A Queer Kind of Death (Repr ed) (Alyson Classics Library)

Rating:
Summary: "Unclassifiable" - The New York Times
Review: The one word quote from the Times review is apt. A fun read. Here is the blurb from the cover of the IPL Library of Crime Classics edition (which has an entertaining 1986 forward from Baxt included): "This is a detective story, and unlike any other that you have read. No brief review can attempt to convey its quality. I merely note that it deals with a Manhattan sub-culture wholly devoid of ethics or morality, that staid readers may well find it 'shocking,' that it is beautifully plotted and written with elegance and wit, that I have certain reservations concerning its strict technical fairness, and that you must under no circumstances miss it. This is announced as the first of a trilogy about the dual minority (Negro and homosexual) police detective Pharoah Love; and I wish I could simply estivate until the second appears." -- Anthony Boucher, June 12, 1966.

Well, Boucher generally knows his stuff (even though I'm not sure about that "estivate" thing in there, which looks like it means "to spend the summer in a torpid state.") His recommendations are rarely off the mark, and this book is not one of his rare misses. Of course times have changed in the last 40 years, so not many readers -- staid or not -- will be that shocked. Amused, probably, though.

Rating:
Summary: a bit dated, but...
Review: Though the book was first published back in 1966, it was a surprisingly good and funny read. The protagonist, Pharoah Love, is a black, gay police detective in NYC investigating a rather unusual murder case... This is actually prolific writer George Baxt's first novel. "A Queer Kind of Death" is chock-full of bizarre characters, murky subplots, and the usual stereotypes and prejudices you would expect to find in New York during the late 60's. It definitely gave me more than a few chuckles, and since it's the first book of the series, I'm looking forward to reading more...Though it seems most of the other titles are out-of-print, that may not be the easiest task. Worth a look if you enjoy mysteries with a 'queer' twist!