July's Books Include a Cool Mystery, Teen Angst, and Robert Rodi's Return

The Return of Robert Rodi

There are some authors who, like party-regulars who can always be depended upon to say something witty or funny, never disappoint. That's how I feel about comic novelist Robert Rodi. I still think Closet Case is one of the funniest gay novels I have ever read and one that desperately needs to be made into a big budget Hollywood film. I know I will always thoroughly enjoy anything Rodi writes.

His latest novel When You Were Me has -- as do all of Rodi's novels -- a very funny premise. Two gay men, one in his fifties and another in his mid-twenties, switch bodies with the help of a slightly daffy New Age witch. The older man wants the wild, sex-filled youth he never had while the younger man wants the money and purpose in life he has utterly lacked thus far. Naturally, very funny happenings ensue.

Rodi's assured, engaging narrative follows through on his premise while never missing a beat. Who else could write lines such as this describing young himbo Corey's work strategy: “Every job he'd ever had, he'd approached with nothing more than the hope of staying beneath the radar for five or six weeks before he was inevitably noticed and fired.” Or describing a woman at a party: “…a very young trophy wife, whose filmy, strapless cocktail dress was held up only by the points of her nipples, which had apparently been cosmetically enhanced to function like thumbtacks.”

That's funny stuff. Make sure someone appreciative is sitting nearby when you read this book as it begs to be read aloud.

Jack is the novel's older character who, after the body switch, can't get over his amazing, fully-operative, and considerably larger “equipment.” He can't stop playing with it, thinking about it, and, of course, having fun with it. Meanwhile, the formerly impoverished Corey has the pleasure of getting used to having plenty of money while living in a fabulous apartment and jetting off to London at a moment's notice.

But both men also have unexpected problems to deal with: dear friends they suddenly don't know, beloved pets that no longer recognize them, and issues that remain unresolved even in their new bodies. In the end, as with all “I wish” stories, it turns out there's no place like home – in this case, home being one's own body and accumulated life experience. Thank you, Robert Rodi, for giving us another fabulous and funny book. Hollywood, where are you?

A successful mystery sequel

Ice in His Veins by Chuck Zito (Midnight Ink) is the follow-up to A Habit for Death, the second book in the Nicky D'Amico mystery series. First of all, check out the book's cool, pulp fiction cover art. Nice packaging by the publisher.

This mystery centers on a small New York acting troupe called the “Good Company” that is putting on an all-male production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. You can imagine the puns made on the character Bottom's name (and preference) and on the assorted fairies floating about the stage. Nicky D'Amico serves as the stage manager for this troupe made up primarily of Baldwin University 's stellar theater department, including Nicky's hunky former college lover, Marcus, the play's director.

Set in the deep of winter, the trouble begins when the actor playing Puck is found dead with an icicle in his back. Nonetheless, rehearsals continue while folks work to solve the murder. Naturally, other complications ensue: Nicky has sex “by mistake” with Marcus, the lighting designer reveals her little drinking problem, and when the deceased's friends try to put his affairs in order, his mother defends his apartment with knife in hand. Oh, and the murder is solved at the final moment, just before the play debuts.

Zito has created a great scenario for a good gay mystery and has all the elements in place. The front of the book includes a “cast of characters,” certainly in keeping with the theatrical subject, but surprisingly useful in a novel with so many colorful folks to follow.

Zito's descriptions are particularly strong: “The alley was surprisingly quiet, and damningly secluded. We stood in silence for a few moments. The lighting, the cold air, the high, close walls, the gate sitting like a metal curtain across the proscenium formed by the Brewery and the next building—all combined to give the open-air space a closed, theatrical feeling.”

My only real criticism is that I wish that more of the chapters ended with cliff-hangers as is usually the case with standard mystery novels. It would help move the story along and help with the comic quality as well. Nevertheless, Ice in His Veins is a fun, satisfying read that should keep you cool during these hot summer days.