by Matt Lubbers-Moore
In editing my upcoming new edition of my bibliography, Murder and Mayhem: An Annotated Bibliography of Gay and Queer Males in Mystery, 1909-2018, I am now going through 2022 and reading the books I missed. One such book, Burn it all Down by Nicolas DiDomizio, was listed as a caper in my spreadsheet of books to include in the new edition.
The blurb mentions a guy and his mother who find out that their respective boyfriends were cheating, they sought revenge by committing crimes, and then fled the state to evade the police. As good as the book is, and I did find it fun and charming, it was no caper. Yes, crimes were committed, they did flee the state, but it doesn’t belong in my bibliography. It also doesn’t belong in my book collection, but I just had to have a signed copy because I enjoyed it so much.
I know not everyone is like me, which is the same refrain I read Michael Dirda say in his book Browsings, when discussing a certain edition in his collection of whether he should read the first, second, or third editions. Although I do have a shelf of miscellaneous titles that don’t fit in with my other collections, I try to keep that shelf to a minimum and there’s barely any signed copies on that shelf because it’s mostly a way station for books to be read and then gotten rid of.
As I have been typing this and pondering what to do with this book, it makes the most sense to add it to my eclectic collection of other signed books. It’ll do nicely next to my political authors of Hillary Clinton and Jennifer Granholm, the few young adult novels I have enjoyed enough to get signed copies, my non-gay mysteries of Joseph Hansen, Barbara Hambly, William Corlett, Lev Raphael, and Marshall Thornton, and my nonfiction comedic essays from Red Green and Wade Rouse.
I enjoy writing this column to inform but also to let my bookseller know which books to add to my shopping list for my book collection of gay and queer mysteries! The other shelf of eclectic signed copies is getting too full.
Upcoming LGBTQ Mysteries
Discovered on Easter by Daisy Landish
Out March 1, Beaches and Trails Publishing
Book five of the Jane and Kennedy Daniels Series. Jane is finally pregnant and the Kennedys have decided to stick close to home for Easter. They’ve invited their friends for murder-mystery dinner, but when a real body turns up in the toolshed, the dinner party becomes a lot more interesting!
Stolen Ambition by Robyn Nyx
Out March 1, Butterworth Books
Luca Romero’s journey to becoming a writer is shattered by a web of deceit and betrayal. Trapped on a dangerous drug farm, Luca fights to survive while another woman takes her place in the limelight. Marissa Vargas, daughter of a powerful drug cartel boss, faces a choice between loyalty to her family and her dreams of escape. When their paths cross in a world of danger and corruption, they’ll have to rely on each other to fight their way to freedom. As Luca and Marissa navigate the treacherous waters of ambition and survival, their lives become intertwined in this heart-wrenching tale of courage and determination. But in a world of deadly deception and dirty drugs, will their bond be enough to see them through to the other side?
The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older
Out March 7, Tordotcom
On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa’s former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems.
Faultlines by Stan Leventhal
Out March 14, ReQueered Tales
This re-release from ReQueered Tales includes a foreword by Alexander Inglis, a founding member of the publisher. New York-bred Kevin O’Conover, white, gay and twenty-something, thought two weeks in San Francisco would make a fine holiday … until he woke up in the dark, tied up on a concrete floor, and with a splitting headache. He finds Thad Heath, ex-Vietnam vet, black and straight, tied to a metal pole beside him. What are they doing held captive in crime boss Jack Corrigan’s basement? Corrigan’s maid Leona Ramirez helps them to escape in a van about to set out to distribute cocaine at a strip mall drop-off. Two thugs, vicious Sam and not-too-bright Kurt, are driving and, when the boys escape in the mall parking lot, there ensues a chase into the woods and hills where Kevin and Thad fall into the rescuing arms of Weslya, an off-the-grid reclusive child-of-the-60s pot-toking hippie …
The Lost Americans by Christopher Bollen
Out March 14, Harper
When the lifeless body of Eric Castle, a weapons technician for a major American defense contractor, is found under his hotel balcony, both his employer and the Egyptian authorities quickly declare his death a suicide. But the dead man’s sister, Cate, doesn’t believe Eric took his own life and is determined to get to the truth. Traveling to Egypt she begins to piece together her brother’s life in Cairo with the help of a handsome, young, gay Egyptian man named Omar, who yearns to escape the brutality of his nation’s harsh, restrictive government.
Molly Boys by Vawn Cassidy
Out March 24
London 1883: For Lord Everett Stanley, escaping his fate seemed impossible. As the second son, he’s destined for ordination and the life of a priest, but he’s hiding a dangerous secret. The laws punishing homosexuality by hanging may have been repealed but he and others of his kind are far from safe. Given no other choice, they take solace in the underground molly houses of London. Now that fragile world is threatened when the East End is rocked by a series of gruesome murders.
Into the Light by Mark Oshiro
Out March 28, Tor Teen
It’s been one year since Manny was cast out of his family and driven into the wilderness of the American Southwest. Since then, Manny lives by self-taught rules that keep him moving—and keep him alive. Now, he’s taking a chance on a traveling situation with the Varela family, whose attractive but surly son, Carlos, seems to promise a new future. Eli abides by the rules of his family, living in a secluded community that raised him to believe his obedience will be rewarded. But an unsettling question slowly eats away at Eli’s once unwavering faith in Reconciliation: Why can’t he remember his past? But the reported discovery of an unidentified body in the hills of Idyllwild, California, will draw both of these young men into facing their biggest fears and confronting their own identity—and who they are allowed to be.
Other Releases:
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles; out March 7
Brother and Sister Enter the Forest by Richard Mirabella; out March 14
Cold Cases and Deadly Lies by JM Dabney; out March 21
Shoot to Kill by TS Ankney; out March 29
Hiding Place by Jackie Keswick; out March 31
Click on this link to take you to Mysterious Galaxy’s website where you can purchase many of these books & a portion will go to help support KRL:
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.
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