Hansen's another writer whose work I didn't know. I read
"Early Graves", a relatively late (late '80s) Dave
Brandstetter novel, in which the AIDS epidemic is a central
concern. I found it an enjoyable read, with what I thought
was a quite decent plot. The murder victim is an interesting
character, imo.
I haven't read many stories set in the gay subculture. This
is definitely the world Brandstetter inhabits most of the
time, and I found it interesting both as a slightly exotic
setting and as an explanation for the alienation and some of
the conflicts that affect Brandstetter and other
characters.
Brandstetter's personal life is developed in what I would say
amounts to a subplot. The reader is adequately brought up to
speed on the situation he's in with his lover, but it would
probably be more satisfying to have read earlier book(s), in
which the development of the relationship is presumably
described, first.
Reading an earlier book would probably be a better way to get
a handle on the Brandstetter character as detective, and his
attitudes to society, etc, as well. In "Early Graves" he's
famous and successful, has good relations with the cops, and
lots of money, apparently inherited. He's persistent and
individualistic, thinking for himself, like most fictional
PIs, I suppose. He's not a cynic, but someone who is willing
to take emotional risks and who still retains a faith in
human nature, though few illusions.
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