Death Claims

Crisp, terse, elegant and heartbreaking: Dave Brandstetter investigates the death of a rare-book dealer and uncovers layer upon layer of love, hate and blackmail. This is not a happy book, but it aches with genuine sorrow.

The only down side was two many tongue twisting descriptions of places, but Hansen is great at confusing and misdirection. If you stick with it you won't be sorry

Death Claims is an unforgettable tale of the human condition, full of loss and longing. The main character, Dave Bandstetter, is deeply wounded by his own tragic loss of love and his investigation into the life and death of a man who was loved by many and betrayed by those closest to him. Dave Bandstetter is one of the great literary characters of the 20th century. Bravo to Joseph Hansen.

This is the second of Joseph Hansen's novels featuring insurance investigator David Brandstetter. A policy holder named John Oats has drowned in the Pacific and the body has washed up on shore. The police and the coroner are happy to accept a verdict of suicide, but Dave is not.Neither is Oat's lover, April Stannard. In interviewing Stannard, Dave discovers that Oat's young son Peter has gone missing. Peter was the beneficiary of his father's life insurance policy, but when he drowned, John Oats was in the process of changing the beneficiary to April. For obvious reasons, Dave is very anxious to track down young Mr. Oats and ask him a few pointed questions.Inevitably, the case turns out to be much more complicated than it initially appeared, and as Dave tries to get to the truth of the matter, he must also resolve a crisis in his personal life. He's taken a new lover named Doug. He and Doug found each other while they were both on the rebound, adjusting to the deaths of their former partners. Doug appears to be having second thoughts about the relationship and Dave is afraid that his heart may be broken for the second time in the space of a few months.This is an intriguing book with a well-crafted plot. Hansen was the first crime novelist to write an extended series featuring an openly gay detective and to make his love life a prominent part of the books. Sadly, many of the books in the series are no longer readily available. This one is, and fans of detective fiction who haven't yet made Dave Brandstetter's acquaintance might well want to look for it.

Ever since I got hold of the first book in the Brandstetter series, I've been wanting to read the rest as well. Unfortunately some of them are out of print and hard to come by. So I was happy I found this one.It's a pleasant read. The characters are well built, the story is solid and it's nice to read about how people lived in the 1970s. The gay-interest bit is a nice change from the womanisers and misanthropes that populate most detective novels too.

Aaaand...yet another Dave Brandstetter book I have no idea how to describe.I could paraphrase Alexis Hall’s (author of Glitterland) blog post and tell you that this is not the story of a gay man; it is the story of a man who happens to be gay.I could tell you about the mystery, but I really don't care about it. I love a good mystery, but that part is unimportant, what is important is one man finding his way in the world. Asking questions, hoping to find answers, finding some but creating more.I could tell you about the romance, but I really don't care about that either. Okay, okay, I do give a care A LITTLE. I'm interested in seeing how Dave's relationship develops; is it based on mutual loneliness or love? Why not both? Relationships begin and develop for all sorts of reasons. But yet again, it's not the main focus of the book.I could talk about Dave Brandstetter.He's a confusing guy, our Dave. He's able to see other people's emotions and motivations so clearly yet he's clueless when it comes to his own. He can be judgmental, but he treats people with respect. Well, except when he thinks you're a murder, then he's not too concerned with politeness. He's dogmatic in his search for murderers, but it's to the detriment of himself and others. He's stubborn but willing to compromise. Dave's a mass of contradictions; a complex character. I may not always like him, I frequently disagree with him, but I'm as fond of him as I am of any man in the "real world." He's real to me.I could tell you that this book is a classic. It clearly defines it's time, yet its subject matter remains true to this day.I could also mention, though I hesitate to do so, that some of Dave’s observations may seem a little backwards or even provocative to our modern eyes. But to lose them would be to lose the part that makes Hansen’s book a product of its time. It wouldn’t be true or honest and it would be considerably less interesting. I would rather read a book that makes me think, that represents reality as the author sees it, than a book that presents an idealized world.I could also tell you that in Hansen’s books you will not find a large flashing sign that shouts, “Life lessons learned here!” Any lessons you take from this particular book, if you take any at all, will come from you. Hansen respects his audience too much to spell anything out for them.I could talk about the genre. Usually I try and talk my fellow romance readers into reading books like a little outside their scope. But I'm not going to do that with this review; instead I'm going to tell you that if you're looking for major romance this is not your book. It's not even your series. There. It pains me, but I said it.But please don’t listen to anything I just said. Just hear this:YOU SHOULD BE READING THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW.There. I said that too.

Literary film noir with a 70s era gay twist. Dave Brandstetter is a fascinating character, and the writing is first rate in its depth, intricacy, sharply observed nuances, and muted sense of wit.

These delightfully plotted mysteries are even better now, with the patina of a long gone 1970s LA than they were when published. Hansen's writing is tight, compassionate, and clever. A fantastic book.