From Publishers Weekly
Mark Manning, the star of Craft's long-running gay sleuth series (Hot Spot, etc.), and his nephew, Thad, who's performing in one of Claire's plays at Desert Arts College in Palm Springs, Calif., lend a hand in the second whodunit to feature the illustrious theater director (after 2002's Desert Autumn). The author metes out just enough hints to give the astute reader an idea of who killed wealthy collector Stewart Chaffee, a lecherous octogenarian with any number of enemies, including his estranged niece and insolent, euthanasia-supporting nurse. As usual, gay characters and assorted odd couples, such as the 50ish Claire and her 20-something boyfriend, behave just as humanly as more conventional people. In the end, Craft shows that proving one's innocence can be as important as finding the guilty.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
After 30 some odd years of success as a director on Broadway, Claire Gray has accepted her first academic position - that of a theatrical director at the richly funded Desert Arts College in Palm Springs. Having lived a largely peaceful life in Manhattan, she is stunned to find herself in the midst of the second murder - and murder investigation - in a matter of months in Palm Springs. This time it's a local aged and ailing collector - who frequently lends pieces to local charity events or dramatic productions - found dead shortly after Claire's friend and neighbor Grant Knoll was there. With Grant a suspect in his murder, along with several others with equally good motives for wanting him dead, Claire decides to look into the circumstances of his unfortunate death.
From the Author
While "Desert Winter," like any mystery novel, deals with some heavy goings-on -- namely, murder and its detection -- the tone of this book remains fairly lighthearted throughout. It's difficult not to keep one's tongue in one's cheek while spinning a tale that features a doddering interior decorator, a petulant majordomo, and a caregiver who resembles the notorious Nurse Ratched. Claire Gray, our heroine, finds herself knee-deep in an investigation that verges on preposterous but is ultimately plausible and, I hope, engaging. I can predict with confidence that you'll enjoy a bout of obsessive page-turning throughout the last hundred pages of the story.
While the "surface plot," the whodunit, is told with a distinct sense of humor, the threads of the various subplots -- dealing with Claire's emotional and romantic developments -- are more serious and introspective. Narrated by Claire herself, these are the very passages that help us truly come to know the woman. A theme that developed during drafting is the story's frequent examination of the dynamics between couples who are of disparate ages ("the May-December thing," as Claire glibly refers to it). At least four such relationships find their way into this novel, and Claire uses each to reflect upon her own relationship with the hunky young Tanner Griffin.
"Desert Winter" is easily, to date, the book I've most enjoyed writing. I hope you'll take equal pleasure in reading it.
About the Author
Michael Craft is the author of six previous mysteries featuring journalist Mark Manning as well as the previous Claire Gray mystery, Desert Autumn. He divides his time between his primary home in Kenosha, Wisconsin and a retreat in Palm Springs, California.
