by
Dorien Grey
GAY MYSTERY NOVELS
# 4 OF THE DICK HARDESTY SERIES
THE
HIRED MAN
by
Dorien Grey
Reviewers' Comments:
THE HIRED MAN, the fourth book in the Dick
Hardesty series, finds Dick now working as a private investigator. Stuart
Anderson asks Dick to investigate people, one of whom he is thinking of placing
in a managerial position in his chain of gourmet kitchen supply shops.
He and Dick meet for dinner at Napoleon's, a very discreet,
high-class restaurant that caters to gays. Anderson had told Hardesty that
a mutual friend introduced them. Imagine Dick's surprise when the mutual
friend turns out to be Phil Stark, mutated from rough trade to elegant male
model.
Dick takes the job and makes an appointment to meet Anderson
first thing Monday morning. But when Dick gets to Anderson's hotel, he finds
that Anderson has been murdered. On meeting with Phil, Dick gets the lowdown
on the transformation. Phil has been taken on by ModelMen, a modeling and
escort agency run by a husband and wife team, Arnold and Iris Glick. Anderson
was a bisexual, who played when he was away from his wife and children. The
Glicks hire Hardesty to protect their interests.
Before too long, one of the ModelMen escorts is killed
and then a prostitute is murdered in a similar manner. Suspicion falls on
the owners and remaining escorts at ModelMen but Dick perseveres to find
the true murderer.
The book is about relationships. Dick plays matchmaker,
fixing up friends of his with each other. There is also the relationship
between Arnold and Iris, and Iris and her brother, and Dick and any one of
several men he goes to bed with. Hardesty has many friends and acquaintances,
and he seems to go to bed with almost all of them. I worry about him. He
needs a steady boyfriend. But all the characters are well delineated, and
the ending comes as a big surprise. I look forward to reading more of Dick
Hardesty's adventures.
—Barbara Franchi, www.reviewingtheevidence.com,
August 2004
------------------
I have long been a mystery fan. I cut my teeth on Agatha Christies and Dorothy
L. Sayers. I love long winding corridors leading to a body in the library,
like nothing better than following amateur sleuths across university grounds,
listening to old ladies question suspects and check alibis while placidly
knitting booties for their grandchildren, or holding on to my hat in the
back seat of a speeding car driven by an American gumshoe in pursuit of a
villian. Death by poison or rapier, a suspicious fall from a balcony, the
anonymous letter, all these set my heart racing with excitement. So, when
I opened "The Hired Man" by Dorien Grey, it was with a keen sense of
anticipation.
The requirements of a good mystery story are basic: engaging
characters, an intriguing plot line with a few twists and turns to keep the
reader just slightly off balance but with enough facts to at least give the
illusion that he can solve the crime before the fictional detective, and
writing skill so that the journey from dead body to mystery solved will hold
the reader's interest.
THE HIRED MAN ably satisfies on all
counts.
Dick Hardesty (yep, that's his name) is hired to look
into the death of a bisexual businessman, and in the course of his investigation
becomes well acquainted with the world of male hustlers and escorts. In a
world where secrecy is a must and discretion a way of life, nothing is more
disturbing than a dead client. Dick must navigate through the murky waters
of money, power, and sex, all the while ignoring the siren call of the gorgeous,
erotically-talented men on all sides, one of whom may well be an equally-skilled
killer.
And Hardesty is not very good at resisting temptation.
In fact one of the weaknesses of the story is the idea that every man he
meets wants to go to bed with him. No one is that good-looking or lucky,
especially since the sexy sleuth seems to eat nothing but starch, coffee,
and greasy fried foods and never goes to the gym. Lots of reasons to hate
him.
And yet, we like Hardesty. We get won over by his dry
wit and self-deprecating humor. More importantly we get caught up in the
lives of the characters. Grey's greatest skill is in making us care about
people who inhabit these pages and make them seem alive and real. Even Phil,
the prime suspect and the gay version of the hooker with a heart of gold,
begins to feel like someone we really know and like. I read the book in big
chunks, hoping my favorites would be exonerated, intrigued by the naughty
ones and rooting for Dick to save the day.
I even forgave him for getting to the solution before
I did.
--- Ralph Higgins, Wayves
--------------------
Grey's protagonist Dick Hardesty finds himself up to his keister in trouble while investigating the death of a bisexual business man. In the process of investigating the murder, Hardesty discovers the sometimes-shadowy world of the male escort business. THE HIRED MAN stands as a testament to what good mystery writing should be about: engaging characters, a well-crafted storyline and sheer unadulterated TALENT.
— J. A. Hartman, www.knowbetter.com
----------------
THE HIRED MAN by Dorien Grey will appeal to a vast audience. Lovers of murder mysteries will find the complex twists and turns fascinating. Readers open to questions of sexuality and the prejudice that follows will likewise delight in Grey's novel. Indeed, it breaks new ground by being the first mystery novel to make bisexuality an issue in solving a crime. An entirely satisfying read, THE HIRED MAN comes very highly recommended.
— Cindy Penn, www.wordweaving.com
----------------
From an Amazon reader/reviewer:
Not really a mystery, just a great story with wonderful characters and real
life drama. I read it straight through after setting aside the vast and soporific
Cinatis by Donaghe. The quality of the writing and story reminds me of the
early Patrica Nell Warren and Ronald Donaghe novels.
[ Back to The Hired Man | Back to Home Page ]