One Dead Drag Queen: A Tom & Scott Mystery (Stonewall Inn Mysteries) [Paperback]

Mark Richard Zubro (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stonewall Inn Mysteries | Publication Date: July 7, 2001

A series of three bombs destroy a local health clinic, killing many and injuring many others including high school teacher and clinic volunteer Tom Mason. While Tom is hospitalized, his lover, professional baseball player Scott Carpenter, begins to believe that Tom may have been the intended victim of the bombing - the third bomb was wired to Tom's truck and Scott is receiving threatening letters saying that he's next. With a long suspect list and a mounting death toll, Scott must find the killer before the killer finds them.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Gay Chicago superstar pitcher Scott Carpenter, who recently revealed to fans that he loved schoolteacher Tom Mason (Rust On The Razor, 1996, etc.), finishes a bout of serious housecleaning and turns on the television just in time to catch a news bulletin announcing the bombing of the Human Services Clinic, where Tom volunteers. Plucked from the rubble, Tom is hospitalized in a coma while his family stands vigil. His visitors include Myrtle Mae, an aging drag queen; Cubs catcher Morty Hamilton; and a hate letter that appears at Tom's bedside, scaring Scott into beefing up his personal security with a high-powered, albeit homophobic, investigative firm. Scott's other assignment is dodging newshound Brandon Kearn, who wants a tragedy exclusive from him to go along with the emerging conspiracy theories. A late-term abortion doctor may have been the bombing target; a nurse practitioner may have set the bomb; or the terrorists in the building across the street may have had a hand in it. The rendering of the catastrophe's aftermath is poignant but packaged with as many improbable villains as All-Star relievers, and a plot as porous as the Cubs infield. -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Readers have both campy humour and an action-filled plot to keep them entertained. Highly recommended - this one's a good read In every sense of the word." - Booklist

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Stonewall Inn Mysteries; 1st edition (July 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312277024
• ISBN-13: 978-0312277024
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,875,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read and likeable characters, June 21, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Dead Drag Queen (Hardcover)

They have been a happily married, faithful couple for years. Scott Carpenter is a well-known professional baseball pitcher while his spouse Tom Mason is an English teacher. They hid their sexual preference and their relationship out of fear for their careers, especially the athletic Scott. However, unable to hide any longer, they reveal their relationship to the world and to their sock and joy, most everyone supports them.

Tom and Scott begin to openly support gay rights, but soon become symbols and targets of the opponents. Things begin to turn ugly forcing Scott to hire bodyguards. Scott assumed that he, being the more public figure, would be the target if tragedy struck. Instead, while Tom is at the Human Services Clinic, a series of bombs go off destroying a whole block, killing many people. Tom is lucky to survive, but is badly injured. Scott wonders if Tom ultimately was the target. He begins his own investigation that will lead to a dangerous person with a deadly goal who will do anything to attain it.

ONE DEAD DRAG QUEEN is as much a relationship drama as it is an amateur sleuth mystery. The tale stars two heroic, realistic males trying to make the world a better place. Mark Richard Zubro has written a mystery inside the mystery. The technique can slow down a story line, but works extremely well in this plot because the author never loses sight of the main theme and ties the subplot back to it. By providing color and insight, the secondary characters are vital to the beat of the tale and lead to a special treat for readers.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Shift in Focus, June 26, 2000

By 

Daryn Malof "darmal5" (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Dead Drag Queen (Hardcover)

I liked the idea that Zubro shifted the focus of this novel from Tom, ex-marine superman, to Scott, the "sidekick". Unfortunately the plot in which Zubro involves Scott on his first outing (no pun intended) is rather weak when compared to previous novels ("Why Isn't Becky Twitchell Dead?" is one of my favorites). A good read for fans of the series, but it needed more meat. I am not sure if the subject (the bombing) was thought to be too sensitive for a real murder mystery; if that was the advice given to Zubro, he shouldn't have heeded it, because it provides a sub-par novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Plot needs a boost, December 13, 2005

By 

JK8 (Salem, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: One Dead Drag Queen: A Tom & Scott Mystery (Stonewall Inn Mysteries) (Paperback)

I just finished the novel. This is the first Tom and Scott novel I have read. I was a bit disappointed with the novel because there was not enough gay drama and fun about the novel. It might as well have been about straight characters. Tom and Scott might as well be a straight couple as they are so Victoria and Albert, with a relationship not a bit strained by anything. It's too good to be believable. And the plot - I guessed who the culprit was going to be long before the end of the story. And since the title mentions a drag queen I expected more of a story based on the lives of drag queens and what they do and how they live. This was a very unusual drag queen who seemed to live the life of an Arab sheik in Chicago. I wanted more normal, everyday drag queens and lots of them. In any case, I thought the story was well written but just not exciting enough and not enough drag queen stuff. This is only my opinion and you should read other reviews before deciding.