Customer Reviews

Goldenboy (Alyson Classics Library)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This novel is as good as any mystery I have read, as good as anything Joseph Hansen, a master of the genre, ever wrote. Mr. Nava's narrative is seamless, his style sparse; but we know with brief descriptions everything we need to know about his characters. Mr. Nava never adds superfluous verbage to show off his knowledge of other novels, poetry and literature in general, something that many mystery writers seem not to be able to avoid-- they often want to show off their English degrees.Additionally, there are no cardboard characters here. Mr. Nava makes statements about homophobia, gay relationships, coming out issues, self-hatred and AIDS without preaching. A friend who is a therapist swears that the scene when Henry meets his new, younger lover's parents for the first time is totally accurate. When Henry tells Larry goodbye as he leaves for Paris for treatment for HIV-- shades of Rock Hudson?-- we are treated to writing both as poignant and good-- and often better-- as anything writers who attempt to write serious gay literature have accomplished. With the right cast, this novel would make a great movie.

This is my favorite so far in the Nava cycle of Henry Rios mysteries, and I've read them all except the last one. It's a pleasure watching Nava get to know Henry better and present him to the readers in all his very real complexity, dignity, and self-doubt. Many of the supporting characters are also well-drawn. Finally there is Henry's budding romance with young Josh, as exquisite a treatment of male love as one's likely to find in popular fiction. Goldenboy is pure enjoyment all the way.

When Nava's hero, attorney Henry Rios, is called upon by a friend to defend a young man accused of murder, even the reader is surprised by the ensuing unfolding drama. All the evidence supports the young man's guilt; supposedly, the youth was driven to the act by a blackmailing colleague who threatened to expose the youth's homosexuality. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Seemingly inocuous characters soon reveal their predatory and sinister natures. Good. This compiles a logical and completely plausible pool of possible suspects.

On the plus side, Henry falls in love (in REAL love) with a young man named Josh, who simply accepts Henry for being Henry, and goes to bat for him in every situation. Isn't that we all want? Regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or orientation, it's a sweet love story played out in real time, and is not overtly sexual or pejorative. It's just a part of their lives.
First-rate storytelling, good dialogue, and an actual interest in determining who committed the crime makes this novel a worthy and compelling read.

I enjoy Michael Nava's books for the characterization and style of writing, not for the accuracies of reality. The romance is mostly believable, but a few spots have me going "What!?" Luckily the plot is quite different from the first in the series, "The Little Death," and the conclusion is more believable as well. However, a few details of detective work are somewhat lacking. For instance when tailing someone, the detective does not want to be in a car labeled PRIVT I. Overlooking these silly mistakes, Nava's excellent writing ability and knack for adorable romance makes this still an enjoyable read.

In this outing, lawyer Henry Rios is called to Los Angeles by an old friend to defend a young man accused of murder. It doesn't take Rios long before he believes, like everyone else, that his client is guilty. The young man maintains his innocence, but he's got a problem. He can't remember how the murder weapon got in his hand. Michael Nava writes a good mystery - no doubt about it. But. And this is a big but, Nava has a tendency to create the same characters for each book - the accused is always a young, good looking gay man, the murderer is always the same nasty from book to book as well. With the exception of Rios, the characters are nearly charactures of gay men and cardboard ones at that. In Goldenboy, Rios meets a witness, Josh - a young 22-year-old who worked in the same restaurant as the accused and victim - against his client, knows he's lying about something, and then the trial takes a twist. The next time he meets this witness, he decides he's in love. Nava just can't seem to get it down well enough to make any relationship that Rios enters into seem as intense as he would like us to believe. Rios is very good about piecing together bits of evidence and Nava expects the reader to take the same leaps of faith that Rios does, and it's not always possible to leap with Rios. And Nava cheats in that someone provides Rios with important information that Nava doesn't share with his readers. Every time I've picked up a Nava book, I want to like it so much and every time I'm disappointed.