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Donald Strachey #12
Red White Black and Blue
In an election year, Don finds himself in the unlikely role of political operative. Rumors about the Tea Party's opportunistic gubernatorial candidate, Kenyon Louderbush, paint him as an unfaithful, callous exploiter of young men...young men that he puts into the hospital...or perhaps the morgue. Don smells truth in those rumors. But, he's confounded by a shadowy conspiracy, witnesses' fear and a grieving family appallingly willing to give up on justice for a brutalized son and brother. In RED WHITE AND BLACK AND BLUE, series creator Stevenson takes witty aim at the polarization, dissembling and double-dealing of American politics. It's a story that leaves even our hero, Don, tarnished and bruised.
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2011
About the author
Richard Stevenson
83 books143 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Richard Stevenson is the pseudonym of Richard Lipez, the author of nine books, including the Don Strachey private eye series. The Strachey books are being filmed by here!, the first gay television network. Lipez also co-wrote Grand Scam with Peter Stein, and contributed to Crimes of the Scene: A Mystery Novel Guide for the International Traveler. He is a mystery columnist for The Washington Post and a former editorial writer at The Berkshire Eagle. His reporting, reviews and fiction have appeared in The Boston Globe, Newsday, The Progressive, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's and many other publications. He grew up and went to college in Pennsylvania and served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1962-64. Lipez lives in Becket, Massachusetts and is married to sculptor Joe Wheaton.
Richard Stevenson is the pseudonym of Richard Lipez, the author of nine books, including the Don Strachey private eye series. The Strachey books are being filmed by here!, the first gay television network. Lipez also co-wrote Grand Scam with Peter Stein, and contributed to Crimes of the Scene: A Mystery Novel Guide for the International Traveler. He is a mystery columnist for The Washington Post and a former editorial writer at The Berkshire Eagle. His reporting, reviews and fiction have appeared in The Boston Globe, Newsday, The Progressive, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's and many other publications. He grew up and went to college in Pennsylvania and served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1962-64. Lipez lives in Becket, Massachusetts and is married to sculptor Joe Wheaton.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 22, 2020
**** 3.5 stars ****
Donald Strachey, licensed private investigator in New York State, is in fine form in this twelfth installment of the series.
It's been a while since I enjoyed a mystery as much I enjoyed this one. Fortunately it was a buddy read (thanks, Linda!), or I might not have been able to get through the first two chapters -- because when I realized the story was going to be about politicians and political subterfuge in an election year, I wanted to bolt. Of course I shouldn’t have been surprised — politics often features in this series, not least because Don’s long-time boyfriend, Timothy Callahan, is a staffer for a state representative. I overcame my knee-jerk desire to run screaming into the streets, and sure enough, once the actual investigation got underway things got interesting.
One of the joys of the series is the banter between Don and Timmy. I appreciate how they cope with the inevitable conflict between Timmy's concern for Don's safety, and Don's pig-headed refusal to back off from work-related threats. Their relationship couldn't have survived all these years if they hadn't found a way to gracefully manage that, after all.
Okay, maybe "gracefully" isn't the word I was looking for. But don't worry, Timmy calls Don on his shit as necessary. It works for them, and entertains me.
The plot got rather twisty, as one might expect when politicians are involved, so it was gratifying to find that my theories about the case weren't totally off-base. Unfortunately I rather lost the thread near the end, as revelations were made and loose ends (mostly) tied up. People and their motivations went zipping by a little too quickly for me, and I was left unsure about why Don had done one rather unlikely thing in particular. The moral ambiguity -- a consistent feature of Don's work life -- suited me just fine, though.
I'm usually a stickler for series order, but I skipped over books #10 and 11 because they looked shady. E.g., they were the only two not available on multiple platforms, and had more than their fair share of negative reviews. Poor Linda read them and can confirm they weren't up to standard. So I just pretended they didn't exist, and jumped straight from #9 into this one. It worked.
Donald Strachey, licensed private investigator in New York State, is in fine form in this twelfth installment of the series.
It had been a sense of liberal civic duty along with outrage over Louderbush’s cruelty along with morbid curiosity along with the need to make a buck along with a comically exaggerated sense of self-importance that had gotten me mixed up in this sociopolitical-twisted-personality phantasmagoria in the first place.
It's been a while since I enjoyed a mystery as much I enjoyed this one. Fortunately it was a buddy read (thanks, Linda!), or I might not have been able to get through the first two chapters -- because when I realized the story was going to be about politicians and political subterfuge in an election year, I wanted to bolt. Of course I shouldn’t have been surprised — politics often features in this series, not least because Don’s long-time boyfriend, Timothy Callahan, is a staffer for a state representative. I overcame my knee-jerk desire to run screaming into the streets, and sure enough, once the actual investigation got underway things got interesting.
One of the joys of the series is the banter between Don and Timmy. I appreciate how they cope with the inevitable conflict between Timmy's concern for Don's safety, and Don's pig-headed refusal to back off from work-related threats. Their relationship couldn't have survived all these years if they hadn't found a way to gracefully manage that, after all.
He knew when he had made his point with me and I had considered it and I was jolly well going to do as I jolly well pleased.
Okay, maybe "gracefully" isn't the word I was looking for. But don't worry, Timmy calls Don on his shit as necessary. It works for them, and entertains me.
The plot got rather twisty, as one might expect when politicians are involved, so it was gratifying to find that my theories about the case weren't totally off-base. Unfortunately I rather lost the thread near the end, as revelations were made and loose ends (mostly) tied up. People and their motivations went zipping by a little too quickly for me, and I was left unsure about why Don had done one rather unlikely thing in particular. The moral ambiguity -- a consistent feature of Don's work life -- suited me just fine, though.
I'm usually a stickler for series order, but I skipped over books #10 and 11 because they looked shady. E.g., they were the only two not available on multiple platforms, and had more than their fair share of negative reviews. Poor Linda read them and can confirm they weren't up to standard. So I just pretended they didn't exist, and jumped straight from #9 into this one. It worked.
September 22, 2020
Now this is the Donald Strachey I know and love and love to smack upside the head every now and again. 😆 I don't know what happened with the previous two books, but they were not up to par and felt like they were written by someone else, honestly. But Don and Timmy are back to their normal glibly snarky selves, and Don's back to creating havoc and mayhem in the name of truth, justice and the American way.
It's a political campaign year, and Don's hired to determine if some rumors about one of the runners for governor of New York State are true or not, and if true, to get proof of it. The rumors are ugly, and the trail to uncover the truth is sometimes uncomfortable as Don tries to find out if Louderbush is the physically abusive a-hole the rumors say he is. In particular, the investigation starts around a tip off that Louderbush may have caused one of his victims to commit suicide several years earlier.
As per usual, Don finds himself in the thick of it, and since politics are involved, you can bet none of the sides are particularly playing nice or fair. Don even goes a bit over the top at one point that I didn't really like - - but that isn't to say that this wasn't entertaining as hell.
Thanks to Teal for the BR. It was fun coming up with zany theories with you. :D
It's a political campaign year, and Don's hired to determine if some rumors about one of the runners for governor of New York State are true or not, and if true, to get proof of it. The rumors are ugly, and the trail to uncover the truth is sometimes uncomfortable as Don tries to find out if Louderbush is the physically abusive a-hole the rumors say he is. In particular, the investigation starts around a tip off that Louderbush may have caused one of his victims to commit suicide several years earlier.
As per usual, Don finds himself in the thick of it, and since politics are involved, you can bet none of the sides are particularly playing nice or fair. Don even goes a bit over the top at one point that I didn't really like - - but that isn't to say that this wasn't entertaining as hell.
Thanks to Teal for the BR. It was fun coming up with zany theories with you. :D
May 31, 2014
Politics is the backdrop for the newest Donald Strachey mystery. And, as always, it is a winning page turner.
P.I. Don Strachey and his partner, Timothy Callahan, are back for another helping of murder and corruption. And Strachey knows, considering the endless bouts of physical injury he has endured over the years at the hands of society's vindictive, calculating vermin, that his latest baffling case will be hard to crack.
In "Red, White, Black and Blue," Strachey is offered a job by Tom Dunphy, the director of State Senator Sylvester "Shy" McCloskey gubernatorial campaign. The case: Tea Party's candidate, Kenyon Louderbush. Who, according to Dunphy, has had a violent sexual past with young men. At the outset, they are just rumors. No evidence to back up Dunphy's accusations. That is until Strachey starts digging under every nook and cranny of Albany's hard-pressed streets for evidence to expose Louderbush for who he really is. But as Strachey soon realizes, the clues are not forthcoming, and he will pay a price--the usual discerning life threats and bodily harm (his car even feels the heat, no pun intended), and soon Strachey will have to decide, along with the abiding love and support from Timothy at his side and via the telephone, if the case and his life are really worth the death threats and physical trauma.
And with this new book, it is fun to return to the fictional world of Don and Timmy, both interesting, no-nonsense characters. One qualm: I only wish there was more physical interaction (perhaps one strong, beautiful love scene in the book), besides a fleeting kiss, between the two engaging men. That said, let's hope more Strachey movies will be produced by Here! TV--and many more books will be authored by the great Richard Stevenson (aka Richard Lipez) in the years to come.
"Red, White, Black and Blue" is a strong entry in the ongoing Donald Strachey book series.
P.I. Don Strachey and his partner, Timothy Callahan, are back for another helping of murder and corruption. And Strachey knows, considering the endless bouts of physical injury he has endured over the years at the hands of society's vindictive, calculating vermin, that his latest baffling case will be hard to crack.
In "Red, White, Black and Blue," Strachey is offered a job by Tom Dunphy, the director of State Senator Sylvester "Shy" McCloskey gubernatorial campaign. The case: Tea Party's candidate, Kenyon Louderbush. Who, according to Dunphy, has had a violent sexual past with young men. At the outset, they are just rumors. No evidence to back up Dunphy's accusations. That is until Strachey starts digging under every nook and cranny of Albany's hard-pressed streets for evidence to expose Louderbush for who he really is. But as Strachey soon realizes, the clues are not forthcoming, and he will pay a price--the usual discerning life threats and bodily harm (his car even feels the heat, no pun intended), and soon Strachey will have to decide, along with the abiding love and support from Timothy at his side and via the telephone, if the case and his life are really worth the death threats and physical trauma.
And with this new book, it is fun to return to the fictional world of Don and Timmy, both interesting, no-nonsense characters. One qualm: I only wish there was more physical interaction (perhaps one strong, beautiful love scene in the book), besides a fleeting kiss, between the two engaging men. That said, let's hope more Strachey movies will be produced by Here! TV--and many more books will be authored by the great Richard Stevenson (aka Richard Lipez) in the years to come.
"Red, White, Black and Blue" is a strong entry in the ongoing Donald Strachey book series.
September 15, 2011
This isn't a bad book, in fact, I liked it far more than Cockeyed which failed to produce a mystery at all. Donald indeed gets to investigate something this time and, in that aspect, this is a decent attempt, even if it's not among Stevenson's best. However, I have no knowledge of American politics nor any interest in it at all, so I had to force myself through some parts of the book. Perhaps more interested readers would enjoy it more. Honestly, I miss earlier Donald Strachey cases which were more about individuals, more personal, more down to earth. While even in his sixties Donald has a lot to offer as a character, it seems to me the author is loosing the interest. It's a shame and if the new readers want an introduction to Donald Strachey mysteries - they should start at the beginning (Death Trick).
February 10, 2016
4.5
Once more a satisfying mystery, maybe the villains are a bit too stereotypical, but on the other hand I can imagine that there are lots of politicians and lobbyists just like the ones depicted in the book.
There are lots of references to US politics. I found out that the reference to the Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer and the scandals that culminated in his resignation are real.
The book is well endowed with humor and clever wit, sometimes I wanted to mark to remember later one or other witty sentence which made me laugh.
Once more a satisfying mystery, maybe the villains are a bit too stereotypical, but on the other hand I can imagine that there are lots of politicians and lobbyists just like the ones depicted in the book.
There are lots of references to US politics. I found out that the reference to the Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer and the scandals that culminated in his resignation are real.
The book is well endowed with humor and clever wit, sometimes I wanted to mark to remember later one or other witty sentence which made me laugh.
January 23, 2015
The writing and plot are just rote compared to the early Strachey books and there's not enough about Donald and Tim to add much interest.
June 19, 2016
Okay, this time it's about corruption in the race for Governor of New York. Really nice plot, very satisfying resolution. Lots of scary Big Data, cyber-stalking shenanigans.
August 11, 2012
I enjoyed this book-- it was great to spend some time with Don and Timmy again, and to have a virtual visit back to Albany. I think the book is very well plotted; the revelations come at intervals, building to a final realization for Don of what's been going on. The book started a bit slow for me, with a heavy political setting, but once Don started investigating I was happy to keep turning the pages.
July 5, 2012
Good and timely read, especially in an election year when political candidates are anything but what they appear to be.
November 7, 2012
Slow to start - 3 tries at it - but from 50 pages in the pace really picks up. Don is at his snarky best as he ducks and weaves through the political macinations of the NY governors' race.
December 14, 2012
I liked #10 and #11 in this series, but this was just great. It was a return to the kind of funny, twisty roots of the series. Just loved it and can't wait for the next one!
March 12, 2014
More a dirty tricks procedural than a crime mystery and definitely a better read than the preceding volume.
July 20, 2013
Amazing, fast-paced, political thriller. I really enjoyed reading this.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews