From Publishers Weekly
Crime fiction portraying gay and lesbian sleuths and villains is a booming subgenre. In his brief introduction, novelist Nava ( Goldenboy ) suggests that the genre's emphasis on plot and its conventions steer gay and lesbian writers beyond often parochial issues about being homosexual in a heterosexual world: "You need all kinds of ingredients to make a mystery work and the mystery writer must cast her nets far and wide into her experience to populate her story." This multifaceted anthology gathers eight gay suspense tales, most of them by veterans, such as Phil Andros and Richard Hall. Katherine V. Forrest's "Jessie" is a classic tale of deductive reasoning made poignant by her rendering of the deep emotions death can arouse even among bystanders, who here reflect upon their own and their loved ones' mortality. Newcomer Alan Irwin engineers a satisfying surprise ending for his romantic mystery, "Skip." Nava's own "Street People" takes an unsentimental yet compassionate view of the desperation from which crime can spring.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
