Does Sex In Thrillers Bother You?

Lately, I have had a few people tell me they don’t like sex in thrillers.

To each his own.

I get it. I really do. But let’s break this down for a minute. When have you had some of the best sex in your life? I bet it was when you were really mad at your partner, or scared, or so wound up you needed a release.

This is why my Damien Kaine Thriller Series has sex. Along with cursing and some pretty heinous murders. Those are my favorite.

Most often, the sex scenes come after a pretty intense moment. Like when Dillon interviewed Jason Freestone in book 2. He revealed to her some pretty disgusting things about the murders he committed in book 1. She had to sit there and listen, keeping her composure. When she came back to her and Damien’s home, they had a very intense sex scene. It wasn’t filled with soft kisses. She needed a release. Mentally and physically. She needed to feel human after what she had just gone through.

Now, if any of you know a police officer, specifically a detective in homicide, narcotics, or vice, you are probably aware of what they go through. If not, let me give you an idea.

One year, I went to San Francisco to do two weeks of reserve duty for the Coast Guard. I was rooming with another boat crew member who was a homicide detective.

She told me about a case they had a long time ago. A man killed his wife and kids on Christmas Day. Homicide detectives see a lot of nasty shit. Most of it never gets reported in the news. Detectives also have the keen ability to compartmentalize things. Walking into a crime scene where kids have been murdered is one of the most difficult things to see.

She explained it wasn’t until one detective found the cat strung up in the bathroom that the demeanor of all involved changed. The father had hung the cat from the shower curtain rod and it was clear the cat struggled violently before dying. This triggered those on scene. Seems odd, right? How could the kids not trigger them? The ability to compartmentalize the death of children is something, unfortunately, a lot of detectives learn to do. Or else they can't do their job. I can’t explain to you how that works, but when you see horrible things daily, your brain works differently.

It protects you.

My time in the Coast Guard afforded me the ability to learn this. A lot of our missions were recovery missions of people who jumped off the Mackinac Bridge. If you have never recovered a body from that kind of fall and after being submerged in the water, let me just say it is an unpleasant sight.

I learned to compartmentalize early. Not just from my time in the military, but from events throughout my life.

Some may choose to use an addiction to deal with their experiences, whether it is alcohol, drugs, or sex. They need an escape.

I have a friend who was a narcotics officer. Did a lot of undercover work. I asked him about sex. How did his job affect him and his wife? He said there were times he just needed to have sex with her. No sweet, caring love making. Raw, unfiltered sex. He also said if it hadn’t been for his wife, he would be dead or an addict.

This is why I have sex in this series and other thrillers I have written that are on deck to be published.

My degree is in forensic chemistry. I craft my crime fiction books to be as close to real life as I can.

You may not like or agree with it, sex in thrillers, but hopefully knowing it isn’t just for pornographic reasons, may allow you to cut me and other authors some slack. Not that I care… I’m still going to write this series and others this way.

My scenes are not behind close doors or fade to black… they are in your face. I make no apologies for that.

My sex scenes are not for shock and awe. They are written for a purpose and drive the story forward. If they didn't, I wouldn't have them in my novels.

This is something that authors have to be conscious of, though. If you have sex in your books, you also need to make sure you are marketing to the right audience. Or at least make sure you let the readers know upfront what your books contain. I do this on my blurb pages with a simple disclosure.

I do have a paranormal series, The Derek Reed series, with no sex.

Grab book 1, Innocence Taken, and give Damien Kaine a chance. You never know, you just might find you really like this series.

Oh, I’m Italian. The family interactions are based on my family. Italians are crazy, fun, and loud. At least my family is.