12 Bliss Street: A Novel (Hardcover)

by Martha Conway (Author) "After her divorce Nicola began buying lingerie: dark blue contour bras, demi bras in little-girl white, embroidered bustiers, stretch mesh chemises, and a red girdle..." (more)
Key Phrases: spiritual warrior, Bliss Street, San Francisco, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A hip, edgy debut crime novel about a woman who finally takes charge Nicola is having a really bad day. She's tired of her job and the tiny San Francisco apartment she's about to be evicted from. Her life's only excitement is fueled by fantasy, about the expensive lingerie she wears under her business suits, about a man she sees at lunch every day, a darkly handsome man she calls Chorizo (after the pizzas he orders). She's tired of her life, and nothing brings it home more than running into her ex-husband Scooter on the way to work. But if ever anyone has earned a lesson in 'be careful what you wish for,' it's Nicola. First, she gets kidnapped after kick-boxing class by two teenagers who, it turns out, work for Scooter. He needs money and didn't want to ask. She agrees to help, but before she can resolve this situation, her innocent flirtation with Chorizo turns sinister. Suddenly Nicola's problem is no longer how to survive her boredom but how to survive, period. Martha Conway's debut is a deliciously hip, sexy, and suspenseful crime novel.

About the Author
Martha Conway’s short stories have been published in The Iowa Review, The Quarterly, and Folio, among others. In 1993 she published a groundbreaking piece of hyper-fiction called Girl Birth Water Death. This is her first novel.


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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur; 1st edition (June 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312315430
• ISBN-13: 978-0312315436
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,552,409 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent crime novel!, June 11, 2003

By A Customer

I was pleasantly surprised how strong Martha Conway's first novel is. 12 Bliss Street is a true rarity -- a gripping, well-plotted crime novel that is taut, funny, and full of interesting, rich characters.

Martha has an incredibly deft hand. She can go from a very delicate, sensitive first date, first kiss scene -- to a savage cruel snuff-film murder. The changes of pace are startling and intense, very filmic material.

Her characters are a pleasure. Nicola, the heroine, is smart, funny, but not your typical hard-beaten crime novel type. She's just a regular web developer with a vivid imagination and a thing for wearing lingerie to work. She gets entangled with criminals, but proves smarter than them!

With many pleasant surprises, laugh-out-loud criminal bumbling, and a stunningly gripping finale, I can't recommend this novel highly enough. Go out and read it right now!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars a cheesy beach read, March 13, 2004

By A Customer

Luckily for me, I bought this with plans of unwinding on a beach vacation because it was pretty cheesy. I don't think any of the characters were likeable and I don't think the whole plot was particularly plausible. To be honest, I left the book in my hotel rather than pack it back up to bring home. I didn't plan on rereading it...ever.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars noir novel for the oh's, July 24, 2003

By A Customer

Martha Conway makes an impressive debut with her first novel, 12 Bliss Street. It's a twenties/thirties-something noir thriller with a terrific heroine and a creepy crime. Very well written, suspenseful, and often funny. Nicola has it all -- looks, charm, brains and a great sense of humor. She outwits both the worst and the most foolish of bad guys.

Ms. Conway also knows how to paint a scene, from teen life outside school walls to the back-biting, bickering world of high tech office politics. This book is a fun read.