The Glory Hole Murders [Paperback]

Tony Fennelly (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An impressive debut, outrageously colorful." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

The gay, New Orleans aristocrat, Matt Sinclair, solves a murder of a supposedly straight family man in the men's room of a gay bar. Nominated for an Edgar. The New York Times Book Review said, "A first in mystery fiction. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub (September 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555471153
• ISBN-13: 978-0881842708
• ASIN: 0881842702
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #5,685,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Nic e to See this Masterpiece back in Print, October 17, 2000

By	Patrick Burnett "penngos" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Glory Hole Murders (Paperback)

Though the opening murder is particularly gruesome (and will cause male readers to sit sidesaddle for the rest of the book)Tony Fennelly's first Matty Sinclair novel is a wonderwork of sly wit, clever plotting and early-eighties sexual freedom in the days before AIDS actually became old news.

Matty himself is the gay scion of an ancient New Orleans family who now runs an antique reproduction boutique. He is romantically entangled primarily with Robin, a fluffy-skulled youngster with no common sense and eyes only for Matty, but has occasional trysts with other characters throughout, both male and female. Matty, you see, is an opportunist.

The plot is fairly typical of gay fiction, in that the primary motive of the killer appears to be either a way to "out" his seemingly-straight victims or to exact revenge upon the vagaries of his or her own sexuality. Overall, the plotting is deft and entertaining, but it is Tony Fennelly's flights of fancy that makes this book such a page-turner; Matty's involvement with a beautiful, young, gay hitman for the mob, for example, is hilarious and lighthearted.

Here's hoping that a successful reprint of "The Glory Hole Murders" will prompt re-issues of the other two Matty Sinclair novels and/or a new installment altogether.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Must be a cultural thing ...., January 15, 2002

By	DonMac "butchm" (Lynn, MA United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: The Glory Hole Murders (Paperback)

This book is really pretty bad. It is so strangely gay that it almost comes off as being homophobic. For example: Matty (the detective) makes a point at the very begining of the book that he has never worn a dress ... yadda, yadda. But, he calls everyone dearie and sweetie and thinks he looks "scrumptious" in purple. Next thing you know he is bedding a woman (and suspect). She apparently is a "fall" and he has problems with how she dresses ... oh well. There is one section where he meets the father of the jailbait boy hooker he is living with that has to be read to be believed. Throughout it all he puts down other gay men for their age, weight, income, hang-outs .. whatever. Honestly, I don't think I've ever read a book with such an annoying lead character. Try the Nathan Aldyne mysteries instead for a good, humorous look at the gay 80's.