Death Vows (Donald Strachey Mystery) (Paperback)

by Richard Stevenson (Author)
Key Phrases: motel lady, Jim Sturdivant, Bill Moore, Barry Fields (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
The Donald Strachey series resumes after a five-year hiatus, with a change of publisher, and without having lost any sleuther virtues. Gay PI Strachey is retained by one of a pair of rich retired lovers to investigate Barry Fields, the young spouse-to-be (the setting is in Massachusetts) of their middle-aged friend Bill Moore. Then the client is murdered, Mob-style. Strachey has already established that Barry, his roommate, and his fiancé, Bill, suspiciously lack pasts, probably because they’re all using aliases, but he can’t see any of them having Mob connections. With Barry in custody, Strachey goes to work for Bill, who immediately decamps to Washington, D.C., and becomes incommunicado. Barry’s roomie absconds, and the murdered man’s partner gets pissy. It’s remarkable, however, what Strachey can find out from working his connections and following his hunches, and fortunate that the cops on the case are unbiased. But then, since Massachusetts’ law legalizing gay marriage is crucial to the plot, it’s politic to present the commonwealth’s lawmen as straight shooters. --Ray Olson

Product Description

Gay marriage in Massachusetts is a fine institution------except when it leads to murder, as it does in this taut, suspenseful Don Strachey private eye novel, the ninth in the classic series. Strachey and his loving foil, Timothy Callahan, are back in perfect form in this witty, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: mlr press; 1st edition (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934531332
• ISBN-13: 978-1934531334
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #107,058 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging mystery--excellent writing, September 7, 2008

By	Blue "in Washington" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This new Donald Strachey murder mystery by Richard Stevenson is set in 2008 Western Massachusetts where a thriving Gay/Lesbian community has embraced the state's legal endorsement of same-sex marriage with gusto. But old mores and prejudices die hard and there are other sectors of the population that are extremely unhappy with these changes in the state's social climate. Some belonging to the old guard are more than willing to take violent action against the newly empowered gay and lesbian citizenry.

With this contemporary backdrop, author Stevenson has consructed a clever and plausible murder story that is laced with sharp wit and compelling characters. The story's ironic conclusion, while close to over the top, is pure and satisfying justice and alone worth the price of the book.

Stevenson is an accomplished mystery writer and in "Death Vows," avoids the cliched characters and scenarios that some gay genre novels embrace. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Version Unreadable, June 25, 2009

By	James Todd (Ellijay, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased the Kindle version of this book anticipating another good Donald Strachey book. However, the Kindle version of this book is virtually unreadable. One main character's name is Barry, however, more often than not, the name appears as "Bany". The word marry, appears as "many". I tried to read it, but could only get through less than 10% before I gave up.

Amazon informs me that this is the publisher's issue, but cannot provide any contact information for the publisher.

I hate to buy this book again in paperback, but that may be my only option. Since I bought the Kindle book more than 7 days ago, I can't even get a refund.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting mystery with a good dose of satire on today's worlds opinions on homosexuality, August 10, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

The allowance of legal gay marriage in Massachusetts has caused many a gay couple to travel there for their opportunity to be wed. "Death Vows" is another chapter in the series of Donald Strachey's adventures as the only gay private investigator in Albany, New York. His latest case deals with the fear and hypocrisy surrounding Gay marriage in Massachusetts, where one person pays a price no one should pay for love. "Death Vows" is a riveting mystery with a good dose of satire on today's worlds opinions on homosexuality.