"A grisly murder in New York City's downtown meat packing district leads hard-boiled crime writer Caitlin McCulough into the depths of a secret sadomasochistic underground populated by blood drinkers and pain enthusiasts, fetishists and cutting artists. A perverse playground for the rich and twisted where anything goes and nothing is taboo. A place that for Caitlin begins to feel inexplicably like home. But there is a killer in Caitlin's newfound tribe and the fledgling Domina must risk everything for find not only the truth about the events surrounding the night of the murder, but the dark truth hidden inside herself.

An incisively and stylishly written noir thriller on darkly erotic themes. Whereas most SM crime fiction seems to have been written by outsiders, Christa Faust brings both a love of the scene and a keen psychological insight to her material. Control Freak is a feast not only for those of us fond of the scene but also for any readers who dare to investigate their own sexual depths and discover the heights they contain. It is also a compelling novel of suspense." ~Ramsey Campell