Bitch Slap

Mark Manning Mystery #7

by Michael Craft

Journalist Mark Manning has been successfully running his family's newspaper, The Dumont Daily Register, for several years now, and he sits on the board of two local companies, Quatro Press and Ashton Mills. So when the respective CEOs of these companies discuss a merger, it is only natural that Manning be interested in the proceedings. What's more, Manning's lover Neil, an architect, is designing a new house for Ashton's CEO, Gillian Reece.

Reece is a business friend of Manning but not a friend to many else; she is generally considered overly aggressive and fastidious. When Manning assigns Glee Savage, the newspaper's society reporter, to cover Reece's new home, the subsequent meeting between the two does not end well: Savage huffs off in a fury but not beforae ferociously bitch slapping Reece in front of everyone. With Reece's cheek still smarting, more bad news comes as the accountant performing due diligence for the merger reports some very questionable items regarding Ashton's books.

It seems as though things couldn't go much worse for the unpleasant Reece. That is, until she is murdered. The discovery of her body is greeted with great surprise, but perhaps not much regret on the part of most who knew her. Still, with Manning's friend and employee Glee Savage as the obvious and primary suspect, he cannot resist wading in to this most unsound of business dealings.

Genres: Gay, Mystery, LGBT, Fiction, Gay Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

Michael Craft is the author of 20 published novels, four of which have been honored as finalists for Lambda Literary Awards. The first installment of his Dante & Jazz series, "Desert Getaway," was a 2023 MWA Edgars nominee for the Lilian Jackson Braun Award. The second installment, "Desert Deadline," was a Gold Winner of the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award, as was his 2019 mystery, "ChoirMaster." In addition, his prize-winning short fiction has appeared in British as well as American literary journals. Craft grew up in Illinois and spent his middle years in Wisconsin, which inspired the fictitious small-town setting of Dumont, used in many of his earlier books. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles, and now lives in Rancho Mirage, California, near Palm Springs, the setting of his current Dante & Jazz mystery series. In 2017, Michael Craft's professional archives were acquired by the Special Collections Department of the Rivera Library at the University of California, Riverside. Visit the author's website at www.michaelcraft.com.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is, hands-down, the best novel of the entire series! A page-turner from the first chapter, this most intriguing murder mystery ends the Manning series on a wonderfully high note....and is the best-written of the seven novels.

I have to admit that, at 78%, I was reading as fast as I could, and didn't stop until I finished.....with some disappointment. What I had initially found to be a wonderful twist seemed to be drrraagged-out over too many pages, while hammering a character trait of Manning's to D.E.A.T.H.

Then, on the next page, there was an Author's Note that explained to the reader why things were done as they had been done. (And, no, this isn't a The Murder of Roger Ackroyd type of twist.) And I understood, and semi-grudgingly, accepted the (truly) bang-you-over-the-head, looonnng reason Craft finished things off the way he did. Semi-grudgingly.

Literally nothing else can be written other than there's a death, and various friends of Manning may be suspected by Sheriff Doug Pierce. To give anything else away would do a disservice to anyone who has enjoyed this series, and wants to see it well, and completely wrapped-up.

As an aside, for once I thought I had gotten the killer right but, damn(!), I was so close and still missed out.

Enjoy!

P.S. There is a helluva lot of bitch-slapping that goes on in this novel! To the point that Dynasty's Alexis and Krystle Carrington get mentioned!

[Ulysses Dietz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of the Mark Manning books places our fastidious journalist/detective between a rock and a hard place. No stranger to having people he cares about suspected of murder, Mark's humanity is pitted against his sometimes inflexible sense of propriety.

As with the entire series of memorable murder mysteries by Michael Craft, the story is as much about Mark and his relationship with Neil as it is about the murder at hand. There is no grand finale to the Manning books at the end of "Bitch Slap," but a gentle, surprisingly moving coda in which we see a Mark Manning very different from the uptight, arrogant man who first entered our consciousness in "Flight Dreams."

[Alannah Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning end to the Manning series!

As a lifelong mystery fan, I very rarely am surprised at the end. But I never saw this ending coming. I couldn't read through the ending fast enough to find out how it turned out. And...OMG, I love it! The job of a mystery writer is to (1 tell a good story, and (2 give a great surprise at the end. Michael Craft does a stunning job with both, while also telling a lot about humanity. 5 stars times a million. Best series ending I have ever read.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read these kinds of books but I liked the atmosphere. The mystery was kind of silly, actually not even existent.

[Gare Bear · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that there were a lot of Bitch Slaps happening in this book. I'm also glad to finish up this series.

This book had me feeling a few ways. First and foremost the startling revelation that happened and the response and outcome of the revelation not only shocked me, but how it was handled really aggravated me.

I understand loving someone. But the person that Mark is and has been honestly wouldn't have done what he did. Regardless of how much you love someone, keeping things secret can cause a lot of issues further down the line. Fantasies and thoughts about the relationship that aren't discussed, the involvement in a crime although accidental was the main cause of death (!). The sheer number of people who felt someone so heinous deserved death is beyond me, especially feeling no remorse of such a thing. The only issues they had was seeing if they would actually get accused.

I am happy the Pierce found someone, although rushed, I think with age that is something that is a little easier to slip into and create a good foundation as opposed to being young and pretty flippant with your desires (or as someone who has newly came out and hasn't slept around).

As I said, I'm glad to be done with the series. I think the writing was good, but the books became overly predictable down the line. I actually envisioned Glee being played by Bette Midler as it reminded me of some of her 80's characters she played.

[Nicolas Chinardet · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seems the drop in (admittedly not all-that-high-to-begin-with) standards I noticed in the sixth instalment was in fact the beginnings of slide downward that carries on in this book.

Not much more happens here in terms of detecting than in the previous book, but there is an added lack of subtly in the writing that I don't remember being that unsubtle(!) in the previous episodes. As a result it is difficult for the reader to trust what they are reading and in the impressions they get from it.

An author failing to generate trust in his readers from its lack of competency in the handling of his tools (words) is no doubt one of the cardinal sins in writing. The plot hangs together reasonably well but it's by no means exciting or thrilling. Craft also tries to incorporate a moral and ethical quandary to the narrative, which rather falls flat and feels manufactured and unconvincing in the way it unfolds for the main character.

Add to that a lacklustre story, and some blatant errors (such as the coroner blithely announcing that the victim died of a "snapped cervix - [they] broke [their] neck" (p148). "Cervical" does come for "cervix" but... never mind!) and one can help but be thankful that Craft appeared to have been aware of the series failings and decided to put an end to it with this last volume. Merciful for everyone involved.

[Michael Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This appears to be the latest in the Mark Manning series and what a way to sign off! Gillian Reece is a glamorous but nasty character. When Mark's features editor Glee calls on Gillian to do an article on the new house that Gillian and her husband Esmond are having built, they recognize each other from their school days and suddenly Glee hauls off and slaps Gillian across the face. Soon, it appears half the main characters in the story have a bone to pick with Gillian or she with them and everybody is bitch slapping someone else, or almost everyone, and then the nasty Gillian winds up dead through what seems to be a falling accident, but there is more to this story than just her apparent accident. This turns into something like an episode from Dynasty before things can be cleared up, but even then there are surprises in store for Mark and his friends. Not quite a typical mystery yet a recommended read for all the pique still echoing in my mind.

[Eric L Aust · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bittersweet

I could have wished for a different ending, and I also tend to think in right and wrong. Makes it hard t decide right now if their is a moral to take to Hart.

But I loved the richness of the plots and characters of the Mark Manning series every last one is worth reading, he has a knack of creating small inconsequential bits of character developments in each story that allows you to feel that Mark Manning at least is a real person that can be flawed.

I like also that it provides some guidance, call it morality to gay individuals and healthier relationships both friends and deeper relationships.

I do hope we haven't heard the last of the characters, But if it had to end it's good it ended on such a personal emotional and ethical question.

The only other book that comes close I'd Agatha Christies "who murdered Roger Acyrod".

Plots are different but both times my reaction at first cheated and tricked but after some thought had to admit it was informative.

Definitely one of the better gay mystery novels out their with. Adult plot lines and real emotions and difficult plots

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a good fast read

[William Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay nothing nothing special

[Lee Rey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final installment in series. And mystery hits closer to home. I liked this ending because it ends with everyone paired in HEA.