Book Review: Rabbis of the Garden State by Daniel Meltz

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Rattling Good Yarns Press (2025)

Rating: ★★★★

Pages: 296

 

Set in a working-class Jewish family, an eleven-year-old Andy becomes aware of his divorced mother’s obsession with their synagogue’s new spiritual leader, Rabbi Landy. Her obsession transforms their ordinary family life into something puzzling, and for Andy, begins a growing resentment and eventual humiliation. At the same time, Andy begins to explore his own sexual longings with a best friend who has green teeth. As Andy’s sexual universe expands, he is thrust into yeshiva and he finds himself attracted to his Talmud teacher, Rabbi Loobling. Thus, mother and son travel along parallel paths as Andy explores his faith and desires. 

 

As the story progresses through Andy’s young life, eventually attending college and coming out, mother and son must come to terms with each other. Their path eventually reveals all their surprisingly complex family secrets that shock the entire New Jersey shores.

 

Daniel Meltz’s debut novel is a delightfully crafted story weaving a tapestry of complicated relationships. These are serious subjects told with humor and many heartfelt scenes. The story captures the flavor of adolescence, the temperament of the 1960s, and the relations between people who both love and hate each other. 

 

The author’s use of the first person POV narrator gives and in-depth window into Andy’s character, which is both complex and entertaining. The novel is well researched and puts the reader into every scene. I found the first half of the book funny and fanciful, the second half more serious and touching, with many reveals and plot twists. It kept my interest until the surprising ending. 

 

I look forward to reading more from this talented writer.

Book Review: Drought by Scott Alexander Hess

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Rebel Satori Press (June, 2025)

Pages: 158

Rating: ★★★★★

 

A recluse from Newark, New Jersey, Parnell, inherits his Uncle Willy’s tobacco farm in Kentucky. Parnell moves to the farm hoping to finally make something of his failed life. Parnell, it turns out, is no farmer. He seems to possess no life skills at all. He is a big man, so large he struggles just lifting himself off a chair and walking to the next room. Yet with this inheritance, he prays he can achieve something for once in his life. On the farm, three things become abundantly clear: 1) The tobacco farm is in ruins due to a sustained drought, 2) Parnell can’t save the farm without substantial help, and 3) there was a great deal more to Uncle Willy than Parnell could ever have imagined. Parnell soon befriends Darl, who works at the local Sonic Drive-in, also John, an unusual pastor. Both guide Parnell down a path that literally unearths a long-hidden crime. This path, however, also gains Parnell a new sense of self.

 

Drought is a deftly crafted yarn. The fears, loneliness, anxieties, and surprising intimacies touch something deep in me. I loved this novella. I’ve read several of Scott Alexander Hess’s novels and Drought is my favorite. I loved it for its quirky characters, for its compassion, for its unexpected plot twists. It began slowly, but with beautiful writing and an excellent voice. For me, the story really unfolds when the POV switches to Uncle Willy’s backstory. This backstory describes a stunning love story, told with patients and charm, nothing rushed, nothing missed. It really grabbed me. Then the story swings back to Parnell’s POV and glides to a bittersweet conclusion, ending on a note of hope. 

 

This novella is a gem. Short but wonderful. This author has demonstrated that with plentiful talent, one can write an engrossing yarn in very few pages. 

Book Review: The Feast of Panthers by Sean Eads

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Queer Space (August 23, 2022)

Rating: ★★★★

Pages: 420

 

All of Great Britain is thrown into jeopardy by an ancient Egyptian deity seeking to reestablish her religion in the heart of nineteenth century London. She is ruthless, merciless, and lethal. Her loyal followers are formidable shift changers who prefer to take the shape of panthers when they hunt their prey. As she gains followers and power, she decides she needs Oscar Wilde to become her high priest. With his abundant talent for writing, she wants him to write the most awe-inspiring invocations to her greatness. Wilde, with help from lovers and friends and even enemies, goes on a campaign to destroy this power-hungry immortal. Throughout the battle to overcome her tyranny, Wilde comes to better understand his relationships with his young male lovers, his wife, close friends, his enemies, and he finds what’s ultimately important in his life. But what helps him most is what the Goddess craves, his own genius as a writer and playwright.

 

An insightful, far-reaching novel pushing the boundaries of human imagination, where the forces that give life value―art, poetry, music, wellbeing, care, loved ones―are thrown into sharp relief. The Feast of Panthers exposes our shared vulnerability, the limits and benefits of compassion, and the fragile nature of being human. 

 

I confess I’m not a devotee of fantasy/thriller fiction, but I am a huge fan of well-crafted writing, and so I very much enjoyed this novel. This story has vibrantly drawn characters overcoming hideous foes. It is a story of survival, but more so it is an entrancing story of realizing love of those closest to you. 

 

The Feast of Panthers is a skillfully crafted yarn. The fears, loneliness, anxieties, and surprising intimacies seem genuine, and carry the reader along.

Like so many formula thrillers, this story leaves the reader feeling satisfied. It is a stimulating read with a splash of gay stardust to keep things more interesting.  

 

Book Review: Small Rain by Garth Greenwell

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 302

Rating: ★★★★★

 

A man’s life is thrown in jeopardy by a sudden, wrenching pain in his gut that thrusts him into the heart of the dysfunctional American healthcare system. Now a prisoner in an ICU ward, surrounded by an army of healthcare workers—some caring and competent, many indifferent and/or incompetent—he struggles to understand what is happening to his body, his life, and the man he loves.

A penetrating, far-reaching novel pushing the boundaries of human experience, where the forces that give life value―art, poetry, music, wellbeing, care, loved ones―are thrown into sharp relief. Feelings expand and contract: sense of time, fear, hope. Intimacies bloom. Fears crush. Small Rain exposes our shared vulnerability, the limits and benefits of sympathy, the ideal of art, and the fragile dream of America. Above all, this is an unexpected love story. 

 

An incredible novel… I confess in many ways I found this a horror story. The descriptions of the dysfunctional American healthcare system were both shocking and depressing. But this story has vividly drawn characters, many of them heroes, overcoming a hideous situation. It is a story about survival, but more so it is a beautiful love story. 

 

When the protagonist goes into the hospital with a ruptured blood vein, he’s close to dying, and because this happens during the height of the COVID epidemic, he is allowed no visitors. He is separated from a man he loves while faced with dying. This is a tender story of being divided from a loved one and the life you’ve created with him at the point in your life when you need him most.

 

Small Rain is an exquisitely crafted yarn. The fears, loneliness, concerns, and surprising intimacies seem genuine, and carry the reader along. The prose read like a diary, but the voice is one with the refinement of a seasoned professional.

 

I have now read three Greenwell novels. The other two, Cleanness and Mitko, were equally remarkable. Greenwell has quickly become one of my favorite gay writers. I can’t wait to read his other story, What Belongs to you.

 

 

Book Review: Pride, a novel by Samantha Ryan

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Rattling Good Yarns

Pages: 231

 

Rating:★★★

Ben Bennett owns and manages a failing bookstore. Although he’s had offers to buy his shop, he somehow hangs on because he loves his quiet life, a snug existence surrounded by literary books, a single employee to keep him company, and his feisty sister Mal to stir things up. But that all changes when he crosses paths with Avery Fitzgerald, a close friend of his sister’s new boyfriend. Avery is vexingly handsome, absurdly wealthy, a savvy business developer, and very outgoing, everything Ben Bennett is not. Avery has one other attribute, he takes a shine to unobtrusive little Ben Bennett, and the more Ben refuses to give Avery the attention he seeks, the brighter that shine glows. 

 

Can complete opposites really attract each other? Not before their lives unravel in ways they never expected.

 

The more Ben tries to resist Avery’s advances, the more Avery finds new ways to weave himself into the fabric of Ben’s life until sparks fly and hearts collide. This is a modern, queer twist on Pride and Prejudice. And like P&P, if follows the romance formula of two people who are meant for each other but can’t seem to get it together until the very end. The road to love is never easy, especially for a geeky bookworm swimming in a sea of self-doubt.

A wonderful debut novel… I confess I was not looking forward to reading another romance novel, but this story has true grace and vividly drawn characters that entice the reader into this beautifully crafted yarn. The emotions and concerns seem genuine, and carry the reader along.

What struck me even more than the story’s insightful observations was the writing voice. Samantha Ryan tells a simple yarn with the refinement of a seasoned professional.

I did have one minor issue with this story. In order for the protagonist, Ben Bennett, to wander through most of the story oblivious to Avery’s obvious advances, the author makes Ben out to be rather dense, to the point of often being stupid. I found myself rolling my eyes in several spots. I feel she could have found better ways of handling the protagonist’s refusal of Avery.

That issue aside, I highly enjoyed Pride.

Book Review: Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Forge Books (Oct, 2022)

Pages: 277

Rating:★★★★

 

Lavender House, 1952: the family seat of recently deceased matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire. This estate offers a unique freedom, where none of the residents or staff hide their sexuality. But to keep their secret, they've needed to keep others out. And now they're worried they're keeping a murderer in.

Irene’s widow hires Evander Mills to uncover the truth behind her mysterious death. Andy, recently fired from the San Francisco police after being caught in a raid on a gay bar, is happy to accept. Andy had never imagined a world like Lavender House. He's seduced by the safety and freedom found behind its gates, where a queer family lives honestly and openly. But that honesty doesn't extend to everything, and he quickly finds himself a pawn in a family game of old money, subterfuge, and jealousy.

This is the first book in a series of Detective Evander Mills mysteries.

 

This is a tale of loss and redemption. The hero, Detective Mills, is at the end of his rope after being caught having sex in the men’s room of a gay bar. He loses everything, but then he is hired as a private detective to solve a murder. He soon finds that Lavender House is an island of gay honesty within a sea of 1950’s bigotry. In this open environment, Mills finds that a new life, an open life, is possible. This story is not just a murder mystery, and in fact, the mystery seems secondary to the awaking that Mills experiences. This is about bigotry, learning to stand your ground, and more importantly, learning to stand up for those like you, your family. 

 

I found this book rather slow in parts, and I also found the solving of the mystery was neither complex nor exciting, but the author was able to take me back sixty years, into my teens, to a time before gay rights. I lived through this time of bigotry, when I had to hide who I was from my family, friends, the entire world. This author skillfully made me remember what that bigotry felt like, the fear and shame, and for that I found this a fascinating read. Well done. 

 

Ultimately, this is a taut story of crushing loneliness and the fragility of human connections. It delves into the desperate need we feel to cling to anything that lessens that loneliness. The characters are brutally authentic, and the author handles them with sympathy and honesty. The reader so easily feels compassion, even becomes them as they face morally difficult choices.

 

Like so many formula thrillers, this story leaves the reader feeling satisfied, like a wool blanket on a chilly afternoon. It is an easy read with a splash of gay stardust to keep things more interesting.

 

This book was discussed at my book club, and we had a lively dialogue where everyone gave it two thumbs up. 

Book Review: A Season in Delhi by Scott Alexander Hess

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Rebel Satori Press (Nov, 2023)

Pages: 129

Rating:★★★★★

Coming Soon - November 12, 2023 from Rebel Satori Press

 

New Yorkers Brant and Lloyd settle into a posh neighborhood in Delhi to live while Lloyd works a new job that transplanted them to India. While Lloyd travels the country for his business, Brant is left alone much of the time with only a servant to keep him company. During his solitary time, Brant discovers the diary of a former diplomat’s wife, which chronicles her torrid affair with an Indian hoodlum. As Brant reads Carol’s scandalous tale of daring and woe, he can’t help bonding with this lady because of his own infidelity. The more Brant reads Carol’s diary, the greater the attachment he feels with this woman, and the greater his curiosity grows to find out what happened to her. They become kindred souls, sharing feelings and emotions across time. His journey thru Carol’s past beautifully creates a bond that transcends time and culture, empathy and absolution.

 

This is a tale of temptation, infidelity, loss, and redemption. But ultimately, it is a taut story of crushing loneliness and the fragility of human connections. It also delves into the desperate need we feel to cling to anything that lessens that loneliness. The characters are brutally authentic, and Hess handles them with sympathy and honesty. The reader so easily feels compassion, even becomes them as they face morally difficult choices. 

 

The author asks the reader to delve deeply into the human nature of illicit love affairs, those complex feelings of yearning, guilt, excitement, pleasure, fulfillment, wonder, and possibly even regret.

 

With sparse prose, Hess describes the sensual feel of Delhi and Agra. I have visited these fascinating destinations many times, and I can justly say the author took me back there, so rich and true were his descriptions. This is a quick read, but one that resonates in the heart. I treasured each page of this story.

Book Review: I was Better Last Night by Harvey Fierstein

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Knopf (Mar, 2020)

Pages: 400

Rating:★★★★★

 

Harvey Fierstein’s career began at community theater in Brooklyn and then advanced to the experimental Andy Warhol theater company where Harvey was encouraged to let his eccentric, nonconforming inner-being thrive. And he did just that. Working with Warhol’s Theatre of the Ridiculous company, Harvey honed both his acting and writing skills, which propelled him to write and perform his first mega hit, Torch Song Trilogy. Torch Song started as three separate plays, but was later combined into one moving play for an off Broadway run. Torch Song’s success thrust Harvey into the big time, winning him the first of four Tony awards. 

 

I was, of course, aware that Harvey Fierstein wrote and performed Torch Song on Broadway and made a Hollywood movie, because that movie changed the way I saw myself, a young gay man who was looking for a long-term, monogamous relationship. That movie showed me that there were other gay men who wanted the same thing, and that it was possible to find that. 

 

What I wasn’t aware of, because I’ve never been a theater person, was the extraordinary career of Mr. Fierstein. Torch Song was only the first of a string of hit Broadway plays. He wrote the playbooks and performed Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, La Cage Aux Folles (which won him his second Tony), Newsies, and Kinky Boots. I had no idea Fierstein was such a giant of the stage. 

 

But this book is not only about Harvey’s career. He describes his personal struggles and conflicts, his romances and sex during the AIDS crises, his decades of addiction, and the rich New York gay culture of the seventies and eighties. 

 

I loved this read. Its pages are filled with the wisdom which comes from living a bewilderingly colorful life. It’s the most entertaining book I’ve read in years. 

 

I Was Better Last Night is and engaging, outrageously funny triumph.

Book Review: Shuggie Baine by Douglas Stuart

 

Reviewer: Alan Chin
Publisher: Grove Press (Oct, 2020)

Pages: 448

Rating:★★★★★

Shuggie Bain is the story of a lonely boy growing up gay in a run-down public housing area of 1980s Glasgow, Scotland. His broken family, due in large part to his alcoholic mother, is on the dole and trying to survive the mother’s destructive lifestyle. Shuggie’s mother, Agnes, dreams of a better life, a life of money and love and beautiful things, but her drinking only digs her and her children deeper into debt and misery. Shuggie is the youngest of three children, and the only one who accepts and tolerates his mother. He understands his mother because he is very much like her—someone who takes pride in her looks while all of her peers ridicule her. He does everything he can to keep Agnes going, hoping that someday his philandering taxi-driving father will return to lift them up into a better life. But as Agnes increasingly finds solace in drink, the older children abandon their home to find their own way, leaving Shuggie to care for his mother as her alcoholic binges bring on more destructive mood swings. Agnes is supportive of her son, even knowing the boy is gay. But her addiction eclipses everyone around her, including Shuggie.

 

A distressing story of surviving in an unsympathetic world where addiction, betrayal, sexuality, loneliness, and love assault you every day. Shuggie Bain is a portrayal of a working-class, dysfunctional family that is rarely seen in fiction. It is a searing debut by a talented novelist who tells an honest and powerful story.

 

I loved and hated this story. It is a heartbreaking tale that kept reminding me of my own lonely dysfunctional childhood, bringing up one painful memory after another. And yet, the voice was so unique and so compelling that I fell in love with this story. I could not put it down. I’ve heard many people say this book was too repetitive, and there is much of that. However, having lived in a dysfunctional family, that repetition rings true. Over and over as one sees hope, one is knocked down again. That’s why I think this is a story of survival. 

 

This debut novel was a well-deserved winner of the Booker Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award. 

Book Review: The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris

 

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company (July, 2021)

Pages: 358

 

Rating:★★★★★

 

In the waning days of the Civil War, brothers Prentiss and Landry—freed by the Emancipation Proclamation—seek refuge on the homestead of George Walker and his wife, Isabelle. The Walkers, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers to work their farm, hoping through an unexpected friendship to stanch their grief. Prentiss and Landry, meanwhile, plan to save money for the journey north and a chance to reunite with their mother, who was sold away when they were boys. But when the white town’s folk of Old Ox hear that the brothers are being paid good wages for their toil, trouble begins, and grows, and violence follows. 

Parallel to their story runs a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers. The young men, recently returned from the war to the town of Old Ox, hold their trysts in the woods. But when their secret is discovered, the resulting chaos, including a murder, unleashes convulsive repercussions on the entire community. In the aftermath of so much turmoil, Isabelle emerges as an unlikely trailblazer, proffering a healing vision for the land and for the newly free citizens of Old Ox.

I adored this extraordinary debut novel by Nathan Harris. He has created a cast of unforgettable, sympathetic characters who are multifaceted, absorbing, and well-crafted. Each main character is vulnerable, yet also holds an inner strength and a desire to survive. They quickly captured my heart and carried me through all the explosive plot twists to a very satisfying ending. What I loved most about this story was the refined voice the author captures which propels the story along with elegance and grace.

Setting the story in Georgia just as the Civil War is ending gives the read a view into the white-supremacist world of the old south, and shows with candor the uncomfortable truth of human cruelty, and also human compassion. This view reflects race relations today. The author weaves emotion into every page, and every word holds significance. This story will keep you guessing, and keep you yearning for a positive ending for each main character. Harris writes with the skill of a master storyteller.

Haunting and powerful, The Sweetness of Water is an engaging, beautiful read that will stay with you.

About the Author: Nathan Harris holds an MFA from the Michener Center at the University of Texas. The Sweetness of Water, his first novel, was a selection of Oprah’s Book Club, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and won the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Harris was a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree in 2021. He lives in Seattle, Washington. 

Book Review: The End of Billy Knight by Ty Jacob

Reviewer: Alan Chin
Publisher: Lucky Pony Press (may 2017)
Pages: 454

A rocky tale that explores the relationship between a gay hustler and an aging drag queen, set in the world of 80s porn stars. This is not erotica, but a weak attempt at literary fiction. The characters are tired stereotypes, and because of that they fail to be convincing. The plot is a string of one gay cliché after another. 

The one positive thing I can say is that author must have done a great deal of research into both the 80’s LA porn industry, as well as what it takes to be a drag queen. That said, I was not only disappointed in the story, but doubly so because this same author wrote another book, non-fiction using his real name, titled: An Olive Grove at the Edge of the World, which I loved. After reading his non-fiction story, I built up my expectations very high, and then was disheartened. All the freshness and humor I found in Olive Grove was sorely missing in Billy Knight. The only reason I finished the story was because it was selected by my book club, and I needed to read it all in order to properly discuss the book at the next meeting. 

Book Review: Shortest Way Home by Pete Buttigieg

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Liveright, (Feb 12, 2019)

Pages 352

In its heyday, South Bend, Indiana had been one of the industrial revolution’s brightest achievements, a factory town that produced everything from cars to watches. But then like much of the Midwestern rust belt, it fell into hard times, lost almost all its industry, and the young people were escaping to larger cities for better opportunities. The leadership Pete Buttigieg displayed as mayor of South Bend, steered the people of South Bend to rebuild their city into a thriving community. 

In this entertaining and insightful book, Buttigieg lays out a blueprint of modern political ideas for transforming and revitalizing our communities. I enjoyed learning about his insights, and how he approached problem solving. And against this backdrop of how Buttigieg renovated the city he grew up in, was the even more enjoyable personal story of how Pete Buttigieg grew into the man who is now altering the landscape of the American political scene by becoming the first openly gay man to run for the highest elected office in the country. 

In my view, the biggest thing to turn the tide on LGBT issues wasn’t theological or political evolution. It was the discovery that many people whom we already know turn out to be part of this category. The biggest obstacle wasn’t religion, or hatred. It was the simple fact that so many people believed, wrongly, that they didn’t even know anyone who was gay. At my high school in the late 1990s, I didn’t know of a single gay student. 

It is easier to be cruel, or unfair, to people in groups and in the abstract; harder to do so toward a specific person in your midst, especially if you know them already. Gays have the benefit of being a minority  whose membership is not necessarily obvious when you meet one (or love one.) Common decency can kick in before there is time for prejudice to intervene. Of course, humans can be cruel to people we know, too, but not as often—and we’re rarely as proud of it.

In the struggle for equality, we do well to remember that all people want to be known as decent, respectful, and kind. If our first response toward anyone who struggles to get onto the right side of history is to denounce him as a bigot, we will force him into a defensive crouch—or into the arms of the extreme right. When a conservative socialite of a certain age would stop me on the street with a mischievous look, pat my arm, and say conspiratorially, “I met your friend the other day, and he is fabulous,” it was not the time for a lecture on the distinction between a partner and a “friend.” She is on her way to acceptance, and she feels good about her way of getting there; it feels better to grow on your own terms than to be painted into a corner.

This well-written, insightful book is a mosaic of growth and hope, both for South Bend and for Buttigieg. Pete delves into his childhood growing up in a decaying industrial town, his attempt to escape that town and the promise that brought him back. He describes his experiences being a Harvard and Rhodes Scholar, Mckinsey alumni, and a talented musician. He tells of his military service, gives a frank and interesting account of coming out at age thirty-three, and also about finding love. 

I found this a fascinating read. I didn’t find him as “presidential” as Barak Obama or Bill Clinton, but I did see a very intelligent, capable, and positive role model who transcends the “gay” stereotype. What comes shining through is his integrity and altruism.  

https://www.amazon.com/Shortest-Way-Home-Challenge-Americas/dp/1631494368/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Shortest+Way+Home&qid=1578591960&s=books&sr=1-1

Book Review: The Fourth Courier by Timothy Jay Smith

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Arcade (April, 2019)

Pages: 320

★★★★

Set in 1992 Poland, Jay Porter, an American FBI agent, is asked to assist in a multiple-murder case in Warsaw. He teams up with a gay, African-American, CIA counterpart, Kurt Crawford to investigate three murdered Russians that may have links to stolen nukes. When a fourth Russian body is found, new clues allow Jay to piece together a complex puzzle that involves high-ranking officials, local police, and even Jay Porter’s new Polish love interest. The deeper Jay digs, the more sinister things appear, because all clues point to someone assembling a nuclear bomb capable of wiping out a city and undermining the stability of the entire region. Jay’s biggest problem: he doesn’t know who he can trust.

Smith excels at crafting a post-Cold War Warsaw. The descriptions are vivid and mesmerizing, making the location one of the main characters. The writing was crisp, the dialog spot on, and the plot has all the twists and turns to keep the reader, at least this reader, guessing what will happen next. Indeed, clues and information are doled out in a very tantalizing way.

I found some of the investigative methods and situations implausible, but they did make for an interesting read. My only serious complaint is that I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable. I found some rather interesting, which kept me reading to the end, but my lack of attachment in the characters put me at a distance from them, and thus at a distance from the story. That said, it is a complex puzzle that I enjoyed solving.

https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Courier-Timothy-Jay-Smith/dp/1948924102/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3OV1LNUXZR0E9&keywords=the+fourth+courier+by+timothy+jay+smith&qid=1576952537&sprefix=the+fourth+tour%2Caps%2C400&sr=8-1

Book Review: Willa Goodheart by Edward C. Patterson

Reviewer: Alan Chin
Publisher: Dancaster Creative (March 1, 2019)

Pages: 335

Rating:★★★★★

Set in San Francisco in 1995, the story follows the joys and troubles of Willa Goodheart as she balances her new administrative assistant job with her family obligations of cooking and cleaning for her father and two brothers. But as events unfold, Willa is linked to a string of recent murders. She soon finds herself sucked into mysterious events that all seemed connected to the murder investigation. Grabbing the bull by the horns, Willa undertakes her own investigation, connecting the dots in an attempt to clear her name. But she soon finds more than she bargained for, like a few family skeletons lurking in the closets, and perhaps even a love interest. 

I know I can rely on a stimulating collection of characters whenever I open a book by Edward Patterson, and Willa Goodheartis no exception. Crooked businessmen, old Chinese fortune tellers, ritualistic cults, drag queens, crazy mothers, and crazier grandmothers fill the streets of San Francisco. And of course, Willa Goodheart herself is a fascinating character who is able to engage the reader throughout the story.

I’ve read several of Patterson’s books, but this is the first mystery I’ve read by him. He handles this genre with a deft touch, keeping the reader guessing until the last few pages. And even though it is a dark mystery, with characters being murdered left and right, the author brings his special brand of humor to every page, keeping the story light and entertaining. 

Lovely prose. Snappy dialogue. Enchanting characters. Fiendishly inventive. Edward Patterson has written an utterly delightful mystery. 

https://www.amazon.com/Willa-Goodheart-Edward-C-Patterson-ebook/dp/B07PBMLMGV/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=Willa+Goodheart%2C+Ed+Patterson&qid=1556816743&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmr0

Book Review: Surviving Immortality by Alan Chin

Reviewer: Edward C. Patterson

Publisher: DSP Publications (June 2018)

Pages: 432

★★★★★

Powerfully fast-moving with now-relevancy

I know I can rely on a good read whenever I open a book by Alan Chin; and Surviving Immortality is no exception, except it is exceptional. With a believable spark, Mr. Chin presents us with a world devouring itself when promise has given it its greatest loss for hope. All the inchoate faults of humanity, ready today to strike our civilization to the core, leeches out when confronted by a mind shattering development and a simple, lethal condition. Surviving Immortality is masterfully rendered into a work long lingering after the last pages.

The characters are complex, each with their own demon, but honest to their convictions; so much so, there are no heroes, and those who appear villainous can be redeemed by their good intentions. The main thread of the story his told through Matt Reece’s point of view, although all the characters get their turn; but it is Matt’s intense purity, a purity despoiled by circumstances, which unfolds like a night flower in moonlight. Alan Chin crafts an action adventure and psychological political philosophical tale, if there could be such a genre, keeping the pages turning until those pages disappear and time is lost. The elements in the work, and those effecting Matt Reece, are all about us today just waiting for the spark to ignite them. Mr. Chin strikes that spark.

I am a fan of Alan Chin’s other works, but this one combines all the signature touches of them all — ranch life, storms at sea, tropical islands, police procedural, Buddhism, sexuality and a lust for travel. He even includes doffs to his latest wanderlust — Machu Picchu. The world he presents is hisworld as much as ourworld. The arguments are current ones, and I’ll not spoil your read by mentioning them, but whatever opinions you have on those topics, Surviving Immortalitywill not fail to engage you, even if you wind up talking to your night light at midnight in bed. 

Needless to say (but I will say it), I highly recommend this book if you enjoy a powerful fast-moving work with now-relevancy from a major author who contributes to our contemporary literary legacy.

https://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Immortality-Alan-Chin-ebook/dp/B07BC7N5MC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533505237&sr=8-1&keywords=surviving+immortality

The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst

Reviewer: Alan Chin

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Pages: 417

★★★

This epic presents the arc of English gay history from the 1940s to 2012, particularly the changing attitudes of the British public toward the LGBT community during that time. The story covers three generations of friends who meet at Oxford in 1940, and the people who come into and go out of their lives. These characters have affairs with each other, go to war, marry, divorce, remarry, raise children, all within the backdrop of dealing with bigotry and intimidation.

Although the title is named for David Sparsholt, the protagonist turns out to be David’s son, Johnny Sparsholt, who shows up in part two. Much of the story is Johnny having to deal with living with the shame that his father’s affair with another man became a national news scandal. In fact, Dave Sparsholt is almost always seen through the eyes of other characters rather than being on the page himself.

The core of enjoyment for me was the gorgeous language and detailed writing style the author brings to all his works. Hollinghurst is a master of the written word, and that shows in every paragraph. 

That said, I (and several others in my book club) felt that much of the story was too slow paced, to the point of being boring. There is very little conflict throughout the story, and what there is tends to be very subtle. It was a struggle to finish it.

The Sparsholt Affair is not for the lazy reader. It is a complex story where many blanks are given for the reader to fill in. The author adroitly captures the lives of gay men, from the longing of adolescence to the acceptance of old age. It is a story beautifully told.