By Philip Elliott

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only in exchange for my honest review.

In the year 2000, Mickey O’Rourke has been a private detective for 50 years, and he’s damn good at it. At 78 years old and ready to retire, Mickey takes one last client: Bethany, a porn star with a missing boyfriend in San Fernando Valley – home of MidnightPussy Studios. Jeff Strokes (also a porn star) has not been seen or heard from in some time.
In 1999, Richie and Alabama, two heroin junkies in love, rob diners and tourists in order to feed their habit. Alabama wants a simple life, a home with Richie, and to get clean before the addiction kills them. Richie wants to give Alabama the life she deserves and he’ll find a way to pay for it any way he can.
In 1998, Jameka, a struggling hair stylist in Compton, is looking for any way to get out from under debt and pay her bills.
Mickey’s investigation into Jeff uncovers a much bigger picture than he could have planned. When Jameka finds herself in the middle of a drug deal gone wrong, she sets forth a series of events that have a greater impact than just her own life and safety. In this fast paced detective novel, Mickey has to put together these three completely separate stories to find out what happened to Jeff.

This book takes three stories that could not be more different and as Mickey connects the pieces he uncovers the violence, drug trafficking, murder, and struggle for power in 90s Los Angeles. The stories are presented intermittently, beginning in the year 2000 with chapters that flash back to 1999 and 1998.

He was surprised at how easy it had been to take a life. It was nothing. He could do it again if he had to, and this knowledge empowered and terrified him.

Porno Valley, Philip Elliott

Elliott touches on systemic racism and the power dynamic between the drug dealers and police. His characters are diverse, if not a bit stereotypical. His writing is engaging but not overly descriptive. Mickey is a classic, old-school detective who can’t give up the life when a pretty girl is in distress. Richie is a fidgety heroin-addict with a bad temper and a gun. Jameka is a struggling black woman in Compton tossed into the life of drugs which she swore she’d never get involved in.
Each character has their own internal conflict that they can either overcome or lean into. The reader will find that character development isn’t always in the positive direction.

I gave this book 4/5 ⭐️. This is a fast read (I zipped through it in 2-3 days, if you have that kind of spare time). The characters are well rounded, facing conflicts that challenge their morals and goals. For example, I no longer saw Richie and Alabama as junkies, but as a desperate couple who want to stop living a life full of roach motels and needles.

There are some sections where the entire paragraph is one sentence that is 30 words long. I’m not sure if this was done intentionally to show the character’s panicked thought process but run-on sentences irritate me. Although I was excited to piece the stories as I read, I do prefer a detective mystery with more… detective work? It seemed as if Elliott was implying that O’Rourke was discovering the information while we were getting the flashback chapters to the other characters.

I recommend this book to fans of:

• Missing persons cases
• cliffhangers
• Fast paced, easy reads
• Humorous crime (I didn’t find it very funny, but many of the reviews I read said other readers did)
• Pulp Fiction/ Kill Bill (the vibe is very Quinton Tarantino)