Deadlier Than The Male

Jana Blake #1: “Deadlier Than The Male” by Jim Conaway. I tried to look up the author, but the only Jim (James) Conaway I found did not have this series listed under his books. I think there were only two books in this series, featuring private detective Jana Blake. This story set all the characters in place: her lover, an Italian Gianni, a close friend, homosexual named Charlie Cohen, and the lieutenant of detectives (who also becomes her lover), Lieutenant Gilbert Lanahan. Jana has been struggling along with small cases of shoplifting and missing pets and children, waiting for the big case. It comes when men are murdered with their heads chopped off by an ax. The mother of one of the men wants the killer found. Although this is a female detective, it reminded me of the Dirty Harry stories. In fact, this one had a lot of similarities to the film version and plot of SUDDEN IMPACK. A woman is killing men who raped her. In the film Sandra Lock shot the men in the groin before killing them. In DEADLIER THAN THE MAIL, she uses an ax to chop their heads off. One man she doesn’t kill has already lost his mind (also has a counterpart in the movie). There’s even an old woman involved, which ties this novel tighter to the film. The only action in this book is the sex with the main characters, and the killing by the woman. There’s not much else to recommend it. Still, is was an easy read, and moved quickly.