History Literature / HungoverAndHandcuffed

** In the bonus story, Nice Guy is the TheLostLenore, Callet is the MagnificentBastard, and Lucy is roughly the DeadSidekick.

* MagnificentBastard: Matamoros and Callet both qualify. Mina has her moments as well.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When we first meet Mina, she's handcuffed in a serial killer's basement, snarking on herself and trying to remember a quote from Theatre/TheLionInWinter, and shrugging off the sadistic torture mostly out of spite. Tells you pretty much everything you need to know about her.

[[caption-width-right:350:"The worst part of being a pessimist is that you’re almost always right."]]

''Hungover and Handcuffed'' is available [[http://www.amazon.com/Hungover-Handcuffed-Mina-Davis-Book-ebook/dp/B00L1PKC2Y%3FSubscriptionId%3D0ENGV10E9K9QDNSJ5C82%26tag%3Dflatwave-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00L1PKC2Y here]], or you can start with "Get Tough" [[http://www.nicksblogamericain.com/gettough here]].

The titular story, and the first one in the collection, chronicles Mina's run-in with a serial killer named Jack Darwin.

* ConceptsAreCheap: Callet, like [[{{Othello}} her inspiration]], has no clearly defined motive for what she does.

** Callet Desdemona's name is a reference to {{Othello}}. WordOfGod confirms she's meant to be a modern Iago.

* BadAss: Love him or hate him, Matamoros can definitely handle himself.

''Hungover and Handcuffed'' is followed by a second book, Literature/AssholeYakuzaBoyfriend. A third book is due out in 2016.

* DistaffCounterpart: Mina is one for SamSpade and PhilipMarlowe.

* XanatosGambit: [[spoiler: Matamoros' entire plan is an elaborate ploy to get Mina to serve as his alibi, which he otherwise wouldn't have. It works.]]

* GenderFlip: For traditional film noir characters. Mina is the traditionally male HardboiledDetective and Linda is the FriendOnTheForce, while Matamoros fills the role of FemmeFatale, and Marty the [[Wounded Gazelle WoundedGazelleGambit]].

* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoilers: Mina spends the entirety of "Matamoros" trying to prevent a murder that's more or less inevitable by the time the story starts.]]

''Hungover and Handcuffed'' is available [[http://www.amazon.com/Hungover-Handcuffed-Mina-Davis-Book-ebook/dp/B00L1PKC2Y%3FSubscriptionId%3D0ENGV10E9K9QDNSJ5C82%26tag%3Dflatwave-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00L1PKC2Y here]], or you can start with "Get Tough" [[www.nicksblogamericain.com/gettough here]].

''Hungover and Handcuffed'' is available here.

* CruelAndUnusualPunishment: The cheese grater/lemon juice combo Jack uses on his victims.

** Mina is, at that point in time, TheShrinkingViolet and TheQuietOne.

* XanatosGambit: [[Matamoros's entire plan is an elaborate ploy to get Mina to serve as his alibi, which he otherwise wouldn't have. It works.]]

* AntiHero: Mina's an intensely negative, mean spirited, judgmental, and a borderline alcoholic... and she's the hero of all four stories.

** In the bonus story, Nice Guy is the TheLostLenore, Callet is the MagnificentBastard, and Lucy is roughly the FallenSidekick.

* BatmansGotAGun: Mina doesn't kill [[spoiler: unless you torture her with a cheese grater for a few hours first.]]
* BuryYourGays: Kinda. Lucy is a DeathByOriginStory example, but once the sequel establishes that most of the cast is queer, so it's retroactively more a case of AnyoneCanDie.
* CastFullOfGay/EveryoneIsBi: Kinda. Only Lucy's sexuality is made explicit in the first book, but WordOfGod establishes that Mina, Matamoros, and Callet are bi, while Linda is gay. In the cases of Mina and Linda, this is made explicit in the sequel. Matamoros and Callet have not yet reappeared, though apparently there are plans for them both to return.

* PrivateEyeMonologue: The entire book, from Mina.