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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
A death investigation; some physical confrontations
Language
Barely any
Clean mid-century prose; mild language
Sexual Content
Some
Dave's gay identity and relationships are present and matter to the story — handled with naturalness
Substance Use
Barely any
Social drinking in a California milieu
Emotional Intensity
Barely any
Mild — focused on the puzzle and Brandstetter's character
What this book is about
Dave Brandstetter, a Los Angeles insurance investigator, is assigned to look into the presumed drowning of a country-western singer — whose body is never recovered. The first Brandstetter mystery broke significant ground as one of the first crime novels to feature an openly gay protagonist treated with dignity and complexity — a character whose personal life is present without being the entire point of the story.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
A gay protagonist treated with full humanity — groundbreaking at publication
An investigation involving insurance fraud and a suspicious death
Reader Verification
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