Dorien Grey -- The Butcher's Son

Review:  After reading Dorien Grey's Elliot Smith stories I started to look for his Dick Hardesty mysteries—I was hooked!

The Butcher's Son was was riveting and I started looking for the rest of the stories in the series before I was even finished the first one. I was a fan. I'm the kind of person who, when I discover an author and / or series I enjoy as much as I have Dorien Grey's books, I want it all, and I'm well on my way to achieving this.

In this, the first of Grey's Dick Hardesty Mysteries, the character of Dick Hardesty grabbed hold of my imagination. For me he's become one of my favourite contemporary detectives. Grey excels at building finely-wrought tension, at carrying the reader through each scene, each chapter. I found myself virulently disliking 'the butcher', and getting totally caught up in what was happening; there was laughter, anger, and even heartbreak.

By the end of the book I was on the edge of my seat which, for a mystery fan, is always a great place to be. The ending was extremely satisfying and I was on the hunt for more from this very talented author.
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Story description: Hardesty is pressed into service when someone starts burning down gay bars all over town and the police chief (nicknamed 'the butcher') shrugs the whole thing off. Then drag queens and female impersonators get into the act and Dick is required to sleuth out who is hot and who is not.