Donald Strachey Series by Richard Stevenson

A young man has been brutally murdered. The gay son of a wealthy family has disappeared. Now it's up to private dick Don Strachey to get to the bottom of this mess--even if he has to cruise every gay bar in the city to do it Don Strachey isn't exactly the most sought-after private eye in Albany, New York. In fact, this gay P.I. has gotten to the point of having to write checks to pay his tab at the cheapest lunch counter in town... moreA young man has been brutally murdered. The gay son of a wealthy family has disappeared. Now it's up to private dick Don Strachey to get to the bottom of this mess--even if he has to cruise every gay bar in the city to do it Don Strachey isn't exactly the most sought-after private eye in Albany, New York. In fact, this gay P.I. has gotten to the point of having to write checks to pay his tab at the cheapest lunch counter in town. And he isn't sure that the latest one, for the grand total of two dollars and ninety-three cents, is going to clear. Then the phone rings. Billy Blount, the gay heir to one of Saratoga Springs' upper-crust families, has disappeared, and his parents want him back. On top of that, Billy, a young and outspoken gay activist, is wanted for the grizzly murder of the man he slept with on his last night in Albany--a man he'd never met before that night Set in the glorious, promiscuous pre-HIV late 1970s, Death Trick: A Murder Mystery is a fast-paced excursion through the seamy underside of gay Albany. From gay discos where the hard-pumping music never stops, to the city's infamous baths, to the dark alley behind the local precinct house, this hard-bitten private dick searches for answers to the questions that plague Billy's parents and the police. With his faithful companion (and unfaithful lover) Timmy, plus a cast of characters that includes drag queens, ex-jock gay bar owners, homophobic cops, male hustlers, and wealthy suburbanites, Strachey begins a chase that leads him to seedy gay bars, posh suburban homes, and pricey mental institutions where they use electric shock to destroy "sick" gay tendencies. less

When the giant Millpond Company finds its plans for a mega-shopping mall stymied by the refusal of an elderly lesbian couple to sell their home, the ladies are subjected to ugly vandalism and frightening death threats. The powerful director of Millpond in turn hires Don Strachey, Albany's only gay detective, to protect the ladies, find the culprits, and clear the corporate name... moreWhen the giant Millpond Company finds its plans for a mega-shopping mall stymied by the refusal of an elderly lesbian couple to sell their home, the ladies are subjected to ugly vandalism and frightening death threats. The powerful director of Millpond in turn hires Don Strachey, Albany's only gay detective, to protect the ladies, find the culprits, and clear the corporate name. Strachey accepts with misgivings that deepen rapidly as kidnapping, extortion, and murder darken the lives of Albany's gay community. Fast-paced, deftly plotted, and superbly written, this is one of the best Strachey novels yet. less

Someone's left a man's body in Donald Strachey's car -- the grandson of Albany's most connected political fixer. A letter from the deceased asks Strachey to dismantle his grandfather's party machine. Like a chess master, Strachey moves ten suitcases, an army of colorful pawns (all of whom think they're king), and $2.5 million across the continent and around Albany. One of the funniest in the series.(Filmed for release by HereTV in 2008; originally published 1986.)

Sixteen years after this 1992 story, and forced outing remains a hot button in gay politics. When an activist's claims that men he's outed are stalking him don't ring true, Albany's only gay PI drops his protection detail - and the client winds up dead. Strachey peels back the layers of his client's double cross only to find...a triple cross. (Filmed for release by HereTV in 2005.)

Young Paul Haig dies after hiring PI Donald Strachey. Despite his dislike of her, Strachey agrees with the boy's homophobic mother: Paul didn't commit suicide. But, she clings to deep denial about her son's sexual orientation. Conversion therapy - interventions to create ex-gays - get the once over in this Strachey mystery, and it ain't a pretty sight. 1995 Lambda Finalist

Private Investigator Donald Strachey is asked to look into the events surrounding the months-old murder of Eric Osborne. His death, originally believed to be a random attack, takes on new significance when Janet Osborne, Eric's sister, survives an attempt on her life. Skeeter, Eric's lover, believed both attacks were meant to silence them before the sale of their family's newspaper. drawn into a complex family feud, Strachey must unravel the secret behind the attacks before he tries again...

Strachey's visit to a showing of the AIDS quilt in Washington, D.C. turns up a panel for a man ho is not dead...yetIn Washington, D.C. to view the AIDS quilt, gay P.I. Donald Strachey, his lover Timmy, and a friend discover a panel for an ex-lover of their friend. The trouble is that the ex-lover isn't dead. When their friend barely survives a vicious attack, Strachey concludes that someone has a deadly secret -- one that he or she will kill to protect... moreStrachey's visit to a showing of the AIDS quilt in Washington, D.C. turns up a panel for a man ho is not dead...yetIn Washington, D.C. to view the AIDS quilt, gay P.I. Donald Strachey, his lover Timmy, and a friend discover a panel for an ex-lover of their friend. The trouble is that the ex-lover isn't dead. When their friend barely survives a vicious attack, Strachey concludes that someone has a deadly secret -- one that he or she will kill to protect. "Stevenson's mysteries are among the wittiest and most politically pointed around today". -- The Washington Post on Chain of Fools less