Customer Reviews

The 38 Million Dollar Smile (A Donald Strachey Mystery)

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

 

 

I don't read a lot of mysteries or as many GLBT fictions as I'd like. I review children's literature & the big boy books I get to read are few and far between. I always make room in my reading schedule for the Don Strachey mysteries (because I grew up--as a gay man--reading them).

I have to admit I had a few misgivings when I saw that Don & Timmy were not going to be in or near Albany (which has been nearly a character in its own right through out the series)...and being a Buddhist further misgivings at the golden Buddha on the cover--but Richard Stevenson (AKA Dick Lipez) came through with an enjoyable mystery...well, more of a thriller with plenty of dry wit & a touch of slapstick.

If you are a fan of the series, this is a must & if you are just a casual reader of gay mysteries (or mysteries in general really) this is a good bet. You don't need to know the characters to enjoy this, but knowing their history deepens the experience. Well worth your time (as are the movies on HERE!) Hopefully there will be more of both books and movies!

When I found out that Richard Stevenson (Richard Lipez) was giving readers a new Donald Strachey mystery, I could hardly wait to read it. Long a fan of the Strachey mysteries, I really wanted to like this book. Although quirky characters abound in Stevenson's new offering (Rufus Pugh was a hoot.), I could never suspend disbelief long enough to step into the tale. Was it the setting? Was it the subject matter? I can't say exactly, but Gary Griswold, the man Strachey is hired to "protect" is either profoundly stupid or extremely naive. As a character, he seemed to lack dimension and believability. The bottom line is that I was disappointed in the characterizations and plot. This is one I won't be keeping on my bookshelf.

Most of the first 50% (kindle edition) does not further the plot and is boring. Around the half mark it gets interesting. At one point I was going to delete the copy, but stuck it out. Tim is barely mentioned. Richard has written better stories.

I read this in one hours-long binge and loved it. The chemistry between Donald and Timmy is as vibrant as ever and the supporting cast is fantastic. The storyline is believable, interesting and unpredictable, but the resolution is very satisfying. This book also has the relative distinction of being a detective story that isn't a murder mystery, which gives it a different and interesting dynamic. I am thrilled to have read it and it definitely got me fired up for his next one.

If you are looking for a page-turner this Indian Summer, The 38 Million Dollar Smile could be the book. The latest mystery in the Don Strachey series, this book describes the search for a rich American who disappeared in Thailand with his portion of a family fortune ($38 million). Told in first person, filled with slang in the mystery novel format, the story offers the unexpected, as do the previous Don Strachey books. Don Strachey is a gay private detective. In this particular book, he is chosen to search for the missing American by his ex-wife because the missing man was also gay. She believes that the private detective might have better luck asking questions in gay Thai haunts. The author describes such places and intertwines them with plot twists. The key question is whether the missing American has lost the money.

It would not be fair to ruin those twists and turns by divulging the ending. It is fair to say that if mention of the gay life makes you squirm in your chair, this may also be a good choice. It might make you think. The protagonist is a working man who happens to be gay. He also has a long lasting relationship with another man which appears to be filled with kindness and caring. Although we are still a long way from tolerance, this type of book certainly could help.

It is interesting to note that the author was married and has children but has since remarried to a man. A journalist by trade, he has written a number of Don Strachey mysteries and each seems to be a search for the mystery of sexuality. What does it all mean? What better place to look than in the Land of Smiles, known for its congenial acceptance of sexual satisfaction in its various guises?

The tenth in the long-running Don Strachey PI series represents a departure for Stevenson, and it is a good one. Strachey and his lover and sidekick Timothy Callahan travel all the way to Thailand when the ex-husband of an Albany woman goes missing with 38 million dollars. The intricate plot involves political corruption, celebrity astrologers, and shady business deals. However, it is the interweaving of exotic Thai cultural practices and beliefs that give this enjoyable thriller its unique flavor. It is also sexy and often quite humorous.
Five stars

I'm not a fan of mysteries or of this particular writer. I recently watched "Ice Cold" or whatever that dismal movie was, and I was hoping that an actual book would be better.

Clearly this writer has stories to tell. Now if he'd only get into a writing program and drop the shlock, we'd have something worth reading, but too much of this work is just crap. I can't tell whether it's meant to pad the length or if the author really believes this inane NONSENSE actually builds any character in Don Strachey. It doesn't. Instead, this is certainly a page turner, as in... yawn, ANOTHER page of stupid ... what? observations posing as life experiences? that serves only to illustrate how vapid this protagonist truly is.

Come on, Stevenson, drop the shlock and WRITE SOMETHING! Clearly, you want to.