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A review by kaje_harper
Three More Nick Nowak Mysteries by Marshall Thornton
5.0
In this second trio of mystery novellas about Chicago ex-cop and PI Nick Nowak, we see more interesting cases, and gain some insight and depth into Nick himself. We see just a bit more of Daniel, Nick's ex, and begin to feel some of the stresses and background that drive Nick. The tension, on sexual, emotional and professional levels, between Nick and Harker adds interest, and they begin working out their relationship. And yet Nick still pines after the deeper feeling he remembers having for Daniel, and is unable to say no to the frequent propositions he gets from young men he meets.
In this on-the-brink-of-AIDS era, we also hear the first rumblings of the "gay cancer" as a confusing condition is appearing primarily on the coasts. It adds enormous poignancy to the book, and to the casual frequent sexual encounters of both Nick and those around him. I found myself in the back of my head thinking about who had done what with whom, and trying not to get too attached to too many characters who, as this series follows life, will be finding out whether the virus leaves them as one more funeral and a name crossed through in an emptying address book.
The casual no-condom sex is entirely fitting for the era, when a condom was for birth-control not death control. And part of me also ached thinking of the loss of the simplicity and connection of the era, when a dozen men could be fuck-buddies, and all that care and calculation didn't have to be part of the equation. Not that Nick doesn't make some bad choices in saying yes to blow-jobs and often fucking from just about anyone, even if they're part of an ongoing case. And not that there weren't other STDs at the time. But it's a little like watching a minority group poised for their Tiananmen square, thinking freedom's coming as societal rules ease, not knowing that the tanks are rolling in.
At the end of the book, Nick and Harker are moving toward a real relationship, and the romantic element is stronger than in the past book. But this is still primarily one man's story, and a blend of mystery, history, and relationships. Significant spoiler: Except that this series is too good to miss.
In this on-the-brink-of-AIDS era, we also hear the first rumblings of the "gay cancer" as a confusing condition is appearing primarily on the coasts. It adds enormous poignancy to the book, and to the casual frequent sexual encounters of both Nick and those around him. I found myself in the back of my head thinking about who had done what with whom, and trying not to get too attached to too many characters who, as this series follows life, will be finding out whether the virus leaves them as one more funeral and a name crossed through in an emptying address book.
The casual no-condom sex is entirely fitting for the era, when a condom was for birth-control not death control. And part of me also ached thinking of the loss of the simplicity and connection of the era, when a dozen men could be fuck-buddies, and all that care and calculation didn't have to be part of the equation. Not that Nick doesn't make some bad choices in saying yes to blow-jobs and often fucking from just about anyone, even if they're part of an ongoing case. And not that there weren't other STDs at the time. But it's a little like watching a minority group poised for their Tiananmen square, thinking freedom's coming as societal rules ease, not knowing that the tanks are rolling in.
At the end of the book, Nick and Harker are moving toward a real relationship, and the romantic element is stronger than in the past book. But this is still primarily one man's story, and a blend of mystery, history, and relationships. Significant spoiler: