Member: gaymystery

CollectionsYour library (723), Read (101), Currently reading (1), All collections (723)

ReviewsNone

TagsPrimary gay sleuth (672), Erotica (162), Secondary gay sleuth (38), Anthology/Collection (21), Reference (13), Screenplay (2), Teleplay (2), Memoir (1), Chapbook (1), Play (1) — see all tags

Cloudstag cloud, author cloud

GroupsCombiners!, Gay Men

About my libraryMy collection is built around mysteries featuring gay male sleuths. Drewey Wayne Gunn's exhaustive and authoritative "The Gay Male Sleuth in Print and Film: A History and Annotated Bibliography"[2005](Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc) provides the foundation for my collection. Part of the fun of collecting these books beginning in 2004 has been sharing new finds with Wayne. The works posted are limited to novels, short stories in anthologies(though one is in a magazine and another a chapbook format), plays, screenplays and teleplays in print form available in English. Some of the works cross into other genres such as speculative fiction, horror, historical, action/thrillers and espionage and many but not all include a murder mystery as a central plot point. Check out the Common Knowledge page for the names of sleuths.

"Primary gay sleuth" tag identifies works that employ an out gay or bisexual man as the central or key sleuth. The exception are books by Kellerman and Hill which are included in this group because even though Sturgis and Wield play second fiddle in their respective lengthy series their roles are crucial in most of the books. While genres may blur, the lead character does genuine sleuthing.

"Secondary gay sleuth" tag is applied to works when the sleuth is sexually ambiquous or not out, his role is largely behind the scenes or seen only through the eyes of another or are gay friends and helpers of straight or lesbian sleuths. Also included are sleuths whose detective work stretches the traditional boundaries of the mystery or crime genre, including action thrillers, or where very little actual sleuthing takes place. Some works are of interest to gay readers because of the setting, characters or storyline but there is no gay sleuth. The books I have are only a small portion of those that fit the category; see Gunn for a complete list, including nonsleuthing fictional policemen.

Works tagged "Erotica" include explicit sexual language and scenes. Most of these works are pulp books published in the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s. Characters in these books were among the first in popular literature to provide positive gay role models and contemporary gay fiction owes them a debt. Male/male romance works are currently popular and many of them use a mystery plot device. Some covers are explicit and are displayed in style "B".

The "Reference" volumes were instrumental in helping me identify books to include in my collection and provide valuable and entertaining information.

While I haven't read them all, I own all the books listed in this library so feel free to ask me any questions.

Real nameDennis

LocationDallas, TX USA

Favorite authorsNone

Account typepublic, lifetime

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URLs http://www.librarything.com/profile/gaymystery (profile)
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/gaymystery (library)

Common KnowledgeSeries (108), Awards (67), Characters (1120), Places (121)

Member sinceSep 20, 2008

Currently readingEvidence by Jonathan Kellerman