Customer Reviews

Best Murder of the Year: A Rick Domino Mystery

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This surprising "inside" Hollywood mystery is a delightful romp through the seedy world of Hollywood. It is delightfully satirical of Hollywood and its ways and waywardness. Though very funny, it is also suspenseful and engaging. Perhaps the most delightful gay comedy/mystery since the wonderful Aldyne series and the Grant Michaels masterpieces.

Pushes close to the edge of heavyhandedness, but does not cross it. A good, fast read! Recommended!

What a treat! - a main character who is gay, out, proud and scandalously funny, without a homosexual angst ridden bone in his body.
Because the book takes place in Hollywood (generally) and the Academy Awards (specifically) there is a lot of affectionate-yet-cynical humor aimed at the entertainment industry. There are a few actual laugh-right-out-loud commentaries. If Hollywood was REALLY this much fun, there would be much better films coming out of it!
The mystery is complex - admittedly, I never in a million years could have figured it out - but the real joy is the writing style...and the welcome introduction of an outrageous gay character who is not unhappy, unsure, unclear or depressed.
This is one mystery that screams "make a movie out of me!"

For the seventh year, Hollywood gossip columnist Rick Domino hosts a live pre-show broadcast of the Academy Awards. Rick has mixed feelings about this year's show because his lover actor Shane Kirk is up for a Best Actor award. He is proud that Shane received the nomination, but disappointed that his beloved refuses to come out of the closet and acknowledge that he is gay let alone in a relationship with Rick. Adding to that insult is the fact that Shane is keeping a straight image by escorting best actress nominee Tara Perez to the ceremony.

Though Rick has to share the spotlight with predator Mitzie McGuire, their show goes over relatively smoothly though Rick does less clothing dissing of the attendees than usual as he mopes over Shane. Afterward Rick looks for Shane only to find his beloved near the corpse of Tara. The police arrive as Shane shouts his innocence and Rick is nearer to the corpse and holding the murder weapon that he picked off the ground. Though the police arrest Rick, homicide detective Terry Zane thinks things are too pat. He and Rick investigate the Hollywood scene as only a veteran police officer and a catty gossip columnist could do.

The who-done-it is fun to follow as the obviously gay Rick and his new partner the straight Terry make a humorous team who uncover a lot of Hollywood secrets during their investigation. However what makes THE BEST MURDER OF THE YEAR so enjoyable is not the homicide or the inquiries, but the satirical look at Hollywood at its most pompous and even more subtly strips the invincibility of the mystery genre fictional superstars. The movies that the nominees star in are hilarious and worth the read by themselves. Fans of a tongue in cheek (not saying which one) will want to read the adventures of Rick Domino in the world of make believe.

Harriet Klausner

This surprising "inside" Hollywood mystery is a delightful romp through the seedy world of Hollywood. It is delightfully satirical of Hollywood and its ways and waywardness. Though very funny, it is also suspenseful and engaging. Perhaps the most delightful gay comedy/mystery since the wonderful Aldyne series and the Grant Michaels masterpieces.

Pushes close to the edge of heavyhandedness, but does not cross it. A good, fast read! Recommended!

When the beautiful winner of the best actress Oscar is murdered outside the theater, all the evidence points to Rick Domino, gay movie gossip columnist. After all, Tara Perez just stole Rick's boyfriend, his fingerprints are on the gun whose bullets are inside Tara, and he was found standing over the body. The only problem is, Rick knows he didn't do it. Now he has one week to find out who did--and find a way to keep himself alive while he does it. Fortunately, one of the arresting cops decides to take some time off to help Rick look--or is he simply trying to get more evidence for the State? Rick sets off to investigate Hollywood and finds that there were plenty of other people with motive and opportunity to kill Tara. She cheated, lied, and slept her way to the top, and Hollywood doesn't forget. But motive isn't enough when the prosecution has all the physical evidence it needs to convict Rick.

Author Jon P. Bloch writes convincingly of a Hollywood where sexual roles are blurred by secrets and fear of being 'outed' can cause almost any crime. Rick manages to meet the standard stereotypes but in a believable and sympathetic way.

Although Rick's investigations are entertaining and believable, the wrapup to BEST MURDER OF THE YEAR was not. Frequent mystery readers might guess the killer's identity, but Bloch didn't really deliver the clues to give us a sense of satisfaction in figuring it out. The resolution of the sexual tension between the gay Rick and his straight cop-sidekick also seemed a little forced--less clever than the rest of the novel led me to hope for.

Overall, BEST MURDER OF THE YEAR is enjoyable reading--but maybe not the best mystery of the year.

I got somewhere past the 3rd chapter and dumped the book. I was so bored. It was like listening to a drag-queen on meth! I can see taking half a chapter to set up the murder, but the first three chapters were pure BS. I was beginning to think Rick Domino should have been the murder victim, just to shut him up. I gave it two stars, not because it deserved two, but in hopes that if I ever have nothing else to do I might go back further than chapter three and find it is actually a good read. It was just too damn slow and boring. I don't normally trash (review) books I don't like, but this one just drove me up a wall. It's really too bad, because the writer has a gift and I've known queens who do go on and on like Rick, but this was just too much. I'm not saying that I won't check out anything the author writes in the future, but I definitely will make use of Amazon's preview feature. This one would never have made it past the preview. Somebody please tell me I'm wrong and that I should read another two pages!

This is an unusual book. It trails badly in places, yet zips along in others. The lead character, unfortunately, is the narrator, as a bit of switching of the POV might have led to the reader having more an idea what other characters in the book are feeling for the lead, so we get their idea of the man's relevance in the industry, his competence, his level of appeal, etc. The co-lead, in a way, is the Shane character, and I enjoy the takeoff on the name "Shane" with Rick calling for him outside the theater where the Academy Awards are being announced, only Rick isn't calling out "Don't go, Shane!" except emotionally. He and the closeted actor have been having an affair for years but with the trauma of awards night - a certain star turns up murdered and Rick is the prime suspect! - the secret is out.

The entire business with Rick being arrested and his time in jail and being let out on bail, well, that was unexpectedly serious and the drearist part of the book. One doesn't want that much sober reality in a satire.

I would have liked more of the Shane character, so I could at least get to understand him. All I can figure out is Shane is supposed to be as much a mystery to me as to the man who has loved him for years, Rick.

The cop who joins Rick in investigating the crime, well, it was easy for the reader to pick up on what was going on with him, but you can understand why Rick is otherwise distracted hunting down clues in the murder that he doesn't have time to figure out what's going on with his new buddy.

The murder was over-the-top, the solving of the case over-the-top, and all of the characters are over-the-top, even when their dark secrets are unexpectedly poignant. Yet it's still a fun read and nothing to take seriously. If you want lighthearted fair, this is as good as any other. But if you're looking for male/male erotic action, you're out of luck here.

Not your usual murder mystery (in fact I do not regularly read in this genre but the book's description captured my attention)! Very clever and thoroughly entertaining. Memorable characters -- Can't wait to see more from this author.