From Publishers Weekly
Who's killing the adult film stars at the Tiffany Gentleman's Club? And why? These questions perplex club headliner Sierra Lavotini and the Panama City police in this rollicking, steamy tale, a Damon Runyon-meets-Mickey Spillane on the Florida panhandle. Bartholomew (The Miracle Strip; Drag Strip) moves deftly from screwball comedy to crime scene melodrama, periodically visiting the Tiffany for Sierra's performances. Sierra gets to the bottom of things quicklyDher bottom, that is. When porn legend Venus Lovemotion is gunned down, a bullet gouges Sierra's derriere, threatening livelihood more than life. Despite the plot's immersion in a subculture synonymous with sleaze, the author avoids moralizing. Don't call Sierra a "stripper." That, she explains, connotes cheap sex. She's an "artist," the best around, and a lapsed Catholic ready to summon a Hail Mary in a pinch. She's also a delightfully acerbic narrator and a fearless detective, abetted by her feisty chihuahua and her trailer park friends, notably zany neighbor Raydean, who guards against suspected space invaders, including homicide detective John Nailor, Sierra's love interest. Bartholomew develops almost as much suspense around their romance as she does around the murderer's identity. And all this is done to terrific effect, from the sympathetically drawn characters, atmospheric regional details and unvarnished quips to a climax reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs. The third novel in this quality series can only enhance the author's reputationDand it's just quirky enough to generate film interest. (Nov.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The third entry in Bartholomew's Sierra Lavotini series, featuring the classy stripper, headliner at Tiffany Gentlemen's Club in Panama City, Florida, is full of kooky characters, dumb thugs, and lots of bodies--both dead and bare. In an effort to raise profits, club owner Vincent imports some outside "talent"--porn stars who disgust the ethical Sierra. When two of the girls are murdered, and Sierra herself gets in the way of one of the bullets, sexy detective John Nailor is on the scene--and doing his best to keep Sierra out of it. Fans of this volatile couple will be happy to see that the pair finally does make it into the bedroom, an encounter described in steamy erotic detail not often seen in this genre. Sierra, of course, begins her own investigation, enlisting the help of crazy neighbor Raylene, brother Francis from her hometown of Philadelphia, and, of course, her hairless Chihuahua, Fluffy. Some readers will figure out who the killer is early on, but they will be having way too much fun to care. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Exotic dancer Sierra Lavotini's latest brainstorm to help the Tiffany Gentleman's Club turn a profit is a disaster. Sierra, headliner for the classiest strip joint in Panama City, Florida, and the club's owner, Vincent Gambuzzo, invited a gallery of porn actresses to guest star on the Tiffany stage. It's a gutsy plan, considering that most of these silicone-enhanced creatures don't have much in the way of true talent. As Sierra likes to say, at the Tiffany dancing consists of more than T&A working a pole.

Still, under Sierra's firm guidance, the venture seems to be raking in the cash. At least until a sniper begins taking exception-starting with Venus, who is shot and killed. Sierra takes a bullet in the, ahem, posterior region during the attack, and would like nothing more than to forget about the whole thing and convalesce with the help of her on-again boyfriend, Homicide Detective John Nailor. But when the investigation hones in on Marla, another Tiffany girl, Sierra is forced to focus her energy on finding the real killer. No small task, considering the interest of the local "organization" in the situation, even once Sierra enlists the help of her landlady Pat; Raydean, her psychotic neighbor; and her oldest brother Francis.

Steamy romance, intrigue, laugh-out-loud humor, mob bosses, and Sierra's overprotective Italian family-it's all here in Nancy Bartholomew's latest hilarious tale.



About the Author
Nancy Bartholomew was born and raised outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is also the author of two previous Sierra Lavotini novels, The Miracle Strip and Drag Strip, as well as one book featuring country-and-western star Maggie Reid. She currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with her family, where she is at work on Strip Poker, the next novel featuring Sierra Lavotini.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Exotic dancer and unstoppable sleuth Sierra Lavotini is back in the spotlight, and she's shaking her moneymaker to solve a mystery involving murder, mayhem, and the mob, in Nancy Bartholomew's Film Strip.

It's hard to survive in the entertainment business -- even when your breed of entertainer is a blonde dancer whose height is five feet ten in her stilettos, and whose bra size is 38 double D -- when she's topless. Sierra's the headliner at Tiffany Gentleman's Club on the northwest coast of Florida, and in an effort to help out the club she calls home, she proposes to invite some guest talent -- a porn star named Venus Lovemotion -- to share the stage for one night. Instead, the two performers end up sharing a bullet -- which kills Venus Lovemotion and leaves Sierra with a wound, ahem, just to the left of her G-string.

Sierra's boyfriend, Panama City homicide detective John Nailor, is on the case, and all signs point to Marla, a silicone-for-brains dancer at the Tiffany, whose gun went missing about the time of the murder. Although Sierra might not like Marla, who would like to steal the spotlight while Sierra is recovering, Sierra knows Marla's not the killer, and if Marla goes to jail, the Tiffany goes under. Just as things are heating up in her relationship with Nailor, Sierra has no choice but to go behind his back to solve the crime, before the evidence piles up too high against Marla.

Along the way, she gets help from a wildly imagined cast of characters, including her crazy neighbor, Raydean, who when she isn't seeing space invaders, sees darn near everything that happens in their trailer park; her overprotective brother, Francis, whom she passes off as her cousin; the mobster "Big Moose" Lavotini; and, of course, her vicious Chihuahua, Fluffy.

But things aren't looking good. A dangerous-looking "Italian Stallion" has been hanging around the club -- and not tipping the dancers -- and as soon as Sierra starts asking questions, it's clear she's getting too close to something someone doesn't want her to know. Threatening notes -- and miniature bombs -- are being delivered to her by flower delivery cars, and when a second guest porn star, Frosty Licks, is also murdered, Sierra knows she's in danger of injury to more than her derriere.

Sexy, romantic, and downright hilarious -- a dancer's pole, a smoke machine, and a wah-wah pedal couldn't be more fun than Nancy Bartholomew's latest. Throwing a spotlight on the seedier side of sleuthing, Film Strip is no tease. Step up and take a closer look at Sierra Lavotini -- this is the real McCoy! (Elise Vogel)

Elise Vogel is a freelance writer living in New York City.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Publishers Weekly called Nancy Bartholomew's sexy amateur sleuth, Sierra Lavotini, "a delightfully acerbic narrator and a fearless detective."The Philadelphia Inquirer named her first outing, in The Miracle Strip , one of the year's best mysteries. Now, a shot in the dark hits exotic dancer Sierra where it hurts and propels her into an exciting new investigation...

When porn star Venus Lovemotion is gunned down in the parking lot of the Tiffany Gentleman's Club, the same bullet whacks exotic dancer Sierra Lavotini in her "assets," jeopardizing her livelihood if not her life. Naturally, Sierra feels personally involved...even before another club headliner named Frosty Licks turns up dead. The cops suspect Sierra's arch-rival, a gun-toting stripper named Marla, is killing off the competition. Sierra thinks that theory holds as much water as a G-string and promises Marla she'll find the real killer. But as she uncovers the dark side of adult entertainment, she may end up baring her own soul....

Author Biography: Nancy Bartholomew is the author of two previous Sierra Lavotini mysteries, The Miracle Strip and Drag Strip , as well as the novel, Your Cheatin' Heart . She lives with her family in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she is at work on Strip Poker , Sierra Lavotini's next case.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Who's killing the adult film stars at the Tiffany Gentleman's Club? And why? These questions perplex club headliner Sierra Lavotini and the Panama City police in this rollicking, steamy tale, a Damon Runyon-meets-Mickey Spillane on the Florida panhandle. Bartholomew (The Miracle Strip; Drag Strip) moves deftly from screwball comedy to crime scene melodrama, periodically visiting the Tiffany for Sierra's performances. Sierra gets to the bottom of things quickly--her bottom, that is. When porn legend Venus Lovemotion is gunned down, a bullet gouges Sierra's derriere, threatening livelihood more than life. Despite the plot's immersion in a subculture synonymous with sleaze, the author avoids moralizing. Don't call Sierra a "stripper." That, she explains, connotes cheap sex. She's an "artist," the best around, and a lapsed Catholic ready to summon a Hail Mary in a pinch. She's also a delightfully acerbic narrator and a fearless detective, abetted by her feisty chihuahua and her trailer park friends, notably zany neighbor Raydean, who guards against suspected space invaders, including homicide detective John Nailor, Sierra's love interest. Bartholomew develops almost as much suspense around their romance as she does around the murderer's identity. And all this is done to terrific effect, from the sympathetically drawn characters, atmospheric regional details and unvarnished quips to a climax reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs. The third novel in this quality series can only enhance the author's reputation--and it's just quirky enough to generate film interest. (Nov.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Still stripping in Panama City, FL, Sierra Lavotini (The Miracle Strip, Drag Strip) finds herself competing with uncouth porn stars at her club. When someone murders one of them and police blame her friend Marla, Sierra sleuths once again. An entertaining bit of a lark; for larger collections. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

When you work in pasties and a G-string and encourage the clients of the Tiffany Gentleman's Club to sidle up to the runway and tuck large-denomination bills into your garter, you have to expect that now and then matters will get out of hand. But Tiffany headliner Sierra Lavotini is not amused that she's always in the middle of something nasty. Case in point: Two visiting porn stars, Venus Lovemotion and Frosty Licks, are murdered right in front of her; her on-again/off-again boyfriend, Det. John Nailor of Florida's Panama City police force, has his car blown up while she watches; her big brother Francis is beaten bloody while waiting for her in her trailer; and someone's whispering threatening messages to her over the phone and sending her bouquets that are rigged to explode. Does she know something she doesn't know she knows? Nah. But her ignorance doesn't stop her from snooping, pretending to be connected to the New Jersey Lavotinis, who made their bones and keep on making them when other families get in their way, and ignoring her boyfriend's warnings, preferring to thresh through the weirdest complications with the help of her faithful Chihuahua and her outlandish trailer-park chums.