Thai Died: A Stud Draqual Mystery

Maltese, William. "Thai Died: A Stud Draqual Mystery", Green Candy Press, 2007. Thai Silk Amos Lassen and Literary Pride Stud Draqual is back. After his wonderful successful appearance in "A Slip to Die For", William Maltese treats us to another adventure with our silk merchant. The book is laden with mystery--there are several here, with characters--they are many and multifaceted, with sex--the book drips. We have a wonderful mixture of different forms of fiction here replete with all one looks for in an enjoyable read. Our hero, Stud, is in Thailand to buy--what else?--silk. While there he avoids gunfire and bombs, murder and crises as he hopes to do business and enjoy the pleasures of the country. He suddenly is aware that he is being stalked by a young and handsome mercenary, Jack Billing. Before he realizes watt is appending he is face down in the well of a water taxi and being bombarded with bullets. It seems that Jack has somehow been involved or reputed to have been involved with the murder of a male hustler whose body turned up at his front door. It is Jack's plan to get Stud to help him prove his innocence. Maltese is perhaps best known for his eroticism and he has done it again in this book. He has managed to tell a fascinating story and give t the sex it needs to push it forward--and forward it goes at record speed. As far as being a good storyteller, let me tell you that Maltese is great. From the moment you start one of his books, you do not want to stop. And "Thai Died" is no exception. I sat engrossed with the story and all I could think of was why had I not read him earlier. I met Maltese over the internet and have now read abut six of his books. I guess I have my summer reading cut out for me.

If you've not had the pleasure of reading William Maltese's infamous Doppelmorder, his German-language short-story (not yet offered in English-language translation), that had at least one German critic label the author A Grand Master of the mystery genre ... If you have read several of Maltese's English-language books (and there are several), and you agree he's good but still aren't sure he's all that great ... Don't pass up buying THAI DIED. It may not possess the short-term visceral punch of his tour-de-force Dooppelmorder, but it certainly places the author right up there with the very best of mystery writers, gay or otherwise.This book's mysteries (and there are more than one to be solved), its story-lines (and there are several), its character development (even the villains are multi-faceted and fascinating), weave a tapestry as complex and luxurious as any of the silk fabric the book's protagonist is in Bangkok to buy. The locale not the only thing that differentiates this book from its New York City-based predecessor, A SLIP TO DIE FOR (both books part of the author's Stud Draqual Mystery Series). This book is longer. This book has more involved and interesting plot-lines. This book offers even more chance for its hero to succumb to temptation, as he's pressured not only by a gay mercenary but also by a jaded Thai hustler. This book has a new publisher, Green Candy Press, that has done a bang-up job by way of packaging, from the Thai script and numerical chapter headings, to the flashy tie-dyed Thai silk of the cover backdrop, to the bloody fingerprints (and errant false eyelash) surprisingly found printed on the inside of the front (and back) cover.Finally, this book has large dollops of Maltese's trademark literary sensuality.In short, this book has everything, including intense enjoyability, to make it a classic in its genre.