Title: Choke Hold
Author: Christa Faust
Publisher: Hard Case Crime
Published: October 4th , 2011
Where I got the book: Murder by the Book

From the back cover:

INSIDE THE WORLD OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS – AND MURDER…

Angel Dare went into Witness Protection to escape her past — not as a porn star, but as a killer who took down the sex slavery ring that destroyed her life. But sometimes the past just won’t stay buried.

When a former co-star is gunned down, it’s up to Angel to get his son, a hotheaded MMA fighter, safely through the unforgiving Arizona desert, shady Mexican border towns, and the seductive neon mirage of Las Vegas…

Review:

I’m a little shocked that it’s taken me so long to post my review of this book. Before I get started, let’s take a moment and remember how much I loved Money Shot. I recall calling it “the perfect epitome of what modern pulp fiction can be.” Choke Hold is the much anticipated (at least by me) sequel to Money Shot. Angel Dare is back and she’s laying low after the events in the first book. But after running into a former flame, things turn south and she gets wrapped up in the world of illegal fights and drug smuggling.

In this book Angel has less control of the situation. While in Money Shot she was the one planning the course of action and executing it, Choke Hold takes her on a journey where she just happens to get wrapped up in it and goes with the flow. The result was a character that seemed less like a fierce independent woman, which is one of the things I loved about the first book, and more like someone who is a tad bit helpless. It kind of makes since Angel is a fish out of water in the world of MMA fighting while she knew the ins-and-outs of the adult film industry in Money Shot. Near the end of Choke Hold, Angel does take control but instead of fighting, she chooses to run away to safety. Choke Hold felt like a step down in terms of Angel’s character development.

However, those are just my personal issues with the book. If you can look past that (which I was able to), Choke Hold is the return of one of my favorite characters. This book is quickly paced and full of action. It never slows down or stays in one place for too long. What I’m trying to say is that it was a book that I found hard to put down once I picked it up.

Closing Thoughts: I could easily see this developing into a series of books that follow Angel Dare. This I would be okay with.

Question: What seedy underworld will Angel get mixed up with if there is a third book?

Money Shot
by Christa Faust
Hard Case Crime, January 2008
250 Pages

Don’t you just love a solid female protagonist who spends the whole novel kicking ass and taking names? I know I do. In Christa Faust‘s Money Shot that’s exactly what happens.

Former porn star Angel Dare was beaten, shot and left for dead. As the men responsible soon find out, they should have been more thorough because she isn’t dead. And what’s more, now she’s pissed. She doesn’t understand how she got involved in this mess but she’s going to find out by hunting down the men responsible. And thus begins Angel’s vendetta that will lead her across state lines and through the seedier aspects of the porn industry, to discover just how far anger can take a person.

It’s a very Kill Bill-esq story but it’s very fun to read. One of the things that surprised me about this book is it’s lack of technology. You know how classic pulp fiction novels take place in the 40′s or at sometime where you had to go good old fashion sleuthing to get to the bottom of things? In Money Shot the author manages to stay true to pulp fiction’s roots and never relies heavily on computers or other CSI devices. Because of that this book feels faithful to the genre.

This book is the perfect epitome of what modern pulp fiction can be. It’s gritty, violent, sexy, and is character driven. If you’re a fan of these types of stories then you owe it to yourself to check it out. I also discovered that Christa Faust is writing a follow up called Choke Hold due out in October 2011 through one of my favorite publishers, Hard Case Crime. I’m excited for the return of Angel Dare.