Tongue-Tied: A Donald Strachey Mystery [Paperback]

Richard Stevenson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2009

A long-defunct gay activist group seems to be threatening radio shock jock Jay Plankton. As The J-Bird, the man's hate-filled rants offend Strachey deeply. Among the subjects Stevenson tackles in this series entry is homophobia in modern police services like the NYPD, where coming out carries more than its usual share of costs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Tongue Tied: A Donald Strachey Mystery, Richard Stevenson's eighth amusing whodunit to feature his gay Albany, N.Y., PI, Strachey has to figure out who tossed a tear-gas canister into the studio of Jay Plankton (aka "J-Bird''), the first of other, increasingly bizarre attacks on the radio "shock jock" during the period leading up to the 2000 elections. Straight and gay readers will appreciate the author's wry social commentary.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Richard Stevenson is the pseudonym for Richard Lipez. As Stevenson, he is the author of eight novels featuring Albany private investigator Donald Strachey. As Lipez, he writes journalism and reviews crime fiction for newspapers such as the Berkshire Eagle and The Washington Post.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: MLR Press (May 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1608200094
• ISBN-13: 978-1608200092
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,103,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars humorous mystery, March 1, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: Tongue Tied: A Donald Strachey Mystery (Hardcover)

New York based Jay "J Bird Plankton is a typical right wing shock radio DJ. However, his harangues obviously upset some people because he has become the target of a campaign of harassment and pranks by the Forces of Free Faggotry, a 1970s gay rights group long since extinct. Because of his former ties to the three Fs, Albany private detective Donald Strachey is hired to learn what they want, end any threats, and save J-Bird's image, which is more important than his life.

Donald manages to locate two former members, but both deny any involvement nor accept any of their middle-aged colleagues harassing anyone. However, the attacks escalate until J-Bird's gay bashing sidekick is kidnapped. With the help of a former three F member, farmer Thad Diefendorfer, Donald tries to rescue the victim.

Fans of gay mysteries will enjoy the sharp digs at politicians and radio jocks that used and use the homosexual community to further personal ambitions. The mystery is secondary to the jabs and hooks that Richard Stevenson throws at the bashers with their divide and conquer philosophy. Readers who want a strong investigative tale need to look elsewhere, but those in the audience who relish a series of left right humorous combos will want to read TONGUE TIED because Mr. Stevenson is anything but that with this amusing tale.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Family Feud, July 3, 2007

By 

Neil S. Plakcy "Neil Plakcy" (Hollywood, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chain of Fools (Donald Strachey Mysteries) (Paperback)

Don and Timmy are back, as Don investigates a family feud that has turned into murder. A brother and sister are both attacked, and Don believes the attacks are linked to their desire to sell the family newspaper.

I liked this, especially for the small insights into Don and Timmy's life together. "'That guy was actually trying to kill us!' Timmy blurted out. Under his sunburn, he looked pale and feverish and as vulnerable as I'd ever seen him. A wave rolled through me, and it occurred to me that one day Timmy would die."

Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu Surfer: A Hawaiian Mystery (An Alyson Mystery)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SHOCK JOCKS, QUEER EXTREMISTS AND LLAMAS, OH MY!, March 17, 2003

By 

Robert Edler "Master Of Mystery" (Saint Louis, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tongue Tied: A Donald Strachey Mystery (Hardcover)

I would have enjoyed this book more it the author had followed his previous schedule of delivering a new Don Strachey adventure every two years. (Except for that six-year lapse in the series between 1986 and 1992 - ICE BLUES and THIRD MAN OUT.) The last book in the series, Strachey's Folly was released in 1998, and the current book is set in the summer of 2000. Unfortunately, it is filled with political commentary regarding Clinton, Janet Reno, Guiliani, and the Gore/Bush presidential campaign that might have been topical had the book been published in 2001. Now, rather than setting or enhancing the scene or mood of the action, they simply date the story more than the actual three years that have past.

Other than that, the plot is standard Strachey fare. Don is hired to investigate a series of crude pranks attributed to a gay radical group (that hasn't existed for 20-years) against NY shock jock, J-Bird, who broadcasts from a world of politically incorrect banter. Then the pranks are upgraded and the kidnapping starts. Working with (and sometimes not) a NYC gay cop, a gay Amish eggplant farmer and his own lover Tim in Albany, Strachey travels from Manhattan, to the Berkshires, to Brooklyn to Long Island to resolve the case. (And all without a cellphone - how old is Strachey if he can reminisce about the good old days of street corner phonebooths with folding doors where you could call for just a nickel?)

It's really hard to compare this book with the earlier books in the series since it has been five years since the last book was released. It was an enjoyable read, but for some reason it felt slightly "off" to me - like something was missing. Maybe, Strachey, the author and I are just getting older. I will give it my **** rating though, because it's nice to visit old friends.