January 17 is release day for the next two adventures in Richard Stevenson’s acclaimed series. Shock to the System and Chain of Fools where first released in the mid-1990s. Now back in print in handsome new editions.
Richard Stevenson is the pseudonym of Richard Lipez, author of 17 books, including the Don Strachey private eye series. A former editorial writer at The Berkshire Eagle, Lipez reviewed mysteries and thrillers for The Washington Post. His reporting, reviews, and fiction appeared in Newsday, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Harper’s, and many other publications.
“Sassy and sexy … Don Strachey is a private dick who really earns his title.”
— Armistead Maupin
Four of the Strachey books have been filmed by HereTV. Red White Black and Blue, the twelfth Strachey book, won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Mystery. Lipez grew up and was educated in Pennsylvania and taught in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia. He was married to sculptor and video artist Joe Wheaton and lived in Becket, Massachusetts. Richard Stevenson passed away in March, 2022.
Richard Stevenson’s DON STRACHEY in 3 new releases
SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM
In Book 5, Shock to the System, Donald Strachey is asked to investigate the suspicious death of Paul Haig by three different people-Haig’s homophobic mother, his ex-lover, and the psychiatrist hired to “cure” him of his homosexuality. Just as he gets started, however, all three remove him from the case, leaving Strachey with a brutal murderer that now everyone wants left alone. Written over a period of three decades, the Donald Strachey series authentically chronicles gay life as it unfolded in upstate New York. Shock to the System was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Mystery. An author’s note is included.
Print 228 pgs • 978-1-951092-84-9 • $16.95
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CHAIN OF FOOLS
In Chain of Fools, Private Investigator Donald Strachey is asked to look into the events surrounding the months-old murder of Eric Osborne. His death, originally believed to be a random attack, takes on new significance when Janet Osborne, Eric’s sister, survives an attempt on her life. Skeeter, Eric’s lover, believed both attacks were meant to silence them before the sale of their family’s newspaper. Drawn into a complex family feud, Strachey must unravel the secret behind the attacks before the killer tries again. An author’s note is included.
Print 236 pgs • 978-1-951092-85-6 • $16.95
Kindle Unlimited Ebook Exclusive
CHASING REMBRANDT
Book 17! Richard Stevenson had one more Don Strachey adventure up his sleeve: he completed and approved the final edits to Chasing Rembrandt in February, 2022. ReQueered Tales is honored to publish this final tale in print and ebook in April 2023. More details coming soon!
The First Four Don Strachey Mysteries
In his introduction to our new edition of Death Trick, Michael Nava reminds us that Don Strachey is the first major gay PI series after Joseph Hansen’s ground-breaking Dave Brandstetter which appeared in 1971. Nava says: “Death Trick’s portrayal of gay life in Albany is probably a more accurate representation of the way most gay men lived in the late 70s, and maybe even now, than novels set in the big cities.” The series was written over 40 years and Stevenson documents, through the adventures of Strachey and his lover Timothy Callahan, evolving issues of gay life, rights struggles and AIDS through the years as backdrop to the cleverly plotted mystery tales.
DEATH TRICK
In the debut novel Death Trick, Don Strachey isn’t exactly the most sought-after private eye in Albany, New York. In fact, this gay P.I. has gotten to the point of having to write checks to pay his tab at the cheapest lunch counter in town. And he isn’t sure that the latest one, for the grand total of two dollars and ninety-three cents, is going to clear. Surprisingly he’s hired to locate Billy Blount, the gay heir to one of Saratoga Springs’ upper-crust families. On top of that, Billy, a young and outspoken gay activist, is wanted for the grisly murder of the man he slept with on his last night in Albany – a man he’d never met before that night. (Includes a new introduction by Michael Nava.)
“This murder mystery, recounted with sassiness and wit, is full of true-to-life details about contemporary gay existence. Stevenson uses the yarn to poke fun at straitlaced parents, homophobic cops and greedy gay bar owners … This is a great lazy-day read – and politically correct, yet!” — The Advocate
Print 264 pgs • 978-1-951092-58-0 • $16.95
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ON THE OTHER HAND, DEATH
On The Other Hand, Death shifts gears with the first AIDS activists appearing. When the giant Millpond Company finds its plans for a mega-shopping mall stymied by the refusal of an elderly lesbian couple to sell their home, the ladies are subjected to ugly vandalism and frightening death threats. The powerful director of Millpond in turn hires Don Strachey, Albany’s only gay detective, to protect the ladies, find the culprits, and clear the corporate name. Strachey accepts with misgivings that deepen rapidly as kidnapping, extortion, and murder darken the lives of Albany’s gay community.
“This is a lively book. Don Strachey is a more ebullient character than Dave Brandstetter, and Mr. Stevenson makes him and the other characters thoroughly realized characters. Nor has the author forgotten that this is a private eye mystery. Skillful plotting carries the reader straight along. Highly recommended.” — New York Times Book Review
Print 248 pgs • 978-1-951092-59-7 • $16.95
Kindle Unlimited Ebook Exclusive
ICE BLUES
For Ice Blues, Strachey has more than car trouble. Shocked to discover the body of the grandson of the godfather of Albany’s political machine in his car, P.I. Donald Strachey knows he is in for trouble. But when he learns that the murder victim left a $2.5 million legacy with instructions that it be used to destroy that machine, along with a personal letter to Strachey asking for his help, his suspicions are confirmed. Faced with power-brokers at all levels, Albany’s only gay P.I. tries to fulfill the dead man’s mission – with his own survival at stake.
“An entirely unpredictable, witty, and raunchy adventure.” — Publishers Weekly
Print 252 pgs • 978-1-951092-62-7 • $16.95
Kindle Unlimited Ebook Exclusive
THIRD MAN OUT
In Third Man Out, after an attempt is made on his life, Queer Nation activist John Rutka asks tough-as-nails gay private detective Don Strachey to provide him with protection. Why does someone want to kill him? The activist’s efforts at outing closeted gay homophobes have earned him a multitude of enraged enemies who would just as soon see him dead. After Strachey refuses to help, the man’s body is found savagely murdered in apparent retribution for his deeds. Now, because of this, the reluctant Strachey feels obligated to investigate.
“Stevenson has deftly picked up where he left off … A tightly plotted, fast-paced, entertaining mystery full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.” — Lambda Rising Book Report
Print 236 pgs • 978-1-951092-63-4 • $16.95
Kindle Unlimited Ebook Exclusive
Check out our Richard Stevenson page in ReQueered Tales online print bookshop.
You’ll find it directly here: bookshop.org/lists/richard-stevenson
