Investigation and truth
This is Jill's primary focus. Although she enjoys her sexual liaisons with Diana, she is secretly always motivated by solving Mickey's murder, and she is thirsty for the real truth, wanting to piece together how all the people in Mickey's life might have been involved. This theme becomes poignant when Jill is asked to consider a likelihood she would rather ignore: Perhaps Diana was secretly involved. She has to understand the truth about a person's dark side whom she loves.
Sexuality and danger
This novel is not shy about sexuality. With erotic asphyxiation, cheating wives, orgies, and more, the novel is blatant about sexual adventure. But, the novel doesn't let the characters get away with their extreme behavior, because the novel also shows that sexuality has a dark side. For instance, when Jill learns about Mickey's death, she learns that sex games were taken too far, and she lost her life during sex. This shows that some kinds of sexual exploration merit caution.
Poetry and the lust for life
The other important theme of the story is poetry. Mickey's poetry helps Jill to understand the shape of her emotional life, which is full of desire and lust for life. Mickey wants experience, and she pursues human experience as effectively as she can possibly manage. Not only is she a poet, so also are all of her lovers. They are suitable partners to Mickey because they also share Mickey's poetic thirst for life. Diana, Bill, and Tony are all poets.
