Customer Reviews

The Angel Singers: A Dick Hardesty Mystery

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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An admission: I'm prejudiced. Yes, I've read the other 11 volumes in the Dick Hardesty series, several times. Therefore, my expectations for the 12th were high. And my expectations were more than fulfilled in this well-written addition to the series..

The story line is complex - the murder of a member of a gay men's chorus that Jonathan has joined. Does the murder involve the chorus or is it just a coincidence that the victim is one of the singers? We read on to see how Dick solves the mystery, following various alternatives to the solution, to the final conclusion. We delight in the process as Dick questions himself, trying to separate his emotions from the evidence, and trying to resolve sub-plots that develop during his investigation.

The main reason I enjoy the Dick Hardesty series is the development of the characters: the continued growth of Dick as an individual and in his relationship with both Jonathan and as a parent of Joshua, the maturation of Jonathan as a complete character apart from Dick, and the presentation of Joshua as a true typical five year old.

Lastly, I want to comment as a member of a gay men's chorus. Not only has Dorien gotten his facts correct as to the organization of a chorus, and putting on a concert. He expertly relates the emotional values within a chorus - the relationships between the singers, the feeling of family, the love of music..

I recommend not just The Angel Singers, but the entire Dick Hardesty series.

Well, well, well, never say never. These days you can hardly surprise me, I read too much and too various to find something really original, and then I have my preconceptions that often prevent me to read a book or the other, even if maybe I like that author and I know that I will like even that book.

The Dick Hardesty Mystery series was something like that. I fought hard to not read it, not since I didn't like the previous book by Dorien Grey, quite the contrary, I like it, but since, let tell the truth, a series that is at its twelfth book? One, I'm not so fond of mysteries to be so crazy to start something that I already know it has 12 book of backlog, and two, I already was imagining this private investigator who was the classical example of lonely wolf, maybe even gay, but with no possible real good love story around, since it was impossible that the same hero was with the same person for all those books... and now probably the mystery lovers are ready to crucify me, since I know that there are out there famous "mystery" couple who lasted way more than 12 books. But I'm loosing the track of what I was saying.

I though, why not?, let's start from the last book, and if I like it, there is always time to go back to the previous ones. Since a mystery opens and closes with every book, I will have hardly trouble to get the feeling of the story even if I read only this one. And now I'm regretting my choice! Oh no, don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like Dick Hardesty, it's since I like him so much! Dick is in a long term relationship with Jonathan, a cute guy who is an angel, and they even have a little five years old child, Joshua, an orphan they took to live with them. And I'm eating my nails since I want to know when Dick met Jonathan, when they decided to live together, when Joshua entered their life... and I know, OMG, I know, that I will not have these answers by reading only the previous book, I probably will have to go back for many many books to have them... I'm starting to to have very bad feelings towards Dorien Grey to be so cruel, you can't possible write of so good characters and dosing their story in more books, it's like giving small doses to someone to get them addicted, very bad behaviour.

Anyway, after my vent towards the author, what can I say more on the book? Obviously I can't say more on the mystery, other than it was, on the contrary of other similar stories, more a search for "who didn't do it", the victim, Grant, was quite the less nice guy on the planet, and more or less, everyone who knows him wanted him dead. The mystery unravels in the very closet circle around Dick and his partner Jonathan, the killed guy was in the same choir of Jonathan, and him or / and Dick know all the people involved. At least, the author chose to be original, and Jonathan is never on the suspects list, I really don't like when the private investigator has to dig on his partner's life behind his back. But this is the only thing I will say, since the author never once implied it, and so it's no a big secret to unveal.

The story is told in first point of view by Dick, so it's him the main focus, but I found that both him than Jonathan are balanced. Being Jonathan not new to the past readers of the series, we have not much added info on him, and I had the impression of a good guy, a good substitute father for Joshua, and a man that can hardly have a bad bone on him, he is always ready to find the good side in people. On the other hand, Dick maybe is less naive, but all in all neither him is so hard and aloof; he ponders his judgment, but all in all, he has not the usual disillusioned attitude that seems so common for P.I.s. Actually Jonathan and Dick are an ordinary couple, with a good circle of friends and with a little nice family; they help each other in managing all of it with an easiness that comes from practice, but they are not leading towards habit. They still have a good relationship and even a healthy sexual life, even if, unluckily for us, Dorien Grey didn't spend so much time to make us share in their joy, but there are hints here and there that "dad and dad" still have their moment, and thanks to the practice mentioned above, they manage even now that Joshua is with them.

So yes, Dick Hardesty and his partner Jonathan are a nice surprise, I'm happy to have finally met them, and it was good to read their story; it was refreshing for once to have an hero of a mystery series who has an ordinary life, a family, a comfortable home. I'm true, I was more interested to read of this, even of the little trouble they had in raising a little child, rather than to find who killed Grant, maybe since Grant was not a nice guy, and so I was not compelled to find out. Despite the matter, the story of Dick and Jonathan is light, sometime even funny (search for the scene when five years old Joshua comes home to announce that he has a girlfriend...), but the mystery in the background is not: the author manages to bring on both plots in parallel, each one with its own specific mood, and only in the last chapter, better in the last sentence, the two path cross. And it's again a proof that Dick ponders, and seldom lets his gut having the better on his mind (see how he reacts when the mystery is arriving to the end), and instead Jonathan lets always his heart leading him.

Dick Hardesty is somewhat amused when his younger life-partner,

Jonathan, tells him about the petty jealousies, gossip and

backstabbing among the other members of the gay men's chorus in which Jonathan sings. But when one of those members, who made several enemies in the group, is murdered, private investigator Hardesty is hired by the chorus' board to look into the possibility of another member being responsible. Coordinating his investigation with a local gay-friendly police detective, Dick interviews the chorus members who had run-ins with the dead man, as well as his older benefactor/lover, who was also a primary financial backer of the chorus. The investigation leads to the son of the dead man's co-worker, a hustler who frequents a local bar, a former associate involved in art fraud, and a tragic incident in one member's childhood that should have been looked at more carefully at the time.

I've come late to the author's Dick Hardesty mysteries, and this is

actually the first and only book I have read in that series. After

clearing up some confusion as to the time setting (The series takes

place about 15-20 years ago), I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially the "everyman" quality he manages to convey with each character, making the read seem like it could be about people you know. Though I guessed the "whodunit" before Dick did, he admits later on that he sometimes misses obvious clues (which is understandable, when you are that close to the action) while his readers may not. An original approach, and one that I like. Looks like I have a series to catch up on! I'll give the book five harmonious stars out of five.

This is the twelfth, and most explosive, Dick Hardesty story.

In some ways I was quite relieved when Grant died. He was, to put no finer point on it, a bastard. And he isn't the only bastard to meet his end during the unwinding of this complex tale.

It's difficult to talk about the gripping main mystery plot without spoiling it for the reader. Suffice to say, Dick's loved ones are put in grave peril because of it. His investigations also bring him back in contact with the delightful Iris and Arnold Glick. Alas we saw little of his friends, Jared, Jake, Phil and Tim.

Dick's personal life continues to enthral. Joshua is a delight. He's a typical five-year-old kid. By which I mean, he's moody, melodramatic and messy, but still loveable. Grey does an awesome job in writing about life with a pre-schooler.

Jonathan. What can I say about this guy that I've not said before? He has grown from the innocent and naïve man who first appeared in Dick's life several stories back. His increased maturity is natural and believable. However, there still remains an essence of trustfulness and a willingness to try to find good in everyone he meets. The closing of the story had me blinking away tears at just how true this last statement is.

Once again, Dorien Grey writes a winner! This book adds another layer to the ongoing story of Dick, Jonathon, and Joshua. I love how the characters aren't perfect. They handle things like everyone else. Dick and Jonathon have real struggles and Joshua is a typical 5 year old. The mystery is great, and kept me going back an forth on who I thought it was. If you haven't read any of Grey's books this one is a treat and you will want to go back and read more.

Laurie

Knowing that the new Dick Hardesty book was due, I recently re-read the

first eleven books in the series. Today I finished book twelve "The

Angel Singers". Like a good wine Dorien Grey only improves with age (of

course I have no idea of his real age) but he continues to make me feel that Dick, Jonathan and Joshua are members of my extended family. I

only hope that he continues with the series as well as continuing with

more books after "His Name Is John"