The Saz Martin series by Stella Duffy

To celebrate the release of the Saz Martin series as e-books some 19 years after the original publication of the first in ther series, I have had the pleasure of re-reading the books and th opportunity to talk about them here.

The first of the series, Calendar Girl, released in 1994, introduces us to Saz - an unconventional, London native PI who has difficulty separating work from her personal life. Meaning she goes all in for her client, meaning at times it's hard to wonder why new girlfriend Molly (who turns up in the second book) would stay with her and support her. It is also Duffy's first published novel.

With a story line that crosses the Atlantic - as many future stories in the series will, a narrative style that contains as many twists and turns as the plot, and a heroine as fallable as the rest of us (but perhaps more resourceful and more determined), Duffy is clearly setting out her stall to create her own genre, combining detective- female - noir - lesbian elements into something new. She drops in some information throughout the story, but the hook is, not enough of the pieces - with the gaps making their presence strongly felt - until the very end when it's been obvious all along how they would fit together not unlike the lesbian scene conveyed in the intricate story line.

Wavewalker takes us back across the Atlantic and delving into history, and into much deeper danger for Saz, as she once again follows trouble from London to the USA. Trouble in the form of the "bad guy" revered as a public hero, but for whom there is no clear evidence to prove otherwise. That's Saz's job. 

In the mean time, she's met Molly and is trying to establish a new relationship. Pretty challenging with thousands of miles between you. 

Saz's determination helps drive the plot forward and even though we know it's all going to work out in the end, it's not clear at all how Saz is going to make it happen - gripping stuff!

As the series develops, each novel more mature in the  last, reflecting the development of Saz and Molly's relationship, we are taken on new, inventive journies that present complex detective stories with psychological resonances - childhood bullying, psychosis and infidelity. The novels deliver direct insight into the villian's point of view, offering a contrast to our fair heroine, and debate the moral code - what is right might not always be right in context.

Published by Serpents' Tail, available at e-book retailers, RRP £3.99

By Katie