Mysteries in the Key of Gay

DiscussãoGay Men

Entre no LibraryThing para poder publicar.

Mysteries in the Key of Gay

Este tópico está presentemente marcado como "inativo" —a última mensagem tem mais de 90 dias. Reative o tópico publicando uma resposta.

1richardderus
Abr 2, 2007, 4:00 pm

Anyone else out there an avid mystery reader, who prefers the sleuth(s) to be queerer than the mystery itself? (Sorry for the bad pun.)

I enjoy the light, fluffy child-actor-turned-sleuth series The Actor's Guide to... Murder; ...Adultery; ...Greed, and hopefully so on. The sleuth's marriage to a hot LA cop is the convenient "in" for the amateur into the professional's world. Their fabulous-not-glamourous life together as an out couple in a sometimes unfriendly police world is a hoot. The cop-husband's ex-wife, a County Coroner, is nicely presented as a friendly evil bitch, which I think is a damn good trick myself. The wacky best friend/career manager is the hag's hag...she's fabulous (of course), fat, fortyish, and rich PLUS possessed of a libido the size of Denmark (anyone else ever notice how phallic-looking Denmark is?). Rick Copp, the author, is a recovering sitcom writer, and it sometimes feel like that in his doalogue and scene construction, but I'm in for the ride because it's a genuine pleasure to read the author's prose.

I've read several other gay-sleuth mystery series, but I'd like to get opinions...what fluff do y'all read?

2lilithcat
Abr 2, 2007, 4:42 pm

Oh, oh, oh! Fluff! Have you ever read George Baxt's Pharoah Love series? Gay, black cop? Written in the '60s? Baxt also wrote a series of "Hollywood" mysteries, like The Tallulah Bankhead Murder Case, The Noel Coward Murder Case, and the like.

3richardderus
Abr 3, 2007, 3:25 pm

I've read Pharoah Love, in the 1970s...never read the Hollywood mysteries, though, do you recommend them, lilithcat?

4mcoy Primeira Mensagem
Abr 12, 2007, 2:20 pm

I am also a greedy reader of gay mysteries. My favourite series are the Joseph Hansen Dave Brandstetter books, the Michael Nava Henry Rios books, and from the 80's the Nathan Aldyne series based in Provincetown: four titles, Slate, Vermilion, Canary, Cobalt. Alyson Pub. has reissued Vermilion fairly recently. Of course Richard Stevenson is also a gay writer of mysteries (the Donald Strachey series) not to be missed, including the recent television production of his book SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM now out on DVD. Glad to provide more background or discussion of these series if you wish. Phil M.

5lilithcat
Abr 12, 2007, 2:36 pm

What? There was a TV production of Shock to the system : a Donald Strachey mystery? Why didn't I know about this?

6mcoy
Abr 14, 2007, 4:43 pm

The movie of Shock to the System was released on DVD on Feb. 13 2007. I have it on order from Amazon and am anxious to see if it is as good as the amazon reviewers say. The book Third Man Out has also been made into a movie and was released on DVD Aug. 8 2006. Both are listed on Amazon with all attached reviewss and data. Phil M.

7lilithcat
Abr 15, 2007, 11:57 am

Thanks! I will check them out.

8yaniboy Primeira Mensagem
Abr 17, 2007, 3:29 am

I don't know how easy they would be to get over in America, but I quite enjoyed two of the books by Australian author Phillip Scott, Gay Resort Murder Shock and Get Over It!... more amateur sleuths than hardcore detectives... but nice and fluffy.

9kjharrison Primeira Mensagem
Maio 14, 2007, 8:33 am

How come nobody mentioned the Benjamin Justice series?

10e-zReader Primeira Mensagem
Nov 9, 2007, 1:08 am

I just read (in Sept.) Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders by Gyles Brandreth. It's Wilde meets Conan-Doyle. If you like mysteries with gay situations you may like this one. Gyles Brandreth has written a couple of these mysteries with Wilde as the central character but Candlelight is the only one I've read.

Dan

11Libncourt Primeira Mensagem
Jan 23, 2008, 10:53 pm

I enjoy Zimmerman's "Todd Mills" series: Tribes was the first title; another is Innuendo. There are only three or four, unfortunately. I keep looking for more, but so far no luck!

12klaidlaw
Mar 7, 2008, 2:14 pm

I too enjoyed Zimmerman's books, but haven't seen anew one in ages.

13ree-raw
Mar 29, 2008, 11:30 am

It's been awhile since I've read any gay mysteries, but years ago I would devour them -- I guess back then finding gay protagonists in ANY books was both titillating in some ways but also life-affirming. I've read many of those that mccoy mentioned. I don't think anyone has mentioned The Closet Hanging and The Glory Hole Murders by Tony Fennelly - as I recall, both were fun.

14alans
Editado: Abr 1, 2008, 9:43 am

I recently finished reading The Back Passage
by James Leary, it was excellent. It was short-listed
for a lambda book award last year. This is a gay
take-off of Gosford Park with the Cambridge
graduate as the sleuth. There is much sexual
goings-on in the country estate where our hero
is vacationing, lots of hot sex and wonderful
mysterious intrigue. A great fun read and incredibly
gay positive and gay affirming.

15LarryJay
Abr 2, 2008, 9:35 pm

This is my first time here, that's why I didn't mention Benjamin Justice. Think I've read all of them and look for new ones. As I recall is the last one had HIV. Thought that might have signaled the end of the series. I'm not sure what forms discussions of books take here, lets see what develops.

I've read most of the authors mentioned here. some so long ago, I hardly remember them. I'll get ”Shock to the System“ through Netflix. Can anyone recommend anything else?

16ExVivre
Abr 15, 2008, 6:34 pm

Michael Craft has two mystery series out: the seven book Mark Manning series and the four book Claire Gray mysteries. I've read most of the Manning books and they were pretty good. The series have cross-over characters, too.

17richardderus
Abr 23, 2008, 10:39 pm

As both a mystery and alternate-history fan, as well as a lifelong queer, I love the mystery/alternate history series "Still Life With Fascists" that Jo Walton is writing: Farthing and Ha'Penny so far, with Half-a-Crown coming out this September (if my young swain is reading this, remember my birthday's in September...). The police inspector is a gay man in a time and place where that was not just risky, but close to suicidal. He's in love with and lives with his former bat-man from his WWI army days. How his queerness plays into the plot is very telling and very nicely handled by author Walton, who gets huge bouquets of imaginary roses from me for her superb craftspersonship in these excellent novels.

Lord, how I can rattle on, can't I?

18e-zReader
Jun 2, 2008, 9:12 pm

A few weeks ago I finished reading two murder mysteries by Samuel Steward. The Caravaggio Shawl and Murder is Murder is Murder featuring Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas as the Holmes and Watson of 1930's Paris. The "Caravaggio" book is better than "Murder" but both are good if you are into knowing more about the home life of Stein and Toklas. Steward was a close friend of both women. They may not be easy to find (I got them through E-ZBorrow/ILL) so let me know if I can help.

19pondelro
Jul 1, 2008, 7:38 am

Michael Nava's series with Henry Rios are some of the favorite mysteries. I also just read a couple of mysteries by David Stukas, "Going Down for the Count" and "Somebody Killed His Boyfriend". Both are light but entertaining.

20richardderus
Jul 4, 2008, 9:24 pm

>19 pondelro: pondelro, I think the David Stukas series is hilarious, and lots of guiltless fun. Sex, sun, boys. Not too shabby!

>18 e-zReader: e-zReader, I have ordered The Caravaggio Shawl just to see what this odd, interesting idea is like in execution! Thanks for pointing it out.

Mr. Man, as I call my {insert your favorite spousal equivalent term here}, gave me a lovely gift this evening: Nightcrawlers by Bill Pronzini. He loves the Nameless Detective, and this one has a gay plot involving Vanessa, Nameless's partner, who loses her son-in-law to a murderer of gay men. Of course it's gone unremarked if not unmentioned in previous books that Vanessa's son-in-law is her son's husband, which I actually quite like.

Hope it's good....

21Matt451
Ago 13, 2008, 6:47 pm

I like the Mysteries of Greg Herren; Bourbon Street Blues , Jackson Square Jazz , and Mardi Gras Mambo . They all take place in New Orleans and they star a go-go boy truned PI. The first one Bourbon Street Bluse involves a plot by a right wing republican to flood New Orleans so he'll win the election for Governor.

22alans
Ago 15, 2008, 1:53 pm

I'm currently reading the fourth and final book in
the series by Dean James about his gay vampire sleuth and I'm just hating this. The book is a total
waste of time and a repitition of all of the other books in the series. This one is called Baked to Death.

23richardderus
Ago 15, 2008, 2:43 pm

>21 Matt451: Matt...and Greg Herren wrote that two or three years before Katrina. Imagine. But now here I am assuming that there is some sort of relationship between Republicans, the right wing, and disasters that are allowed to happen. Shame on me.

>22 alans: alans, I so hate it when a series ends on a low note. I will never, ever forgive Joseph Hansen for the end of the Dave Brandstetter series, A Country of Old Men. Just never ever.

24PhoenixTerran
Ago 15, 2008, 2:48 pm

The only one that I've read (so far) was Tapas on the Ramblas by Anthony Bidulka. I enjoyed it well enough. I don't read many mysteries, and it was fun.

25richardderus
Ago 15, 2008, 3:20 pm

>24 PhoenixTerran: phoenix, there are so many good choices on this thread that I hope can pique your interest in trying some more mystery fiction! Come on in, the water's fine.

26PhoenixTerran
Ago 15, 2008, 3:31 pm

Just what I need...more books on the mountainous pile that is known as To Be Read. :-) Thanks for the invite--I'll definitely see if I can track down some of these at the library.

27BallyMan
Set 18, 2008, 8:46 pm

I just finished Amuse Bouche by Anthony Bidulka. He is a great addition to the mystery genre, just wish I had discovered him earlier. Does anyone have recommendations on gay mystery DVD'S?

28richardderus
Set 18, 2008, 9:38 pm

Shock to the System was well done. Chad Allen is well-cast as the sleuth Don Strachy and his partner Timmy, played by an actor I hadn't heard of before called Sebastian Spence whose performance was a show-stealer for me. Understated, real acting.

The here! network people also produced Third Man Out, another Don Strachy series book, and it was good as well; not quite as good, though.

29ginpit
Out 11, 2008, 11:24 am

I share this enthusiasm. Josh Lanyon's bookseller Adrien English is my favourite US sleuth: responsible, both scatty and practical, would-be monogamous but realistic about firmly in-the-closet LAPD Detective boyfriend Jake, and really hots up nicely~ what's not to love about him? Unlike some series, Adriens do not spew forth in profusion, but I think a new one is due about now.

Glasgow DS Jas Anderson is the overpoweringly tough yet tender creation of the protean Jack Dickson (try his delirious, delicious tour of the Highlands in 'Still Waters', and marvel at his totally different voice there). In 'Freeform', 'Banged Up' and 'Some Kind of Love' Jas will take you to the edge and over. Get in plenty of tissues (yes, you will cry, too).

No books appear to have come from Dickson since 2001, and I hope this man of several careers has not forsaken writing for good.

30gaymystery
Nov 30, 2008, 11:55 pm

I am new to LT and newer still to this group. As you might have guessed from my moniker, I collect gay mysteries. I have 597 books listed on LT along with 12 reference works for background on gay mysteries. My Profile describes the collection - it is focused on works with an out gay/bisexual sleuth who actually solves the crime including novels, anthologies with short stories, plays, screenplays, and teleplays in print (no ebooks, comics, manga or graphic novels). The books cross genres in addition to traditional mysteries and include science fiction, horror, thriller, espionage, and paranormal. But all involve a murder and sleuthing to solve the crime. In coming months I'll be adding works with a secondary gay character and/or nontraditional mysteries. Ask me about any of the books listed.

Warning: some of the works are erotica, many pulp works from the 60s through early 80s. I have been thinking I should tag them as such to help folks avoid them if not interested.

31alans
Dez 18, 2008, 12:32 pm

Gaymystery, your collection sounds astonishing. Do you plan to put together a bibliography? I have to check out your lt listing to see what you have there.
Good for you! Do you find it difficult to locate the older
material?

32gaymystery
Dez 18, 2008, 9:06 pm

#31: Thanks, alans. Three excellent bibiliographies are tagged in my library as "reference." If you get only one, I highly recommend Wayne Gunn's "Gay Male Sleuth in Print and Film." It is authoritative, comprehensive and just plain entertaining to read. It covers 1953 - 2004. I have enjoyed working with Wayne in the intervening years to update the list. He hopes a second edition will come out in 2013 or so. My library is up to date with all the books we have discovered between 2005 and 2007. Some of the books published in 2008 are posted in my library. There are another 20 or so being reviewed to determine if they meet the criteria (are they mysteries and is the mystery solved by a lead character that is out gay). Watch in coming weeks as I add more.

The other two I recommend are Markowitz's "The Gay Detective Novel." Its organization is frustrating but she includes interesting author interviews. She covers lesbian sleuths as well as gay men. The oldest is Slide's "Gay and Lesbian Characters and Themes in Mystery Novels". While out of date (and print) it is too is very interesting to read - he covers books of gay interest even if the sleuth is not gay so his definition is broader than the other two bibliographies.

As to your question of difficulty in locating older material: not necessarily. For example, "The Heart In Exile," considered to be the first "gay mystery" published in 1953, is readily available in several editions, including hardcover firsts. As are Baxt and Rand.

The books on the list that are considered erotic pulps from the 60s, 70s, and 80s vary in availability. I have 10 such books on my search list (thus, not posted on LT since I include only books I own) that I have been looking for over the past 5 years since I started collecting. While specialty dealers can be helpful the internet is the best source. These books can range in price from $2 to $150 depending on rarity, scarcity, desirablility and condition. And you can never tell what may happen: one book took me more than 4 years of searching to locate and then within a 3 week period I found 4 copies.

Interestingly, some contemporary works are impossible to find. For example, 4 books published between 1994 and 2006 by small or print-on-demand publishers or self published are on my search list (again, not posted on LT) and virtually nonexistant on the market.

Ask any additional questions; as you can tell, I enjoy talking about the topic.

33alans
Dez 19, 2008, 11:46 am

Very interesting Gaymystery, I printed up your list
and at some point i'm going to try and read the ones that are available to me. I'm surprised to see that Jonathan Kellerman has so many items with a gay central hero. I didn't know he did this in his work as I've never read him. It's all very fascinating. I really find interesting your story about searching for years and then finding multiple copies of the same book! I know in the city where I live there are print and paper fairs where dealers sell all sorts of books and I imagine you can find some pulps there. Although they probably already advertise on the web.

34gaymystery
Dez 19, 2008, 3:19 pm

#33:
Hey alans. Kellerman is an interesting situation. Milo, a detective with LA police, is the character. The books are narrated by Alex Delaware as the central character. Milo is sometimes very central and in other cases peripheral to the story. In recent books we learn more about Milo and his partner, who is a physician, and their home life. Milo is starting to take center stage more frequently with his own scenes and subplots. Milo struggles in the homophobic environment of the LAPD. The same is true for the gay character in Reginald Hill's series. Gunn includes both series in his bibliography as primary characters because they are in so many books, are frequently heavily involved in the cases and, in some books are key to solving the case. Strictly speaking they aren't the central characters. But they are more than secondary, so they are included.

35gcoupe
Jan 8, 2009, 11:31 am

Sorry, I'm coming late to this thread, but perhaps some of you will find the series of Lucifer Box novels written by Mark Gatiss to fall firmly into this camp (camp being the word).

He's written three so far:
- The Vesuvius Club
- The Devil in Amber
- Black Butterfly

I'm halfway through the second, and enjoying them immensely.

Gatiss is an interesting character in his own right. Not only an author of books and television pieces (League of Gentlemen, Dr. Who episodes), but also an actor and producer.

36Charliepepper
Jan 14, 2009, 4:15 pm

Does anyone know if David Stukas is still writing? I loved his Robert, Monette and Michael series of books and believe a fifth was in the offing, but nothing seems to have materialised and I can't track down any information.

37e-zReader
Jan 27, 2009, 8:36 am

I'm just finishing up The Back Passage by James Lear. It's an English country house murder mystery with good old fashion sex in every chapter. Very funny and a very tongue-in-cheek (pun intended) poke at Agatha Christie.

38twilightfan1
Jan 28, 2009, 5:38 pm

WHOA!! idn there were gay ppl on this site ... not that i have a problem with it cause i dont...

39twilightfan1
Jan 28, 2009, 5:38 pm

WHOA!! idn there were gay ppl on this site ... not that i have a problem with it cause i dont...

40richardderus
Abr 3, 2009, 11:34 am

I received, unpacked, cataloged, and finished First You Fall by Scott Sherman. Flawed, a first novel for sure, but very funny in many places, poignant in others, and a worthwhile read. Gay rent-boy sleuth has never resolved his feelings for closet-case first love; they meet again when rent-boy's good friend allegedly commits suicide, and first love is one of the cops investigating; hijinks ensue.

For a book featuring a rent-boy, there is surprisingly little...ummm, well, a fast consultation shows NONE...no graphic sex in the book. The author talks about sex a lot, but that's sorta what you expect in a book with this main character. That SHOULD win over a mainstream audience. There was only marginally less sex in the Brandstetter mysteries by Joseph Hansen, and they were hugely popular.

The mystery aspects of the book weren't its strongest selling points. I was sure I knew who the murderer was, and I was right; I had the murderer's motive all wrong, though, and that made a nice surprise. The satisfying resolution to the red herrings strongly appealed to my orderly side. The romantic complications were believable, and while I have never been a rent-boy (never pretty enough), I have been down the road that Kevin, our main character, traveled, though without the happy ending. Life so needs a better script, don't y'all agree?

Recommended for mystery fans, straight or gay, who like to root for the underdog to win; also to fans of the reluctant sleuth genre. The truly homophobic should not even try this book. The mildly, "ewww ick" homophobic might see something worthwhile here.

41klaidlaw
Editado: Abr 15, 2009, 11:03 am

Well, yes, Twilightfan1, it just goes to show we are everywhere, even in libraries.

42Jannes
Editado: Abr 18, 2009, 8:47 am

Owen Hill's "The Chandler Apartments" Features a bisexual Book Dealer/Amateur Investigator from Berkeley, and is an excelent neo-noir read if you can get hold of it.

I've personally always been convinced that there's something going on between Holmes and Watson, but I'm not sure that counts...

43anniika
Abr 25, 2009, 10:37 pm

I'll second ginpit's rec for Josh Lanyon's Adrien English series. I've read all four installments and was thoroughly engaged to the point of missing my trainstop. Lanyon's writing is witty, his characters are compelling and the sex scenes are both hot and plot driven. I've read better-mystery mysteries, but Adrien is definitely my favorite American sleuth. Don't read them on the train!

44Kaysbooks
Abr 29, 2009, 2:29 am

Well, maybe I missed something here but the friends of gay detectives definitely should read the funny detectives from Grant Michaels. He invented Stan Kraychik, the gay hair dresser (yes, a hair dresser) solving all kinds of crimes with the help of an unfortunately straight hunk....
Try it!

45NickEngler
Dez 31, 2009, 12:02 am

Hi all. I'm new to LT and this group. Reading through the messages I've seen many suggestions I've not read or even heard of, but have also read many not mentioned I would recommend. I would defininitely back the recommendations on David Stupak, Gregg Herren, Michael Nava, Grant Michaels and the others.

I was a big fan of Nathan Aldyne and the "colors" series in the early 80s -- Canary, Slate, and Vermillion, but am not sure about their availability. The Gordianus series by Steven Saylor are among the best, although the cental characters are not usually gay however there are definitiely gay scenes and sensibilities, and some of the scenes become central in some of his erotic writings. The Neil Plakcey Mahu series is excellent although I think the first one has probably the best portrayal of Hawaiin culture. I just finished L.A. Heat by PD Brown (?), a first novel that is fairly gory but could be the beginning of a very readable series. Don't we all just love big hairy beary gay cops? And the Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown books are also very entertaining.

I've noticed that many of the gay writers seem to write 3 or 4 or 5 novels and then quit. I have a feeling the market may not reinforce them enough financially to make all that hard work worthwhile which could explain David Stupak's "disappearance." I'd welcome a new one by him, if anyone can put in a word. Good reading

46sfhally
Jan 31, 2010, 12:47 am

His webiste is up for sale so I'm assuming that means he's gone.

47ChrisGonzalezLibrary
Fev 20, 2015, 12:51 pm

I don't check this site often enough. Almost all of the writers and titles here are among CGLA collection. I recommend Mark R. Zubro- a prolific writer ( 20+) with more still appearing. I'll try and check out those names I don't recognize. M.Bohr

48ChrisGonzalezLibrary
Fev 20, 2015, 12:53 pm

Too many authors I've enjoyed over the years were lost to aids after only 1 or 2 titles- I hate that. M B

49ChrisGonzalezLibrary
Fev 20, 2015, 12:58 pm

Hello. We probably have many titles in common. Would love to talk some time Mike

51PetterKringberg
Jan 2, 2016, 12:37 pm

One of my favourites is Laurie R King's books about Kate Martinelli. DI Martinelli is a SFPD Detective whose journey towards coming out at work is one of the common denominator of the books.