"To those who not only hear the different drummer within themselves, but dare to march to his beat.."

When arrogant former porn star Barry Comstock is found laying dead with his chest pierced by his own letter opener in the office of his members only bathhouse; P I Dick Hardesty is the San Francisco police department's prime suspect.

Heck, he is their only suspect. His fingerprints are on the murder weapon and the police are sure they need not look any further. PI Hardesty’s town has changed a bit since repulsive, homophobic Chief Rourke retired, however it has not changed enough.

The fact that PI Hardesty was seen by numerous witnesses in another part of town at the time the murder took place doesn't seem to impress the local constabulary near as much as it might. Doesn't take P I Hardesty long to realize that he is going to have to track down the real killer darn fast. Luckily Comstock's partners are not nearly so pig headed as Comstock.

Attorney Glen O'Banyon, one of Comstock's partners, offers Hardesty a contract paying his regular fee in exhange for his work on the matter.

Dorien Grey has done it again! The Bar Watcher is the third in this exciting series of thrillers featuring the amiable Dick Hardesty. Grey's characters continue as entertaining and credible as those found in his two previous works.

Many of the old company as well as many of the old familiar haunts reappear here in this narrative. Hardesty and his chums are a likeable lot, it is like watching old friends to again read another in the series.

The Bar Watcher is a fast paced, action filled tale filled with duplicity, characters you love to hate, and others you have to like in spite of themselves.

Writer Grey has again brought us one of his excellent 'grab the reader from the opening line and hold them tight right down to the last paragraph' works. Dialogue between the characters is fluid, filled with tumult and plausible. The promise of the narrative is fulfilled by Writer Grey's attention to detail.

The reader comes away with a sense of having been in Hardesty's neighborhood, and working right alongside Hardesty as he unravels this baffling case.

Watch those red herrings. Writer Grey has moved beyond crafty and is getting down right sneaky in his presentation of those little roadblocks!

Happy to know Dorien is already working on the next in the series. Keep 'em coming!

Excellent read, highly recommended.

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Reviewed by     Molly's Reviews       molly martin

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