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LGBT Detectives: Dave Brandstetter
I read a number of mystery series, including a few with gay protagonists. I thought some of you on my F-list who enjoy slash fics might be interested in them, although the emphasis is definitely more on the mystery than any potential romance, although the protagonist's sexuality does often play a large role in the story. I'll start off today with the Dave Brandstetter series by Joseph Hansen.
As the Thrilling Detective Website notes, the series follows the standard model of the Private Investigator, although here Dave is actually an insurance investigator whose work often has him looking into suspicious deaths. But like the PI, he is always stubbornly determined to solve the case in spite of any threats or attempts to cover up the truth. Homosexuality often plays a role in the stories--in one book, the victim is a closeted gay man; in another, a gay activist is accused of murdering the local police chief. Woven throughout the main mystery are threads of subplots about Dave's personal life: his mourning for his longtime partner, who has died of cancer; his conflicted relationship with his father; a friendship with his much younger stepmother; attempts to build relationships with new lovers.
The novels were mostly written during the 70s and 80s, and are very much a product of their time--no cellphones or google searches, for example; Dave has to do his research the old-fashioned way, with quite a bit of traveling to interview witnesses or to look up documents. And the shadow of AIDs is definitely present in the series. Younger readers who have grown up during the age of the internet might find the books dated, but to me, it just feels like they reflect and represent the time that they were set and written in. Although re-reading some of the earlier books now, it reminds me of how much easier and faster it is to look up information with a quick internet search, or to make a quick request by e-mail.
Hansen is known for his very detailed descriptions of the Southern Californian setting of the novels; someone who requested this fandom for Yuletide mentioned that she loves his evocative and atmospheric writing style. I admit that intimidated me a bit from offering this for Yuletide, since it's something I don't think I could duplicate, though I might be willing to try a character piece sometime.
The books have a rather melancholy feel to them, which is not surprising, given that Dave starts off the first book still grieving for his recently deceased lover. He also has an air of world-weariness that sometimes makes him seem slightly detached to me--which isn't to say that he doesn't feel strong emotions or that the books are boring. I'm not sure I can explain it properly, but his weariness sometimes makes the story lack a sense of immediacy that I'm used to getting from more vibrant characters.
But I do like the series a lot, and I like Dave's complicated relationships with the people in his life--especially his wealthy, womanizing father who has gone through several wives. In one of the later books, he admits that he was the cause of one of his father's divorces, because he and his stepmother Lisa had developed a close friendship and his father grew jealous. Lisa genuinely loved Dave's father for himself and not just his money (unlike most of his ex-wives), and Dave might have been able to save their marriage if he'd been willing to tell his father he was gay, but he couldn't get up the courage to do it. I've often wondered what happened to Lisa after the divorce--if she found happiness with someone else, if she felt any bitterness towards Dave. He seems to have developed a similar friendship with his final stepmother, Amanda, and I enjoy the interactions between the two. And there are Dave's romantic relationships, which are complicated by the memory of his deceased lover, Rod--first Doug Sawyer, and later the much younger Cecil Harris. I have to admit, the age difference between Dave and Cecil squicked me a bit at first--Cecil is very young (though a legal adult, just barely) when they first meet, and Dave is more than old enough to be his father, and if I remember correctly, almost old enough to be his grandfather. But there is no doubt that it's a consensual and loving relationship.
Many of the Brandstetter books are now out of print, but there are a few still available on Amazon, including the first two books in the series, and you may be able to find used copies at a decent price, or check to see if your local library has them (which is where I first discovered them). Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy mysteries.
As the Thrilling Detective Website notes, the series follows the standard model of the Private Investigator, although here Dave is actually an insurance investigator whose work often has him looking into suspicious deaths. But like the PI, he is always stubbornly determined to solve the case in spite of any threats or attempts to cover up the truth. Homosexuality often plays a role in the stories--in one book, the victim is a closeted gay man; in another, a gay activist is accused of murdering the local police chief. Woven throughout the main mystery are threads of subplots about Dave's personal life: his mourning for his longtime partner, who has died of cancer; his conflicted relationship with his father; a friendship with his much younger stepmother; attempts to build relationships with new lovers.
The novels were mostly written during the 70s and 80s, and are very much a product of their time--no cellphones or google searches, for example; Dave has to do his research the old-fashioned way, with quite a bit of traveling to interview witnesses or to look up documents. And the shadow of AIDs is definitely present in the series. Younger readers who have grown up during the age of the internet might find the books dated, but to me, it just feels like they reflect and represent the time that they were set and written in. Although re-reading some of the earlier books now, it reminds me of how much easier and faster it is to look up information with a quick internet search, or to make a quick request by e-mail.
Hansen is known for his very detailed descriptions of the Southern Californian setting of the novels; someone who requested this fandom for Yuletide mentioned that she loves his evocative and atmospheric writing style. I admit that intimidated me a bit from offering this for Yuletide, since it's something I don't think I could duplicate, though I might be willing to try a character piece sometime.
The books have a rather melancholy feel to them, which is not surprising, given that Dave starts off the first book still grieving for his recently deceased lover. He also has an air of world-weariness that sometimes makes him seem slightly detached to me--which isn't to say that he doesn't feel strong emotions or that the books are boring. I'm not sure I can explain it properly, but his weariness sometimes makes the story lack a sense of immediacy that I'm used to getting from more vibrant characters.
But I do like the series a lot, and I like Dave's complicated relationships with the people in his life--especially his wealthy, womanizing father who has gone through several wives. In one of the later books, he admits that he was the cause of one of his father's divorces, because he and his stepmother Lisa had developed a close friendship and his father grew jealous. Lisa genuinely loved Dave's father for himself and not just his money (unlike most of his ex-wives), and Dave might have been able to save their marriage if he'd been willing to tell his father he was gay, but he couldn't get up the courage to do it. I've often wondered what happened to Lisa after the divorce--if she found happiness with someone else, if she felt any bitterness towards Dave. He seems to have developed a similar friendship with his final stepmother, Amanda, and I enjoy the interactions between the two. And there are Dave's romantic relationships, which are complicated by the memory of his deceased lover, Rod--first Doug Sawyer, and later the much younger Cecil Harris. I have to admit, the age difference between Dave and Cecil squicked me a bit at first--Cecil is very young (though a legal adult, just barely) when they first meet, and Dave is more than old enough to be his father, and if I remember correctly, almost old enough to be his grandfather. But there is no doubt that it's a consensual and loving relationship.
Many of the Brandstetter books are now out of print, but there are a few still available on Amazon, including the first two books in the series, and you may be able to find used copies at a decent price, or check to see if your local library has them (which is where I first discovered them). Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy mysteries.