Customer Reviews

National Nancys: An Alex Reynolds Mystery (Alex Reynolds Mysteries)

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Peter and Alex have been happily married for eight years. Although he loves his wife dearly, Peter feels most alive when he works with his life partner and his mother on a case for the CIA or FBI. Peter has a full time job while Alex has allowed his business to fade into oblivion since he only wants to work on another case. While he impatiently waits for the next call, he volunteers to work on the election campaign of Charlie Clarke, a senatorial candidate who supports gay rights.

However, the religious right has mounted a major attack on Clarke. Bomb threats happen daily at the candidate's campaign headquarters. The incidents become so regular that the workers openly joke about the threat. That changes when a bomb explodes and the body of the office manager is found in the debris. With Alex already an insider, the FBI tags him and Peter to make inquiries into the truth behind the explosion and murder. Their inquiries hit close to home, forcing the unknown perpetrator to attempt to kill Alex and Peter.

Alex is a terrific character who seems sort of like an adult Ferris Bueller; someone who, through his cocky confidence in himself, gets the job done. The romance between Alex and Peter seems realistic and inspiring. The story line is fascinating, especially a subplot starring Alex's mother and an enigmatic stranger. With novels likes this one, GOVERNMENT GAY and CAPITAL QUEERS, Alex is turning the talented Fred Hunter into a household name.

Harriet Klausner

In "Government Gay" (1997), the first book in Fred Hunter's Alex Reynolds mystery series, Alex's lover Peter is kidnapped. In Chapter 15 of that novel, Alex finally rescues Peter from a locked hotel room by using his VISA card to pop the lock on a door off which the numbers had fallen, leaving only the shadows of said numbers on the grimy door. Alex explains to his readers that he had learned this simple break-in technique from a neighbor.

In Chapter 12 of "National Nancys" (2000), the fourth book in the series, Alex is again trying to break into a hotel room, this time using bobby pins, when Peter suggests, "Why don't you try a credit card?" Alex looks up at him, and says, "What?" And Peter then proceeds to explain to Alex how the technique works. Alex whips out his VISA card, but is unable to make the "new" trick work, leaving Peter to demonstrate how to pop the lock successfully. Uh ... hello! Wake up, Mr. Author! Oh! And did I mention that in this novel - too - the room number is able to be identified only because there were shadows left on the dirty door where the numbers used to hang?

It's this kind of sloppy, repetitive, and extremely formulaic writing that makes the Alex Reynolds series so incredibly tired. Apparently author Hunter was so disinterested in the books that he didn't bother to worry about repeating himself after only four plots! And sure enough, there is little about "National Nancys" to distinguish it from its previous three cookie-cutter predecessors. Insist on trying out this series? Pick one title, any title, and borrow it from the library. Now you know exactly what happens in each of the first four novels! Alex, Peter, and Alex's mom get involved with murder; withhold evidence from the authorities; are warned by those same authorities to stop investigating; ignore the advice; barely escape death; wrap up the case. Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z ...

I love these books -- just the distraction I need from everyday life, heat/humidity, and boring co-workers. Everytime I read about Alex, Peter and Jean, I laugh a lot and have some fun. It's fun to have Jean have some nice romance, even if the boys don't handle it well!

Fred Hunter brings back the detective team of Alex, Peter and Jean. This time Alex is working (reluctantly) in the offices of a senatorial canidate. It is often dangerous to be aound the Reynolds/Livesay crew and this is no different. The office is blown up killing the office manager. Unsure about whether this is a terrorist threat, crime of passion, job promotion, or something else, the trio gets involved in the investigation.

Going any more into the plot would start involving spoilers, so I'll cut it off here.

Fred Hunter keeps his typical slightly tongue in cheek style throughout the book, and the heroes and heroine get into a number of scrapes, a few real bonehead moves by Alex, and the investigators get the best of everyone in the end, along with a twist at the end that I didn't expect.

Enjoyable light reading. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a good "beach gay detective" book.