Hmmm...I too read them a while ago, but I didn't find them
all particularly
gay-oriented, beyond the fact that Dave Brandstetter was gay,
as were some
of his friends. And some were certainly unhappy, but not
necessarily
because of their lifestyle, and there were more than a few
miserable
straights, as well. Then again, most hardboiled novels aren't
exactly
chock-block full of shiny happy people anyway, and by almost
any
definition, these are hardboiled novels, and very, very good
ones, at that.
Tthe books ranged far and wide in subject matter.
Brandstetter tackled
(besides the usual murders of both gays and straights) police
corruption,
pornographers, Central America revolutionaries, neo-Nazis
and, in one of my
favorites, illegal dumping of toxic waste (honest! it was
great!). In fact,
the Brandstetter books are one of the best series of the last
few decades,
featuring some of the tersest, tough prose this side of
Hammett. There's a
welcome sort of cool detachment in the narration, a kind of
cold emotional
flatness that very few private eye writers use now; most of
them seem to
want to imitate Chandler by way of Ross Macdonald, and go
overboard on the
wisecracks or overworked "look at me! I'm writing!"
descriptions.
I imagine more folks would've read this series if Dave had
been straight.
Too bad. As far as I know, Hansen is still writing (although
the
Brandstetter series is definitely wrapped up). There's a
story in a recent
Alfred Hitchcock, featuring another series character, Hack
Bohannon, a
retired Sherriff who lives on a ranch in California. Not as
good as the
Brandstetters, but still pretty entertaining. I've read a few
interviews
and stuff about/with Hansen, and I'm not sure if he is gay or
not, although
The American Private Eye (David Geherin, 1985) mentions a
wife and
daughter. He's certainly sympathetic towards homosexuals,
though. In the
long run, though, does it matter whether he's gay or
not?
And speaking of another person who frequently writes about
gays (taking a
slightly different stance), I notice our boy Ellroy has some
new fiction in
the latest GQ. Has anyone read it, or know anything about
it?
**************************************************
Kevin Smith
It's summertime, and the living is cheesy...What are you
reading this summer?
Tell us in this month's P.I. Poll on The Thrilling Detective
Web Site
http://www.colba.net/~kvnsmith/thrillingdetective/
Now with fresh fiction monthly....
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