Nancy Screw & The Case of the Dirty Benjamins: About the Book
As a full-time private investigator and part-time dominatrix, Nancy is single. By choice. She’s married to her job, but it’s an open relationship-an arrangement she takes full advantage of. When Nancy’s approached about a suspected financial crime that could bring down a children’s charity, she finds herself investigating two handsome and haughty financiers-blue-eyed, black-haired twins Barron and Theodore Benjamin. The brothers are the toast of Toronto-known as much for their rugged good looks as they are for their ruthless behaviour in the boardroom.
As Nancy tries to get to the bottom of the brothers’ dodgy business dealings, she stumbles into a world of high-stakes finance and uncovers more than a case of treacherous white-collar crime. With a closet full of different disguises and the help of her elderly sidekick, Mrs. Jones, Nancy pledges to do whatever it takes to solve the case-including getting down and dirty with the main suspects.
Nancy Screw & The Case of the Dirty Benjamins is the first novel in a campy detective series centered on Nancy Screw, a Toronto-based detective who does dominatrix work on the side. With a closet full of different disguises and the help of her trusted elderly sidekick, Mrs. Jones, Nancy will do whatever it takes to solve the case.
The Review
If you’ve ever wondered what might happen if the disguises of the hit show Alias collided with the playful crime-solving of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, you’ll find the answer in Nancy Screw & the Case of the Dirty Benjamins.
This fast-paced read blends mystery with just enough grit to keep the pages turning. It doesn’t go as far into the risqué territory as Fifty Shades, but the heat is there, balanced by Laboucane’s expert storytelling. The fact that Nancy Screw is a dominatrix feels integral to her character and adds depth to the story rather than coming across as exploitative.
As a Torontonian, I appreciated how the city itself becomes part of the narrative. Rather than serving as a vague backdrop, Toronto is woven into the plot in a way that grounds the book and makes it feel fresh. Readers will enjoy spotting familiar streets, neighbourhoods, and restaurants in the middle of the action.
If there’s one critique, it’s that the ending felt a little rushed. The final chapters wrap things up quickly, and a few more pages could have given both the mystery and the characters more breathing room. A touch more humour would also have elevated the finale, especially since the book flirts with camp and wit throughout.
That said, Nancy Screw & the Case of the Dirty Benjamins is still a fun ride that delivers exactly what it promises: a mix of intrigue and playful adventure. Nancy Screw herself is a well-developed character who leaves you wanting more, which makes it even more exciting that this is the start of a series. It’s the kind of book you can polish off in a weekend, and if you’re a fan of fast-moving mysteries with a twist, it’s well worth the read.
