A Simple Suburban Murder by Mark Richard Zubro

A Simple Suburban Murder
by Mark Richard Zubro
Pages: 224
Date: December 31 2003 (originally published 1988)
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Series: Tom Mason and Scott Carpenter (First book)
Lambda Literary Award for Gay Men's Mystery (1989)

Review
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Read: January 11 to January 12 2015

I'd have to check to make sure, but I believe this is the first M-M book I've read that I've been able to give as much as 4 stars to.  It's not the first non-sexual/erotic M-M book I've read, that would probably be that China Mountain Zhang book.  I believe it's the first M-M mystery I've read, though.

The book is fairly straight forward as far as plot/story.  As in as far as an amateur detective type book. It did include the lead having a partner. That doesn't always happen in amateur detective stories.  Mostly tends to be a secretary or the like in those other stories. Actually, those wouldn't be amateur detective stories.  Hmms.  Well, at least in this case it's an amateur detective and his gay lover who just happens to be a star baseball player.  One who 1) had thrown two no-hitters in the World Series, and 2) has a name I recognize as a real life baseball player. That part I found vaguely odd (looked the name up. Guess I was wrong as there's no listing of a baseball player having that name).

I also looked up the books on my gay shelf. I was wrong there as well. I have one previous book rated 4 stars that involves a main character who happens to be gay.  The other three 4 star books on that shelf are only there because the writer won and or was nominated for the Lambda award.  May or may not be gay characters in those three Steven Saylor books, but none main characters. So the long and short of it is that this is the second four star book I've read that includes main character gay men.  The other is Fogtown.  And, judging by its average rating of 2.91, I might be the only one who liked that book.

Right. Distracted myself there. I was mentioning the plot/story.  Teacher arrives at school to begin his daily teacher chores. Notices a person sitting way in the back. Goes to investigate. Finds a dead body, that of a man, a fellow teacher he barely knew.  One thing leads to another and the teacher who found the dead body begins investigating and searching for the murderer.  Twists and turns lead to gay bars, prostitution rings, and porno films.  Strong plot.

Stronger characterization than I was lead to believe.  Yes, I did something I rarely do - looked at other reviews before reading this book. Lead me to believe the characters were lacking. Were paper thin.  I found them fully formed. From lead characters down to the kids. The only ones who appeared paper thin, for the most part, where the cops, and they didn't really play that big of a role in the book.

In terms of relationships - you could tell that Scott and Tom were a couple, and were romantically involved.  But most action occurred off the page.  Beyond some kissing and massaging.

One of the things that normally drive me insane with gay books, and I do not know if it's just the books I previously chose to try, or if it is a common theme in gay books, and I've lost this sentence. A common theme I've found in gay books is an overly emotional group of people, filled with angst. I don't care who the characters are, I don't particularly like reading that.  And, fortunately, that didn't occur in this book.

I like and would recommend this book.