Angel Dance by M.F. Beale

Introduces Kat, a Chicana detective who can fight her way through anything.

Summary :
'Kat is a Chicano detective who can fight her way through anything — the U.S. Marine Corps, CIA espionage, California swimming pools, S&M bars, even rape — anything except her passion for the beautiful Angele Stone, a best-selling feminist author certain people are out to destroy.' (from the publisher)
The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing calls this the first 'self-consciously feminist' mystery novel.