What do you think?
Rate this book
The Jockstrap Murder
Mike Gavin uncovers a political scandal that makes Watergate read like FIFTY SHADES OF LAVENDER.
At the Vice President's party in Washington, Mike Gavin is approached by Matthew Bokowski, a young reporter who tells Mike he knows of a political scandal tantamount to Watergate but refuses to tell Mike what it is. Super model Johnny Jones comes home to his Greenwich Village apartment to find a corpse strangled with a jockstrap. The victim is Matthew Bokowski. Mike teams up with his lover, tennis pro Jack Montgomery, and prick tease NYPD Lieutenant James Rocco to solve THE JOCKSTRAP MURDER. Mike makes a play for Rocco and scores but their sex party is shockingly interrupted. A senator, his son, his son's lover and a blackmailing paparazzo join the trio for the ride from New York, N.Y. to Washington, D.C.
At the Vice President's party in Washington, Mike Gavin is approached by Matthew Bokowski, a young reporter who tells Mike he knows of a political scandal tantamount to Watergate but refuses to tell Mike what it is. Super model Johnny Jones comes home to his Greenwich Village apartment to find a corpse strangled with a jockstrap. The victim is Matthew Bokowski. Mike teams up with his lover, tennis pro Jack Montgomery, and prick tease NYPD Lieutenant James Rocco to solve THE JOCKSTRAP MURDER. Mike makes a play for Rocco and scores but their sex party is shockingly interrupted. A senator, his son, his son's lover and a blackmailing paparazzo join the trio for the ride from New York, N.Y. to Washington, D.C.
- GenresMystery
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2014
3 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 16, 2017
The Jockstrap Murder
Vincent Lardo
MLR Press, 2014
Four stars
You can tell, as you read this clever, rather elegant murder mystery, that it is written by someone NOT of this generation. I remember reading Vincent Lardo nearly 40 years ago, and I was tickled have a new series by him come to my attention. It was Lardo’s voice, an early one in gay fiction, that informed my expanding identity as a young gay man back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This gives “The Jockstrap Murder” an oddly out-of-time feeling—men in their 20s and 30s who act and sound with a suavity and style that seems to be from a slightly earlier era. Believe me, I wouldn’t mind if younger gay writers started imitating their elders.
The hero of the piece is Mike Gavin, syndicated columnist and a celebrity of sorts—or at least well-known enough to be noticed and known by people who are both rich and powerful. His live-in boyfriend of a few months standing is superstar tennis player, Jack Montgomery. Jack is charming, feckless, and far smarter than he appears to the public eye. Jack is in his late twenties, and knows what he’s doing, while Mike is “within reach” of forty. The fact that Jack and Mike are both known to be gay and untroubled by it is a detail very much of the early 21st century. Their relationship, on the other hand, feels very 1980s. This is not so much a criticism as a nostalgic note on my part. Jack is—contrary to his playboy image—a real nester; while Mike seems to be somewhat commitment-phobic for reasons that are unclear at first. Jack and Mike’s relationship forms the structural framework upon which the murder mystery is built. It is not at the center of the story; but its presence shapes and informs the action.
The title plot revolves around the discovery of a rising cub reporter from a Baltimore paper strangled with a fancy brand-name jockstrap in the apartment of a newly-famous underwear model. Both the idea of a rising cub reporter at any newspaper and a hot underwear model who is known by name have cultural echoes dating back to the 1990s. These seem a little quaint today, but no matter. Lardo brings in a delicious assortment of power-types, from a gorgeous (but aging) actress, to a rather sleazy garment manufacturer, to a right-wing politician with a hidden agenda (a little too close to the bone, perhaps). Seeking justice for the slain reporter, out of a slightly penitential instinct, Mike decides to swim among the sharks to see who might have done what and for what reason.
Now, if I only liked Mike Gavin a bit more.
Knowing that this is a series, and that both Mike and Jack will be reappearing in future books (please!), I know I must make allowances. The truth is that both Mike and Jack come with baggage that they are only beginning to unpack. I am a very prejudiced old romantic in some ways, and Vincent Lardo’s cynical perspective on gay relationships possibly just rubs me the wrong way. But who knows? Perhaps he’ll surprise me in the coming volumes and I’ll grow fonder of Mike Gavin.
For now, “The Jockstrap Murder” is a stylish new addition to a genre that gets better every day.
Vincent Lardo
MLR Press, 2014
Four stars
You can tell, as you read this clever, rather elegant murder mystery, that it is written by someone NOT of this generation. I remember reading Vincent Lardo nearly 40 years ago, and I was tickled have a new series by him come to my attention. It was Lardo’s voice, an early one in gay fiction, that informed my expanding identity as a young gay man back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This gives “The Jockstrap Murder” an oddly out-of-time feeling—men in their 20s and 30s who act and sound with a suavity and style that seems to be from a slightly earlier era. Believe me, I wouldn’t mind if younger gay writers started imitating their elders.
The hero of the piece is Mike Gavin, syndicated columnist and a celebrity of sorts—or at least well-known enough to be noticed and known by people who are both rich and powerful. His live-in boyfriend of a few months standing is superstar tennis player, Jack Montgomery. Jack is charming, feckless, and far smarter than he appears to the public eye. Jack is in his late twenties, and knows what he’s doing, while Mike is “within reach” of forty. The fact that Jack and Mike are both known to be gay and untroubled by it is a detail very much of the early 21st century. Their relationship, on the other hand, feels very 1980s. This is not so much a criticism as a nostalgic note on my part. Jack is—contrary to his playboy image—a real nester; while Mike seems to be somewhat commitment-phobic for reasons that are unclear at first. Jack and Mike’s relationship forms the structural framework upon which the murder mystery is built. It is not at the center of the story; but its presence shapes and informs the action.
The title plot revolves around the discovery of a rising cub reporter from a Baltimore paper strangled with a fancy brand-name jockstrap in the apartment of a newly-famous underwear model. Both the idea of a rising cub reporter at any newspaper and a hot underwear model who is known by name have cultural echoes dating back to the 1990s. These seem a little quaint today, but no matter. Lardo brings in a delicious assortment of power-types, from a gorgeous (but aging) actress, to a rather sleazy garment manufacturer, to a right-wing politician with a hidden agenda (a little too close to the bone, perhaps). Seeking justice for the slain reporter, out of a slightly penitential instinct, Mike decides to swim among the sharks to see who might have done what and for what reason.
Now, if I only liked Mike Gavin a bit more.
Knowing that this is a series, and that both Mike and Jack will be reappearing in future books (please!), I know I must make allowances. The truth is that both Mike and Jack come with baggage that they are only beginning to unpack. I am a very prejudiced old romantic in some ways, and Vincent Lardo’s cynical perspective on gay relationships possibly just rubs me the wrong way. But who knows? Perhaps he’ll surprise me in the coming volumes and I’ll grow fonder of Mike Gavin.
For now, “The Jockstrap Murder” is a stylish new addition to a genre that gets better every day.
June 26, 2014
Not one of the better mysteries I've read. The title was cute. I really couldn't connect with any of the characters although they were fairly well developed. I found that there was much too much extraneous info and action about Jack and Mike's relationship. It seemed to just take up space and not really add to the plot. The killer is never truly arrested even though the reader can easily figure out the murder's identity early on. I'd pass on this one if you are looking for a tightly written whodunit.
November 29, 2021
Needed a light rntertaining read after having a difficult couple of weeks with an ill partner. Didn't think this started off very well but soon got into a rhythm that was a bit of fun to read nothing too taxing but served its purpose of getting me back to reading.
August 19, 2023
TLDR: The Jockstrap Murders, plural, would probably merit at least a 4. But the titular murder is singular, and the ending more of a poofy “let’s get this over with” than an explosive “everything falls into place!” 3.5’s fair.
Locked Room International has taught me not to judge books by their covers. The cover of The Jockstrap Murders is pretty, um, what’s the word… appalling. And cheap. The book itself is way less cheesy than the cover art implies. None of its three figures matched, to my mind, the characters from the book either.
Anyway, pretty good gay mystery. Granted, that’s not saying much because there’s a ton of dreck out there. Lardo, at least in this case, was better at the gay part than the mystery. The twist elicits a No Shit, not an Oh Wow, but the character dynamics feel like they come from the psyche of a gay male and not… say, a female writer’s imagination, like many gay male books do.
Anyway, the biggest surprise is that this book was published in 2014. Everything about it screams early 2000s to me: gay marriage as a screaming hot topic, “all republicans are evil,” the 9/11 references, and the oddly unflagging championing of safe sex is very Bush 2 Term 2.
Whenever I read a review of a mystery that says the solution was disappointing but the rest made up for it, I skip that book. But it’s true in this case. There’s some clever stuff here, the main characters a rich and famous toff if you like that sorta Wilde-y wit, and some of the sex was hot. Vincent Lardo, I am guessing, based on the descriptions of the good life, has probably lived a very nice life: so good for him. I even ordered a few of his older paperbacks on the strength of Jockstrap. Recommended.
EDIT: This probably was written in the early 2000s. I found an article where Lardo is 82! And Jockstrap’s referred to as his “latest novel.” Latest, not new or recently finished. Interestingly the hero was meant to be bi. Glad that was changed because ugh, but I wonder why. 82!!!
From a 2013 article:
Now 82, Lardo hopes to get his latest novel, "The Jockstrap Murders," published this fall. "Many years ago, Gypsy Rose Lee had a book called 'The G-String Murders' set in the world of strip tease clubs. My protagonist in 'Jockstrap' is a bisexual investigative reporter, Mike Gavin. I think the time is right for a bi hero."
Locked Room International has taught me not to judge books by their covers. The cover of The Jockstrap Murders is pretty, um, what’s the word… appalling. And cheap. The book itself is way less cheesy than the cover art implies. None of its three figures matched, to my mind, the characters from the book either.
Anyway, pretty good gay mystery. Granted, that’s not saying much because there’s a ton of dreck out there. Lardo, at least in this case, was better at the gay part than the mystery. The twist elicits a No Shit, not an Oh Wow, but the character dynamics feel like they come from the psyche of a gay male and not… say, a female writer’s imagination, like many gay male books do.
Anyway, the biggest surprise is that this book was published in 2014. Everything about it screams early 2000s to me: gay marriage as a screaming hot topic, “all republicans are evil,” the 9/11 references, and the oddly unflagging championing of safe sex is very Bush 2 Term 2.
Whenever I read a review of a mystery that says the solution was disappointing but the rest made up for it, I skip that book. But it’s true in this case. There’s some clever stuff here, the main characters a rich and famous toff if you like that sorta Wilde-y wit, and some of the sex was hot. Vincent Lardo, I am guessing, based on the descriptions of the good life, has probably lived a very nice life: so good for him. I even ordered a few of his older paperbacks on the strength of Jockstrap. Recommended.
EDIT: This probably was written in the early 2000s. I found an article where Lardo is 82! And Jockstrap’s referred to as his “latest novel.” Latest, not new or recently finished. Interestingly the hero was meant to be bi. Glad that was changed because ugh, but I wonder why. 82!!!
From a 2013 article:
Now 82, Lardo hopes to get his latest novel, "The Jockstrap Murders," published this fall. "Many years ago, Gypsy Rose Lee had a book called 'The G-String Murders' set in the world of strip tease clubs. My protagonist in 'Jockstrap' is a bisexual investigative reporter, Mike Gavin. I think the time is right for a bi hero."
July 3, 2016
Protagonist is a NY journalist (syndicated columnist, actually), gay, middle aged male. Gets involved in a murder mystery with the police and politicians, and has a number of episodes to keep the flow going. Nice story development, although I knew who the murderer was by halfway through the book.
February 28, 2014
A nice mindless past-time. Not as "tight" as it could be, but just a fun read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews