Shock to the System (Donald Strachey Series #5)

Booklist

Three different persons all want to hire gay private detective Donald Strachey to prove that somebody other than they killed Paul Haig, the son of a rich, politically connected lush. The real fun begins when Strachey discovers that the common thread linking Haig to all his potential employers is "reparative" therapist (i.e., one of the kind that "cures" homosexuals) Vernon Crockwell, whose hatred of homosexuals is exceeded only by that of Haig's mother. Stevenson's dialogue grows increasingly hilarious as his hero deals with these two characters whose every other word derides the very person they're asking to help save them. As in other Strachey mysteries, the detective's tranquilly domestic relationship with his longtime lover stands in refreshing contrast to affairs in most other gay novels, with their less contented leading characters. Charles Harmon —This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Lambda Rising Book Report

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.

Washington Post

Believe me, it's a lot of fun and much of it is very wicked fun indeed. . . . Don't think for a minute that Stevenson's writing just for gays. (Washington Post)