Surprise, Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Darlings, let me be the first to say, after polishing off Julia Phillips' massive tome to unrepentant addiction, almost anything in its wake would have been refreshing.  So it comes as a surprise that my following venture, "Murder At Pride Lodge," by Mark McNease, was not only refreshing, but surprisingly good.

                                     Without knowing the extent of Mr. McNease's reading knowledge (ie; Nancy Drew),  I have to say he has picked up some skills along the mystery writing way.  While he may not be Mary McCarthy writing "The Group," he knows how to keep in focus a diverse set of characters in the face of brevity demanded by the genre.

                                        And what characters!  He has Kyle Callahan, and his partner, Danny Durban, a couple of shrewd New Yorkers, who find themselves in crime situations, and end up solving them. Not really crime professionals, but Kyle, with his photographic eye, and keen powers of observation, compensate. They are a likable, and loving couple, but judging from things, Mr. McNease, via other characters throughout, is not afraid to show the seamier side of gay relationships, or to paint some of his gay characters in a truly unsympathetic light. Quite a feat in this overly PC age!!!!!!!!!  And, darlings, this is a first--how many novels will you find, where I am rooting for not one, but two, lesbians???????  Indeed, with his female detective, Linda Sikorsky, who comes off like a distant cousin of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum (though not quite as sassy!!!!!!!!!) one could easily see two sets of mystery series being created--if the author so desired.

                                         Darlings, I am telling you, you simply have to read it!  As gay murder mysteries go it is actually not bad, and when I was done, and read the teasing intro to the next, I knew I would be waiting avidly for the next Kyle and Danny adventure.

                                            And I simply cannot wait to get inside Margaret's Passion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!