This is the 10th Donald Strachey mystery, some of which have been Lambda Prize Finalists and several of which have been made into movies. Stevenson (whose real name is Richard Lipez) is indeed a talented storyteller and writer.
As in past stories, this complex mystery begins in Albany, NY, Strachey’s home base. But it quickly moves to Thailand, where we’re treated to a thorough taste of the underside of that society. And not just the political turmoil that makes the U.S. news either, but the corruption and brutality common in some spheres, especially among the police and military. Thai public relations will not be pleased.
The reader can get bogged down in the many complicated Thai personal names. This is made more difficult when the name of a key character gets changed accidentally (p. 84) and two characters get mixed up (p. 206)—errors not prone to spell-checker correction.
Mystery fans will enjoy this book despite the challenges, especially the large audience of Stevenson’s detective Donald Strachey and his partner Timothy Callahan. There are lots of gay characters, but no sex apart from references to it. Libraries that cater to mystery fans will want to add this book to their collection of Donald Strachey mysteries.
Reviewed by, James Doig Anderson
Professor Emeritus of Library & Information Science
Rutgers University