Ice Blues | 
 enlarge | Author: Richard Stevenson
Publisher: MLR Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 381308
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 216
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5 x 0.6
ISBN: 1934531405
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781934531402
ASIN: 1934531405
Publication Date: August 4, 2008
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Condition: Brand new book! Printed on demand. Delivered direct from our US warehouse by Expedited (6-9 days) or Standard (usually 12-16 days but can be longer). Expedited shipping recommended for speedier delivery. Over 1 million satisfied customers
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Product Description
Someone's left a man's body in Donald Strachey's car -- the grandson of Albany's most connected political fixer. A letter from the deceased asks Strachey to dismantle his grandfather's party machine. Like a chess master, Strachey moves ten suitcases, an army of colorful pawns (all of whom think they're king), and $2.5 million across the continent and around Albany. One of the funniest in the series. (Filmed for release by HereTV in 2008; originally published 1986.)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Ice Blues November 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Private detective Donald Strachey isn't expecting to stumble into a murder case when he goes to pick up his car from a towing lot. When he finds a dead man in it, however, that's just what happens. He quickly discovers there's a bit more to the murder than he initially suspected. Political intrigue, death threats, and money to the tune of 2.5 million dollars are only a few of the issues Strachey finds himself confronted with. Can he and his lover Timothy Callahan find out whodunit before they become victims as well?
Ice Blues is another entertaining installment of the Donald Strachey Mystery series. The ever-evolving Strachey really shows his multifaceted personality in this book. He's managed to come to terms--albeit somewhat unwillingly-- with few of the relationship issues from On the Other Hand, Death, which helps to settle him a bit. The nasty Albany winter counteracts that, however. Like a lot of people, he's exceedingly grumpy in the winter, which makes his sarcastic sense of humor even more biting. His ethics get a major workout in the story, with moral and professional dilemmas popping up all over the place. Watching him struggle with difficult decisions was fascinating. Lucky for him, he had Timmy to keep him (sort of) on the straight and narrow. The plot in Ice Blues was slightly less complex than that of the other Strachey mysteries I've read, with fewer secondary characters to keep track of, but in this case that was a good thing. I had an easier time following the political, criminal, and financial machinations that made up the tangled web of the mystery. Some of the dialogue was a bit stilted, but I liked seeing more of Timmy, and Strachey's cool combination of snarky humor and devious ingenuity. While Ice Blues isn't my favorite Strachey mystery so far, it's a great way to while away a cold afternoon.
Cassie
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Icy Treat July 3, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
A good book to read when it's hot outside, as the "chilly scenes of winter" can really cool you down. Somebody leaves a dead body in Don Strachey's trunk, and he has to clear himself.
I wonder, though, why Detective Bowman has to be quite so homophobic. Sure, it makes him a good foil for our buddy Don, but it stretches the credibility of their relationship a little too much for me.
Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu Surfer: A Hawaiian Mystery (An Alyson Mystery)
 A Fast Detective Read May 21, 2007
If you enjoy detective novels, this one will pique your interest with its fast-paced plot and amazing cast of characters.
A Gay Private Detective April 8, 2007
Stevenson, Richard. "Ice Blues", The Haworth Press. 2006.
A Gay Private Detective
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
The Donald Strachey mystery series are great fun. Richard Stevenson has created a series of books that are witty, unpredictable, and sexy. The plots are well developed and the way that the author looks at people is amazing and literate. The writing style is sophisticated and there is always humor to help the reader along, The humor is subtle and Stevenson gives us an entertaining look at gay life.
"Ice Blues" is set in Albany, New York during a very cold winter. Our gay private investigator, Donald Strachey, appears with a frozen corpse in his backseat and wants to know how it got there. So begins one of the most fast-paced detective novels that keeps the reader in the dark until the very end of the book. When Strachey discovers that he is suddenly in possession of two and a half million dollars and is being marked by a criminal who will stop at nothing to get the money. Solving the mystery will cause him to face a political machine, corruption in the city and his own family.
That winter in Albany was very hard and made life miserable for all, but especially for our detective. His car was impounded because it was blocking the removal of snow. When he was finally able to get his car back it was replete with the dead body of someone he hardly knew. Quite naturally the police are anxious to know how it got there and began questioning him unmercifully. It is not just the snow and ice that provided problems for Strachey, ominous threats began to come his way and finally he found suitcases full of cash from the person who lay dead on his backseat. The dead man was a gay political activist and it is impossible to understand how he "ended" up in Strachey's car. And what about the money? Why did it come to him and where was it from?
The case also involved his lover, Tim Callahan so our detective has a personal stake in solving the mystery. When Strachey has to deal with a corrupt and homophobic political machine as well as avoid dangerous criminals to solve this enigmatic case, he realizes how deeply he is personally involved.
The action is fast and steady and as the plot is unraveled there is a great cast of characters. As you come to terms with the twists and turns and the very funny and clever dialog, you will find yourself enjoying a wonderful read as well as a very strong commentary about the way we live today.
Great Read January 14, 2007
I really enjoyed this book, the story ws excellant, it was very different to the crime stories I usually read, it was the first with the main character being gay, but made no difference, an excellant read, story kept me reading until finshed.
Would recommend to any crime reader.
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