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A Dick Hardesty Mystery #6
The Bottle Ghosts
Hired to find a missing man—an alcoholic—Dick Hardesty discovers that an unusual number of alcoholic gay men have vanished within a relatively short period and never heard from again. Clues lead him to a support group for gay couples, where one partner is alcoholic and the other is not. Dick and his partner Jonathan infiltrate the group by claiming Jonathan is an alcoholic. When two more men from the group appear to suffer the same fate as the previous victims, Dick is determined to find out why…and who is responsible.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 10, 2003
3 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Dorien Grey
43 books126 followersIf it is possible to have a split personality without being schizophrenic, Dorien Grey qualifies. When long-time book and magazine editor Roger Margason chose the pseudonym “Dorien Grey” for his first book, it set off a chain of circumstances which has led to the comfortable division of labor and responsibility. Roger has charge of day-to-day existence, freeing Dorien—with the help of Roger’s fingers—to write. It has reached the point where Roger merely sits back and reads the stories Dorien brings forth on the computer screen.
It’s not as though Roger has not had an uninteresting life of his own. Two years into college, he left to join the Naval Aviation Cadet program. Washing out after a year, he spent the rest of his brief military career on an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean at the height of the cold war. The journal he kept of his time in the military, in the form of letters home, honed his writing skills and provided him with a wealth of experiences to draw from in his future writing. These letters will be appearing in book form shortly.
Returning to Northern Illinois University after service, he graduated with a B.A. in English, and embarked on a series of jobs which worked him into the editing field. While working for a Los Angeles publishing house, he was instrumental in establishing a division exclusively for the publication of gay paperbacks and magazines, of which he became editor. He moved on to edit a leading L.A. based international gay men's magazine.
Tiring of earthquakes, brush fires, mud slides, and riots, he returned to the Midwest, where Dorien emerged, full-blown, like Venus from the sea. They’ve been inseparable (and interchangeable) ever since.
He . . . and Dorien of course…moved back to Chicago in 2006, where they now devote full time to writing. After having published fourteen books in the popular Dick Hardesty Mystery series, four books in the Elliott Smith (paranormal) Mystery series, and the stand-alone western/romance/adventure novel, Calico, he is busily at work on yet another Dick Hardesty mystery.
But for a greater insight into the "real person" behind Dorien Grey, the curious are invited to check out his website (http://www.doriengrey.com), where you can read the first chapter of any or all of his books for free, and his various blogs: Dorien Grey and Me (http://www.doriengreyandme.com) and A Life in Photos (http://www.doriengreyphotolife.blogsp...) among them.
Dorien passed away on November 1, 2015.
It’s not as though Roger has not had an uninteresting life of his own. Two years into college, he left to join the Naval Aviation Cadet program. Washing out after a year, he spent the rest of his brief military career on an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean at the height of the cold war. The journal he kept of his time in the military, in the form of letters home, honed his writing skills and provided him with a wealth of experiences to draw from in his future writing. These letters will be appearing in book form shortly.
Returning to Northern Illinois University after service, he graduated with a B.A. in English, and embarked on a series of jobs which worked him into the editing field. While working for a Los Angeles publishing house, he was instrumental in establishing a division exclusively for the publication of gay paperbacks and magazines, of which he became editor. He moved on to edit a leading L.A. based international gay men's magazine.
Tiring of earthquakes, brush fires, mud slides, and riots, he returned to the Midwest, where Dorien emerged, full-blown, like Venus from the sea. They’ve been inseparable (and interchangeable) ever since.
He . . . and Dorien of course…moved back to Chicago in 2006, where they now devote full time to writing. After having published fourteen books in the popular Dick Hardesty Mystery series, four books in the Elliott Smith (paranormal) Mystery series, and the stand-alone western/romance/adventure novel, Calico, he is busily at work on yet another Dick Hardesty mystery.
But for a greater insight into the "real person" behind Dorien Grey, the curious are invited to check out his website (http://www.doriengrey.com), where you can read the first chapter of any or all of his books for free, and his various blogs: Dorien Grey and Me (http://www.doriengreyandme.com) and A Life in Photos (http://www.doriengreyphotolife.blogsp...) among them.
Dorien passed away on November 1, 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 21, 2019
While the mystery aspect of this had a plot hole or two, I really enjoyed the personal story for Dick and Jonathan in this one.
Mystery first. There's a continuity error early on in this one, and while it wasn't as bad as those in the now infamous The Hired Man, it did pull me out of the story and made me go back to make sure I hadn't missed anything. There's also a rather huge red herring (or is it one?) that gets introduced further on, which is not resolved. While the whodunit was pretty obvious right away, the method of how they were killing their victims was not, and whether they were working alone was not. I figured out the dumping method pretty quickly too, and I'm a little perturbed why I was also perturbed that it took Dick until 95% to figure out the motive for why the victims were targeted. Yes, all the guys were alcoholics, but they were also all . It was also pretty obvious how this was all going to be wrapped up. So about 3.5 stars for the mystery in this one.
Personal story. Dick's got a boyfriend, and they're adorable together. I suspected in the previous book that Jonathan would prove a good influence on Dick, and I was right. His innocence and enthusiasm, which he managed to retain despite some truly awful things happening to him in the past, are just what Dick needed to settle down and be happy. But it's not a one-sided relationship and Jonathan gets his own development and agency. Their personalities balance each other well and I'm eager to see how this relationship develops going forward. So 4.5 stars for that.
This is only the second mention of AIDS in this series, the first since book 2 or 3, and I'm rather bemused it hasn't taken a more center role yet. Maybe that's still coming, but I'm surprised that no one in Dick's inner circle has been affected by the epidemic yet, in one way or another. Not that I want them to, of course, and perhaps that's why Grey's paired most of them off by this point in the series, but it's a bit unrealistic.
Mystery first. There's a continuity error early on in this one, and while it wasn't as bad as those in the now infamous The Hired Man, it did pull me out of the story and made me go back to make sure I hadn't missed anything. There's also a rather huge red herring (or is it one?) that gets introduced further on, which is not resolved. While the whodunit was pretty obvious right away, the method of how they were killing their victims was not, and whether they were working alone was not. I figured out the dumping method pretty quickly too, and I'm a little perturbed why I was also perturbed that it took Dick until 95% to figure out the motive for why the victims were targeted. Yes, all the guys were alcoholics, but they were also all . It was also pretty obvious how this was all going to be wrapped up. So about 3.5 stars for the mystery in this one.
Personal story. Dick's got a boyfriend, and they're adorable together. I suspected in the previous book that Jonathan would prove a good influence on Dick, and I was right. His innocence and enthusiasm, which he managed to retain despite some truly awful things happening to him in the past, are just what Dick needed to settle down and be happy. But it's not a one-sided relationship and Jonathan gets his own development and agency. Their personalities balance each other well and I'm eager to see how this relationship develops going forward. So 4.5 stars for that.
This is only the second mention of AIDS in this series, the first since book 2 or 3, and I'm rather bemused it hasn't taken a more center role yet. Maybe that's still coming, but I'm surprised that no one in Dick's inner circle has been affected by the epidemic yet, in one way or another. Not that I want them to, of course, and perhaps that's why Grey's paired most of them off by this point in the series, but it's a bit unrealistic.
July 20, 2008
Still very well written more of a character building novel in the series then a mystery novel this time. Dick Hardesty finds himself in a stable relationship and investigating several missing persons cases all related to a support group for alcoholics. Well paced but you can guess who the culprit is and the reasons that motivates him quite easily but that's not a problem since the mystery plot is more in support of telling how Hardesty deals with his new life.
July 3, 2016
What a great book - this series of books just gets better. The mystery is terrific and with so many red herrings on the journey, it would have done Agatha Christie proud. Dorien Grey has a really easy writing style, nothing too highbrow but obviously in way that most people could relate to in the characters and situations.
5 Stars
5 Stars
September 10, 2012
The Bottle Ghosts is another riveting chapter in Dorien Grey's Dick Hardesty Mystery series. Yet again I find myself entranced, mystified and on the edge of my seat. And I cannot ask any more of the books I read. =)
February 22, 2015
Another wonderful book by Mr. Grey. But I like my Dick Hardesty single and horny; like a gay Sam Spade. I don't like the character Jonathan, but I guess I'll have to put up with the little himbo twink. sigh
July 15, 2015
This series just keeps getting better and better, I think Dick made a great choice in Johnathan.
September 10, 2016
Very good
I had it narrowed to two and one of them did it but still very good lots of twists and turns
I had it narrowed to two and one of them did it but still very good lots of twists and turns
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews