Without ever hitting us over the head, Hansen reminds us that gay life is infinitely more varied than the insulting stereotypes that long dominated our culture, not least in the work of hard boiled crime writers. Through it all, Brandstetter displays the virile, no-nonsense romanticism of a Humphrey Bogart character. We learn that he is mourning his longtime lover, a decorator, who has recently died we see him go to a gay bar and hang out with his best friend, a lesbian named Madge who's overly susceptible to lovely young women and we watch him being wooed by a cute young fella he just may sleep with. Unlike most crime writers, he makes his hero's personal life essential.įadeout has the confidence to treat Brandstetter's gayness matter-of-factly.

Hansen unfolds all this with taut economy, yet he's equally deft in his handling of Brandstetter's private life.

And is Olson's adoring young assistant really as sweet as she seems? Just as naturally, the dogged Brandstetter must work his way through a whole range of potential killers, from Olson's hard-edged wife to the bullying local mayor whom Olson was hoping to unseat. Naturally, Brandstetter is soon caught in the usual crime-story briar patch, where one murder leads to another and the key to everything lies hidden in the past. If he's committed suicide, they won't have to pay the insurance. As the story begins, his company has sent him to the ranch town of Pima, Ariz., to investigate the case of a radio personality named Fox Olson who has disappeared after a mysterious automobile mishap. Having just read them, I'm a bit embarrassed it took me so long to discover him.īecause the series progresses through time, you should start with the first one, Fadeout, which introduces us to Brandstetter, an honest, hard-nosed World War II vet. Now in 2022, Soho Syndicate Books has just begun republishing the entire series, beginning with the first three – Fadeout, Death Claims and Troublemaker.

The novels were something daring and new: featuring a tough guy detective who was also gay. Back in 1970, Hansen began a series of 12 novels about an LA insurance investigator named Dave Brandstetter. I felt sure I'd read at least one book by everybody that's good. Hughes, Chester Himes, and Charles Willeford. In my younger years, I mulched my way through the canonical books of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald, then moved on to the likes of Dorothy B. Ever since I was given my first Hardy Boys book, I've loved American crime fiction.

Death claims joseph hansen