A Queer Kind of Love: A Pharoah Love Mystery [Hardcover]

George Baxt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1994

Pharoah Love, New York's extroverted, gay black detective, returns to duty, only to find himself again in trouble as he investigates a series of killings aimed at members of the Capesi crime family. By the author of A Queer Kind of Death.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pharoah Love, Baxt's irrepressible gay African American detective, returns for his fourth outing, in which quirky characters and wry patter outshine a somewhat tepid mystery. Baxt opens with a bang--literally--as Pharoah is forced to gun down a childhood pal in a rousing, and oddly touching, New York City rooftop shootout. Unfortunately, the subsequent action (or lack thereof) never matches this finely wrought set piece. Pharoah remains endearingly outrageous; and his gay sensibilities, while never forced, form an integral aspect of his character. But the plot meanders with little urgency, as Pharoah attempts to discover who's systematically offing mob members in twos--a device perhaps linked to the recent murder of twin Mafia girlfriends. Though this work evinces greater panache than Baxt's Hollywood celebrity murder series, readers will find few surprises and prose that occasionally strains for effect. Still, Pharoah furnishes fun, as he has before in Swing Low, Sweet Harriet and Topsy and Evil.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Although series protagonist Pharoah Love works for the NYPD, few of his actions reflect the association. Black, gay, ponytailed, and handsome, Love associates easily with all sorts of minority figures, including madams and Mafioso. He begins by searching for someone who has been killing off pairs of friend Marco Salino's lieutenants; six men have died so far. Baxt advances the plot mostly through dialog, with various colorful characters adding interest. Despite some flat humor, Pharoah, cohorts, and context carry the day. A good selection for most libraries.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 279 pages
• Publisher: Otto Penzler Books; First Edition edition (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883402018
• ISBN-13: 978-1883402013
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,392,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pharoah Love returns . . .leaner, meaner, and better, July 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Queer Kind Of Love: A Pharoah Love Mystery (Stonewall Inn Mysteries) (Paperback)

In "A Queer Kind of Love" George Baxt returns to what was one-time his most outrageous character--Detective Pharoah Love of the NYPD. However, there has been a change--and one for the better. No longer does Love cavort around the crazy Hollywood types which seemed to be overdone and almost over-powered the main character in the series' earlier volumes--Madeline Cartier, her family, and Sweet Harriet are all gone. The crime under investigation is in the present--there is no hint of a decades old mystery to be solved. In this book, he is on the mean streets of Manhattan facing both his past and his inner demons, his fellow detectives, and the social implications of being gay in the age of AIDS--and the crime he is solving is not bizarre, but horrible. This is a tougher Love than the earlier books allowed the reader to read and understand. We also learn about his past and how he got his name and why it is misspelled. In short, he becomes more solid than in the first three volumes. The other characters seem to be more realistic and their pain can be felt by the reader. This does not stop Baxt from having some fun with certain of the Russian characters and their accents--and, of course, Love's own cocky (no pun intended) attitude to his own partner. The book also has a violent edge to it that was missing in the earlier novels. This allows Baxt to show the harsh side of Pharoah which was only hinted at in the earlier novels. The opening shoot out is both well-written and appalling while the last few pages are more bloody than anything else I have read from Baxt. After reading "Topsy & Evil," I suspected that I would not give Baxt and Love another chance. However, in this adventure, Baxt has allowed me to see that he can overcome the problems of the older books and recreate a daring and different detective.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A different kind of book, October 19, 2002

By 

Jeffrey S. Newman (Mt. Laurel, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Queer Kind of Love: A Pharoah Love Mystery (Hardcover)

Pharoah Love is a detective for the NYPD. However, he is also black and gay. The parts of this book that I liked the most were about him and the kind of person that he is. His character is very well-developed, and can probably be related to several people you know. His sarcasm and wit are refreshing and well-sculpted.
The whole plot, to me, was almost secondary. He investigates the murder of twin performers. The almost predictable ending did not take away, though, from my enjoyment of reading this book. Check it out today.

4.0 out of 5 stars A laugh out loud mystery!, April 18, 2004

By 

jsdunk "jsdunk" (Camas, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Queer Kind Of Love: A Pharoah Love Mystery (Stonewall Inn Mysteries) (Paperback)

George Baxt delivers a brilliant Pharoah Love mystery with A Queer Kind of Love.

Pharoah is a black, gay NYPD detective. He's also one of the top detectives on the force and completely out, irreverent and flamboyant.

This latest mystery is a bit darker than most of George Baxt's writing, as Pharoah confronts tough choices presented by some of his oldest friends and betrayal by others close to him. But Pharoah deals with the conflicts and confrontations with his usual wit and style regardless of the turmoil inside him.

While parts of the ending could be predicted by the sharp observer, the book was not predictable. And the final twist of the book is definitely one of the 'laugh out loud' moments.

I highly recommend this book. It was a real treat.