Customer Reviews

Strachey's Folly: A Donald Strachey Mystery

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My hobby is reading mysteries. The nice thing about a series is that if you liked the book, you are likely to enjoy the others. Richard Stevenson is my favorite author; His Donald Strachey books are my favorite series. His current, Strachey's Folly, contains all what I have come to expect: It is a real page turner; characters are believable; well crafted mystery; twists and turns keep you guessing. This story begins with the discovery that a memorial panel in the AIDS quilt is dedicated to someone who has been seen alive two weeks ago. The characteristics that really distinguish this book [and this author] from others are many. Humor, often rye, sassy, and ribald, sometimes subtle and ironic, fills the pages. Some times the humor, all in context and original, has me literally rolling on the floor. The author is socially conscious. His detective, Donald Strachey, has an ongoing personal & romantic relationship with his lover that provides foil to the main story l! ine and a secure base for the reader. Their interrelationship is fully developed.

Albany P.I. Donald Strachey and his lover, Timmy take a trip to Washington, D.C. to visit their friend Maynard, and to go see the AIDS Memorial Quilt. All goes well until they discover a panel for Maynard's ex-lover, who is alive and well, and whom Maynard had just seen two weeks ago while in Mexico. Now the action has begun. As this fast paced mystery continues, there's a drive-by shooting, and the police even suspect Donald and Timmy are involved. This is a gripping story that is filled with carefully crafted and unexpected turns, which kept me turning the pages as fast as I could read them. This is the reason I look forward to these "Strachey" mysteries. They are intelligently written, and often laced with good-natured humor.

If you have never read Stevenson's mysteries, you are missing out on some great writing. I think once you have read one, you will want to read the whole series. They are all connected, but can be read independently. This is another one of Stevenson's master mysteries, and one I really enjoyed. I look forward to every book he publishes. I just wish he would put more than one out a year. Highly recommended, that's for sure!

Joe Hanssen

Needless to say, this is a very well structured book and great fun to read. Loved it. I've also watched most of the films of this series and really appreciate Stevenson's realistic portrayal of a gay couple. That aside, I found the accuracy of the back story re: the Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) experience just amazing. I was also a PCV, not in India, but in Eritrea and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the late sixties. PC philosophy has changed over the years but during that time, it was thought anyone with a Bachelor's degree or B.A. Generalist--as Stevenson accurately terms it--could work miracles in underdeveloped countries. That ridiculous notion soon changed, perhaps, after 75% of my group left Ethiopia within the first year of service. I was on my way home when my area rep in Asmara handed me a book on Teaching English as a Second Language, and I stayed on and loved the experience, and my newfound vocation. Proving once again the axiom, those who can't, teach. In any case, kudos to Stevenson who really got it right.