Title: A Deadly Kind of Love
Series: Tom and Stanley: Book One
Author: Victor J. Banis
Publisher: DSP Publications/2nd Edition
Length: 200 Pages
Category: Mystery/Suspense
At a Glance: Victor J. Banis is an expert at bringing investigative techniques to a storyline along with action-packed fight scenes, but what really makes this story, and series, unique is Tom and Stanley’s fragile relationship.
Reviewed By: Maryann
Blurb: Nothing bad is supposed to happen in Palm Springs.
At least that’s what San Francisco private detective Tom Danzel and his partner Stanley Korski believe. But when their friend Chris finds a dead body in his hotel room bed, Tom and Stanley drive out to help the local police investigate.
What they discover is a rather nasty green snake and an elegant hotel that offers delicacies not usually found on a room service menu. As the body count increases, the two detectives are going to have to rely on their skills and each other if they’re going to survive this very deadly kind of love.
Continues the Deadly Mysteries Series published with MLR Press.
Review: Tom Danzel and Stanley Korski met as police detectives and eventually became private detectives. Stanley is young, gay and effeminate. Tom is older, brawny, scarred, and straight. They have a rocky and fragile relationship, but the one thing that keeps them together is love. At times it’s funny but also kind of sad, Tom believing he’s straight, having no desire for other men and not chasing women anymore since he and Stanley became involved. When Tom is in Stanley’s world, he’s uncomfortable and doesn’t fit in, and he knows it but does it for Stanley. Tom also has no idea when he’s being hit on or flirted with. Thank goodness Stanley has a sense for these things, as Tom gets into some real predicaments. They both know their relationship takes work; there is always temptation and a fear that it could just end.
When their friend Chris finds a body in the Alice Faye room at the Inn in Palm Springs, it appears the local PD’s hands are tied—the town’s residents are wealthy and don’t want the publicity of a murder. The Inn itself harbors pretty gay boys and older, wealthy men. What happens behind closed doors is definitely overlooked—except for the videos. Tom and Stanley find themselves in the lap of luxury at the Inn, but Tom pulls no punches; he sees the Inn as nothing but a whorehouse backed by some rich men. With snakes, the Yakuza, a wealthy Japanese business man, an annoying cowboy, autoerotic asphyxiation, and more bodies being discovered, Tom and Stanley get caught up in a complicated and dangerous murder case.
There’s a lot of suspense and danger, and Stanley gets to show off his dancing skills in a most interesting way. Victor J. Banis is an expert at bringing investigative techniques to a storyline along with action-packed fight scenes, but what really makes this story, and series, unique is Tom and Stanley’s fragile relationship.
Deadly Nightshade is the book that brought Tom and Stanley to life in January of 2009, and I am just too excited for the next books in this long-running series. I have so much respect and admiration for Mr. Banis’ work and hope he will continue to bring more of this series to us for a very long time.
You can buy A Deadly Kind of Love here:
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