For Robert Wilsop, a boy from Michigan, searching for love amongst the Prada-toting high society of gay New York is not easy - especially when you're poor. Longing for a good old-fashioned romance, Robert can't believe his luck when a chance encounter with the gorgeous and fabulously wealthy Count Siegfried von Schmidt leads to a whirlwind affair and a marriage proposal. Only too happy to leave his life of poverty behind him, Robert dives into his new life with heart, soul and a brand new Rolex. Best friends Michael and Monette are suspicious rather than pleased about their pal's sudden change of fortune, but Robert credits their lack of support to jealousy and leaves for Germany in a huff. For once everything is going his way - that is until the count is found dead with a rather large knife in his back. Suddenly trapped in a holiday from hell, and rapidly becoming suspect numero uno, it's time to call in the troops Michael and Monette to help unravel the tangled web of intrigue. With the cops closing in, the trio are in a race to find a moneyed murderer who has decided to tie up all loose ends for good...
--This text refers to the
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Readers will laugh out loud as Stukas brings his unlikely trio of sleuths back for a second mad romp (after 2001's Someone Killed His Boyfriend). Long-suffering Robert Willsop finally meets the man of his dreams, a rich, handsome German count who shares Robert's ideals of romance. Count Siegfreid von Schmidt sweeps Robert off his feet, despite narcissistic best friend Michael's attempts to win the count's affections (and his libido) for himself. The count proves immune to Michael's advances, and the Cinderella story continues as he takes Robert off to Germany, promising a wedding. Robert's other best friend, the Amazon-like lesbian Monette, provides long-distance advice when Robert finds strange things going on in the count's Berlin mansion. Keeping things totally festive, Michael has turned up to keep an eye on Robert and the count, with his homophobic mother in tow. When the count disappears during the day to manage his business affairs, Robert is lonely (shopping just isn't enough) and soon has Monette flying first-class to Berlin to keep him company. The situation gets dicier when the count is found with a knife in his back during a fabulous party thrown by one of Berlin's most infamous drag queens. Robert shoots to number one on the Suspect Hit Parade, and it's up to the shrewd Monette to save Robert's hide. Though the tone is high camp throughout, Stukas piles the layers of froth onto the sturdy frame of a clever, intricate whodunit.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Readers will laugh out loud as Stukas... piles the layers of froth onto the sturdy frame of a clever, intricate whodunit." - Publisher's Weekly
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
humorous gay amateur sleuth tale,
This review is from: Going Down for the Count (Hardcover)
Could there actually be justice in the universal scheme as Robert Willsop has finally met the man of his dreams? No one since the Brownings is a bigger romantic then Robert, a believer in forever-true love, though he rarely scores a fleeting relationship. Perhaps German Count Siegfried von Schmidt shares that same hopeless feeling. Even when wealthy charismatic Michael Starks tries to steal the boyfriend from his best friend, the count remains true to his beloved Robert.Siegfried takes Robert back to Berlin where they plan to marry. However, strange happenings in Seigfried's mansion scare Robert, who calls across the ocean to gain advice from his amazonian lesbian buddy Monette. Michael flies to Europe and Monette follows him as someone has killed Robert's fiancé. The German police believe the visiting gay American murdered his lover in a domestic rage incident. Thus, once again the trio tries to ferret out the identity of SOMEONE KILLED HIS BOYFRIEND as they once did for Michael. The second tale in David Stukas' humorous gay trio of amateur sleuths is a fun story that much like the first novel concentrates on the cross-Atlantic lifestyle of the heroes. The who-done-it is fun to observe, but also as with the debut novel takes a back seat (but not quite as much) to Robert and cohorts as they romp through Germany. Fans of gay amateur sleuths will enjoy GOING DOWN FOR THE COUNT, want to read the first tale SOMEONE KILLED HIS BOYFRIEND and expect David Stukas to tell the story of the murder of Monette's lover next. Harriet Klausner
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth the effort or the price,
By
This review is from: Going Down for the Count (Hardcover)
The slight double entendre of Stukas' sophomoric novel "Going Down for the Count," should have been a portent of the type of unfunny humor that the novel strained to spark and to maintain.It features what seem to be Stukas' trio of main characters, vapid Michael, giantess (6'4") Monette, and waspish, bland Robert. Hedonistic Michael is rich and handsome (despite the fact that his good looks are largely the result of plastic surgery and steriods; Monette is a love-starved lesbian given to stalking Ellen Degeneres and other celebrity lesbian types. She is the "brains" of the outfit; Robert is just There. Beyond having no depth, these characters don't seem to like each other, which makes it hard for me to generate any empathy for them. It seems to be Stukas' narrative device to start his stories in Manhattan and then to transport his characters elsewhere for the "action." In "Boyfriend" this setting was Provincetown; in "Down for the Count" the setting is -- improbably -- Germany. Well! At least Stukas' tells us the characters are in Germany. As we see nothing beyond the gay ghetto of sex clubs and bars, the setting might as well have stayed in Stukas' version of Manhattan. Another annoying aspect of his narrative is the male characters are all (save Robert) described as being "handsome" or having "blond, chiseled features." Perhaps Stukas is allowing his personal taste in the male aesthetic to rule his attempts at fictional writing. In any case, the result is to make every character indistinguishable from, and interchangeable with, each other. I have read reviews putting Stukas' writing in the category of "easy, summer" reading. I finished the novel in about six hours, not because I enjoyed the story but because I was aghast at what was on paper and wondering where it would all lead. Seems it only leads from page one to page 230 or so. I hated this book so much that I returned it to the shop where I purchased it. It may be noted that I don't dwell on the mystery of this egregious novel. The real mystery is why it was published.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Breezy Summer Reading,
By
This review is from: Going Down for the Count (Hardcover)
This book is perfect for summer: light, airy, and thoroughly enjoyable. I read "Somebody Killed His Boyfriend" last summer and loved it. I was not disappointed in my longing for Stukas' next mystery. This book is pure fun, though sometimes in a very biting way, and so tongue-in-cheek it's amazing they don't stick together! You will laugh out loud, sometimes hysterically, at the witty reparte and over-the-top characterizations. Still, it can get you to thinking and there are many relateable elements in the story despite it's preposterous circumstances. It's an easy read, only a handful of hours for a speed reader like me. I officially adore David Stukas and can't wait for next summer and the next mystery!
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