Books: 769

“Dead in the Frame”
Stephen Spotswood
Vintage Crime
$17

If you’ve not yet read Spotswood’s first four Pentecost and Parker mysteries, I’ll lay heavy odds once you read this one, you’ll not stop until you’ve devoured the others as well (I did). They’re narrated by Will (née Willowjean) Parker, former runaway, traveling-circus, multi-gigged performer, current amanuensis to New York’s premiere lady detective, Lillian Pentecost. Street-smart but short on book learning, Will’s narrative echoes the hard-boiled Chandler/Hammett repartee prevalent in the City’s crime-ridden 1940s. Here, Will returns from vacation to find Pentecost in jail, framed for killing a shady millionaire philanthropist, himself a collector of murder paraphernalia displayed to an elect circle in his mansion’s Black Museum. Morals, mores, loves and lusts swirl in dark eddies around the entire cast. Trust me — you’ll seek the previous four.

“Gay Campgrounds: The Ultimate Guide to Gay Camping Travel Guide (Gay Men’s Field Guide Book 2)”
Upton Rand
KVP
$5.99 e-book, $14.99 paperback, $35 hardcover

Rand writes with openness and joy, eager to share the treasures he and Rex (his Pug) discovered at Freedom Valley Gay Campground in New London, Ohio. Two months after his divorce, our narrator is “more than ready for a fresh start.” Sex will, of course, be involved in this adventure, but true freedom, he learns, comes through emotional bonds; connections and friendships that are forged through open conversations — all new revelations precious to someone who’s lived life “emotionally walled off.” There are activities galore including the Bond of Leather, Private Clubs, Pool Time and just time. There are tips on packing for your next trip and a curated list of US male-only gay campgrounds, but assuring there are many LGBTQ+ areas, besides those in his purview.

“That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America”
Amanda Jones
Bloomsbury Publishing
$29.99

Louisiana middle-school librarian Amanda Jones spoke, with some 30 others, at an evening library meeting, sharing her concern for the inclusion of books with stories and characters relevant to all students. She woke to an e-mailed death threat and accusations of “grooming” children. She was targeted by specific groups, accused, among a plethora of lies defying common sense, of giving youngsters books on performing anal sex. Jones details her decision to fight back, to confront these organized, proliferating hate groups. Though painful, Jones’s arduous path is a beacon to educators who love teaching, who love their charges and who love books. Valuable chapters, pragmatic and specific, advise how to respond to hate in one’s community, how to keep records, how to seek counsel and what groups are available nationwide.

“Bless Our Sleep”
Neil S. Plakcy
Samwise Books
$4.99 ebook, print TBA

Miami, 1968. Enter George Clay, honorably discharged, Navy Master-at-Arms qualified for a class C investigator license. Cash shortage; becomes late-hour bouncer at Cockpit bar, gay-after-dark. First client seeks heirloom signet ring stolen during blow-job from teen (aka “Worm”) in wooded park. Luckless at pawnshops, Clay roams the park and finds … a corpse. Male. Young. Plakcy has adroitly set wheels in motion. Clay has many balls to juggle: client’s assignations must be kept from family and police, Worm’s connections with wealthy, private school teens must be explored — gingerly — tweaking darker threads to drugs, always aware that where drugs exist, there also lurk the elite criminal power-lords as well. Plakcy explores the money/power paths of a Miami not so much bygone, as a foreshadowing of today’s phoenixed glitter.