hiding out in the home of a woman whose husband is off fighting for the Confederate side. Who’s using whom? Meanwhile, “East Side, West Side” is a THIN MAN-style hunt for one Ms. Mae West. It’s witty, playful and very Nick-and-Nora-like, were those two ever to rip off their clothes and get down to business.

Sex figures in greatly to the pair of adventures of retired (and married) secret agent John Sand. Think 007 freed from the restrictions of the MPAA and you’ve nailed it on the head (no pun intended). He and his hot Texan wife run into trouble when they’re not busy in the bedroom (and sometimes when they are). These two tales are a lot of good-natured, dirty-minded fun, and I wish Collins and Clemens would’ve revisited the couple more. Honestly, I could read a whole book about them.

For those who knows Collins from his wealth of movie and TV tie-in novels, you’ll be pleased to find within: a detective story set in the BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER universe, a Bigfoot tale starring Hellboy, and the “lost” first chapter of CSI: DOUBLE DEALER. CSI’s loss equals our gain.

The most satisfying of all the contents – minus one gaping plot hole – is the title story, ripe with all the elements of a good crime story. This is a saucy, satisfying collection of crime shorts a little more lurid, more dangerous and – perhaps most importantly –  more fun than the usual fare. If you like your mysteries slightly skewed and unafraid to dip their toes in the wild side of the pool, it’s time you get a COMPLEX. –Rod Lott

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OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS:
• THE LAST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins
• QUARRY’S LIST by Max Allan Collins
• THE WAR OF THE WORLDS MURDER by Max Allan Collins