THE WRONG SIDE OF THE FLAME by Renaii West is a delightful look into the quirky and affectionate worlds shared by performers, dancers, and those engaged in kinkier but no-less-sociable pastimes. The characters are the best part of the story: lively, flirtatious, and charming in their eccentricities. For some reason, mystery-solving female characters (from Nancy Drew and her friends Bess and George to the Powerpuff Girls) tend to arrange themselves in threes, with a leader (usually a redhead) and two sidekicks (often but not always blonde and brunette). This pattern shows up again here, with auburn-haired self-proclaimed Fire Goddess Brighid LaFlamme as the protagonist; Layla as her dark-haired sidekick; and then there’s Nicole, a Texas girl with strawberry-blonde hair long and lush enough to give her the nickname Godiva. They are decidedly more mature than Nancy or the Powerpuffs, though: unashamedly sexual, attracted by but not bound to any particular men.

Establishing their friendship and adventurous hobbies—from belly dancing under the name “Les Deesses de la Danse” to experimentation in the BDSM-focused “Hedon’s Sanctuary”—takes up a good bit of the first part of the book. Still, they’re quite charming company, and the exposition is bright with humor and energy. For the rest, the book jumps backward and forward regularly in order to unfold the story of how their friend Galen met his rather distressing end on a camping trip by falling (or being pushed) into his own campfire. This time-jumping might have been confusing, but the author is rather adept at making sure we know where, when, and with whom we are. It all ends up making perfect sense in the end.

The mystery is intriguing enough to draw the reader in while not letting us forget the sadness of the death at its heart. However, there’s not a lot of suspense and dramatic action here: Brighid discovers a few key pieces of evidence, but then (against all mystery novel tradition) quite sensibly leaves the dangerous final tracking down of the criminal to actual law enforcement. While she misses out on the excitement, she and the reader still get a rundown of the final major events from the officer—so the moments of revelation are still there, at least. It’s a delightful read overall, especially for those who prefer charismatic heroines and loving found families.

Renaii West’s THE WRONG SIDE OF THE FLAME is an entertaining story with a strong focus on its lively, charismatic cast of characters.

~Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader