Closet [Mass Market Paperback]

R.D. Zimmerman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

It began with a brutal attack in a posh Minneapolis neighborhood.  And from the first killing to the next, Todd Mills was at the center of the story.  The son of Polish immigrants, Todd had changed his name and risen to the top of his field as a TV news reporter, winning two Emmy Awards along the way.  Then his world came crashing down.  Suddenly, the double life he'd hidden for so long was brutally uncovered: he was the secret lover of the first man to die.

When Michael was murdered, Todd lost everything--including a life lived as a lie.  Now he's out of the closet and under suspicion, desperately investigating the killings himself, moving through a world of gay bars, steamy nightclubs, and double identities--where the one secret that matters most belongs to a killer who will strike again . . . and again.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Closet explodes out of the starting gate. . . then relentlessly races  all the way to its shocking conclusion."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Breathless pacing and virtuoso storytelling . . . Zimmerman succeeds brilliantly."
--Sandra Scoppettone, author of My Sweet Untraceable You

"R.D. Zimmerman is soon to become a household name."
--Sue Grafton

"Entertaining, intricately constructed and absorbing. . . A well-crafted mystery."
--Twin Cities Reader

"Zimmerman is a superb writer, building suspense through genuine surprises while creating believable characters."
--The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel


From the Trade Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

It began with a brutal attack in a posh Minneapolis neighborhood.  And from the first killing to the next, Todd Mills was at the center of the story.  The son of Polish immigrants, Todd had changed his name and risen to the top of his field as a TV news reporter, winning two Emmy Awards along the way.  Then his world came crashing down.  Suddenly, the double life he'd hidden for so long was brutally uncovered: he was the secret lover of the first man to die.

When Michael was murdered, Todd lost everything--including a life lived as a lie.  Now he's out of the closet and under suspicion, desperately investigating the killings himself, moving through a world of gay bars, steamy nightclubs, and double identities--where the one secret that matters most belongs to a killer who will strike again . . . and again.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Dell (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440218691
• ISBN-13: 978-0440218692
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,757,995 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 Is it dark in here or is it just me?, November 26, 1997

By 

Drew Brainiard "watchword" (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Closet (Mass Market Paperback)

Emmy-winning reporter Todd Mills has the best of all worlds. He's handsome, bright (enough), successful, and he's got a gay lover who understands why Todd's sexual orientation must be kept secret.

Alas, alack. Michael is murdered and Todd's closet comes crashing down on his handsome Polish head. Now Todd is the number one suspect and the police--especially hunky detective Steve Rawlins--seem content to look no further for Michael's killer.

This is a decent Who Dunnit but it could have been a lot better. Dead lovers make regular appearances in gay mystery series'. Few of them ever come alive (best exception to the rule: Joseph Hansen's Rod Fleming). Michael is a ghost before he's ever dead but even so Todd does seem to get over it rather swiftly. Furthermore, the relationship between traumatized Todd and Steve Rawlins (with his own secret agenda) seems highly unlikely. Attraction, sex, sure. Maybe. But genuine caring at this stage? I think not. Better to have tantalyzed the reader by driving home one of those many wedges littering the plot, and taken time to develop this relationship in the course of the series.

Final problems (big problems: too much talk, too much reflecting, too little action, too little amateur detecting. And only one possible villain. Other than these, this is an entertaining read for a dark and stormy night.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cliche Mystery, August 21, 2011

By 

Collector (York Co., PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Closet (A Todd Mills Mystery) (Kindle Edition)

There is a good mystery story here, but isn't the middle age angst about coming out of the closet getting to be cliche? All this obsession with me, me, me and what will everyone think about me if they know I'm gay is better suited to a fifteen year old than a 30 something professional. It got in the way of a good story. And I don't know if it is just the kindle addition but someone has had a heavy finger on the hyphen key in this story. Who in their right mind hyphenates 'be-tween', 'go-ing', 'pud-dle', 'Chero-kee' or 'be-cause' for just a few examples? When the word occurs at the end of the line I can understand that a hyphenation may be necessary but these occurred in the middle of the line. Disconcerting to say the least.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A peek inside, June 16, 2011

By 

Bogey B "Gene" (Arkansas, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Closet (A Todd Mills Mystery) (Kindle Edition)

What a page turner! Todd is in the closet and then finds he can't get back in; too late. To top it off, he is in no condition to want to. His lover is murdered, he's lonely and he's alone. Just when you think you have it figured out, you find that you don't. It is well written with very developed and interesting characters. Keeps you on the edge of your seat.