Gumshoe Gorilla

Gumshoe #2

by Keith Hartman

2024 was a rough year for Drew Parker. His car broke down, his rent went up, and his partner was kidnapped by a revenge-crazed performance artist with a grant from the NEA. Worse, one of his clients had been tossed off a sky scraper-after being stripped naked, smeared in human fat, and painted with occult symbols. Drew himself had broken into the headquarters of the Christian Militia on a wild goose chase, and nearly gotten his brain fried trying to get back out. And then there was the assassination attempt on that cross dressing Cherokee Shaman, which Drew might not have stopped if he'd known how much trouble it was going to get him into. And that's not even counting the talking gorilla in the fedora. So far, 2025 isn't shaping up to be much better. What had started as a simple case involving identical quintuplet actors cloned from the frozen corpse of a dead movie star was suddenly getting complicated. The pushy stage mom was to be expected, but the secret agents from the Cherokee nation came as a bit of a surprise, as did the lethal martial artist in the clown mask who had broken into his office. Nor had Drew planned on finding himself in the middle of a political death match between competing tele-ministeries. Besides, Drew had a personal score to settle, a little matter involving a privatized version of the KGB, a ring of male prostitutes, and a vampire sex cult. Oh well, at least his Wiccan partner, Jen, is back to help him out. If he can just get her to cut back on the practical jokes and the dating advice.

Genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, LGBT, Science Fiction, M M Romance

416 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Keith Hartman grew up in Huntsville Alabama, where he was a weird little boy who didn't fit in. He went to Princeton University, where he was supposed to study economics and instead blew all his time on theater courses. He then started a PhD in Finance at Duke, before realizing that he just couldn't spend the rest of his life teaching MBA's how to screw each other. So he ran away to be a writer.

His parents were thrilled.

He sold his first short story to a tiny magazine that went out of business, and his first book to Rutgers University, which did not.

He moved to Los Angeles a few years ago to direct low budget movies. It turns out that everyone in Hollywood is stark raving mad.

And Keith fits right in.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a fun read.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

After discovering this sequel to The Gumshoe, The Witch, and the Virtual Corpse, I was anxious to read it. Gumshoe Gorilla continues with many of the characters Keith Hartman created in his previous book, as does the same prevailing theme of intolerance. Added to the “futuristic” elements of genetic testing, cloning, social factions based on religion, sexual persuasion and race are hints of incest, vampire sex cults, and even a kitten. So much goes on in this story that I was almost glad that the mystery was a little transparent. Each chapter is written from the point of view of a different character, which allows the reader to be privy to detail the characters don’t know about. I normally don’t like to know more about the mystery that the detective, I prefer that we be on equal ground. As I said before, however, there is so much to keep track of here that I appreciate the inside knowledge.

I forgot to mention this earlier. I couldn’t believe the copy editing on this book. I swear, there were usage and spelling errors throughout the book. Luckily, some conscientious soul marked all the corrections.

[Long Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still as good as the first book. I wish the author would continue this series 🙏

[Ray Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gumshoe Gorilla (or The Gumshoe, the Clone, and the Wannabe Vampires, which was the title of the edition I bought for my Kindle a couple of weeks ago), is a good follow-up to the first book in the series, The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse.

It takes place shortly after the first book, and the events of that book have consequences as well as an effect on the events of this book. (Continuity ftw!) As it turns out, not as big as effect on this story as it might have had, but it was nice to see how one thing could lead to another.

Much like Book 1, each chapter is told from a different POV. The major characters are first-person, the rest are third-person limited. And the characters in the title headings aren't called by name, but rather epithets like "The Gumshoe", "The Witch", "The Mother", and so on.

I did not see the reveal coming, but looking back it made perfect sense. And it was a nice change of pace to have a mystery that didn't involve a murder for a change. All in all, I thought this was a good book.

[Ζωή Παππά · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series and it starts about a year after the events of book one. We follow Drew as he tries to solve new cases.
I adore this series and I adore Drew. I love the futuristic dystopian setting and I really really love trying to figure out what's going on.
The cases in this book were very interesting, I managed to guess a few things but I was mostly surprised.
I stayed up late to finish the book because I wanted to see how it would end.
I'm absolutely hooked and I need more stories in this world and with Drew.
If you enjoy solving mysteries I highly recommend this series and if you need more convincing there is a not so cute but absolutely adorable kitten in the book.

[Gabrinellea · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book I ever read on the urban science fiction genre ! It was really well written, with strong and original characters and so much surprise, in the plot but also the way the author develops the world and the characters ! A must read if you are looking for something new and different

[Veronik Durocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good!

Too bad that it seems to be the last one in the series. First time I read « gaylit » (I don't even know if it's a thing) and if, at first, it was a little disconcerting (100% hetero dude here), I really enjoy the universe and the story.

[John Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a noir type mystery?

I love a good mystery. You have a detective with some slightly strange talents, a witch, a high rent call boy, a skilled fixer, a dysfunctional family, and black mailer and you have yourself a great time.

[Ryan B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still a good read, but not as good as the first one.

[Tepintzin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first. I missed a lot of the characters from the first book and the veneer of magic on top of the science fiction. It was still entertaining but a letdown.

[Brandon Mehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to the other book, which isn't quite as good.

[Cecil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fair. As a sequel, you could read it without reading the first part. I enjoyed it much more than the first book.

[Ulysses Dietz]

"Gumshoe Gorilla" is much less of a madcap action movie than Hartman's first book, and more of a game of "Clue." There is a smaller cast of familiar characters from the first book, all of whom were active or at least mentioned via Hartman's multiple point-of-view technique. I think Hartman handles the multiple perspective well and never found it confusing. (Something about these books makes me think of Kurt Vonnegut, although I can't quite put my finger on it...)

What I liked best about "Gumshoe Gorilla" was the sharper focus on Drew Parker, the gay gumshoe (private eye), which gives him centrality in all of the book's various plot-lines. I like Parker, and his character gave the book a strong gay presence, some thing the author might have been trying to avoid in the first book (for marketing reasons), where Parker is somewhat lost in a larger, more confusing cast.

Hartman doesn't give us in-depth character analysis, but he sketches out each of the key players well enough that we understand their emotions and their motives. A few stray threads - like the "Number Cruncher," appear and then go mostly nowhere (except to introduce another character who becomes nothing more than a crucial detail in the plot). This, I confess, is irritating, but perhaps it is also setting up the plot for the next book. (And I do hope there is a next book.)

I give reluctant credit to Hartman for not being a romantic. I am a romantic and I want everything to go that way...but the gentle, surprisingly poignant ending, made me realize how much more developed Drew Parker is than I'd thought he was. At the end of this book we realize we know this man better than any of the other characters. And we admire him, his generous spirit, and a loving soul that he himself doesn't realize he has. Surely, I hope, we'll get more of Drew Parker in the future.

I can't downgrade a review for editorial failings...yes, there are grammatical errors and typographical glitches that are annoying all the way through this...but I always resented teachers who lowered your grade for spelling or grammar and didn't credit your writing. It's about creativity, folks. Keith Hartman is a very creative writer. We must encourage him.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Gumshoe Gorilla" by Keith Hartman is the follow up to "The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse." The sequel spends more time with Drew Parker and his psychic partner Jen as they investigate a blackmail case involving clones. Once again the setting is fantastic, and Hartman continues to develop the world he established in the first novel. "Gumshoe Gorilla" feels more like a hardboiled detective novel than its predecessor, which I enjoyed. I also enjoyed the increase in LGBT content. My only real complaints are that the stakes are a lot lower than the last time, and the fact that I want more. I really enjoy the setting and the characters and I'd love to see how things continue. Unfortunately it looks like there won't be any sequels.
I enjoyed this story even more than the first one, but I'm sad to see the series end.

[Drianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to The Gumshoe, The Witch, etc. Still one of the most original things ever, but the sequel is not quite as well done -- one hesitates to say "tight" of a book with this many plots and POV characters, etc. -- as the first. Threads are dropped here (what is going on with the guerrilla poet, what did Ice-in-Summer see about Drew and Laughing Bear, is Drew going to embrace his shamanistic self?), but the overall story remains sound. And Drew is still one of my favorite characters ever. I would like to think this was setting up for a sequel -- but after 12 years, I am sad to think it is now unlikely. Still, I would be beyond excited if one were to materialize.

[Corliss O'Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the most part. However, there were multiple typos that were jarring enough to take me out of the story. Also, the deaf character hearing everything in capital letters gave me a headache; I don’t enjoy being yelled at while I’m reading. Thirdly, and this is probably petty, but ondansetron is not a beta blocker and it does not make you more confident. It is an anti emetic and is more likely to put you to sleep

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review here:

http://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/2...

I really wish there was another Gumshoe coming out sometime.

Don't let that stop you. The book is still a damned good read.

[Karen Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I go back to this book about every three years or so. I love this vision of a futuristic US through the eyes of queers, indigenous folks, and other outsiders. Plus a mystery! You won't regret it.

[Denman G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as mind-blowing as the Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse, but still a highly entertaining read for anyone with a soft spot for magic, mystery, or near-future SF.