The Burning Plain: A Henry Rios Mystery (Henry Rios Mysteries) [Paperback]

Michael Nava (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004 | Series: Henry Rios Mysteries

Still devastated by the death of Josh, Henry nonetheless falls for a young actor he successfully defended against burglary charges. When the young man is murdered after leaving Henry’s house, Henry finds himself the target of a murder investigation. But the murders don’t stop, and with his life in desperate danger, Henry follows the trail of evidence, ever upward to the top levels of Los Angeles politics and Hollywood power.

Michael Nava is the author of seven Henry Rios novels, five of which (Goldenboy, Howtown, The Hidden Law, The Death of Friends, and Rag and Bone) have been Lambda Literary Award winners. He is an attorney in private practice in San Francisco.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Gay Mexican American lawyer Henry Rios has fought bigotry and prejudice, battled alcoholism, and watched his lover die from AIDS. Now he's wrongly accused of murder after a male prostitute he spent an evening with is savagely murdered. Rios proves his innocence, but when two more gay men are brutally murdered, he is drawn unwillingly into the hunt for a serial killer and soon finds himself up against an unsympathetic DA, a gay-bashing cop, reluctant witnesses, and a conspiracy among Hollywood's power elite. Nava writes an excellent mystery featuring crisp dialogue, diabolical suspense, and subtle wit, but it's his unflinching look at what it's like to be an openly gay man today that makes this series special. Rios is a flawed, human, and achingly real hero, and this is a provocative, genre-expanding novel." --Booklist

"Exceptional...A harrowing narrative." --The New York Times "A jaywalk into evil....Like Chandler's better work, The Burning Plain pushes at the edges of the genre, turning a crime novel into a morality play." --People

"Nava is one of the best." --Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

"Michael Nava's mysteries grab readers by the lapels and don't let go." --San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

Michael Nava is the author of seven Henry Rios novels, five of which (Goldenboy, Howtown, The Hidden Law, The Death of Friends, and Rag and Bone) have been Lambda Literary Award winners. He is an attorney in private practice in San Francisco.

About the Author

Michael Nava is the author of seven Henry Rios novels, five of which (Goldenboy, Howtown, The Hidden Law, The Death of Friends, and Rag and Bone) have been Lambda Literary Award winners. He is an attorney in private practice in San Francisco.

Product Details

• Paperback: 305 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555838138
• ISBN-13: 978-1555838133
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,163,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So much going on here. . . ., May 14, 2008

By 

Gabriela Perez "Oy! So many books. . . ." (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Burning Plain: A Henry Rios Mystery (Henry Rios Mysteries) (Paperback)

I've said before in other places that it's hard to find a solid, appealing gay protagonist in mainstream writing, but here's one. Henry Rios is not just appealing; no, he's more than that--moral, flawed, intelligent, compassionate, sharp, critical, wounded, exhausted--and seeing things through his eyes really makes the reader snap-to.

When we begin this book, Henry has already suffered the loss of his partner, Josh, to AIDS. Throughout this book, Henry attempts to adapt to a world without the man he loved in it, to feelings he can't anticipate or handle. He confronts his own needs, his loneliness, his own flawed nature. He also speaks frankly of the challenges a gay man faces, even relatively recently (this book was published maybe 6 years ago, if I remember correctly). He speaks of family and the way a child can be traumatized by the wounds inflicted by those who are supposed to love him but who have their own flaws defining them. He maneuvers society with a clear awareness of how many hurdles he will have to face on any given day.

And in the course of all that, he solves a mystery.

His intellect is sharp, and I never felt he knew less than I did (which really irks me; I hate when I know something and the protagonist doesn't have a clue). He also has a sense of humor, although you won't find him cracking wise like some of my other fave protags.

All in all, you'll enjoy the social commentary and mystery blended together, and you'll likely race through this one. I plan on buying them all, even though they're now issued in trade paperback format, which makes them a titch more expensive than I'd like. Still--they're worth it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good Mystery, October 30, 2006

By 

LARRY (Capitol Heights, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Burning Plain: A Henry Rios Mystery (Henry Rios Mysteries) (Paperback)

This is my third or fourth Henry Rios book. So far, I enjoy reading them.

Henry Rios is a gay Hispanic lawyer who is a recovering alcoholic. Not too long after burying his lover, Josh, from AIDS, Henry finds himself as a suspect of a murder. The victim was a hustler that Henry spent the night and had a brief spat before they went their own ways. A few hours later, the hustler is found dead.

Henry is cleared as a suspect after 2 more gay men are found murdered. Of course, Henry cannot ignore a pattern he detects among the murders. His investigation leads him to some interesting characters. A possibly corrupt homicide detective and a band of vigilantes. An overzealous magazine reporter. A movie studio head honcho and his assistant. Closeted men. A runaway brother of a murdered victim. A lesbian assistant of the hate crime task force.

Henry is so confident that certain people are responsible for these murders. However, he is reminded by the police and colleagues that there is not enough evidence to arrest them. Those who are behind these murders seem to be one step ahead of Henry.

It can be a frustrating book for some readers as it seems that Henry will never get justice. Fortunately, miracles do happen. When compelling evidence starts to appear, the case becomes so large that it's equivalent to the O.J. Simpson's case.

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written on many levels, January 26, 2012

By 

Petronius (Washington DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Burning Plain: A Henry Rios Mystery (Henry Rios Mysteries) (Paperback)

Michael Nava's "The Burning Plain" captures your interest on several levels. Foremost is the page turner well-written mystery. I did not want to put the book down. All of his characters are so well fleshed out that you feel that you know them. Nava's occasional literary references are erudite. The protagonist is totally believable, flawed, and likeable. The Los Angeles descriptions make you think that you are there, and that it is a real place, not some far off make-believe city. He hits on several themes of gay life without preaching or rubbing it in your face: AIDS, loss of a partner, challenges of recovery from alcoholism, touchy relations with a partner's parents, always feeling as the outsider in life and in his profession from being gay, a kid struggling to come out. However, he does this with just a phrase or a sentence occasionally- never lengthy preaching. What a skill with words. As a lawyer myself, I often don't like the fictionalized lawyer stories on TV or in some books, because they get the law all wrong, or have too many unbelievable characters and situations in the story. Not Nava. He writes with authority, and keeps it all gripingly real.