Sticky Fingers
by Morgan Hunt
List Price: $14.95
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781593500030
Publisher: Alyson Books
Dust bunnies, yes; rattlesnakes, no. So thinks amateur sleuth and lesbian Tess Camillo when, on an ordinary Saturday in San Diego, she discovers a snake under her bed. She is convinced it was put there deliberately and says as much to the police, who refuse to take her seriously.
Weeks later, the body of another lesbian, Belle Farby, is found on the UCSD campus Snake Path, dead of snake bite and with a rattlesnake’s rattle in her pocket. The crime scene is rife with unusual circumstances and odd items, including buttons and hair sprinkled on the victim’s tee shirt.
Because of the rattler in her house, Tess is interviewed by police and becomes embroiled in their investigation. In the meantime, she must wage battle with an aggressive breast cancer and make peace with a modified body image.
This title was nominated for several awards, including:
- Finalist, 2008 Reader Views Reviewers Choice Literary Award, GLBT category
- Nominated for Lambda Literary Award in Women’s Mystery category
- Nominated for Golden Crown Literary Award, Lesbian Mystery
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1. How would you describe the relationship between Lana and Tess? Will Tess ever find another lover while living with Lana? Can you picture Lana's face from the description in the book?
2. The serpent is one of the oldest and most widespread of symbols, with different meanings attributed to it in different cultures. Among them are sexual temptation, wisdom, seduction, fertility, or protection. What feelings are evoked in you by the snakes in this book? When the cosmic serpent bites its tail, it symbolizes infinity and the cyclical nature of the cosmos. Did you get a sense of this in the mystery’s solution?
3. Have you ever known anyone with needle phobia? What other weaknesses does Tess have? How does she deal with pain and loss?
4. Have you read any mystery writers or humorists who remind you of Morgan Hunt? Does the Tess series have appeal for mainstream audiences as well as the GLBT community?
5. How would you deal with a loved one's request that you assist him/her in committing suicide to spare this person the pain of a lingering death? Are there different kinds of murder? Is Darlene sufficiently punished for her acts?
6. How did you respond to the chapter names throughout Sticky Fingers? Did they pique your interest?
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"Sticky Fingers… is fast-moving and clever, raunchy and sexy, serious and funny; a delight to read."
— Marianne Moskowitz, for WomanSource Rising, Winter 2007 issue
"… Hunt’s character development is so flawless you’ll think she’s been writing Tess Camillo mysteries for years. With style, wit, and an irrepressible sense of humor, Hunt draws you into the story and doesn’t let go until the last word… and then leaves you wishing for more."
— LaRita M. Heet, Editor-in-Chief, Jane and Jane Magazine, December 2007 issue
"Morgan Hunt’s familiarity with breast cancer shows in the sensitivity, fear, strength, and dignity that she gives to Tess throughout her ordeal….(the author has) a wonderful sense of humor which comes through again and again; a great book."
— Cherie Fisher, Reader Views
"an engaging tale of equal parts murder, sharp dialogue, loss and humor."
— Chelsea Fine, Just Out, August 2007
