In Michael Nava’s newest and ninth Henry Rios mystery novel, the question of “Who done it?” seems secondary — almost irrelevant at times.
While someone has died under increasingly mysterious circumstances, what propelled me through “Carved in Bone” was not to uncover a dastard with bloodied hands dripping in the shadows. It was Nava’s gift of presenting layered, complex and instantly recognizable characters, mostly gay men who took my hand and guided me through the haunted and hunted halls of San Francisco in the 1980s.
The tour begins on page one with Bill Ryan, a small-town teen who’s ambushed by friendly fire during the foreplay of self-discovery and seeks refuge in Fog City. I rooted for him as he, like generations of LGBTQ folks before him, manages to clear the path to career, sex, relationships and chosen family. But the onslaught of AIDS follows. Soon San Francisco is under attack. Bill finds himself among the “walking wounded” descending an escalator of uncertainty, loss and disdainful disregard.
The novel excels in exploring the rarely acknowledged side-effects of a political and cultural juggernaut. It deftly shows how the epidemic upended many gay men’s already-quaking foundation, creating fissures that permeate relationships and life today.
Nava accomplishes this feat in two ways, and neither involves preaching. His writing concisely describes time and place, from the imitation elephant’s foot umbrella stand in a childhood bedroom to the modest kitchen of a friend-with-benefits, which “smelled of olive oil and garlic with an undertone of Raid.”
This attention to detail extends to the people who populate San Francisco but are often absent from fiction set in the diverse urban community. In addition to the Mexican American attorney Henry Rios, who as series protagonist investigates the mystery, the plot and subplots feature gay men of color with intriguing backgrounds of their own. The contributions and struggles of Chinese immigrants and their descendants to the city are included as well.
It bears repeating that Nava has created compelling, richly flawed, relatable characters in a book of just over 300 pages. Some have significant supporting roles, while others appear briefly. I could’ve read an entire novel about Bill’s lovers (Nick and Michael), friends (Waldo and Eddie), as well as Henry’s friends (Adam and Larry). But that would not have been a mystery.
In a sense, “Carved in Bone” defies the mystery genre and somewhat elevates it. The gumshoe gratification that one might expect is eclipsed in three-fourths of the book by the emotional depth of the characters, the diminishing world they face and how they deal with it.
However, for diehard mystery fans, rest assured the case is solved in the end. Nava delivers an unexpected twist that will satisfy readers who must know the identity of the person who committed the act in question. But for this reader, it’s the why Nava reveals that echoes in heart and mind.
For more on Michael Nava’s books and a podcast on Henry Rios Mysteries, go to www.michaelnavawriter.com.
