Set for release in mid-June of 2001, the prequel to "The 9th Man", "The Butcher's Son" tells how Dick Hardesty, caught in a web of burning gay bars, a rabidly homophobic police chief running for governor, and the chief's identical twin sons, Kevin and Patrick, decides to become a private investigator.
Dick is smart, funny, and sharp, and guides the reader smoothly through a series of adventures and characters to an ending few readers will anticipate.
Stuck in a job he hates and in a crumbling relationship, Dick Hardesty is assigned to be his company's P.R. liason with Chief Terrance Rourke, the city's rabidly homophobic police chief, who is rumored to have been responsible for the death of one of his identical twin sons after finding out the young man was gay. The surviving son, Kevin, is married, the father of a young son, and a minister at a homeless shelter who desperately needs a friend and sees one in Dick.
When a series of fires in gay bars suddenly strikes tragically close to home, Dick's innate curiousity drives him to find out what--and who--is behind it all.
What he discovers, and who he meets along the way, make for a rollercoaster ride well worth the taking.
Excerpt
I've already mentioned that I hated my job. I'd had several since I left college and didn't feel really comfortable with any of them, but as I've always said, it isn't the principle of the thing, it's the money. At the moment, I was being rather embarrassingly overpaid by a small public relations firm, Carlton Carlson & Associates. The reason for the high salary was that CC&A was run by the rear end of a horse with a monumental ego, and the only way he could keep help was by paying them so much they couldn't afford to go elsewhere. He had, thanks to his rich wife's family connections, passably juggled the careers of one or two fairly well-known clients over the years and had volunteered his--that is to say, his staff's--services in the promotion and setup of a press conference for the Chief of Police's contemplated assualt on the governor's seat.
The task wouldn't be an easy one, as anyone with his head a little less far up his behind than my boss would readily have recognized. The chief's political beliefs fell considerably to the right of Atilla the Hun, and he ran his department like Vlad the Impaler. Need I add that he loathed homosexuals?
Professional Reviews
The Butcher's Son
It’s extremely rare for a sequel to a film to be as successful, if not more so, than the original. It’s not much different in the literary world. An author can hit big with one book, and vanish off the literary radar with the next (anyone remember any successful books by Robert James Waller OTHER than Bridges of Madison County?). Fortunately for us mystery fans, it appears that author Dorien Grey is going to be around for a while.
Gay mystery authors abound these days, although quality authors do not. Writers such as Mark Richard Zubro, John Morgan Wilson and Mary Wings are still popular, yet gay mysteries seem to be losing some of their luster as authors such as Michael Nava retire from the field, and other writers with lesser abilities come forth to try and take his place. Fortunately, Dorien Grey ranks right up there with the best mystery authors and clearly demonstrates his staying power in his latest release, The Butcher’s Son.
Grey’s protagonist Dick Hardesty was first introduced to us in The 9th Man, an exceptional piece of mystery writing (and also available in ebook format through http://www.glbpubs.com). The sequel, The Butcher’s Son, is actually a prequel in that it shows us exactly how Hardesty becomes a private investigator.
This time out, Hardesty is dealing with a lot of issues. For one, he and Chris, his lover of five years, are about to be splitsville. His horrible job has him doing public relations for an extremely homophobic police chief with designs on the governor’s mansion. Add to this a mysterious series of bombings of local gay bars, and Hardesty’s talent for snooping is greatly aroused.
Along the way he meets the police chief’s son Kevin, a local priest running a homeless shelter who, although married, seems to be interested in Hardesty. Then again, so are a couple of local drag queens. When the fires start hitting close to home, Hardesty discovers that the flames and deaths are perhaps just smoke and mirrors for more deadly activities ahead.
I found this mystery to be just as enjoyable, if not more so, then Grey’s first book. Once again his characters are extremely well-defined. The plot of the story is presented in a logical manner with a VERY surprising end twist. Just when I was convinced I knew who the killer was, Grey pulled a fast one that left me gasping with surprise at the conclusion. Throw in a little bit of gay sex, a well captured ambience of a drag show, accurate depictions of loss and love and voila…….a recipe for a successful gay mystery.
This one’s definitely worth reading, and does not need to be read before The 9th Man to make sense. Congratulations to Dorien Grey. At this rate, his third and fourth books are bound to be as successful as his first two, and just as likely to establish him as a premier mystery author to rival his contemporaries.
Reviewed by J. Alan Hartman
http://www.knowbetter.com
The Butcher's Son
If you're a bit weary of the tough, hard-boiled P.I. and the
smart-talking female investigator, have I got the P.I. for you.
Dick Hardesty is intelligent, witty and sensitive. He's also gay. Not
something you'd expect in your average P.I. but then Dick Hardesty is
definitely not average. Apparently the gay community has just as many bad
guys and murders as the straight folks and this can be good for business as
DH discovers in earlier books in the series. Now, with THE BUTCHER'S SON,
author Dorien Grey gives us the backstory on Hardesty - how did a nice,
intelligent, sensitive guy become a P.I.?
A series of fires in gay bars is getting little attention from the
media
and even less from city officials. Fire investigators appear to be delaying
reports and insurance companies are hedging on paying out damages to bar
owners. It smacks of a cover-up so when friends learn Dick Hardesty's former
lover is an arson investigator, they ask Dick to see if he can help move
things along.
Meanwhile, Dick has become increasingly involved in the PR campaign
designed to get the seriously homophobic chief of police elected governor of
the state. At least the PR firm Dick works for is trying to get him elected;
Dick is doing his best to quietly sabotage the works. Complications arise
when Dick meets the chief's son, Kevin, who is a minister and heavily into
good works. There's something odd about Kevin though and despite being
married and a father, he appears to be attracted to Dick. And then there's
Kevin's twin brother, Patrick, who was gay and supposedly committed suicide.
Or did he? The body was never found.
When another gay bar is destroyed by fire, this time killing several
people, one of whom is a friend, Dick becomes seriously involved in the
investigation. Bit by bit he pieces together an incredible tale of a
dysfunctional family with hints of murder and incest that finally lead him
to
the arsonist.
THE BUTCHER'S SON is a well-crafted story with fascinating characters
and insightful prose. Dorien Grey is a talented writer whose ability to draw
the reader into the story makes this a real page turner (or would, if one
prints out this e-book). This is, I believe, one of three books in theseries
and if they're all as good as this one, well worth reading.
-- Reviewed by Betty Babas
CompuServe Romance/Mystery Reviews
Hardesty soon discovers he is learning more about the narrow-minded, harsh Chief of Police than he ever hoped to know when the ‘worst fire in city history’ guts another gay bar in the Bacchus Lair vicinity. In this inferno are lost friends of Hardesty. He is propelled into trying to find who is effecting the horror only to discover not everything in the Rourke household is as it once seemed. With the arsonist brought to the light of day, Hardesty is able to persuade Chief Terrence Rouke to take back his name from the governor’s race.
Excellent book filled with a marvelous array of characters. From the delightful drag queen Tondelay O’Tool/Teddy, the mysterious Judy Garland, and right down to the bigot Rourke these are people who catch and hold your attention. The mystery surrounding Patrick Rouke’s supposed death, his brother Kevin and Dick Hardesty himself are all credible characters behaving in plausible manner. The twists of plot coupled with Hardesty’s personal life situation provide the backdrop for his leaving the Public Relations firm and hanging out his shingle as a Private Detective.
Evocative of Christine Spindler’s ‘Faces of Fear’ and filled with the spine tingling chill of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the narrative is a grab the reader from the opening page and keep them interested right down to the last.
The anguish of the gay community is compelling. Hardesty’s desperation driven behavior as he strives to discover what is bringing about this terror keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. The interwoven personal issues Hardesty and his friends engage in are grist for the story.
THE BUTCHER’S SON extends to the reader a glimpse inside the mind of a hagridden, obsessed individual who begins to act upon his delusion in the most fear-inspiring manner. In a short time the reader observes how quickly controlled behavior turns to irrational, overpowering hostility and even murderous intent.
THE BUTCHER’S SON is Dorien Grey’s second mystery thriller and is the prequel to his highly acclaimed ‘The Ninth Man.’ We who enjoy thrillers are delighted to know Dorien is hard at work on the next and many more novels in this series are soon to be forthcoming. THE BUTHCHER’S SON is a tale that will clinch you tight from the first line and will hold you fast right on down to the last page. Perceptive book and highly recommended.
Reviewed by m j hollingshead
http://www.angelfire.com/ok4/mollymartin
The Cat’s Paw: Blue Death
review written for ScribesWorld, BookDragon, TerryFic, others
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