Where to begin when this review is not so much of these two books as it is a review of the world and psyche of the protagonist, Henry Rios. For starters, these two books along with the other five books in the series deliver far more than we are led to expect from the genre of murder mysteries, especially gay-themed murder mysteries.
It’s hard to believe that I have found nothing to dislike or even whine about in any of the five books I’ve completed in this fantastic series. These two novels are the third and fourth of the cases of Henry Rios, a self-made Latino attorney in California. The books are really as much about the interior workings of Henry as they are about the fascinating intricacies of these tightly written stories dealing with varying degrees of malfeasance in the gay and straight worlds of both urban and rural California.
Nava’s first novel was published in 1986, the seventh and last in 2001. The inner turmoil of the hero seems to become more resolved with each work. I think each of the stories is free standing but there are passing references to earlier stories which you might notice only if you’d read an earlier work.
What is steady, even steadfast throughout is the sense of compassion, fair play and social justice Henry (and, I am sure, the author Nava), engenders. The setting for these middle stories range from smaller Los Robles to L.A. Howtown deals with issues of pedophilia, small city corruption, and police brutality. The legalese seems authentic (to be expected since Nava is himself an attorney who practices in California). The Hidden Law deals with big city politics, police brutality, gang warfare, power struggles, and quasi-assassination.
To go deeply into any murder mystery risks spoiling the book for the reader. Suffice it to say the legalese in not overdone, the plot twists in these and the other three I’ve read keep the reader involved and the sparse clear writing is a pleasure to read.
What is best about all of Nava is the insight and depth he gives to his main character attorney Henry Rios. Henry deals gradually with his childhood of brutality and abuse, estrangement for his sister, and his rage with roots in his turbulent youth. He deals realistically with his alcoholism with compassion and clear-headedness. He deals with his sexual orientation directly and honestly.
What he deals best and most authentically with is his love, his lover, and the horror of the AIDS epidemic. Both Howtown and The Hidden Law were written in the early 90s at the peak of the AIDS deaths when viable treatments were just coming into being and side effects were severe and unpredictable. Passages dealing with Henry’s partner, Josh are moving and passionate but neither dreary nor maudlin.
I cannot imagine any of us in the gay community not liking the Henry Rios series. It matters not where you start (although the last really sums up the first six). I especially like The Death of Friends (1996) and The Hidden Law (1992).
These novels are “quick reads” and “real page turners” If you’re into mysteries at all, you’ll whip through these and rapidly be ready for another. Alas there are only seven! Read one today!