Fresh Flesh

Saz Martin #4

by Stella Duffy

"Stella Duffy’s writing gets better with each book. Her grasp of complex narrative techniques leaves the reader wondering what’s coming next"—Val McDermid South London private eye Saz Martin and her partner Molly are having a baby and life couldn’t be better . . . until Saz takes on one of those weird and wild cases she swore she’d never get involved in again. In this high-octane ride across the contemporary London of glitzy offices, fancy restaurants, designer bars, and damaged lives, four virtual strangers are unwittingly bound together by a dark secret which is about to blow up in their faces. Stella Duffy, whose other Saz Martin mysteries are Calender Girl, Beneath the Blonde and Wavewalker, lives in London.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, LGBT, Lesbian, Queer

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2001

About the author

Stella Duffy was born in London and grew up in New Zealand. She has lived and worked in London since the mid-1980s. She has written seventeen novels, over seventy short stories, and devised and/or written fourteen plays. The Room of Lost Things and State of Happiness were both longlisted for the Orange Prize, and she has twice won Stonewall Writer of the Year. She has twice won the CWA Short Story Dagger. Stella is the co-founder of the Fun Palaces campaign for cultural democracy. Her latest novel is Lullaby Beach (Virago).
She is also a yoga teacher, teaching workshops in yoga for writing, and a trainee Existential Psychotherapist, her ongoing doctoral research is in the embodied experience of being postmenopausal.

Reviews

[lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The hot summer had stilled happiness, slowed it to a single pulse, mouth opened wide and head thrown back in silent laughter, image frozen in rictus of a scream."

I didn't have any expectations going into this, as it's relatively unknown, difficult to get a copy of, and even the cover offers little clues as to its content, which is why, I think, I ended up finding this to be an intriguing and even pleasurable reading experience. Had I any expectations, I think they would have been let down, but all I knew was lesbian crime fiction here we come, and lesbian crime fiction, yes, we got.

The representation here is, even decades after its publication, remarkable. Almost all of the characters, particularly the ones we're rooting for, are either non-heterosexual, nonwhite, or both. The variety of sexualities among the characters are taken as granted, not an anomaly to be picked apart and discussed, and the book doesn't shy from engaging in conversations of racism prejudice.

The plot, too, while less gritty and glamorous than some of the other books I've read for this crime fiction module, was still gripping and well thought out, its pacing exactly right. There were some parts that seemed a bit farfetched, and some of the romance and dialogue were rather cheesy, but not to a grimacing effect.

Regardless, however, I think I'm gonna stick this at three stars, as I really don't think its writing or story were really all that profound, and I am not in the business of giving away free stars for diversity. There is definitely any interesting history here, though, to unpack within this genre, and I'm excited to discuss it in class here shortly.

[Mickey Winn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really irritating book with shallow superficial characters and a potentially interesting theme of the impact of adoption that is squandered. The author was recommended by a guide to crime fiction but I feel foolish for following the recommendation. If coked up, self-referential characters doing their metropolitan thing is your cup of tea, you might enjoy it; I didn’t.

[Stella Lauricella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ho conosciuto questo titolo durante un evento in una libreria indipendente dove si parlava di letteratura LGBT+.
Inizialmente mi attirò per la tematica molto delicata (gravidanza nelle coppie omosessuali) e il linguaggio che, seppur intriso di turpiloqui, rimandava ad un'idea di comfort, di casa, di quotidianità.
L'ho appena finito e ho un magone terribile: era da un po' che non mi emozionavo per un libro.
Non dico nulla, solo che ne vale la pena.

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

In the most part this is an excellent mystery, there's not a murder in sight but plenty enough babies, adoptions and deceptions to keep most mystery afficianados happy I think. I really like Duffy's writing and her excellent depiction of what the heroine Saz Martin calls "non traditional" relationships.

If this book has a weak point it's in the conclusion which involves a rather too traditional bit of someone walking into danger and not telling anyone where they're going. Apart from that part I like the characters and the mostly believable plot.

This is the second book in the series I've read and I think that there are two previous episodes that I haven't read and that I'm going to put on my shopping list.

[Ember Stone-pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever thriller set in London that revolves around some rather dubious adoptions from forty years ago and two gay couples expecting a baby. A myriad of secrets and lies makes it very difficult for Saz to help her adopted friends find their biological parents and in seeking more answers she finds herself thrust into the path of danger. There are some great characters and an interesting plot - Not the best book I've ever read, but a really good attempt at a thriller with a cast of almost all gay characters.

[Dayan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't believe anything in this story. It took me weeks, if not months, to end it.

It seems as if the author didn't come with anything better to write and had a contract or deadline to write a book. I have this idea (a very weak one) about well... adoptions... let's write a book about it!

Not a single character seemed believable nor fleshed out and the heroine was in fact a detestable human (fictional) being.

The book fell flat at the end, as if the author wrote the first thing that came to her mind... Not recommendable

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good enough tale of a exploration into the birth mother of adopted adult which uncovers much more.
It's difficult to give to much of a synopsis without blowing the whole book as it is in truth a fairly thin tale though that said a digestible one which does play out quite nicely.
Anyhow well written not as gritty nor as deserving of the accolades review wise which where present with this paperback copy but fine nonetheless.

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing, fast, sexy, funny and poignant. this is now one of my favourite.

[Mirrordance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A volte forse eccessivo ma non mi è dispiaciuto.