Dead as a Doornail: A Stan Kraychik Mystery [Paperback]

Grant Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 1999 | Series: Stan Kraychik Mystery

Newly wealthy ex-hairdresser Stan Kraychik buys the last unrenovated brownstone in Boston's fabulously chic South End only to have the renovations held up by a freak April snowstorm-and the murder of the young, attractive contractor. Because the victim bears some resemblance to Stan himself, the police think he might have been the intended target and want to leave town while they look for the killer. Instead Stan begins to snoop around on his own, discovering a web of secrets and jealousies that someone has killed to protect-and the contractor's murder is only the beginning.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this insular mystery, Boston is reduced to a tiny enclave teeming with gay men, sexual tension and odd motives for the murder of a handsome young building contractor. Stan Kraychik (last seen in Time to Check Out, 1997) once cut hair and trained to be a cop, but the death of his lover has left him wealthy enough to purchase a crumbling brownstone on a desirable South End streetcorner. With riches, however, come troubles. Stan hires contractor Tim Shaughnessy to fix up the place. When Stan discovers Tim, who looks a lot like him, dead in his proud wreck of a house, Lieutenant Branco suspects that Stan was the intended victim. Meanwhile, out in the neighborhood, a coffee-shop employee named Chip buffs his pretty young body and draws Stan's attention. Chip is also propositioned by Myron, who owns a store, and photographed by Thorin, who owns another store and is married to Salena, a cutthroat realtor who happens to have been dead Tim's landlord. It turns out that nearly everyone managed to be in Stan's house sometime early in the morning, just before a sudden snowstorm hit and just before Tim was killed. Michaels isn't terribly concerned with realism as he puts a madcap spin on this mystery set in the urban homosexual milieu. But his plot tends toward narrative claustrophobia, and his ending is rushed, unprepared for and preachy.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When series sleuth (and former hairdresser) Stan Kraychik reaches the run-down South End (Boston) property he's renovating, he discovers his cute building contractor dead. Detective Branco warns that Stan may have been the real target; nevertheless, flighty Stan promptly revs into sleuthing mode, questions neighborhood characters, follows unsuspecting suspects, "steals" taped police interviews, and leaps to unwarranted conclusions. Bitchy asides to best friend Nicole, snide remarks about the gay gym scene, and Stan's unrequited yearning for the straight Branco lighten the proceedings with humor. One of the better titles in the series.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Stonewall Inn Mysteries; First Edition edition (July 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312206445
• ISBN-13: 978-0312206444
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,041,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another entertaining read for us Stan Kraychik fans., May 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dead As a Doornail (Hardcover)

Although I am a fan of Grant Michaels' Kraychik series, I must admit that this one (Dead As A Doornail) left me a little hammered. The writing was filled with its wonderful wit and bite, but I felt the actual mystery was a bit befuddled. The characters were not as interesting as in past novels, and the "whodunit" was kind of a "who cares." This is not said to discourage the established Kraychik fan. Rather, to alert those about to join the club to read the earlier novels first (and in order) before picking up this title. All in all, it is a good read. But I hope Grant Michaels finds the spark from the first three titles and makes another bonfire.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars [e-mail], March 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dead As a Doornail (Hardcover)

I have always enjoyed Michaels books, but this last one was not one of his better efforts. It was boring next to his other novels. I wish he would bring back Branco & Nicole in a big way. These are great characters that I miss. The book is a good read, but not as much as his older ones.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can not believe this was the last book!, December 19, 2009

By 

jmore865 (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dead as a Doornail: A Stan Kraychik Mystery (Paperback)

I can not believe this was the last book in this series. He just kind of left us hanging. I want to know what happened between Stan and Branco.

This book was really good just like the others however at the end I knew who do the murders. Still the writting was great and still just love the characters.

I recommend these books in order.