New Book Alert: Flirt: A Novel of Lust Love and Murder by Ric Bohy; Alluring Beguiling Heroine Steals The Show in Modern Hard Boiled Noir
By Julie Sara Porter
Bookworm Reviews
Spoilers: By far the most interesting character in Flirt: A Novel of Lust, Love, and Murder, Ric Bohy's mystery thriller is Mary Bliss. Flirt is similar to a modern hard boiled detective noir combined with a psychosexual thriller. These types of genres often need a strong feminine presence and Mary is that presence.
Mary catches the eye of Jimmy Noze, a former reporter and current investigator, in the Train and Tunnel club in a suburb in northern Detroit. While getting to know Mary, Derek "Viking" Sloane, a possessive former admirer, gets rough with her. Jimmy points a gun at him to lay off. Jimmy and Mary then develop a connection that could become a potential romance. Unfortunately, they are pursued by a couple of stalkers. One is Sloane himself, a spoiled rich brat who believes that he can own anybody and that includes the woman who got away. The other stalker is Haymus Geasley, a punk Neo Nazi. Geasley is determined to seek violent revenge against Jimmy and intends to kidnap Mary and make her his captive.
Mary is a beguiling alluring heroine, practically a call back to the sexy femme fatales of old Classic Hollywood films, characters played by the likes of Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, Lana Turner, Veronica Lake, and Rita Hayworth. The type of woman who can entrap a man with just a smoldering glance or a flip of her hair.
A woman who could either be working with or against the hero, but will certainly give him a wild time while he figures her out. From Mary's first appearance, she attracts the men around her without actually becoming physically intimate with them.
Mary was raised by her grandmother, Ruby who coached her to be different from her prostitute mother who abandoned her. Mary is taught to use her slender body, ample breasts, and flowing red hair to entice men's voyeuristic urges, but to never give into them sexually. For example, she inspires LaPierre, a cosmetologist to create a line of beauty products based on her particular scent. She is the type to be a muse or a model, an unattainable standard of beauty but never a lover.
Even what would be considered a flaw in her appearance works to Mary's advantage. She was born with a deformed leg but has a prosthesis that looks completely natural next to her skin. The limp that forms because of her leg gives her a recognizable stride like a runway model.
Sometimes, as the plot of a detective noir novel continues, we may peer into that beautiful facade of this archetype and see a vulnerable fragile soul inside. Perhaps she even has a surprisingly moral center that has either been compromised or has remained despite the years of survival in a harsh world. This is certainly true of Mary.
Even though she is seen as an object of men's desires, she is able to maintain control in most of her relationships. She is willing to fight off those that get too physically violent. When Sloane and then Geasley kidnap Mary, she is frightened but uses sharp wit and cunning to outsmart them.
While she didn't have a higher education, Mary is extremely observant, has some brilliant initial ideas that she persuades others to pursue (such as the beauty product line), and understands the way other people think. These advantages allow Jimmy to accept her as his partner.
Besides being brilliant, Mary is a very moral person. She has strict etiquette standards such as referring to men by "Mr. (Last name)" and insists that they refer to her as "Miss Bliss." She also will not tolerate swearing.
Mary will not concede to demands for sex and will leave relationships if they turn out to be abusive. Despite being raised to be an object of beauty and desire, she is independent and strong enough to live alone rather than stay in a relationship that isn't working out. In fact, Mary spent more time alone than she did with male companions. She may entice some but she won't bind herself to them.
Because of the many layers of Mary's character, she far outshines the male characters in Flirt. Sloane sees her as an object, something that his wealth can buy and own. She is nothing to him but a statue, a trophy, and status symbol.
Geasley sees her as a means to fill his dark violent desires. He doesn't want to own her. He wants to destroy her. He has fantasies of physically hurting Mary before killing her as a means to emotionally scar Jimmy but also because he dehumanizes her.
Even the good men in Mary's life don't see all of her. LaPierre is a good friend and Mary is genuinely worried about him when he goes missing. But he too has his own image of Mary. He sees her as a muse, one that he can only admire from afar but is the inspiration for his great work, the cosmetics line. He however doesn't mind spying on her to catch her in provocative positions. His affection may be from afar and not as physical as Sloane and Geasley, but he still can be creepy.
Jimmy is mostly a decent enough guy, but at times he has issues with Mary. He becomes obsessed with her and even though he concedes to their chaste platonic relationship, he still fantasizes about having her. Because of her appearance, he has preconceived notions about her such as her sexual experiences and assumes that she isn't as smart as she appears.
However, Jimmy realizes his assumed views are wrong and is able to see Mary as a person and not just a beautiful woman. The fact that he calls her "partner" reveals that he sees her in an equal position that others do not, someone to walk side by side not in front of or behind him. It is only after they get through their adventure together and understands each other's past that Mary and Jimmy get through the friendship and partnership to become a romantic couple.
Flirt offers a female protagonist that has many layers: beautiful, alluring, honest, polite, savvy, and kind. Someone who is more than someone to be seen. She is someone to be heard, accepted, and understood.
