The Chimney Sweeper [Mass Market Paperback]

John Peyton Cooke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

Two years after murdering a man in Isthmus City, Jesse James Colson, now a cop, is forced to confront the past when the body of his victim is finally discovered. Reprint. PW. K. LJ.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arriving in Isthmus City, Wis., (think Madison) with "forty-two cents in change, and a stolen .38 revolver that had four live rounds in a six-chambered cylinder," a hustler soon murders a transvestite and stuffs the body into the chimney of an abandoned house. That's just for openers in this gritty and graphic, tell-it-like-it-is tale of violence, betrayal and murder. After stints as bartender and boy-toy for an older gay man, protagonist Jesse James Colson meets Will Gunther, an openly gay Isthmus City cop. Unable to resist the uniform's appeal, Jesse joins the force and links up romantically with Will. Another cop tells Jesse that "a murder is like a marriage"?a theory that proves true in forceful and unexpected fashion. Cooke's (Torsos) skillful plotting and credible characters lend an unsettling air to this often brutally effective, noir mystery. His deceptively simple prose is tinged with dark humor and more than a touch of menace, while flashbacks to Jesse's teen years provide a reliable underpinning for a solidly drawn, fascinating antihero.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Narrator Jesse James Colson plays the law from both sides in this unusually gripping tale of murder and detection. Jesse begins as a young drifter, full of homophobic rage but preoccupied with the effect his hefty bulge and tight buns have on certain men. Jesse murders a transvestite, gets himself raped by a sleazy truck driver, then is rehabilitated by an "old queen." After two years, Jesse becomes a cop and helps investigate the very murder he committed. Lean prose, frank sexuality, and psychological intensity reveal a masterful effort?and an exceptional worldview?from the author of Torsos (LJ 11/15/93).
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446403881
• ISBN-13: 978-0446403887
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,727,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Peyton Cooke was born in Amarillo, Texas, and grew up in Laramie, Wyoming. His novels include OUT FOR BLOOD, TORSOS, THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER, HAVEN, THE RAPE OF GANYMEDE, THE FALL OF LUCIFER, and THE LAKE (a/k/a STINK LAKE). His short fiction has been published in several magazines and anthologies, including Christopher Street, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Best American Mystery Stories 2003. John currently lives in London with his husband and their dog Ricky, a toy poodle and petty thief.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dark, well-written novel of murder and mystery., February 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Chimney Sweeper: A Murder Novel (Hardcover)

Mr. Cooke is one of my favorite authors and for a good reason: he writes an excellent story! In this one, the first-person character, Jesse James Colton, arrives in Isthmus City [a Manhattan-like city in Wisconsin], a place referred to by bigots as "Fairyland of the Dairyland", and immediately gets himself into serious danger after he murders a transvestite who tries to force sex upon him. After hiding the body in a dilapidated old house, he is later raped by a truck-driver, and then out of curiosity calls a number he finds on a bathroom wall at the bus station. The series of events that follow seem to convince him that he is being haunted by his deceased victim and that his action will be discovered. Mr. Cooke's story is very intricate and constantly interesting. The ending is a bit surprising, and I won't spoil it here. Read it. Just read it, and you won't be sorry.

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Story Line...too much gay porn, June 11, 2008

By 

2ndTimeMom (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chimney Sweeper: A Murder Novel (Hardcover)

Loved the book, but the frequent trips down the gay porn aisle were not necessary. Yes Jesse is gay and has gay sex, but it started to overshadow the story.

5.0 out of 5 stars A haunting and tense novel, May 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Chimney Sweeper: A Murder Novel (Hardcover)

This is one of those novels that you will dig out years after reading it just to read it again. Cooke spins two great stories into one as he first gives the reader the smart aleck, homophobic younger character and the more self-confidant character a few years later. We then watch as both sides crash together with the discovery of the transvestite's corpse in a chimney flue.

This book contains gruesome scenes of violence and attitude which makes it all the more a taught suspense thriller.