BLOOD PORN

In Flynt’s less-than-lascivious mystery, a missing person case uncovers child pornography and murder.

The third installment in the Brad Frame mystery series (Unforgiven Shadows, 2005; Transplanted Death, 2011) doesn’t require readers to have read the previous novels in order to appreciate detective Brad Frame and his observant assistant, Sharon Porter. The duo gets to work as soon as Derek Young shows up in the office, accompanied by his younger brother’s probation officer. Derek reports having seen Jeremy, his missing brother, on a pornography video. Jeremy, who just turned 18, could have been underage when the porn was recorded. They also investigate Maple Grove, the juvenile detention center Jeremy Young ran away from before becoming a porn star. But when another alleged porn star is found dead, the missing Jeremy is almost completely forgotten. Frame and Porter take over the murky case, watching Internet porn for clues and talking to several people with connections to the juvenile detention center. Although conducting a series of interviews may be how a real investigation works, it nonetheless slows down the pace of a mystery novel. At some points, the story has enough dialogue to read like a script, with all the scenes happening in offices, shabby residences and Applebee’s. The point of view shifts from a distant third-person to first-person when Porter takes over the scene. She’s astute and thoughtful, and it’s easy to see why Frame keeps her close to his side. She notices details with a cynical style that adds life to the narrative’s otherwise clinical tone, which makes the shift more welcome than jarring. Frame is a detective who knows to keep digging for the truth among lies, gossip and coverups, so readers will be guessing until the end.

A sharp-eyed mystery geared more toward thinkers than thrill-seekers.