Mysteries

[dick_nyc]

I am a big fan of mysteries. I especially like those mysteries that are set in areas that I have visited and where the author writes in such a way that you can almost feel the atmosphere there. A very good example of that (as kjun could probably agree) is James Lee Burke who sets most of his mysteries in Louisiana close to New Orleans. I have been there a couple of times and remember the humidity the most. When you read Burke's mysteries you can almost feel the humidity in the air. John D McDonald writes about Florida and since he was a big supporter of ecology especially writes about the over-development and the encroachment on the Everglades. One that people have probably never heard of is Jonathan Valin who writes about Cincinnati. He wrote several in which the victim of the crime was gay and in one case he even got into the S&M scene. He himself is not gay but he is gay-sympathetic and writes very well about the gay scene. Jane Haddam wrote one which I read recently which had to do with pedophile priests and the affect on the churches of that. In her story there is an episcopal church across the street from a catholic church in Philadelphia and the episcopal minister is a closet gay with a big gay ministry (actually the church description reminds me of "Smoke Mary's off Times Square - for those not from New York that is the church St Mary the Virgin).

 

What triggered this posting is that I am now re-reading the Fletch books and have gotten to the "Carioca Fletch" which of course takes place in Brazil. At the time I read it the first time I had never been to Rio and really knew nothing about Brazil. Now I started reading it and the first few pages have Fletch sitting at a sidewalk cafe on Avenida Atlantico in Copacabana and he is describing what he sees. There are a couple of samba bands playing and he describes how the people seem to instinctively move to the rhythm of the samba. He describes how he can see 14 beach soccer games from where he is sitting and that he can see all the way from Leme to Arpaodar. I closed my eyes and I was there all over again and I could see the same things he was talking about. I saw the men who create the sand sculptures on the beach and the men walking by with the shorts, sandals and briefcases and the women in their bikinis and carrying their string shopping bags. I am looking forward to reading the descriptions of the "capoeiristas" which are an important part of the book because I saw a couple of them when I was in Rio. He also describes men exercising on the bars along the beach and the bicyclists and the kids begging for coins.

 

I know most of these really have nothing to do with gays but I just thought I would toss it out there for what it is worth (before anyone says anything, I know it is not worth much - after all I am a Republican).

[seaboy4hire]

Check out Jack Hyde "The Red Fox" I've read the book three times and had a hard time putting it down all three times.

 

Hugs,

Greg

Greg Seattle Wa seaboy4hire@yahoo.com

http://www.male4malescorts.com/reviews/gregseattle.html http://briefcase.yahoo.com/seaboy4hire

[Bilbo]

I'll never know, I suppose, if places like St. Mary Meade (Have I got it right, Miss Marple?) actually exist, but I love visiting there in books. Now a man who manages a book store here in Houston which specializes in mysteries has written a series (at least two so far) of mysteries which take me there again along an odd route. His detective is a gay American vampire living in rural England.

 

Tony Hillerman, of course.

 

And I've discovered a slight but enjoyable series about an Inspector and his housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, who actually solves his cases for him, in Victorian England, close by to Sherlock, I think. - Emily Brightwell.

 

And let's not forget the humorous New England of "An Owl Too Many" (or words to that effect). Is that Martha Grimes? (My memory for names - tich, tich.)

[kjun]

>(before anyone says anything, I know it is not worth much -

>after all I am a Republican).

 

Oh, how could you say that publicly. Think of your family.

 

the Cajun

[dick_nyc]

As someone who grew up in a very beautiful area where the only Democrat who ever carried the area was FDR and that only in 1932, if I were anything other than a proud Republican my family would disown me. I realize that is not the experience of most of the people here but that is where I grew up and it worked very well indeed (2 % unemployment and very low crime rate and very good schools - far better than the ones around where I live here in New York).

 

Even the New Yorkers would have to admit that Rudy was far better than Dinkins.

[Trixie]

I'm reading a nice little mystery called "Fingersmith" by British author Sarah Waters. I'm only a third of the way through, so I can't say much about it, other than I'm enjoyig it.

Trix