Loving this series! Echoes of Raymond Chandler, without being a pastiche. ( )

Brandstetter mystery where he looking into the death of a former bookseller. At the start ot looks like his son did it foe the insurance money. But the more Dave digs the more suspects turn up. The deceased was blackmailing former friends and associates. ( )

Dave Brandstetter returns, this time to investigate the drowning of a man with a large life insurance policy. The police ruled the death and accident, but Brandstetter disagrees. Like the first book in the series, this one is remarkable for its frank discussion of homosexuality. Aside from that, it's a pretty average mystery. ( )

I'm on a bit of a Joseph Hansen/Dave Brandstetter binge right now. Hanson's a wonderful writer with a good ear for dialogue and a sense of which details will set a scene appropriately. Brandstetter, Hansen's central character and a death claims investigator for an insurance company, is equally wonderful. He's a gay man living in the 60s/70s, surprisingly honest about who he is, cultured, articulate, brusque, and far too sharp for anyone around him engaged in nefarious activities to have any chance of getting away with something.

These mystery novels are great reads in their own right. They're also stand-outs because of their central character. Getting the reading public to embrace a character like Brandstetter may not seem like a major accomplishment these days, but this series was first published beginning 50 years ago. A great mystery and a lesson in a crucial moment in the development of the genre—what more can a reader ask for?

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss+; the opinions are my own. ( )

earlier work, death of a book seller, son suspect. Brandstetter and Doug plan to move