REVIEW: 'Carved in Bone'

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.

DISPATCH: Decades Apart, Miles Together

Palm Springs

Lured by the universe, I cross a bridge over untroubled water to receive my gift. I find a perch, Kokopelli in disguise, mellow in martini, Miles Davis and dim sum. 

Daily meditations on lyrical lore and joyful noise deliver this night for all that jazz — and then some.

An ennobled trio flocks to my small landing, as the surrounding sea teems and swells toward the light. Free from his Beatle’s nest, one considers while two Gand-er at the familiar glow ahead. Onstage, The New Nine trumpets a return to 1957 and “Birth of the Cool.”

Decades between us will not prevent me from unwrapping this custom-made collaboration: the fated appearance of a buoyant last ticket to bear witness, a seminal album performed live by generations of giddy musicians, fellowship over food and drink with three well-versed in universal language.

Neither starry eyes nor a misplaced pillar will obscure my view of this wondrous experience.

DISPATCH: Rescue and Rebirth

Rancho Mirage

It’s happy hour on a sweltering September Saturday in the Southern California desert. Just off Golden State Street, a lighthouse beam flickers unnoticed by residents of a small mobile home park. 

A party of other-worldly men, women and three children encircle a beloved host disavowed and newly cast adrift.

“I like it. I like it here,” guests recite brightly in and out of this far-flung, white-siding-ed encampment. 

Inside, a spread of stewing meatballs, assorted glassy cheese slices and crackers, cookies, marinating fruit bites, and valiant sandwiches on toasted bread quarters conspires to celebrate its unmoored creator’s past and present birth.

Outside, sporadic breezes of change carry soothing recollections of first meetings and hope for shared milestones across a covered concrete porch. Behind a bar at the far end, unsalted margaritas and various wines are generously mixed and served with the novice determination and proficiency of Boy Scout pledges. Barfly banter morphs into shoring up the young mates’ loyalty for their discarded co-captain’s unwavering devotion to their safe harbor.

A new layer of a pineapple upside-down life begins to rise.

POLITICS: A smaller but still mighty force?

When national media outlets reported the news earlier this year that there are far fewer lesbians and gay men in the United States than many of us believed, I was disappointed.

I had often heard and assumed to be factual that gay people were 10 percent of the entire population. It turns out that lesbians and gay men are 3.5 percent of adults in the States, while transgender Americans are another 0.3 percent, according to research by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy at UCLA School of Law.

Instead of more than 30 million of us, there are about 9 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents, the research shows.

My first thought while reading the news story was, "OK, so how are the bigots and anti-gay groups going to use this against us?"

I got my answer within 24 hours as the recipient of a mass email from an individual who seizes every opportunity to cast aspersions on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans and their fight for equal rights.

THE LIFE: Here comes the bachelorette party

If you venture out after dark any time in June and hear a high-pitched humming, don't be alarmed. In many places it's only the harmless cicadas singing their mating song.

With only six weeks to live, the red-eyed insects take advantage of the warmer temps of spring to get busy and lay their eggs.Some cicadas are expected to be hooking up until the start of summer on June 21.

But if you're in a gayborhood and hear the same sound, take cover. You may be under attack.

Swarms of buzzing, often shrieking, bachelorette parties are known to descend in June and July. Determined to celebrate the last nights of freedom (if you're the glass-half-empty type) of their veiled leader, the groups alight in gay bars to drink, laugh, dance, flirt, whoop it up and be photographed in drunken circus contortions with male strippers.

It's all good clean fun, right? As my friend Michael J. pointed out, the women are comfortable with gay men and isn't it wonderful we all get along and hang out together?

POLITICS: The power of green

Green is only one of the colors in the gay rainbow flag, but it's often the most influential color for bringing about change.

Right or wrong, good or bad, green (money) talks and gets people moving.

Orbitz, the online travel company, announced on June 9 it is reviewing its policy about advertising on Fox News Channel and other networks known for anti-LGBT content. The decision comes after news that Orbitz advertised on Fox sparked a public outcry among gay rights groups.

A conversation between The Courage Campaign and Orbitz was also instrumental in the decision, according to a written statement from Brian Hoyt, an Orbitz executive.

"Orbitz has a longstanding record within the LGBT and allies community who recognize us as a company which embraces tolerance, nondiscrimination and equality not only with our words but with our actions," Hoyt said. "That is best shown by our policies and our longstanding partnerships with many national LGBT leaders."

It's a noble statement -- one I appreciate. Of course there's a financial component as well.

THE LIFE: A decade of Manhunt



Jonathan Crutchley, co-founder of Manhunt.net, poses with New York City
bartenders and Manhunt models.

 For 10 years Jonathan Crutchley has equipped and supported gay men in their favorite sport -- the hunt.

As a part owner of Manhunt.net, Crutchley, his co-founding partner Larry Basile, and 100 employees based in Cambridge, Mass.,  provide an outlet for men to connect and possibly meet one another. The hookup site, which is how Jonathan describes it, marked its first decade of operation in April.

During the past six years, the Manhunt team has traveled and worked to extend its reach globally. It's been translated into about eight languages and can be used in 100 countries. With nearly 2 million active accounts, it's one of the leading social networking sites for gay men, but growing the company beyond the U.S. hasn't been all fun and games.

The first attempt to expand into a foreign country in 2005 "bombed," Jonathan said.