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Dave Brandstetter #5
Skinflick
A new crime novel featuring insurance investigator, Dave Brandstetter, who finds too many loose ends to tie up when he investigates a murder. The investigation takes him from an evangelical church to the seedy world of teenage drugs and prostitution.
194 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
15 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Hansen
133 books157 followersJoseph Hansen (1923–2004) was an American author of mysteries. The son of a South Dakota shoemaker, he moved to a California citrus farm with his family in 1936. He began publishing poetry in the New Yorker in the 1950s, and joined the editorial teams of gay magazines ONE and Tangents in the 1960s. Using the pseudonyms Rose Brock and James Colton, Hansen published five novels and a collection of short stories before the appearance of Fadeout (1970), the first novel published under his own name.
The book introduced street-smart insurance investigator Dave Brandstetter, a complex, openly gay hero who grew and changed over the series’s twelve novels. By the time Hansen concluded the series with A Country of Old Men (1990), Brandstetter was older, melancholy, and ready for retirement. The 1992 recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Hansen published several more novels before his death in 2004.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
The book introduced street-smart insurance investigator Dave Brandstetter, a complex, openly gay hero who grew and changed over the series’s twelve novels. By the time Hansen concluded the series with A Country of Old Men (1990), Brandstetter was older, melancholy, and ready for retirement. The 1992 recipient of the Private Eye Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Hansen published several more novels before his death in 2004.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 1, 2020
An enjoyable entry in the Brandstetter series. Dave's father has passed away, his relationship with Doug is virtually over, and he is now working for a new insurance company. The case: did the porn shop owner really murder the militant Christian activist who destroyed his shop? Dave thinks he did.
The plot is a little convoluted and arbitrary, but as usual Hansen gives us good LA atmosphere and some interesting characters. My favorite: a skinflick director with a sense of humor, doomed to fail because the regular clientele does not enjoy porn that is funny.
April 23, 2013
This is the fifth of Joseph Hansen's series featuring insurance investigator Dave Brandstetter, and it's among the best in the bunch. As the book opens, Dave is going through some significant changes in his life but, as with any good P.I., the job always comes first.
Dave's company has insured the life of Gerald Dawson, a man with deeply held religious convictions who was convinced that the world around him was going to hell in a hand basket. Dawson was determined to do what he could to at least slow the rate of decline, even if it meant breaking the law. He and associates from his fundamentalist church believed that they answered to a Higher Law and so felt no guilt about things like bashing gays and trashing bookstores that sold pornography.
When Dawson is found in front of his garage with a broken neck, the police arrest the owner of a porn shop that had been vandalized by Dawson and his fellow vigilantes. The evidence against the shop owner seems slight, but it's good enough for the cops.
Enter Dave whose company is about to be out a lot of money and who doesn't believe that the evidence against the store owner is all that compelling. Dave wants to know why the cops didn't find the victim's keys, especially since the guy was killed at his doorstep. Dave would also like to know why he found the victim's son burning kiddie porn in the back yard.
The deeper Dave gets into the case, the more questions he has, and before long, he's wading through a cesspool of soft-core porn films, drugs, missing persons and religious fanatics. It's a thankless job, but somebody's got to do it, and before Dave is finished, it's going to be a very dangerous one as well.
As I suggested above, this is one of the best books in the Brandstetter series. It's a tight plot; the characters are interesting and, as always, Dave's humanity shows through from beginning to end. The series was published between 1970 and 1991, and it established itself early on as one of the best of the P.I. series set in L.A. to follow Raymond Chandler.
What set the series apart more than anything else was the fact that Dave Brandstetter was openly gay. Hansen presents this simply as a fact of life and in many of the books, Brandstetter's love life constitutes a theme of the novel, just as any other P.I.'s love life might. But there's little time for that here; Dave is awfully busy with the case at hand. As always, it's fun watching him work.
Dave's company has insured the life of Gerald Dawson, a man with deeply held religious convictions who was convinced that the world around him was going to hell in a hand basket. Dawson was determined to do what he could to at least slow the rate of decline, even if it meant breaking the law. He and associates from his fundamentalist church believed that they answered to a Higher Law and so felt no guilt about things like bashing gays and trashing bookstores that sold pornography.
When Dawson is found in front of his garage with a broken neck, the police arrest the owner of a porn shop that had been vandalized by Dawson and his fellow vigilantes. The evidence against the shop owner seems slight, but it's good enough for the cops.
Enter Dave whose company is about to be out a lot of money and who doesn't believe that the evidence against the store owner is all that compelling. Dave wants to know why the cops didn't find the victim's keys, especially since the guy was killed at his doorstep. Dave would also like to know why he found the victim's son burning kiddie porn in the back yard.
The deeper Dave gets into the case, the more questions he has, and before long, he's wading through a cesspool of soft-core porn films, drugs, missing persons and religious fanatics. It's a thankless job, but somebody's got to do it, and before Dave is finished, it's going to be a very dangerous one as well.
As I suggested above, this is one of the best books in the Brandstetter series. It's a tight plot; the characters are interesting and, as always, Dave's humanity shows through from beginning to end. The series was published between 1970 and 1991, and it established itself early on as one of the best of the P.I. series set in L.A. to follow Raymond Chandler.
What set the series apart more than anything else was the fact that Dave Brandstetter was openly gay. Hansen presents this simply as a fact of life and in many of the books, Brandstetter's love life constitutes a theme of the novel, just as any other P.I.'s love life might. But there's little time for that here; Dave is awfully busy with the case at hand. As always, it's fun watching him work.
March 25, 2015
Skinflick and me clicked immediately. I don’t really know what the cosmic influences were for that but I’m glad it happened.
From my getting into the first page, I felt I was home, in the kind of writing that I love. Spare, intelligent, no melodrama and I was a happy girl.
This not withstanding there were still moments when I called Hansen 'bastard' for making me worry so about Dave who always has to obey him (well he is the writer after all) and the others, including beautiful, sad, funny, priceless Randy. But I do have to take my hat off to him as well for the tension created, for having me at the edge of my seat forgetting that everything should relatively end well etcetera......
Although the book closes the chapter to a lot of things in Dave's life, I felt a sense of hope, a new begining, rather than sadness.
BR with by stealth companion Rosa
June 22, 2022
This is Hansen’s fifth offering in the Dave Brandstetter insurance investigator series. Dave has questions regarding the death of Gerald Dawson a film-equipment leaser by day, and religious-fanatic by night. There are plenty of suspects including Dawson’s partner who was leasing equipment to a porno-flick company. Hansen excels at lean narration and first-rate repartee. Enjoy the reissue of the homosexual investigator Brandstetter series.
March 25, 2015
Yeah, what she said.
Keee-rist, I'm lazy.
Thanks for the BR, Sofia! <3
May 27, 2019
TL;DR 5 stars. Excellent installment, the blurb suggests something very uncomfortable, but I didn't find that the case at all.
So there's this thing, both with books and TV/movies, where the people who write the blurbs, or the previews, etc. seem to zero in on absolutely the most unappealing, even off-putting aspects of a work when trying to promote it. I don't know why I even pay attention to them in with series I've already established that I like, but somehow I do, and I end up stalling on a series because of their horrible marketing, when in fact the seemingly unappealing installment turns out to be absolutely excellent. That was the case with Skinflick.
The off-putting thing in this one mostly revolves around religious whackos, with a side eye to the pornography industry. Rest assured, however, that the main evangelical in question is the corpse, *claps*, and though there are a couple brief interviews with his family the reader need not worry about being subjected overly much to the ideas and opinions of bigots. In addition most of the porn associated characters in the book are quite likeable, though there are references to stuff featuring underage girls which nobody seems to really comment on and I found the lack of call-out somewhat jaring.
The setup follows a pattern seen earlier in the series, the police having arrested someone and Dave basically not buying it. In this case the falsely accused is an adult book shop owner persecuted by our deserving victim, and we never even meet him.
One of the things I really enjoy about this series in contrast to m/m offerings is the fact that while Brandstetter has a history and personal life and relationships that's generally background and the focus is on the investigation. That said, we do have a new potential relationship interest or at least daliance in the form of Randy, a transwoman* who he meets in the course of the investigation. (I use the term hesitantly, as this book is from 1979 and the character doesn't label themself that way, but I don't know any better way to put it.) I really loved Randy and I kind of hope they'll stick around in the series, but I'll have to wait to find out as apparently Open Road Media has let all the kindle editions it had rights to go out of print. :(
All in all, an excellent installment in the series and I just wish I had gone ahead and purchased the entire series while it was still available.
So there's this thing, both with books and TV/movies, where the people who write the blurbs, or the previews, etc. seem to zero in on absolutely the most unappealing, even off-putting aspects of a work when trying to promote it. I don't know why I even pay attention to them in with series I've already established that I like, but somehow I do, and I end up stalling on a series because of their horrible marketing, when in fact the seemingly unappealing installment turns out to be absolutely excellent. That was the case with Skinflick.
The off-putting thing in this one mostly revolves around religious whackos, with a side eye to the pornography industry. Rest assured, however, that the main evangelical in question is the corpse, *claps*, and though there are a couple brief interviews with his family the reader need not worry about being subjected overly much to the ideas and opinions of bigots. In addition most of the porn associated characters in the book are quite likeable, though there are references to stuff featuring underage girls which nobody seems to really comment on and I found the lack of call-out somewhat jaring.
The setup follows a pattern seen earlier in the series, the police having arrested someone and Dave basically not buying it. In this case the falsely accused is an adult book shop owner persecuted by our deserving victim, and we never even meet him.
One of the things I really enjoy about this series in contrast to m/m offerings is the fact that while Brandstetter has a history and personal life and relationships that's generally background and the focus is on the investigation. That said, we do have a new potential relationship interest or at least daliance in the form of Randy, a transwoman* who he meets in the course of the investigation. (I use the term hesitantly, as this book is from 1979 and the character doesn't label themself that way, but I don't know any better way to put it.) I really loved Randy and I kind of hope they'll stick around in the series, but I'll have to wait to find out as apparently Open Road Media has let all the kindle editions it had rights to go out of print. :(
All in all, an excellent installment in the series and I just wish I had gone ahead and purchased the entire series while it was still available.
September 7, 2021
Early in his fifth Dave Brandstetter mystery, author Joseph Hansen, writes that “He [Dave Brandstetter] braked the Electra at Sunset for a red light. Across the broad curving stream of traffic lay the park with the little lake, the ducks in the rushes, the muggers in the bushes, the sunburned tourists rowing battered little skiffs and peering through Instamatics at the glass skyscrapers beyond the tops of palms” and thus reminds us that while we live in our pleasant ordered world and distract ourselves, evil and violence are poised to upturn our life at any time.
The American novelist, Raymond Chandler one of the best writers of hard-boiled detective stories, once wrote that American hardboiled detective novels came to popularity following World War I and were a response to a world in which people “lived in a world gone wrong, a world in which, long before the atom bomb, civilization had created the machinery for its own destruction and was learning to use it with all the moronic delight of a gangster trying out his first machine-gun. The law was something to be manipulated for profit and power. The streets were dark with something more than night.”
Hardboiled fiction, he said, had “the smell of fear.” In these stories some traumatic event would occur and dramatically alter the sense of justice and order in society and cause the protagonist to face a world that is morally chaotic, arbitrary, and random.
Many critics consider hardboiled fiction as books written for a distinctly male audience. The investigator or detective in these novels is usually hyper-masculine, “tough,” a loner, and a survivor driven by a need for order and justice. This need may lead him to bend or even break the law as he investigates, but he does so in pursuit of justice and restored order.
He is, in effect, an extension of the cowboy of the previous century. Author Megan Abbott writes that “the wilderness becomes the city, and the hero is usually a somewhat fallen character, a detective or a cop. At the end, everything is a mess, people have died, but the hero has done the right thing or close to it, and order has, to a certain extent, been restored.”
What makes Joseph Hansen’s protagonist, Dave Brandstetter, so fascinating is that he is also comfortably gay. In the 1960s when Hansen began his series, seldom had (or do) people think of gay men as masculine, much less hyper-masculine and tough. As Hansen said in a 1988 interview, ''My joke was to take the true hard-boiled character in American fiction tradition and make him homosexual. He was going to be a nice man, a good man, and he was doing to do his job well.'' Surprisingly, the twelve Brandstetter novels attracted critical praise and an audience that transcended sexual orientation.
Dave Brandstetter also was one of the first, if not the first, gay characters readers would respect and admire. During World War Two he had served in military intelligence. Following the war, he returned to Los Angeles where he did insurance investigation work for his father, founder and CEO of Medallion, one of the country’s largest insurance companies. That work earned him interviews for television and major magazines.
Dave was intelligent, rugged, independent, handsome, and successful. Nothing prevented him from doing his job and doing it well. Most of all, however, he was a good and decent man, the kind of person people think of as an example of “The Greatest Generation.”
When Skinflick opens, Dave’s father has died and Dave’s relationship with Doug, a man he had been living with after his long-time lover had died of cancer, is coming to an end. Knowing the Board will quickly fire him since he is gay (his father had protected his position at the company) Dave is doing freelance work for another firm.
As Dave begins investigating the violent murder of Gerald Dawson, a deeply religious evangelical man, he is not so sure the cops had come to the right conclusions. True, Dawson’s wife and teenaged son found Dawson outside their home dead from a broken neck. Also true that Dawson and several other evangelicals were almost certainly the men who had raided and trashed a local porn shop just days earlier. But Dave is not convinced Lon, the porn shop owner, is the killer.
Though the cops were satisfied with the scant evidence they had against Lon, Dave wondered why no one had found the dead man’s keys given that he was found on his doorstep early in the morning, and why his son was burning “kiddie porn” in a trash barrel behind their house when Dave arrived.
With Skinflick, Hansen causes us to look at how humans rationalize unethical, hateful, and even violent behaviors. Sometimes that rationalization includes beliefs about what is morally right and wrong. Sometimes it includes beliefs about sexuality. Other times it includes beliefs about God.
As Dave’s investigation takes him into the world of Hollywood and small towns nestled in the hills near Los Angeles, porn films, and evangelical churches, he is confronted with missing persons, more deaths, and even a shotgun wound that almost kills him. All this while grieving his father’s death and the ending of his relationship with Doug and buying and rehabbing an old house outside Los Angeles.
I have recently been working my way through all the Brandstetter novels. I have found it interesting to watch Hansen break barriers the law, society, and publishers had built against publishing fiction that included LGBTQ persons in a positive light. Skinflick even includes a transgender individual. I have also enjoyed watching Hansen turn hard-boiled fiction on its head by using a gay protagonist in books for a mainstream publisher and thus help demystify a segment of the population.
Though it is possible to read each book as a stand-alone, by reading them in order I notice a richness and continuity that I might otherwise not see. If you like hardboiled writing, mysteries, noir, or detective stories, I recommend that you give Joseph Hansen’s books a try. The plots are tightly woven and seldom predictable, Characters, even minor ones, are well-drawn and intriguing. Finally, the setting pulls readers into Los Angeles of the time.
You can find used copies online and, in 2022 (I am writing this in September 2021) all the titles in the series are scheduled to be reprinted.
The American novelist, Raymond Chandler one of the best writers of hard-boiled detective stories, once wrote that American hardboiled detective novels came to popularity following World War I and were a response to a world in which people “lived in a world gone wrong, a world in which, long before the atom bomb, civilization had created the machinery for its own destruction and was learning to use it with all the moronic delight of a gangster trying out his first machine-gun. The law was something to be manipulated for profit and power. The streets were dark with something more than night.”
Hardboiled fiction, he said, had “the smell of fear.” In these stories some traumatic event would occur and dramatically alter the sense of justice and order in society and cause the protagonist to face a world that is morally chaotic, arbitrary, and random.
Many critics consider hardboiled fiction as books written for a distinctly male audience. The investigator or detective in these novels is usually hyper-masculine, “tough,” a loner, and a survivor driven by a need for order and justice. This need may lead him to bend or even break the law as he investigates, but he does so in pursuit of justice and restored order.
He is, in effect, an extension of the cowboy of the previous century. Author Megan Abbott writes that “the wilderness becomes the city, and the hero is usually a somewhat fallen character, a detective or a cop. At the end, everything is a mess, people have died, but the hero has done the right thing or close to it, and order has, to a certain extent, been restored.”
What makes Joseph Hansen’s protagonist, Dave Brandstetter, so fascinating is that he is also comfortably gay. In the 1960s when Hansen began his series, seldom had (or do) people think of gay men as masculine, much less hyper-masculine and tough. As Hansen said in a 1988 interview, ''My joke was to take the true hard-boiled character in American fiction tradition and make him homosexual. He was going to be a nice man, a good man, and he was doing to do his job well.'' Surprisingly, the twelve Brandstetter novels attracted critical praise and an audience that transcended sexual orientation.
Dave Brandstetter also was one of the first, if not the first, gay characters readers would respect and admire. During World War Two he had served in military intelligence. Following the war, he returned to Los Angeles where he did insurance investigation work for his father, founder and CEO of Medallion, one of the country’s largest insurance companies. That work earned him interviews for television and major magazines.
Dave was intelligent, rugged, independent, handsome, and successful. Nothing prevented him from doing his job and doing it well. Most of all, however, he was a good and decent man, the kind of person people think of as an example of “The Greatest Generation.”
When Skinflick opens, Dave’s father has died and Dave’s relationship with Doug, a man he had been living with after his long-time lover had died of cancer, is coming to an end. Knowing the Board will quickly fire him since he is gay (his father had protected his position at the company) Dave is doing freelance work for another firm.
As Dave begins investigating the violent murder of Gerald Dawson, a deeply religious evangelical man, he is not so sure the cops had come to the right conclusions. True, Dawson’s wife and teenaged son found Dawson outside their home dead from a broken neck. Also true that Dawson and several other evangelicals were almost certainly the men who had raided and trashed a local porn shop just days earlier. But Dave is not convinced Lon, the porn shop owner, is the killer.
Though the cops were satisfied with the scant evidence they had against Lon, Dave wondered why no one had found the dead man’s keys given that he was found on his doorstep early in the morning, and why his son was burning “kiddie porn” in a trash barrel behind their house when Dave arrived.
With Skinflick, Hansen causes us to look at how humans rationalize unethical, hateful, and even violent behaviors. Sometimes that rationalization includes beliefs about what is morally right and wrong. Sometimes it includes beliefs about sexuality. Other times it includes beliefs about God.
As Dave’s investigation takes him into the world of Hollywood and small towns nestled in the hills near Los Angeles, porn films, and evangelical churches, he is confronted with missing persons, more deaths, and even a shotgun wound that almost kills him. All this while grieving his father’s death and the ending of his relationship with Doug and buying and rehabbing an old house outside Los Angeles.
I have recently been working my way through all the Brandstetter novels. I have found it interesting to watch Hansen break barriers the law, society, and publishers had built against publishing fiction that included LGBTQ persons in a positive light. Skinflick even includes a transgender individual. I have also enjoyed watching Hansen turn hard-boiled fiction on its head by using a gay protagonist in books for a mainstream publisher and thus help demystify a segment of the population.
Though it is possible to read each book as a stand-alone, by reading them in order I notice a richness and continuity that I might otherwise not see. If you like hardboiled writing, mysteries, noir, or detective stories, I recommend that you give Joseph Hansen’s books a try. The plots are tightly woven and seldom predictable, Characters, even minor ones, are well-drawn and intriguing. Finally, the setting pulls readers into Los Angeles of the time.
You can find used copies online and, in 2022 (I am writing this in September 2021) all the titles in the series are scheduled to be reprinted.
June 4, 2019
There are so many moving parts in Hansen’s books, and you get a sense that things never stop moving, even when the detective leaves the scene. Some of my favorite characters are only in Dave’s view for the length of a brief interview (if that), but they are all vigorously alive and could show up again anytime. Pick your favorites: Delgado, the bookstore staff, the guy next door listening to Billie Holiday, the keyboardist, the one-armed builder, the missing girl’s father, the basketball player, the security guard, the guy with the yearbook, Ribbons, the porn actors, the pharmacist and his son, the Hungarian widow.... I remember all of these people vividly, and none of them are main characters. Well, except for the insane killer.
As for the mystery element, it works particularly well in this book. And when Dave’s hurrying through the little windswept house, looking for the shotgun, it’s almost too tense. Because anyone could show up again, anytime.
As for the mystery element, it works particularly well in this book. And when Dave’s hurrying through the little windswept house, looking for the shotgun, it’s almost too tense. Because anyone could show up again, anytime.
January 2, 2017
Another solid installment in the series - reading in series order is recommended, but I think each one would make sense as a stand alone, although the tendency to have a dangling thread at the end carries one book into the next.
This one finds Dave at a personal crossroads, having lost his father and broken up with his boyfriend, leaving a relationship that never quite worked. Dave is trying to console his father's most recent widow, whom he likes, while investigating the death of a self-righteous (while secretly sinning) evangelical fanatic. The case is convoluted and we meet a number of good secondary characters, old and new. The sixties to seventies feel of the stories gives them flavor with the occasional blast from the past. Dave continues to be a low-key, interesting and relatable main character.
This one finds Dave at a personal crossroads, having lost his father and broken up with his boyfriend, leaving a relationship that never quite worked. Dave is trying to console his father's most recent widow, whom he likes, while investigating the death of a self-righteous (while secretly sinning) evangelical fanatic. The case is convoluted and we meet a number of good secondary characters, old and new. The sixties to seventies feel of the stories gives them flavor with the occasional blast from the past. Dave continues to be a low-key, interesting and relatable main character.
March 24, 2015
4,5 stars
The fifth book in the series. Like it.
Hansen's strong writing + great character's portraying + amazing Dave + good mystery +
April 10, 2020
Skinflicks is the first of the Joseph Hansen’s Dave Brandstetter series that I’ve read. It is actually the fifth instalment in the series and is highly unusual for me to enter a series like this at any book other than the first one. In saying that, there didn’t seem to be anything that was too difficult to understand in this book in terms of characters etc, so starting here wasn’t a problem. I’m sure there are bits and pieces that would have depth to my knowledge as I read the book but they weren’t a noticeable problem.
It’s also unusual for me to read any other crime story outside of Nordic Noir.. so this was a departure for me. Dave Brandstetter is a generally likeable character although he didn’t stand out for me in any particular way. He is an insurance policy investigator which certainly sets him apart from the usual crime novels I have read and adds a different perspective from the police.
This particular story focuses on a crime revolving around an outspoken preacher evangelist who is murdered. While it is a never ending hunt for key witnesses it is also an interesting read that highlights the public and private worlds of individuals. That is what makes it somewhat interesting. Publically, Gerald Dawson is an opinionated preacher who doesn’t hesitate to judge those he deems morally corrupt - clearly until he becomes corrupted himself. I found the content around this quite disturbing in many ways. However, the rub between who we say we are, what actions we publicly display and the opinions we declare alongside how we actually behave and speak privately create a tension upon which this story oscillates.
All in all a solid three and a half stars from me. While I will certainly read another Brandstetter story it isn’t high on my list.
It’s also unusual for me to read any other crime story outside of Nordic Noir.. so this was a departure for me. Dave Brandstetter is a generally likeable character although he didn’t stand out for me in any particular way. He is an insurance policy investigator which certainly sets him apart from the usual crime novels I have read and adds a different perspective from the police.
This particular story focuses on a crime revolving around an outspoken preacher evangelist who is murdered. While it is a never ending hunt for key witnesses it is also an interesting read that highlights the public and private worlds of individuals. That is what makes it somewhat interesting. Publically, Gerald Dawson is an opinionated preacher who doesn’t hesitate to judge those he deems morally corrupt - clearly until he becomes corrupted himself. I found the content around this quite disturbing in many ways. However, the rub between who we say we are, what actions we publicly display and the opinions we declare alongside how we actually behave and speak privately create a tension upon which this story oscillates.
All in all a solid three and a half stars from me. While I will certainly read another Brandstetter story it isn’t high on my list.
August 10, 2021
Another great book in an awesome series.
February 17, 2023
While I read books 5 and 6 out-of-order, I found that these books are the kind of mystery tale where you can pull one off the shelf and just enjoy it; though there is a general progression of the protagonist's growth and life changing overall, these are still fun, easy reads.
What particularly interested me about this book was the presence of a minor character, Randy, who exists in some gender non-conforming places. This book was written before we had vocabulary really defining that, and seeing a sympathetic portrait of a character who is ahead of their time, in control of their own life, and presented as romantic and desirable in a non-fetishized way was interesting.
As always, the mystery does a great job of balancing its hook with relatable and logical motivations. These books have obscured motives and secrets, as any detective story does; and even if this one doesn't follow some of the cardinal rules of the genre (the reveal could feel like a cheat, in this case) it still feels logical and it was only revealed through the investigation of Brandstetter.
I'm really interested to read the subsequent books in this series, which are due to be published this year. As the story gets closer to AIDS and the gay rights movement, I'm intrigued to see what the author includes, why, and how.
What particularly interested me about this book was the presence of a minor character, Randy, who exists in some gender non-conforming places. This book was written before we had vocabulary really defining that, and seeing a sympathetic portrait of a character who is ahead of their time, in control of their own life, and presented as romantic and desirable in a non-fetishized way was interesting.
As always, the mystery does a great job of balancing its hook with relatable and logical motivations. These books have obscured motives and secrets, as any detective story does; and even if this one doesn't follow some of the cardinal rules of the genre (the reveal could feel like a cheat, in this case) it still feels logical and it was only revealed through the investigation of Brandstetter.
I'm really interested to read the subsequent books in this series, which are due to be published this year. As the story gets closer to AIDS and the gay rights movement, I'm intrigued to see what the author includes, why, and how.
April 3, 2023
Another earlier one; another not-my-favorite, despite some points of interest. Namely: there's a trans character in this, who is fairly generously and humanely treated, especially for the time, though it reads as hugely problematic from a modern perspective. She's misgendered almost throughout the entire book and there's a very weird-if-interesting sex scene involving her (and I think the weird-but-interesting parts say more about Dave than they do about her), but Small mercies.
That said, the climax is deeply annoying and the mystery itself didn't interest me much. I gotta try one of the later entries in the series again.
That said, the climax is deeply annoying and the mystery itself didn't interest me much. I gotta try one of the later entries in the series again.
Read
March 3, 2018A throwback to the hard-bolied 1940s noir stories. Surprisingly polite for a 1980s’ novel, with the epithet “son of a bitch” only appearing once in full—always “son” otherwise. A good, solid, unexceptionable entry in the genre.
February 16, 2024
Bonne enquête avec de bons rebondissement. Le décor et l'ambiance sont vraiment bien. Le côté sombre et méconnu d'hollywood est bie propice à ce genre d'histoire.
January 14, 2025
I cannot believe I’m already five books into the Brandstetter series already! As you get into a series like this you can either become energized or jaded. By this stage you know the structure, the characters, and how the story will play out. It can become tedious, though I find there is a comfort to being able to open up a new book and already have the blueprint embedded in your skull. Thank goodness that the fifth novel in the series is much more interesting and the plot/mystery much tighter than in some of the previous novels. I left this novel confident that it’s probably the best of the five I’ve read and kept the flame to continue the series alive.
Again, since I’m nearly half way through the series, here is what you’re going to get with a Brandstetter mystery:
1. An interesting mystery that is nearly impossible to solve with all the clues given as something or someone will suddenly appear out of nowhere and upend all the hard work your brain did trying to piece it all together. Don’t even try.
2. Brandstetter’s signature ‘devil-may-care’ approach to life and relationships. He couldn’t care less for pleasantries, what you think, the people he hurts to get to the truth, or the personal relationships that suffer due to their inability to penetrate his hard-boiled persona.
3. Did I say Brandstetter has a personal life? That might be an overstatement. Hansen will give you crumbs that will never amount to a satisfying relationship-centered meal. You will become a junkie, looking for any bits and pieces of Dave’s personal life that can help you relate to the emotionless robot who is laser-focused on saving insurance companies money.
4. Terribly named characters. Just down right god awful names. In this novel alone we have a suspect named Lon Tooker. I mean, how could a man with a name like that kill anyone much less survive middle school? Add in Randy Van and Billy Jim Tuckaberry. Hansen can craft a decent mystery, but man he couldn’t name a character to save his life. I mean, Brandstetter just rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?
Now you might think those things are an indictment of the series and the character himself. However, while it could be seen in that light, I’ve grown rather fond of series, imperfections and all. It’s a cozy and comfortable feeling to open a book and know exactly what you’re getting, even if you might not consider it quite enough to satiate the appetite.
In his latest adventure, we find Brandstetter working freelance after having left Medallion due to his father’s passing which sparks a reconnection between Dave and his father’s latest wife, Amanda, who takes it upon herself to renovate the hard-boiled insurance investigator’s newly purchased home, having separated from Doug. He is on a mission to find out why a religious zealot and church leader was found dead outside his home of a broken neck. A suspect that the police finger, a porn shop owner, doesn’t seem like the culprit to Brandstetter. His journey takes him into the seedy world of the pornography industry, searching for a missing girl who may hold the key to unraveling the mystery. The plot of Skinflick is far more tighter and interesting than previous installments which was refreshing as these mysteries can sometimes unravel and fall apart. This one, however, honed in on the right beats and kept it together and even upped the ante in terms of the body count and physical danger Brandstetter finds himself in. The novel mistakenly sets up potential pedophilia at the beginning of the novel, but didn’t quite amount to much and seems to get brushed off rather flippantly.
The character of Brandstetter is as grizzled as ever with his lack of emotionality about much of anything. He’s left the only job he’s ever had with Medallion, his father is dead, he’s separated from his longtime lover. You would think we’d find Brandstetter is an emotionally vulnerable place but you forget, his rock-hard exterior is five miles deep and impenetrable. If ever someone decided to take out a vendetta against Dave, it would be all but impossible to break him. He walks through life intentionally with little to hold onto and covet. Medallion literally sends a guy to his house to take back the company car he’s driven all this time and he lets it go without a shred of sentimentality.
The two most interesting characters introduced in the fifth novel are that of Delgado and Randy Van. It’s pointless to hope that characters stick around, because Dave is Teflon. However, I really liked the idea of Dave begrudgingly working with another investigator. I want him to start his own investigation firm. Delgado, while a drunk, seemed competent enough, and there does seem to be a general copacetic relationship between the two. Randy Van, though, is a far more interesting character. While we definitely don’t get enough of them, I think having largely positive transgender representation in a novel published in 1979 is quite the feat. It’s difficult to definitively identify Randy Van as one could either discuss them as transgendered or non-binary. However, Randy was a great character that probably won’t be seen from again. I loved the final scene of both of them getting carted off in the ambulance after Dave rescued them from being thrown overboard.
All in all, the fifth novel in the series kept my interest piqued and was a solid, if not the best (thus far) addition to the Brandstetter mysteries. It had a vastly tighter plot while keeping the same framework you come to expect (and be frustrated by). I’ll continue to ride along with this cynical, hard headed, and unsentimental investigator as he continues to solve mysteries to keep the almighty insurance companies from having to open their checkbooks. Brandstetter, at least in my mind, is akin to a shark. A shark has to keep swimming if it’s going to survive and all Brandstetter has in his life is solving mysterious insurance claims. If he can’t do that he’d be forced to reckon with his own life and the choices he’s made. That would most definitely kill him where he stands. However, with more than half the series to read, that won’t happen anytime soon.
Again, since I’m nearly half way through the series, here is what you’re going to get with a Brandstetter mystery:
1. An interesting mystery that is nearly impossible to solve with all the clues given as something or someone will suddenly appear out of nowhere and upend all the hard work your brain did trying to piece it all together. Don’t even try.
2. Brandstetter’s signature ‘devil-may-care’ approach to life and relationships. He couldn’t care less for pleasantries, what you think, the people he hurts to get to the truth, or the personal relationships that suffer due to their inability to penetrate his hard-boiled persona.
3. Did I say Brandstetter has a personal life? That might be an overstatement. Hansen will give you crumbs that will never amount to a satisfying relationship-centered meal. You will become a junkie, looking for any bits and pieces of Dave’s personal life that can help you relate to the emotionless robot who is laser-focused on saving insurance companies money.
4. Terribly named characters. Just down right god awful names. In this novel alone we have a suspect named Lon Tooker. I mean, how could a man with a name like that kill anyone much less survive middle school? Add in Randy Van and Billy Jim Tuckaberry. Hansen can craft a decent mystery, but man he couldn’t name a character to save his life. I mean, Brandstetter just rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?
Now you might think those things are an indictment of the series and the character himself. However, while it could be seen in that light, I’ve grown rather fond of series, imperfections and all. It’s a cozy and comfortable feeling to open a book and know exactly what you’re getting, even if you might not consider it quite enough to satiate the appetite.
In his latest adventure, we find Brandstetter working freelance after having left Medallion due to his father’s passing which sparks a reconnection between Dave and his father’s latest wife, Amanda, who takes it upon herself to renovate the hard-boiled insurance investigator’s newly purchased home, having separated from Doug. He is on a mission to find out why a religious zealot and church leader was found dead outside his home of a broken neck. A suspect that the police finger, a porn shop owner, doesn’t seem like the culprit to Brandstetter. His journey takes him into the seedy world of the pornography industry, searching for a missing girl who may hold the key to unraveling the mystery. The plot of Skinflick is far more tighter and interesting than previous installments which was refreshing as these mysteries can sometimes unravel and fall apart. This one, however, honed in on the right beats and kept it together and even upped the ante in terms of the body count and physical danger Brandstetter finds himself in. The novel mistakenly sets up potential pedophilia at the beginning of the novel, but didn’t quite amount to much and seems to get brushed off rather flippantly.
The character of Brandstetter is as grizzled as ever with his lack of emotionality about much of anything. He’s left the only job he’s ever had with Medallion, his father is dead, he’s separated from his longtime lover. You would think we’d find Brandstetter is an emotionally vulnerable place but you forget, his rock-hard exterior is five miles deep and impenetrable. If ever someone decided to take out a vendetta against Dave, it would be all but impossible to break him. He walks through life intentionally with little to hold onto and covet. Medallion literally sends a guy to his house to take back the company car he’s driven all this time and he lets it go without a shred of sentimentality.
The two most interesting characters introduced in the fifth novel are that of Delgado and Randy Van. It’s pointless to hope that characters stick around, because Dave is Teflon. However, I really liked the idea of Dave begrudgingly working with another investigator. I want him to start his own investigation firm. Delgado, while a drunk, seemed competent enough, and there does seem to be a general copacetic relationship between the two. Randy Van, though, is a far more interesting character. While we definitely don’t get enough of them, I think having largely positive transgender representation in a novel published in 1979 is quite the feat. It’s difficult to definitively identify Randy Van as one could either discuss them as transgendered or non-binary. However, Randy was a great character that probably won’t be seen from again. I loved the final scene of both of them getting carted off in the ambulance after Dave rescued them from being thrown overboard.
All in all, the fifth novel in the series kept my interest piqued and was a solid, if not the best (thus far) addition to the Brandstetter mysteries. It had a vastly tighter plot while keeping the same framework you come to expect (and be frustrated by). I’ll continue to ride along with this cynical, hard headed, and unsentimental investigator as he continues to solve mysteries to keep the almighty insurance companies from having to open their checkbooks. Brandstetter, at least in my mind, is akin to a shark. A shark has to keep swimming if it’s going to survive and all Brandstetter has in his life is solving mysterious insurance claims. If he can’t do that he’d be forced to reckon with his own life and the choices he’s made. That would most definitely kill him where he stands. However, with more than half the series to read, that won’t happen anytime soon.
July 1, 2016
4.5 stars. I think this is my favorite Brandstetter so far. I enjoyed the mystery a great deal, and though I can't really explain why, I found it the slightest bit more accessible than the first four.
Dave faces some pretty enormous life changes in this one, and unlike the other books, this one features just about zero activity on the relationship/romance front. It was interesting to see how Dave handled everything (very well and with Dave-like humor). Delgado and Amanda feature heavily in this, and I hope they keep coming back. I really hope we see Randy again, too.
Dave faces some pretty enormous life changes in this one, and unlike the other books, this one features just about zero activity on the relationship/romance front. It was interesting to see how Dave handled everything (very well and with Dave-like humor). Delgado and Amanda feature heavily in this, and I hope they keep coming back. I really hope we see Randy again, too.
June 8, 2024
This one brought in some themes of religion and its conflicts with what was labeled “perverse” during the (I think) 70s. It was interesting watching the crime unfold and grow to include more suspects and the twist was actually quite interesting. I liked this one a lot.
December 30, 2016
Seedy indeed, but not very suspenseful.
September 21, 2023
*Warning, there will be mild spoilers*
I'm bummed this case wasn't as strong as the past few. Part of this has to do with the fact that Hansen tries to tackle several subplots in Skinflick. The intersection of religion and the adult film industry (especially one subcategory of it), Dave processing his life post his father's death and breakup with partner Doug, getting back up on his feet through his own company, and how grown mens' fascination with young girls can extend beyond the magazine page/film and into their day-to-day lives. The first and last aspect are still culturally relevant given extreme right politicians and rural communities trying to pass laws that condone child marriage. Children can be easily taken advantage of since their processing skills haven't fully developed, and I feel like that's part of their appeal to these predators.
Each subplot works on its own, but what starts as compelling quickly turns busy. Hansen doesn't devote enough page time to make each element click. Dave's personal life is noticeably absent after the first half, making his newfound partnership with Amanda and Johnny (who wasn't introduced in the previous books) feel awkward when it steps back into the story. There's this sense of brazen confidence Dave develops as he goes through the suspects. I found this fun since it made sense for this trait to emerge with a few cases under his belt. However, it leads to a culprit reveal that may tie back to Skinflick's central theme, but doesn't completely click given the person's lack of page time. At least the confrontation was epic.
I also had an issue with side character Randy Van, who I felt had trans coding. She expresses the desire to transition and views women's bodies as ones she wishes she could have. Her feminine dress style (minus one scene where she dressed in masculine clothing. Why, the book doesn't explain) isn't taken seriously by the other characters, leading to a moment where Dave says, "You should get dressed up funny more often" in regards to her ensemble in Chapter 21. Not only does this invalidate her experience, but it reads transphobic given her expression throughout the rest of the mystery. This element does touch upon transphobia in the queer community that's still relevant, but for a trans character, this wasn't good rep back then and it isn't now.
I'm bummed this case wasn't as strong as the past few. Part of this has to do with the fact that Hansen tries to tackle several subplots in Skinflick. The intersection of religion and the adult film industry (especially one subcategory of it), Dave processing his life post his father's death and breakup with partner Doug, getting back up on his feet through his own company, and how grown mens' fascination with young girls can extend beyond the magazine page/film and into their day-to-day lives. The first and last aspect are still culturally relevant given extreme right politicians and rural communities trying to pass laws that condone child marriage. Children can be easily taken advantage of since their processing skills haven't fully developed, and I feel like that's part of their appeal to these predators.
Each subplot works on its own, but what starts as compelling quickly turns busy. Hansen doesn't devote enough page time to make each element click. Dave's personal life is noticeably absent after the first half, making his newfound partnership with Amanda and Johnny (who wasn't introduced in the previous books) feel awkward when it steps back into the story. There's this sense of brazen confidence Dave develops as he goes through the suspects. I found this fun since it made sense for this trait to emerge with a few cases under his belt. However, it leads to a culprit reveal that may tie back to Skinflick's central theme, but doesn't completely click given the person's lack of page time. At least the confrontation was epic.
I also had an issue with side character Randy Van, who I felt had trans coding. She expresses the desire to transition and views women's bodies as ones she wishes she could have. Her feminine dress style (minus one scene where she dressed in masculine clothing. Why, the book doesn't explain) isn't taken seriously by the other characters, leading to a moment where Dave says, "You should get dressed up funny more often" in regards to her ensemble in Chapter 21. Not only does this invalidate her experience, but it reads transphobic given her expression throughout the rest of the mystery. This element does touch upon transphobia in the queer community that's still relevant, but for a trans character, this wasn't good rep back then and it isn't now.
August 25, 2024
This is Hansen's fifth David Brandstetter mystery. It was published in 1979. It is one of his best.
Brandstetter is an investigator of life insurance claims. He had always worked for Medallion Insurance. His father was the CEO. His father died from a massive heart attack. Brandstetter was forced out and he is now working as a free-lance investigator. He was forced out because he is gay, and his father could no longer protect him from being let go as a "security risk."
He is hired by Sequia Insurance to investigate the murder of Gerald Dawson, a Christian anti-porn crusader. Lon Tooker, the owner of a porn shop which Dawson attacked, has been charged with the murder. Brandstetter needs to satisfy himself that the beneficiaries of the Sequia life insurance policy, Dawson's wife and son, had nothing to do with the murder.
Hansen is a master at dissecting the sleazy sunset strip LA world of bars, porn shops, prostitution, drugs and pornographic film making. The opening lines are, "He parked in sun glare on a steep narrow street whose cracked white cement was seamed with tar. The tar glistened and looked runny. ". The aura of oppressive heat and shoddiness is everywhere.
Brandstetter discovers that Dawson has secrets of his own. Tooker, the murder suspect, has a wild and complicated life. There is an underage prostitute who drives much of the plot. A fly by night porno producer has ties to everyone including Dawson. Hansen does a masterful job juggling the strands of the story.
Hansen is matter of fact about Branstetter being gay. Branstetter has a love life which has ups and downs over the series. Most of the people he deals with do not know he is gay, but many do. It is a necessity of the series that every murder he investigates ends up dealing with gay victims or suspects. Branstetter is comfortable in the world of gay clubs and parties, which helps him investigate.
Hansen has a classic spare, no nonsense style. He has an eye for architecture and enjoys describing California homes, both grand and shabby. Brandstetter has the classic LA detective laconic way of speaking, right out of Chandler or Hammett.
This would be a very good introduction to the Brandstetter series.
Brandstetter is an investigator of life insurance claims. He had always worked for Medallion Insurance. His father was the CEO. His father died from a massive heart attack. Brandstetter was forced out and he is now working as a free-lance investigator. He was forced out because he is gay, and his father could no longer protect him from being let go as a "security risk."
He is hired by Sequia Insurance to investigate the murder of Gerald Dawson, a Christian anti-porn crusader. Lon Tooker, the owner of a porn shop which Dawson attacked, has been charged with the murder. Brandstetter needs to satisfy himself that the beneficiaries of the Sequia life insurance policy, Dawson's wife and son, had nothing to do with the murder.
Hansen is a master at dissecting the sleazy sunset strip LA world of bars, porn shops, prostitution, drugs and pornographic film making. The opening lines are, "He parked in sun glare on a steep narrow street whose cracked white cement was seamed with tar. The tar glistened and looked runny. ". The aura of oppressive heat and shoddiness is everywhere.
Brandstetter discovers that Dawson has secrets of his own. Tooker, the murder suspect, has a wild and complicated life. There is an underage prostitute who drives much of the plot. A fly by night porno producer has ties to everyone including Dawson. Hansen does a masterful job juggling the strands of the story.
Hansen is matter of fact about Branstetter being gay. Branstetter has a love life which has ups and downs over the series. Most of the people he deals with do not know he is gay, but many do. It is a necessity of the series that every murder he investigates ends up dealing with gay victims or suspects. Branstetter is comfortable in the world of gay clubs and parties, which helps him investigate.
Hansen has a classic spare, no nonsense style. He has an eye for architecture and enjoys describing California homes, both grand and shabby. Brandstetter has the classic LA detective laconic way of speaking, right out of Chandler or Hammett.
This would be a very good introduction to the Brandstetter series.
April 4, 2025
Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, Sommer 1978; Genre: Detektivkrimi.
Das heiße ich mir mal ein erstes Kapitel, das einen gehörig anhakt! Gerald Dawson, der einen Verleih für Filmstudio-Technik betreibt und zugleich als fanatischer Born-Again-Sektenprediger bekannt ist, liegt morgens mit gebrochenem Genick vor seinem Haus. Als Dave Brandstetter, mittlerweile frei schaffender Ermittler für Versicherungen, am Tag seiner Beerdigung vorfährt, ist Dawsons Teenager-Sohn, ein stark behaarter Riese, gerade damit beschäftigt, Magazine aus einem Sexshop zu verbrennen, die Nacktfotos von Mädchen zwischen sechs und zehn Jahren zeigen. Wie er dazu kam? Er behauptet, das wären seine. Er sei innerlich verkommen, durch den Tod des Vaters jetzt aber zur Umkehr gelangt. Kurz danach ist dann auch die Mutter da, sechzig Jahre alt. Brandstetter konfrontiert sie damit, der Tote habe ein Rezept für Anti-Baby-Pillen, ausgestellt von einem Arzt am Sunset Strip, bei sich gehabt. Die Mutter zögert, erklärt dann, diese Medikamente wären für sie gewesen. Der Tote war fünfzehn Jahre jünger als sie
Gelänge es Dave nachzuweisen, dass diese Zwei oder auch nur einer den Christen ermordet hat, würde das der Versicherung einiges Geld sparen. Lebensversicherungen zahlen doch keine Prämien für Mord an die Täter.
Willkommen zurück zu Dave Brandstetter, dem sehr gründlichen Schnüffler, der jetzt schon über 50 Jahre alt ist, zu dem die meisten Menschen schnell Vertrauen fassen, der jeden irgendwann zum Reden bringt, und während sie mit ihm reden, tun die Leute meist noch was anderes, hier nun mal pädophile Heftchen verbrennen, zu denen ich nicht viel sagen möchte, sie spielen letztlich auch kaum eine Rolle für die Handlung.
Während Daves Ermittlungen wird auch jedes Mal formidabel beim Edelitaliener Romano gegessen. Bestimmt keine Pizza oder Pasta, beziehungsweise nicht nur das. Dieses Mal lädt Dave Randy Van zum Essen ein, den - oder besser die - er im Studio von einem, an den berüchtigten Ed Wood Jr. erinnernden Regisseur von Schrottfilmen mit zweifelhaftem künstlerischen Anspruch kennen gelernt hat. Wie Dave ist Randy Van ziemlich schwul, das heißt, nach heutigen Verständnis eigentlich eine Trans-Frau, aber dieser Unterschied ist dem in den zwanziger Jahren in Kalifornien geborenen Joseph Hansen Ende der siebziger Jahre noch nicht geläufig. (Wie er auch an keiner einzigen Stelle sagt, dass Heftchen mit nackten Achtjährigen böse sind. Bei genauerer Betrachtung wird man entdecken, dass dieser Autor nie irgendwo irgendwas böse nennt.) Jedenfalls gilt es an dieser Stelle festzuhalten, dass der Filmemacher sehr junge Partner bevorzugt und dass Randy Van auch vor der Kamera als Mädchen durchgeht, solange gewisse Regionen nicht im Bild sind.
Skinflicks, wird uns erklärt, waren in den Siebzigern, dem Jahrzehnt nach der Sexrevolution, dem Jahrzehnt der schmuddeligem Bahnhofskinos mit Aktentaschenmännern, Softpornos, in denen der koitale Akt niemals direkt gezeigt, sondern ständig nur vorgespielt wurde, allerdings mit viel nackter Haut und attraktiven Körpern. Der deutsche Titel „Nabelschau“ liegt folglich noch mehr daneben als der frühere deutsche Titel „Verkaufte Haut“, „Schmuddelkino“ würde es besser treffen.
Festgenommen wird ein Verdächtiger aus diesem Business. Dawsons Sekten-Gemeinde hatte in dessen Nähe ihr Zentrum und offenbar haben Dawsons Männer, vermummt, seinen Sexshop vor ein paar Wochen verwüstet und bei der Gelegenheit etliches Material mitgehen lassen. Es ist nicht ihre erste derartige Aktion gewesen. Dieser Porno-Verkäufer, der im Übrigen vor der Stadt eine Pferdekoppel besitzt, wie wir sie auch schon mal im dritten Brandstetter-Fall besucht hatten, gibt sich äußerst zugeknöpft sowohl gegenüber der Polizei wie gegenüber Dave. So, als wolle er nicht, dass die Täter gefunden werden.
Es existierte außerdem eine persönliche Verbindung zwischen dem Ermordeten und dem Trash-Filmer. Dawsons Firmen-Partner hatte Geschäfte mit dem Regisseur laufen die er Dawson verheimlichte. Und auch dieser Mann sucht nach Minderjährigen für Sex. So war nun auch Randy Van schon Gast bei einer Party auf seiner Yacht an der Küste von Santa Monica.
Als Einstieg in die gesamte Brandstetter-Serie kann ich diesen fünften Fall (von zwölf) empfehlen, wobei man wissen muss, dass Band 1 und 2 sowieso zum Besten der Serie zählen, das vierte Buch nicht übel, das vorhin erwähnte dritte Buch allerdings eher misslungen war. Man möchte immer weiterlesen und noch etwas mehr erfahren. Zum Schluss hin wird sich die Story dann als eher simpel herausstellen und, entgegen den Absichten Hansens, hat man nie ernsthaft gedacht, dass Sohn oder Ehefrau den wiedergeborenen Christen und Unternehmer erschlagen haben könnten.
Wie immer wartet Hansen zu Beginn sehr zügig mit einer ganzen Reihe von seltsamen Nebendarstellern auf, wie man sie sonst aus Krimis eher nicht gewohnt war. Hier zum Beispiel die Witwe eines aus Ungarn emigrierten Regimegegners, dann der Sexfilmer, die transsexuelle Randy Van. Man merkt schon auch, dass Joseph Hansen stets seinen schwulen Strang quer durchs Buch gebraucht hat, dieser Fall und die darin Verwickelten aber nicht besonders schwul sind. Dafür muss nun Randy Van herhalten, der oder die weder wirklich verdächtig noch wirklich böse ist, wohl deswegen eine dieser nicht mehr glaubhaften Flirts durchmacht, die der alte Dave mit jungen Schwulen in den Büchern öfters hat, wobei sich nur aus dem mit dem schwarzen Cecil Harris (das Buch davor) wirklich was ergeben hat. Von seinem Doug hat Dave sich mittlerweile getrennt, die lesbische Freundin Madge ist noch da, aber Daves Vater, der alte Schwerenöter und Blaubart, ist tot, sodass Dave jetzt ein reicher Mann ist, der sich seine Kunden aussuchen kann.
In den achtziger Jahren wurde „Skinflick“ vielfach noch als überhaupt bestes Buch der ganzen Serie gehandelt, mit der Zeit ist das etwas vergilbt und wird gelegentlich auch harsch kritisiert, wegen der Indifferenz, die Hansen gegenüber sexueller Ausbeutung Minderjähriger an den Tag legt und der gönnerhaften Papa-Manier, mit der die Erotik zwischen Dave und Randy beschrieben wird.
Wie immer in Brandstetter-Büchern macht einen der Einstieg sofort neugierig und unterhält einen der lange Mittelteil prächtig. Da wird viel gefahren, befragt, gegessen (rührend, Daves Männerfreundschaft zu einem beruflich gescheiterten Kollegen, dessen Krisenbewältigung er beim Abwaschen zu unterstützen versucht) und geredet. Der Held steht an der Schwelle zum Alter, was Hansen sehr genau thematisiert. Die letzten zwei Kapitel, in denen Hansen mal wieder noch einen Joker aus dem Ärmel zieht, kommen einem dagegen etwas verstiegen und übertrieben vor.
Mit unglaublichem Leichtsinn schlittert Dave in eine lebensgefährliche, an sich aber unnötige Notlage. Seine Rettung ist dann nicht glaubhaft, denn nur ein extrem zielsicherer, körperlich leistungsfähiger Senior wie Liam Neeson in seinen Actionfilmen käme hier lebend raus. Aber nun ja, bei Liam Neeson haben wir es wohl auch geglaubt.
Das heiße ich mir mal ein erstes Kapitel, das einen gehörig anhakt! Gerald Dawson, der einen Verleih für Filmstudio-Technik betreibt und zugleich als fanatischer Born-Again-Sektenprediger bekannt ist, liegt morgens mit gebrochenem Genick vor seinem Haus. Als Dave Brandstetter, mittlerweile frei schaffender Ermittler für Versicherungen, am Tag seiner Beerdigung vorfährt, ist Dawsons Teenager-Sohn, ein stark behaarter Riese, gerade damit beschäftigt, Magazine aus einem Sexshop zu verbrennen, die Nacktfotos von Mädchen zwischen sechs und zehn Jahren zeigen. Wie er dazu kam? Er behauptet, das wären seine. Er sei innerlich verkommen, durch den Tod des Vaters jetzt aber zur Umkehr gelangt. Kurz danach ist dann auch die Mutter da, sechzig Jahre alt. Brandstetter konfrontiert sie damit, der Tote habe ein Rezept für Anti-Baby-Pillen, ausgestellt von einem Arzt am Sunset Strip, bei sich gehabt. Die Mutter zögert, erklärt dann, diese Medikamente wären für sie gewesen. Der Tote war fünfzehn Jahre jünger als sie
Gelänge es Dave nachzuweisen, dass diese Zwei oder auch nur einer den Christen ermordet hat, würde das der Versicherung einiges Geld sparen. Lebensversicherungen zahlen doch keine Prämien für Mord an die Täter.
Willkommen zurück zu Dave Brandstetter, dem sehr gründlichen Schnüffler, der jetzt schon über 50 Jahre alt ist, zu dem die meisten Menschen schnell Vertrauen fassen, der jeden irgendwann zum Reden bringt, und während sie mit ihm reden, tun die Leute meist noch was anderes, hier nun mal pädophile Heftchen verbrennen, zu denen ich nicht viel sagen möchte, sie spielen letztlich auch kaum eine Rolle für die Handlung.
Während Daves Ermittlungen wird auch jedes Mal formidabel beim Edelitaliener Romano gegessen. Bestimmt keine Pizza oder Pasta, beziehungsweise nicht nur das. Dieses Mal lädt Dave Randy Van zum Essen ein, den - oder besser die - er im Studio von einem, an den berüchtigten Ed Wood Jr. erinnernden Regisseur von Schrottfilmen mit zweifelhaftem künstlerischen Anspruch kennen gelernt hat. Wie Dave ist Randy Van ziemlich schwul, das heißt, nach heutigen Verständnis eigentlich eine Trans-Frau, aber dieser Unterschied ist dem in den zwanziger Jahren in Kalifornien geborenen Joseph Hansen Ende der siebziger Jahre noch nicht geläufig. (Wie er auch an keiner einzigen Stelle sagt, dass Heftchen mit nackten Achtjährigen böse sind. Bei genauerer Betrachtung wird man entdecken, dass dieser Autor nie irgendwo irgendwas böse nennt.) Jedenfalls gilt es an dieser Stelle festzuhalten, dass der Filmemacher sehr junge Partner bevorzugt und dass Randy Van auch vor der Kamera als Mädchen durchgeht, solange gewisse Regionen nicht im Bild sind.
Skinflicks, wird uns erklärt, waren in den Siebzigern, dem Jahrzehnt nach der Sexrevolution, dem Jahrzehnt der schmuddeligem Bahnhofskinos mit Aktentaschenmännern, Softpornos, in denen der koitale Akt niemals direkt gezeigt, sondern ständig nur vorgespielt wurde, allerdings mit viel nackter Haut und attraktiven Körpern. Der deutsche Titel „Nabelschau“ liegt folglich noch mehr daneben als der frühere deutsche Titel „Verkaufte Haut“, „Schmuddelkino“ würde es besser treffen.
Festgenommen wird ein Verdächtiger aus diesem Business. Dawsons Sekten-Gemeinde hatte in dessen Nähe ihr Zentrum und offenbar haben Dawsons Männer, vermummt, seinen Sexshop vor ein paar Wochen verwüstet und bei der Gelegenheit etliches Material mitgehen lassen. Es ist nicht ihre erste derartige Aktion gewesen. Dieser Porno-Verkäufer, der im Übrigen vor der Stadt eine Pferdekoppel besitzt, wie wir sie auch schon mal im dritten Brandstetter-Fall besucht hatten, gibt sich äußerst zugeknöpft sowohl gegenüber der Polizei wie gegenüber Dave. So, als wolle er nicht, dass die Täter gefunden werden.
Es existierte außerdem eine persönliche Verbindung zwischen dem Ermordeten und dem Trash-Filmer. Dawsons Firmen-Partner hatte Geschäfte mit dem Regisseur laufen die er Dawson verheimlichte. Und auch dieser Mann sucht nach Minderjährigen für Sex. So war nun auch Randy Van schon Gast bei einer Party auf seiner Yacht an der Küste von Santa Monica.
Als Einstieg in die gesamte Brandstetter-Serie kann ich diesen fünften Fall (von zwölf) empfehlen, wobei man wissen muss, dass Band 1 und 2 sowieso zum Besten der Serie zählen, das vierte Buch nicht übel, das vorhin erwähnte dritte Buch allerdings eher misslungen war. Man möchte immer weiterlesen und noch etwas mehr erfahren. Zum Schluss hin wird sich die Story dann als eher simpel herausstellen und, entgegen den Absichten Hansens, hat man nie ernsthaft gedacht, dass Sohn oder Ehefrau den wiedergeborenen Christen und Unternehmer erschlagen haben könnten.
Wie immer wartet Hansen zu Beginn sehr zügig mit einer ganzen Reihe von seltsamen Nebendarstellern auf, wie man sie sonst aus Krimis eher nicht gewohnt war. Hier zum Beispiel die Witwe eines aus Ungarn emigrierten Regimegegners, dann der Sexfilmer, die transsexuelle Randy Van. Man merkt schon auch, dass Joseph Hansen stets seinen schwulen Strang quer durchs Buch gebraucht hat, dieser Fall und die darin Verwickelten aber nicht besonders schwul sind. Dafür muss nun Randy Van herhalten, der oder die weder wirklich verdächtig noch wirklich böse ist, wohl deswegen eine dieser nicht mehr glaubhaften Flirts durchmacht, die der alte Dave mit jungen Schwulen in den Büchern öfters hat, wobei sich nur aus dem mit dem schwarzen Cecil Harris (das Buch davor) wirklich was ergeben hat. Von seinem Doug hat Dave sich mittlerweile getrennt, die lesbische Freundin Madge ist noch da, aber Daves Vater, der alte Schwerenöter und Blaubart, ist tot, sodass Dave jetzt ein reicher Mann ist, der sich seine Kunden aussuchen kann.
In den achtziger Jahren wurde „Skinflick“ vielfach noch als überhaupt bestes Buch der ganzen Serie gehandelt, mit der Zeit ist das etwas vergilbt und wird gelegentlich auch harsch kritisiert, wegen der Indifferenz, die Hansen gegenüber sexueller Ausbeutung Minderjähriger an den Tag legt und der gönnerhaften Papa-Manier, mit der die Erotik zwischen Dave und Randy beschrieben wird.
Wie immer in Brandstetter-Büchern macht einen der Einstieg sofort neugierig und unterhält einen der lange Mittelteil prächtig. Da wird viel gefahren, befragt, gegessen (rührend, Daves Männerfreundschaft zu einem beruflich gescheiterten Kollegen, dessen Krisenbewältigung er beim Abwaschen zu unterstützen versucht) und geredet. Der Held steht an der Schwelle zum Alter, was Hansen sehr genau thematisiert. Die letzten zwei Kapitel, in denen Hansen mal wieder noch einen Joker aus dem Ärmel zieht, kommen einem dagegen etwas verstiegen und übertrieben vor.
Mit unglaublichem Leichtsinn schlittert Dave in eine lebensgefährliche, an sich aber unnötige Notlage. Seine Rettung ist dann nicht glaubhaft, denn nur ein extrem zielsicherer, körperlich leistungsfähiger Senior wie Liam Neeson in seinen Actionfilmen käme hier lebend raus. Aber nun ja, bei Liam Neeson haben wir es wohl auch geglaubt.
June 4, 2023
I repeat myself in saying I'm really enjoying the writing in this reissued 1970s series about a gay California man who investigates suspicious deaths for an insurance company. I love the characters, the vibrant descriptions of settings, and the intricate plots.
The book has a blurb from the *New Republic* recommending that people read the episodes in order. It's good advice because Joseph Hansen's protagonist, Dave Brandstetter, is interesting to watch as he adjusts to civilian life after WW II and moves on from the death of a beloved partner.
*Skinflick* starts with the LA police determining that the owner of a pornographic bookshop was responsible for the death of an aggressive evangelical activist. But Brandstetter knows the police do not have time to question all the anomalies. The company he represents won't pay death benefits if it turns out the beneficiaries had anything to do with a murder, so he has to look deeper.
The complicated story involves the death of a Hungarian refugee near a skinflick shop, funny descriptions of making low-budget porno, a missing girl desperate to be in film, and a guy who crossdresses for porno films and is ambivalent about whether he'd rather be gay or a girl. In the 1970s, before most readers knew much about trans, Hansen was already providing sensitive insights.
There is a kind of generosity about Hansen's treatment of his characters that I like. Even with the bad guys, you get to see how they got that way. And Brandstetter himself is kind to troubled people in his life, dishing out tough love as needed. He befriends the crossdresser, provides a job for a depressed investigator, and helps his late father's last wife launch a new business.
Some of the author's techniques may seem too similar to those in previous novels, but I forgive him. You may, too.
The book has a blurb from the *New Republic* recommending that people read the episodes in order. It's good advice because Joseph Hansen's protagonist, Dave Brandstetter, is interesting to watch as he adjusts to civilian life after WW II and moves on from the death of a beloved partner.
*Skinflick* starts with the LA police determining that the owner of a pornographic bookshop was responsible for the death of an aggressive evangelical activist. But Brandstetter knows the police do not have time to question all the anomalies. The company he represents won't pay death benefits if it turns out the beneficiaries had anything to do with a murder, so he has to look deeper.
The complicated story involves the death of a Hungarian refugee near a skinflick shop, funny descriptions of making low-budget porno, a missing girl desperate to be in film, and a guy who crossdresses for porno films and is ambivalent about whether he'd rather be gay or a girl. In the 1970s, before most readers knew much about trans, Hansen was already providing sensitive insights.
There is a kind of generosity about Hansen's treatment of his characters that I like. Even with the bad guys, you get to see how they got that way. And Brandstetter himself is kind to troubled people in his life, dishing out tough love as needed. He befriends the crossdresser, provides a job for a depressed investigator, and helps his late father's last wife launch a new business.
Some of the author's techniques may seem too similar to those in previous novels, but I forgive him. You may, too.
August 4, 2023
I consider this one superb, on par with the first book.
I love how it's not just a very well-done mystery, but how it also captures the time of its creation, and yet somehow still feels incredibly modern.
All the changes that happened in Brandstetter's life () made an interesting substory to the investigation. The reintroduction of many characters, like Amanda - Brandstetter's very young step-mother and such a darling (), Delgado with his own plethora of problems and issues (the scene with him and Dave washing the dishes and discussing the case was so heartwarmingly domestic that I practically melted...), or LAPD Inspector Barker, who just apparently gave up and truly befriended the death-claims investigator.
This story touched on some deeply troubling issues (underage prostitution), but it didn't moralise nor slipped into a dark territory that makes you feel bad and depressed.
I love how it's not just a very well-done mystery, but how it also captures the time of its creation, and yet somehow still feels incredibly modern.
All the changes that happened in Brandstetter's life () made an interesting substory to the investigation. The reintroduction of many characters, like Amanda - Brandstetter's very young step-mother and such a darling (), Delgado with his own plethora of problems and issues (the scene with him and Dave washing the dishes and discussing the case was so heartwarmingly domestic that I practically melted...), or LAPD Inspector Barker, who just apparently gave up and truly befriended the death-claims investigator.
This story touched on some deeply troubling issues (underage prostitution), but it didn't moralise nor slipped into a dark territory that makes you feel bad and depressed.
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June 6, 2020I continue to love this series. Dave's at a low point personally right now, with the book starting just after his dad dies, which resulted in his immediate resignation from Medallion, and he's continued to drift even further from the recurring love interest from the previous books (he buys a new house at the beginning of this book, so the official split may have been pretty recent). A character shows up mid book that I *think* is the guy at a rival agency whose help he needed last book but who was always sloppy drunk because he was going through a divorce. He seems to have lost that job (around the same time Dave took a job for that same agency), but by the end Dave has maybe started him on the path to turning things around. Would be kinda cool if Dave has an able investigator to provide backup in future novels. The mystery here over the death of a religious fanatic who was purportedly killed by a porn-shop owner he'd feuded with is solid and kept me guess. I've already got the next book in the series on my shelves ready to go.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2024
I found this to be uniquely refreshing for a book written in 1979. Insurance Detective Dave Brandstetter seems like a run of the mill PI until I found out the character is gay. Doesn't change the story but it adds a layer to the character and his Orientation doesn't really change the greater story but he acts like a regular person not a stereotypical character that is gay. He is investigating a murder and is trying to find who really killed his customer. Dave believes it to be one person but not who the police think did it. It involves the porn industry. It does not make excuses for people in the business they are just part of the case. It felt like reading any number of other books from that era. Well told and an easy read.
May 21, 2021
#5 in the Dave Brandstetter mysteries but the first that I've read. This book was published in 1979 so I can't believe I hadn't came across one in all the used bookstores over the years. It's easy to empathize with the characters. A middle-aged man falls for a girl he believes to be a young teen (she's actually early 20s but he doesn't know this) leads to anguish for his wife and son, a blackmail plot by his business partner, along with his own murder. Dave Branstetter enters the investigation and is able to determine the actual killer and prevent an innocent man from being convicted. The action was jumpy and dull in places but overall a decent mystery.
March 22, 2021
Almost like a compressed and updated Chandler novel. Love that Brandstetter has seen it all and therefore has all the answers-only sometimes they're not right. Also love that Brandstatter's sexuality is a given and not a plot point. Added points that the big criminals here are the child molesters and the religious fanatics. Even the pornographer here is more comic and pragmatic than malicious.
July 24, 2025
Hmm. Lots going on in this, including some early-ish trans rep, which probably reflects some of the thoughts and realities of the time while still coming through as compassionate and somewhat balanced even now. The mystery itself is twisty and dramatic as Dave contends with his age, the loss of his father and his "stable" job, and the breaking up of a relationship. The ending is wild. Another good one!
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