The 9th Man

GAY MYSTERY NOVELS

# 2 OF THE DICK HARDESTY SERIES

THE 9TH MAN DORIEN GREY

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Reviewers' Comments:

In the first book of his now-8 book gay mystery series, Dorien Grey cuts a sparkling, multi-faceted gumshoe gem with The 9th Man. Central character Dick Hardesty is a hard luck private investigator. Told from Hardesty's point of view, the story begins with the overstyled entrance of Kyle Rholfing. Mr. Rholfing, or "Lucretia Borgia," as Kyle likes to refer to herself, has recently suffered the loss of his lover. Rholfing is convinced it was murder and wants Dick to investigate.
Although uninspired by Rholfing's drama-queen performance, Hardesty takes the case. It pays the bills. Dick thinks he will just contact a gay friend at the city morgue & get a little insider information––should be a cut-n-dried case. And, somewhat uncomfortable with the prissy affections of his new client, the sooner Dick can get Rholfing out of his office, the better.
But the call to friend and occasional playmate, Tim Jackson, raises more questions than it answers. Dick learns that not one, but 6 gay men have been found dead from cyanide poisoning, their deaths spanning a couple months. Local police have kept the situation under wraps, citing various reasons for maintaining silence to the public, but Tim suggests they just have no real interest in solving a possible serial murder case involving gay men. Other than sexual orientation, Tim tells Dick, the dead men seem to have no connection. Hardesty asks his friend to gather whatever information he can at the morgue and keep Dick posted about the related activities of the police.
Tim leaks a list of names to Dick of the men that identified the cyanide victims, and Hardesty begins to contact them one by one in hopes of finding the elusive connection. What can it be? The six dead men had such very different lives. With so many gay men tied to the case, Dick realizes each of his potential suspects list might also be the next poisoning victim.
Following his first significant lead, Hardesty meets Ed Grayley, a handsome airline employee and a mutual respect and affection begins. Dick finds his thoughts frequently wandering from the life-and-death seriousness of the investigation to the passion and humanity of his new flame. Like a breath of fresh air, Ed helps Dick relax and refocus. Dick reflects briefly on his one and only previous significant relationship and ponders with butterflies in stomach where the developing intimacy between he & Ed could take them.
However, even as his relationship blossoms his client is found dead of the same cyanide poisoning as the others and Dick feels he could have prevented it. Driven by guilt and determination to stop a possible serial predator, Hardesty steels himself to discover the killer''s motive, and thus, his identity.
I found The 9th Man to be well executed from start to finish, a fun, sexy and fast-paced read. Normally a slow reader, I polished this gem off in three days –– I couldn''t put it down! Characters are so real, like people you''ve known all your life –– you can almost reach out & touch them. Hardesty is a character easy to enjoy, again and again. On that note, I'm looking forward to reading the prequel, The Butcher's Son.
——Scout DeWitt , All About Murder

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The 9th Man is a compelling mystery novel of the Dick Hardesty series. Hardesty is a homosexual private investigator trying to earn a living in a trade that's rough on all genders and all sexual orientations. Hardesty is hired to find a murderer; as the body count rises, he realizes he's on the trail of a serial killer who is apparently being ignored by the police because all of the victims are gay. Enthusiastically recommended for all mystery fans, The 9th Man is a tense, contemplative, superbly crafted reading.
-- Midwest Book Review

Gay private investigator Disk Hardesty is hired to find the killer of the lover of swishy Kyle Rholfing who later turns up dead himself, the victim of a serial killer whom the police seem to be ignoring because all the victims are gay. Despite some profanity and a bit of graphic sex, I found this tale to be both gripping and well-written; the sex scenes are an integral part of the story, not a cover for a flimsy story line. A bittersweet romantic mystery thriller well worth reading.
-- m.j.hollingshead, www.bookdragonreview.com

Dorien Grey is a talented writer who can turn an elegant phrase as well as having a terrific eye for detail. He creates an assortment of interesting characters who pull the reader into the story of a gay serial killer, and he plays fair with readers -- the evidence is all there but it takes one last piece to pull everything together. If this is part of a series, I would certainly want to read more.
-- Karen McCullough, www/scribesworld.com

(Karen's going to be happy because there is more coming from the Dick Hardesty series!)

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