Missing [Mass Market Paperback]

Jonathan Valin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

Hired by Cindy Dorn to solve the mystery of her missing lover, Harry Stoner investigates the victim's bisexual lifestyle and is dragged into a web of intrigue that takes him deep into Cincinnati's gay underworld. Reprint. NYT. K.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his latest case, following Second Chance, Harry Stoner, the tough but soulful Cincinnati PI, discovers that detective work in the age of AIDS is a hard business. Soon after Cindy Dorn hires Stoner to find Mason Greenleaf, her bisexual boyfriend who has been missing for four days, Greenleaf is found dead in a seedy downtown hotel, an apparent suicide. If Greenleaf had been as happy with Dorn over the last four years as she believes, why would he kill himself? What had he been doing in the gay bar where he'd been spotted hours before he died? And what is the explanation for the blood that Stoner finds on the back seat of Greenleaf's car? In searching for answers, Stoner deals with a police force that has a history of harassing homosexuals. And he finds himself falling in love with his client. Valin's usually crisp writing sometimes plods here and Dorn's chronic helplessness annoys, but the villains aren't always evil and even the good guys show some flaws as the fragments of Greenleaf's tormented life come to light. Readers are left with an unexpected solution and an unusually affecting portrait of the victim and his times.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Cindy Dorn's lover, Mason Greenleaf, is missing, and she feels his disappearance may have something to do with a former lover. With no evidence of foul play, the police won't investigate, so Dorn hires Cincinnati private eye Harry Stoner. Before Harry's inquiries can yield results, the openly bisexual Greenleaf is discovered dead, an apparent suicide. The police are too eager to wrap up Greenleaf's death; to them, he was just another screwed-up queer. Stoner and Dorn aren't easily dissuaded. As Harry backtracks through Greenleaf's life, the name of Paul Grandin keeps surfacing. When Greenleaf was a teacher and Grandin a student, there was a molestation scandal, but that didn't end the contact between the pair. The deeper Harry probes, the more he comes to realize that Greenleaf was more the victim than the younger man. The eleventh Stoner mystery is as thoughtful as any in the series. Though Harry solves the case, he misses the motives every step of the way. Each of the key characters acts and reacts logically but never stereotypically. Even the most open-minded among us are burdened with prejudices and preconceived attitudes. Stoner learns this lesson the hard way. Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Dell (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440221544
• ISBN-13: 978-0440221548
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,600,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Valin creates evolving detective, November 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Missing (Mass Market Paperback)

After several installments in the Harry Stoner series, Jonathan Valin has finally taken Stoner to the next step. The series had become somewhat stale and uneven, but this novel brought a breath of freshness to character that could have become a cliche. In contrast to past installments of the series, this novel is much about who Harry Stoner is rather than what he does. The novel covers Stoner's investigation into the suicide of troubled bi-sexual man and has him considering a new relationship with the man's girlfriend. It's the introspection of this novel that makes it interesting. If you like this novel, you may want to read Valin's "Extenueting Circumstances" which is grittier and darker.

3.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Mystery Set in Cincinnati, December 30, 2010

By 

stoic (Mobile AL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Missing (Mass Market Paperback)

Jonathan Valin has long been on my list of authors to read. The critics often compare him to Ross Macdonald, who is one of my favorite writers. I picked up a copy of Missing - Valin's most-recent (1995) novel - at my local library.

Missing focuses on Valin's series detective, Harry Stoner. Stoner lives in Valin's hometown of Cincinnati and the reader gets a nice sense of that area through reading the novel. In Missing, a woman (Cindy Dorn) hires Stoner to find her missing lover, a bisexual man named Mason Greenleaf.

Once he begins investigating, Stoner learns that Greenleaf has a questionable past and that much of his life has been hidden from Dorn. Unfortunately, no one - other than Stoner - is interested in finding out what really happened to Greenleaf. Valin is a talented writer with a great eye for detail. I enjoyed reading Missing, but somehow the book never "grabbed" me - it's a bit slow moving and most of the characters are suffering from middle-aged angst.

I agree with the other reviewer, who stated that Missing focuses on developing Stoner's character more than on action and plot. Through Missing, Valin has Stoner confront his demons and attempt to establish a meaningful private life. It's disappointing that Valin hasn't published any additional Stoner novels in the last fifteen years - perhaps he felt that the series had run its course.

Missing is a solid read by a talented writer, but I can't give it more than a lukewarm recommendation.