Reviewers' Comments:
Dick Hardesty, Phillip Marlowe's gay successor, is back with another adventure
of mystery, mayhem, and murder in The Dirt Peddler.
In this outing, Hardesty's new lover and "recovering"
hustler, Jonathan, takes a fraternal interest in a fellow hustler, Randy,
who's trying to get his life back together. But instead of success, Randy
meets with death. As more and more details about Randy's life and death come
to light, it appears he may have been only one of several youthful hustlers
who fell prey to the same killer.
Add to the mix a best-selling writer whose novels are
barely concealed exposés of the dirty laundry of the rich and famous,
and a curious heterosexual couple that owns and operates several farms around
the country, all called New Eden, that are set up as halfway houses for guys
trying to get their lives on track.
Grey tells a nifty multi-layered story with an eye for
detail, an ear for compelling dialog and a talent for offering the readers
an entire school of red herring that will keep you guessing—and changing
your mind—right up to the end.
Ken Furtado, Echo Magazine, Phoenix, AZ
The Dirt Peddler
Series winner of the WordWeaving Award for Excellence
Tony T. Tunderew's first novel, "Dirty Little Minds,"
was an overnight success with its steamy, barely-fictionalized exposure of
a governor who resigned under scandalous circumstances. Less than a year
before, Tunderew had been an obscure junior executive at a consulting firm.
Now Tunderew is writing a second book, which promises even greater success
than the first (for digging up and peddling dirt ). A lot of people are very
nervous regarding what kind of inside information he might have picked up
while at the consulting firm. With an ongoing battle with his publisher over
rights to the second book, a looming divorce, and blackmail, Tunderew needs
a private investigator. Since he suspects a gay man of being the blackmailer,
Tunderew wants Dick Hardesty as his investigator.
But when Tunderew is killed in an accident, it is an
unexpectedly personal connection to Dick that leads him to continue the
investigation even when the police rule the car crash an accident. This is
a brief opening of The Dirt Peddler, the newest release of
the series that we find most praiseworthy.
Author Dorien Grey's contribution to gay novels, specifically
of his mysteries series featuring Dick Hardesty, fills a unique nitch within
gay novels. The first author to feature a gay hero of a mystery series, Grey's
novels belong on every reader's keeper shelf. Not only does he create fascinating
tales filled with red herrings and memorable characterizations, but Grey
also presents a fascinating glimpse into an alternative lifestyle and the
conundrums and truths that entails. Hardesty becomes a kind of everyman with
his explorations of relationships, commitments, and community.
The result is a powerful look at not only the gay lifestyle,
but also our own inhibitions and prejudices. As a result, Grey receives the
WordWeaving Award for Excellence for this remarkable series.
---Cindy Penn, Senior Editor http://www.wordweaving.com
Amazon top 50 Reviewer
Senior Reviewer and eBook Specialist, Midwest Book Review
--------------------------------------
The Dirt Peddler
In his latest installment of the adventures of private
investigator Dick Hardesty, Dorien Grey has provided Dick with a serious
challenge—working for an obnoxious, homophobic, muckraker-author, the
sort of jerk he would ordinarily go out of his way to avoid. Then Tunderow,
the author, is dead, the victim of an apparent automobile accident. So is
a young hustler named Randy, who had been thrown out of a shelter for street
kids run by a Christian organization when he was caught in a compromising
position with the director by the director's wife. Just prior to the accident,
Randy had been staying with Dick and Dick's young partner Jonathan while
he waited for some undisclosed "break" that was going to set him up for
life.
. Then Dick learns that the subject of the muckraker's next
novel is none other than the very organization from which Randy was banished.
That strikes him as just one too many coincidences, and he is compelled to
look deeper into what quickly becomes a convoluted mass of tangled relationships
in which somewhere hides a killer.
Although technically just as much a mystery as all of
its predecessors, The Dirt Peddler really focuses more on the
varied nature of relationships more than on the puzzle. The likely identity
of the killer is fairly clear to anyone able to do simple addition, so what
makes this book compelling is the exploration of how people do and don't
connect with each other emotionally. It is something an earlier Hardesty,
one who indulged as his desires led him, would perhaps not even have thought
about. He has, clearly, found something in his love for Jonathan that has
added new depth to the character, and Mr. Grey has skillfully allowed us
to see those changes occur in a marvelously realistic way.
As for Jonathan, he is without doubt one of the most
delightful characters in current fiction, a gentle mixture of childlike naivete
and sharp native wisdom. It isn't difficult to understand why someone with
Dick Hardesty's edge of cynicism would be not only drawn to him but led to
change his entire lifestyle to keep him.
Once again, Dorien Grey has provided an engrossing tale
of sudden death and nasty secrets peopled with characters all too human in
their vices and virtues. He has then enriched it in a way that offers insight
into a lifestyle too many people know only through media distortion. In a
genre turgid with neurotic medical examiners, schizophrenic profilers, and
embittered cops, the Dick Hardesty series is a definite improvement, and
this latest entry maintains the level of quality one has come to expect from
this author.
— Elizabeth Burton, www.ZumayaPublications.com
----------------------------------------
When Tony T Tunderew produces a thinly veiled ‘tell
all' book about Governor Harry Keene, he and the book become an instant success.
Tony, a well-known homophobe, soon is embroiled in divorce from his wife
of thirteen years. He is being blackmailed and is up to his eyeballs in
underhanded chicanery. Dick Hardesty PI is hired by Tunderew to locate the
man he knows is blackmailing him
. Hardesty and Tunderew part ways when Hardesty widens his
investigation beyond just the dupe Tunderew had used to gain information
for his book. Tunderew's second book will soon be ready for publishing and
rumor has it that it too sizzles. Hardesty and his partner Jonathan take
in a young former hustler, Randy Jacobs, who has been kicked out of his work
program at New Eden where Jonathan is involved in landscaping of the site.
When Tunderew and Randy are found dead in an auto crash the mystery only
deepens. Before long a string of murdered young former street people, blasé
former wife and peculiar leaders of New Eden convince Hardesty that there
is more to the deaths than just an auto crash
. Dorien Grey is only getting better. This book is filled with
the profusely drawn scenarios, paradoxical ingeniously-woven twists of story
line and quick-witted, deceptive characters we have come to expect from this
writer. The Dirt Peddler is possibly the best work produced
by Writer Grey to date.
The Dirt Peddler is a commanding read
remarkably masterminded by an accomplished teller of tales in the manner
of authors Dashiell Hammett and William Manchee. Disparity is plenteous in
this well drawn tale. Well-fleshed characters are engaging and fiduciary.
Energetic colloquy is at times gritty and filled with touching angst in this
impressive fast-paced page-turner.
The Dirt Peddler takes an unpleasant character
in the form of Tunderew and weaves a reader-grabber around him from the first
page right down to the last paragraph. The circumstances surrounding the
unlikeable Tunderew's demise are grist for the tale wrought in clever detail
by writer Grey. Old friends to the reader are again present as Dick Hardesty
and Jonathan grow in their relationship. Phil and Tim, Bob Allen, attorney
Glen O'Banyon and Lt. Richman return to visit with Hardesty, or grab a bite
to eat or a drink at Ramons, Napoleons or Hughies. Watch for those famous
Dorien Grey red herrings.
The Dirt Peddler has more than enough
of them to confuse most readers. A good read for a lazy summer afternoon.
Happy to Recommend. Absorbing read Recommended
5 stars
---Reviewed by:
molly martin http://www.angelfire.com/ok4/mollymartin
Another big winner from the deviously talented mind of
Dorien Gray!
Dick Hardesty is hired by bestselling author Tony T.
Tunderew to question a former co-worker who, Tunderew says, is trying to
blackmail him. Obviously someone is. But who?
Tunderew has had a major hit with his first book, a thinly
veiled roman a
clef really about a former governor who recently resigned under
pressure.
Tunderew is now trying to get out of a his contract by undercutting his
current publising house, a small company on the verge of bankruptcy which
took him on when he was unknown and made him a star. His second book, which
the big N.Y. publishers are now hot for, is another hatchet job--this time
attacking the owners of some homes for runaways and street hustlers. Added
to all that is Tunderew's silently vindictive ex wife, and the fact that
Tunderew is hiding a big secret--he's gay. And he is The Dirt
Peddler.
Enter Randy, a former hustler and acquaintance of Jonathan's
who is trying
to stop hustling for a living, but can't quite seem to make it. (Jonathan
is Dick's young lover whom we've met and grown to love in the past two
books.) While staying with Jonathan and Dick for a few days, Randy leaves
for the weekend on a 'secret date'. A few hours later, Dick and Jonathan
hear the news that Tunderew and Randy were both killed when Tunderew's car
went over a cliff on the way to his weekend hideaway. It appears to have
been a simple accident--or so the local police think.
But those of us who have been following this series know
that in Dick
Hardesty's life, nothing is ever simple, and almost nothing is ever just
an
accident. Although he's not getting paid to check out his suspicions, out
of respect for Jonathan's dead friend as well as his own curiosity
and quest for justice, he plows ahead to find out what really happened.
One of the things always so good about Grey's books is
the humanity and
honesty involved. Grey is excellent at characterization as well as
constructing riveting fair-play mystery plots. I think this is his best
Hardesty mystery yet. With his fast-paced, impeccably written, funny,
poignant, and always fascinating books, Grey is evolving into a mainstream
mystery author, and is already one of the best in the business.
The Dirt Peddler is more than well worth
reading, and reading again. As always, this one is ten out of ten on the
Richter Scale of mysteries.
-----Beth Anderson, http://www.bethanderson-hotclue.com,
http://www.allaboutmurder.com
WARNING! Before you pick up The Dirt Peddler, be prepared to
miss appointments, forget to do the laundry, be absent-minded with friends
and family, and generally put your day-to-day life on hold until the book
is finished. It is futile to fight the pull of good-hearted, tenacious detective
Dick Hardesty and his sweet-natured partner, Jonathan. It is Dorien Grey's
unique gift of vivid characterization that makes the crimes presented in
his books not merely mental puzzles to be solved but real problems affecting
people we know and care about. Dorien Grey mysteries both tease the brain
and touch the heart.
— Ralph Higgins, Wayves , Nova Scotia
Let's face it, we're definitely a society that likes to look at everyone
else's dirty laundry. I was a manager for Waldenbooks at the time of the
OJ Simpson trial, and I was astounded at how quickly a number of books appeared
on the market digging up every aspect of Simpson's life and putting it on
display for everyone. Likewise for every situation from JonBenet Ramsey to
Whitewater to Susan Smith. Then, there are all the "tell-all" biographies
that come out, digging up more gossip on people we've always admired, such
as Martha Stewart or Frank Sinatra. We won't even begin to discuss papers
such as the Enquirer or the Mirror.
America's fascination with other people's problems is
the subject of the latest Dick Hardesty mystery from author Dorien Grey,
entitled The Dirt Peddler, but in this case spilling the goods
results in the author of an exposé book getting his blood spilled
at the bottom of a ravine.
Tony T. Tunderew is a homophobic author of an incredibly
popular, barely fictionalized biography of a governor. Not surprisingly,
Tunderew has a laundry list of people looking to get even with him. In a
strange twist of fate, Tunderew finds himself the subject of a blackmail
attempt. Tunderew believes it's a gay man who helped him to get the data
for his tell-all, and enlists Hardesty to help find the blackmailer and get
him to stop.
Hardesty isn't exactly thrilled to be working for a
gay-hater, but figures he can quickly solve the case. Unfortunately, he's
also having to deal with a new housemate, a hustler friend of his lover Jonathan,
who has moved in pending a "really big deal" that is going to have him set
for life.
Set for death is more like it. Hardesty is notified that
the young man is found dead in the front seat of a car at the bottom of a
ravine...a car driven by one Tony T. Tunderew.
Now, Hardesty has a whole new case on his hands. The
crash doesn't seem like an accident, and there are plenty of suspects with
motives. It seems Tunderew was working on a new expose of a church dedicated
to the reformation of street youth through various work camps. Hardesty soon
discovers there is more going on at this camp than there seems. Did the owners
of the camp kill Tunderew to keep him quiet? Did Tunderew's publisher kill
him to keep from taking the book to another publisher? Could it be Tunderew's
ex-wife, who stood to inherit a small fortune? Regardless of whodunit, what
is Tunderews connection to the young gay hustler, when he's an admitted
homophobe?
I've commented in past reviews of Grey's works that he
is one of the best new mystery voices to come along in ages, and The
Dirt Peddler only serves to prove that thought. Peddler is an original
mystery in every way: a well-thought out plot, interesting characters that
move the story along, a terrific voice in protagonist Hardesty, and enough
humor and sex to keep the reader completely engrossed. It may sound cliché
to say that I couldn't put a book down, but I literally DID polish off this
book in one night. Grey's mysteries are a lot like chocolate truffles...once
you've eaten one, you can't stop, and each one is richer than the one before.
As always, I found myself disappointed to reach the end of yet another
well-written work by Grey, and can only hope that there's another Hardesty
novel in the works.
---J. Alan Hartman
KnowBetter.com
Hired to find who is blackmailing the author of a steamy expose, Dick sets
off on a trail leading to a religious commune and a string of murders
spread
across.
Book seven in the series sees Dick continuing to live
in cozy domesticity
with Jonathan. Though one mustn't also forget the growing collection of
fish
and house plants.
Many of my old favorites from previous books popped up,
including Jared,
who, rather amazingly, finds himself going steady with someone. I gain as
much enjoyment from reading the continuing sub-plot of Dick's relationship
and friendships, as I do the particular mystery which is at the forefront
of
each individual book.
This brings us neatly to the main plot. I often found
myself confusing Tony
T Tunderu, the deliciously obnoxious author who initially hires Dick, with
Tondelaya O'Tool, a drag queen who appeared in earlier stories. The names
are a little too similar. But this is only a small inconvenience.
The spotlight of suspicion sweeps across a handful of
characters, each has
plenty of motive. But none seem to fit exactly. Rearranging things in his
head, Dick changes his focus, and wham. The perp is finally illuminated.
I particularly enjoyed how we were allowed to solve the
case just before
Hardesty does. It takes a skillful writer to do this, because these stories
are told in the first person, so we can only see and hear what Dick sees
and
hears. Being that one step ahead at the crucial denouement, made for a
great
ending. Full marks.
--Review by British Bull Dog
Price: $8.00 for each format
$1.00 for cover
(Acrobat)(Text)(Rich
Text)(Intnet)(Wrd)(WrdPerf)(MSRead)(MobiPRC)(Hiebk)
Paperback 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"
234 pages |
USA |
Canada |
Overseas |
| $15.95 Plus Shipping and Handling |
|
|
|
For reading PDF files, download the free Acrobat Reader from the Adobe
site here:
e-Book Links:
[Read First Chapter of The Dirt
Peddler]
[ Home |
e-Book Table of Contents |
e-Book Information | Author
Directory ]
[ e-Book Novellas Index |
e-Book Novels Index |
e-Book Non-Fiction Index |
e-Book Plays Index |
Ordering ]
|
