Interesting but less of a surprise than the first novel in this gay detective series. It could have been read before "The Butcher's Son" since the plot of the first novel had no impact on this one. Still, the mystery is complex and solid. I saw the clues and the red herrings and knew the end before I got there but the journey to the last chapter wasn't boring. Hardesty is still amusing and fun. He's like an old fashioned detective that happens to be gay so he flirts and hits on guys instead of girls.`*g* I'll read the next one just to see how he resolves the moral dilemma from this novel. ( )

Interesting little mystery from a tiny little SF publishing company. I don't even remember how this ended up on my bookshelf. But, I'm happy it did - it was a fast read, the mystery was good and the whodunnit plausible although potentially easily guessed. The stakes are decent. The ending is a little ambiguous, but it's good in the way that you get to "decide" how it ends. If it had been a little longer with some more in-depth characterizations it would probably have gotten a much higher rating. The biggest problem is that it's a little "chatty" in that it's written pretty much as normal people speak. That might sound like a good idea when you're writing, but in reality it's distracting because you're almost forced to read aloud to "get" the character. ( )

A series of unusal but seemigly unrelated deaths of gay men is largely ignored by a homophobic police force, leaving it to p.i. Dick Hardesty to find the common thread that linked all the dead, and to follow it to the unlikely murderer.