Reviewers' Comments:
If you, Dear Reader, have been locked away in a cupboard somewhere for the
past five years or so, you may be unaware that Dorien Grey, in a relatively
long term relationship with niche publisher GLB, has begun to make an impression
on the wider crime fiction genre. While Grey's protagonist is gay, as are
most of his main characters, the mysteries he presents are attractive to
readers of all orientations. THE ROLE PLAYERS, the eighth in
the series, was followed by THE POPSICLE TREE earlier this year while
the tenth, THE PAPER MIRROR, is still in the works.
Dick Hardesty is a private investigator based in an American
small town, a mythical one, which presumably gives the author more freedom
for invention than would a true locale. He and his relatively recent lover,
enthusiastic Jonathan Quinlan, are invited to New York City to stay with
friends, Chris and his current love, Max. Max is the stage manager for a
new play, Impartial Observer, to be put on by the Whitman theatre group,
while Chris has secured the position of set designer for the production.
Dick and Jonathan had been anticipating watching the play, with a great deal
of pleasure, but this is tinged with apprehension when their friends ring
to tell them, prior to their departure, that the leading man of the play
has been shot and killed.
Despite the tragedy, The invitation to New York City
holds good. Inevitably, Dick is hired by Tait Duncan, who is described by
Chris as 'pretty well the Whitman Theater Group' to prove that no one involved
with the company could be the killer - - he hopes. Dick investigates but
is sad to discover that many people within the company could have a motive
for the murder. Rod, the former leading man, saw himself as all-conquering
in matters of - - well, not the heart, exactly, but the flesh certainly --
so blithely conquered then discarded all who took his fancy. It becomes less
probable, in Dick's mind, that the homicide is a random one and more likely
it is because of jealousy, either professional or personal.
The story is told against the backdrop of pre September
11, 2001 as the series is set in an indeterminate time of several years ago.
The two towers are still standing and are, in fact, visited by the quartet.
The wonders of the metropolis are seen through the naive enthusiasm of young
Jonathan who is overwhelmed by legendary theatre productions such as "Cats."
Contrary, perhaps, to popular perception that the gay community comprises
casually promiscuous singletons, Dick and Jonathan, themselves in a loving,
stable relationship, are mostly in contact with others in long term partnerships.
Perhaps the puzzle posited in this outing is not as murky
as others in the Dick Hardesty series but this hardly matters in view of
the vivid descriptions given of both place and people.
--- Denise Pickles, www.marymartin.com.au
-----------------------
Dick Hardest y and his life partner Jonathan, visit New York for two weeks,
planning on visiting friends, attending plays and seeing the sites for
entertainment. Long time friend Max was involved in a new play and they intend
to attend the premier. His partner Chris informs them just before the trip,
however, that one of the play's two leading men, Rod Pearce, had been found
dead early that morning. Rod was apparently mugged and shot on his way home
from the theater. The police already had begun to investigate everyone who
had been at the rehearsal the night before.
Rod's death is a blow to the entire show. Rod was a slut,
providing plenty of motivation for a number of men to want to kill him. Tait
Duncan, a financial backer for the play, hires Dick to investigate. He is
very proud of The Whitman Theater Group and does not want it tarnished by
the unfortunate murder, preferring to find answers himself rather than relying
on the police who seem rather disinterested in solving the crime. He tells
Dick that Rod's ego far outweighed his common sense, meaning that he was
often unaware of how others perceived his actions. Tait offers Dick a generous
financial incentive, including reimbursement for his airfare and double his
normal hourly rate. Dick need only do as much as possible for the time he
and Jonathan are in New York.
Author Dorien Grey's latest addition to his Dick Hardesty
mystery series, THE ROLE PLAYERS, will quickly become a favorite
with fans. Jonathan's excitement at visiting New York is palpable, making
him even more endearing than ever. His obvious adoration of Dick, which is
returned in equal measure, lends these characters a charming quality that
starkly contrasts with Dick's purpose when he chances into another investigation.
Friends and suspects are equally vividly realized, resulting in a cast of
characters that quickly become sympathetic and interesting. Moreover, Grey
achieves a smoothly sophisticated backdrop by allowing the action to revolve
around a play that functions as an allegory about the loss of humanity,
emphasizingthe roles that people play both off stage and on.
Clever dialogue, dashes ofhumor and a generous dose of
intrigue keep the pages turning quickly. The perfect read for a Sunday afternoon,
THE ROLE PLAYERS comes very highly recommended.
—Cindy Penn, www.wordweaving.com, Midwestern Book Review
--------------------
I had only read a few lines of THE ROLE PLAYERS when I knew
this book was going to be a smash. I actually began to smile on the first
page as Grey's gentle humor drew me in, even though this is first and foremost
a murder mystery. It's not that his subjects are funny. It's the way he writes,
with subtle yet broad, meaningful master strokes. The leading actor in an
off-Broadway play has been murdered. Our Hero Dick Hardesty and his young
lover, Jonathan, fly to New York to see the play while staying with Dick's
former lover, Chris, who is the set designer. Chris' current lover, Max,
is the stage manager. Dick becomes involved in the murder investigation,
but not because he's looking for work while he's on vacation. He doesn't
want to, but is talked into it by Tate Duncan, who runs the theatre group.
Tate only wants to know whether someone at The Whitman Theatre Group committed
the murder.
Dick decides to conduct his investigation the opposite
of the way he usually does it. Instead of finding out who did the murder,
he decides to find out who didn't so he can eliminate everyone in the theatre
group as suspects one by one. As always, Grey has penned a fast reading,
fun mystery. This time, in addition to the mystery, we get to go along
vicariously on this trip all around New York and see it through Jonathan's
eyes. I loved that; it was just like being there with dear friends without
contending with all the traffic.
THE ROLE PLAYERS is another great read
by Dorien Grey. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good, solid
mystery.
— Beth Anderson
----------------
Many successful mysteries have love stories at their centre. Think of Lord
Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, Elizabeth Peters' husband and wife team of
Emerson and Amelia, Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence. Now Dorien Grey
has created another engaging couple: Dick Hardesty and Jonathan.
It was murder which first brought these two men together.
Now, in The Role Players, another murder leads Dick and Jonathan
into the backstage gossip, grudges and ego trips of a New York theatrical
production where Dick's hard-edged logic and tenacious curiosity are complemented
by Jonathan's childlike innocence and intuitive insight into personalities
and motivations. And where love, far from being a many-splendoured thing,
may be the motive for murder. Take a dash of the wit of Nick and Nora Charles,
add a hint of the intrigue of All About Eve and you will have something
of the flavour of Dorien Grey's newest mystery: The Role
Players.
— Ralph Higgins, "Wayves" (Nova Scotia)
---------------------
With Grey's latest release, his talent as a writer has reached a new level.
Rather than writing a simple mystery, in The Role Players he
has demonstrated a mastery of pure fiction writing by capturing the sights,
sounds and feelings of New York City in the 1980's. This isn't just a mystery
to try and figure out whodunit, it's a well-crafted slice-of-history tale
that draws the reader in to explore its world. Grey definitely appears to
be on a path of creative growth with this work, and The Role Players
may just be his finest novel yet. — Jay Hartman, www.knowbetter.com
----------------------
A long-awaited vacation to New York to visit friends draws Dick into murder
in a theatre troup and a cast of characters not limited to the stage. Oh,
yes ... and a peek into the exotic and unfamiliar world of masters and
slaves.
Book 8 sees Dick and Jonathan go to New York City to
visit Chris and Max.
Surprise, surprise, Dick stumbles upon a case. So we have the luxury of a
traveler's guide to the Big Apple, as well as more romantic interplay
between the totally adorable Jonathan and the dependable and upstanding
Dick. Lastly there's the murder to solve, which up until the last seems
unsolvable.
Rod, a beautiful, talented actor with the morals of an
alley cat is shot
dead in the not inappropriate location of an alley. There are any number
of
people who could have done it. Rod had made plenty of enemies among the
cast
and stage crew at the theater where he had been given the leading role in
a
new play. Lots of suspects and about as many motives.
It was fascinating how Dick dealt with the issue of BDSM,
a gay subculture
of which he is both unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Dick's views resonated
with my own.
Just in the nick of time before their vacation (and the
book) ends, someone
let's something slip, and a significant piece of the jigsaw falls into
place. I was on the edge of my seat as the final scene, where Dick talks
with the killer, played out. Though I didn't think the man who'd done it
would do it again (to Dick) I couldn't be certain. I'm not giving anything
away by saying my fears for his safety were groundless. A good job given
there's at least three more books in the series.
*Review by British Bull Dog
<http://rainbow-reviews.com>
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