Review of "Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York" by Elon Green

 

 

Author Elon Green

In the early 1990s a serial killer was murdering gay men who frequented New York City bars and pick-up spots, but the crimes got little press coverage and passed below most people's radar. Now that true crime has become such a popular genre, Elon Green tells the story of the 'Last Call Killer', who eluded law enforcement for many years.

The story starts on May 5, 1991, when a maintenance worker on the Pennsylvania Turnpike found a body wrapped in plastic bags in a rest area trash can.







The victim was Peter Anderson, fifty-four, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.



The next year, on July 10, 1992, two New Jersey Department of Transportation employees found a disarticulated body in plastic bags at a rest stop in the Garden State.



The dead man was Thomas Mulcahy, fifty-seven, of Sudbury, Massachusetts.



Then on May 10, 1993, plastic bags containing the dismembered body of Anthony Edward Marrero, forty-four, of Philadelphia, was found on a roadway in New Jersey.



And finally, on July 31, 1993, the butchered body of Michael Sakara, fifty-six, from Manhattan, was found in plastic bags on a roadside in Rockland County, New York.


Road in Rockland County, New York

When investigators on the separate cases shared information, it became clear a serial killer was at work, and authorities speculated about additional victims, as yet unfound. A multistate task force was assembled to catch the perpetrator, but the killer was elusive, and the endeavor took years.



In addition to describing the murders and the police investigations, author Elon Green delves into the history of the victims and the anti-gay atmosphere that forms the background for the crimes.

The 1900s were not friendly to queer people. A 1923 New York State law made it a criminal act for a man to even ASK another man for sex, and after WWII "the U.S. State Department was purged of gays and lesbians, whom Senator Joseph McCarthy deemed a threat to national security." Prejudice against gays increased when the AIDS pandemic started to spread in 1980, and gay-bashing in the streets of New York became common.


A man kneels down at a memorial for Mark Carson, after another man yelled homophobic slurs at him before shooting him in the head. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Sadly, New York City law enforcement showed "systemic indifference" to crimes against queer people. As an example, Green writes about three gay men in Chelsea who were attacked by white kids with bats in 1980. "One man lost two teeth; another sustained thirty-six stitches to his forehead, a damaged eye, and a broken nose. Reporting such crimes to the police was considered not worth the trouble, for there was rarely any recourse. An activist told the Daily News, 'If you go to court and it's brought out that you're gay, the defense will make a bum out of you'." This feeling was commonplace, and many queer victims suffered in silence.

To meet in a relatively safe atmosphere, homosexual men would congregate in gay bars, which spanned the gamut from cheap joints to elegant piano bars. Green describes many New York City gay bars - their location, atmosphere, and clientele.


A gay dive bar in NYC


The Townhouse piano bar in NYC

The Townhouse, a gay bar that opened in 1989, was old-fashioned by design. Green writes, "Geographically, the Townhouse wasn't so far away from the noise and the grime and the cut-rate sex workers - walking distance even. But milling around that warm, inviting back room nursing a cocktail, a few feet away from the piano and elegantly attired men, you could almost pretend it was another country."

The police learned that several of the serial killer's victims frequented the Townhouse bar, which seemed to be a favorite hunting ground for the perp. The murderer was thought to pick up a victim near closing time, and he was dubbed the 'Last Call Killer. '

Serial killing, even of gay people, was anathema, and the push to protect the queer community was assisted by the Anti-Violence Project (AVP), which began on the cusp of the AIDS epidemic. Green details the birth and evolution of the AVP, which was instrumental in making the police and district attorney more accountable for anti-gay crime in New York.



The slayer is identified toward the latter part of the book, and Green outlines his background, appearance, profession, habits, modus operandi, etc.


The Last Call Killer

The author tried to interview the perp, but the killer refused to cooperate, so Green's analysis is incomplete, but still very informative.

The author's end-notes demonstrate how much research went into the book, which is an encompassing account of LGBTQ issues in 20th century New York and a fascinating story of the Last Call killer and his crimes....which began before he took the life of Peter Anderson in 1991. I don't want to give away spoilers, so for a complete picture, you'll have to read the book.

Thanks to Celadon Books for a review copy.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Archie Meets Nero Wolfe: A Prequel to Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Mysteries" by Robert Goldsborough

This 8th book in the 'Nero Wolfe Mysteries' is a prequel.

*****

Rex Stout's "Nero Wolfe" books - set in the middle years of the 20th century - are among my favorite light mysteries.



Wolfe is an eccentric, obese private detective who lives in a brownstone in New York City; almost never leaves his house; spends four hours a day tending his orchids; has a chef who prepares delicious gourmet meals; loves beer; and employs Archie Goodwin as his assistant, legman, and gadfly.



After Rex Stout died, the series was continued by Robert Goldsborough, who stayed true to Stout's formula. This Goldsborough book is a bit of a departure, being a prequel that harks back to the depression, when nineteen-year-old Archie first arrives in New York City from Chillicothe, Ohio.



The depression makes employment hard to find, and Archie's first job is night watchman for the Moreland Import Company docks. Soon after Archie starts, two thugs try to steal a shipment of Swiss watches and clocks, and - after the goons shoot at Archie - he returns fire and kills them. This leads to Archie's dismissal for being 'trigger happy', but Archie's determination and smarts get him a position with Del Bascom's private detective agency.....which results in his meeting Nero Wolfe.

Wolfe, a private detective who sees clients in his home on 34th Street, is hired by hotel magnate Burke Williamson. Williamson's eight-year-old son Tommie was kidnapped from the family's front lawn and a $100,000 ransom has been demanded, with a warning NOT to call the police. Williamson hires Wolfe to help deliver the money and retrieve the boy.



Wolfe calls in his usual free-lance operatives, Saul Panzer;



Fred Durkin;



and Orrie Cather.



For extra manpower Wolfe also hires Bill Gore and Del Bascom - who totes Archie along to help. Archie proves himself invaluable to the operation, and - by the end of the book - is hired to be Wolfe's assistant.



It's interesting to see Archie as a very young man, and fun to observe his decision to buy a dictionary, so he can look up the 'hard' words that make up Wolfe's everyday conversation.

In addition to the series' recurring PI characters, we meet belligerent stuttering Lieutenant Rowcliff - who's continually enraged by Archie's wisecracks and Wolfe's arrogance;



cigar-chomping Inspector Cramer - who gets annoyed with Wolfe's interference in (what Cramer considers) police matters;



and Sergeant Purley Stebbins - who's usually on hand to arrest the perps.



Wofle's personal chef, Fritz Brenner, is present as well....



.....and he prepares a Cassoulet de Castelnaudary. Archie skips eating it though because (in those early days) Archie 'was unsure as to what kind of grub this was.'



Of course fans of the series know that Archie becomes quite the gourmand later on.

This is a fun prequel, recommended to readers who like the series and fans of cozy mysteries.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Milkman: A Novel" by Anna Burns

 

 

Author Anna Burns won the 2018 Man Booker Prize for this book.

Milkman is narrated in a stream-of-consciousness style by an unnamed 18-year-old Irish girl who refers to herself as 'middle sister.' Middle sister lives in an unnamed city (probably Belfast) during the time of the Northern Ireland Conflict, also known as The Troubles.

(According to Google, the hostilities in Northern Ireland, from 1968 to 1998, resulted from a dispute between the Protestant unionists - who wanted the region to remain part of the UK, and the Roman Catholic nationalists - who wanted the region to become part of the Republic of Ireland.)





Middle sister is part of a large Catholic family that's seen much tragedy. Her deceased father was clinically depressed and she's lost several siblings to The Troubles.

To block out her surroundings, middle sister has the odd habit of reading novels while walking.



This conduct makes the girl conspicuous in the community, and has drawn the attention of a 41-year-old married renouncer (IRA-type paramilitary leader) who seems determined to draw middle sister into his life.



The renouncer, called the milkman (though this isn't his job), materializes when middle sister is walking, or running around the reservoir, or leaving her evening French class.

Middle sister doesn't want the milkman's attentions, and changes her routine to avoid him, but the renouncer just keeps showing up. This makes middle sister anxious, and she's always looking over her shoulder, fearing the milkman will appear.

When the milkman does turns up, he walks or runs alongside middle sister, and talks and talks. The milkman's entire conversation is ABOUT middle sister - her family, where she works, what buses she takes, what clubs she goes to, the people she hangs out with, etc. It's clear the milkman knows everything about middle sister, which isn't especially surprising. In the toxic atmosphere of Northern Ireland, people are constantly being spied on, followed, photographed, etc.



Still, the fact that the milkman has been surveilling her makes middle sister VERY uncomfortable.

Middle sister is unsure of the milkman's motives at first, but when he threatens to car-bomb the boy she's seeing, whom she calls 'maybe boyfriend', middle sister realizes the milkman probably wants to make her his mistress (or one of his mistresses).

Though middle sister has NEVER been alone with the milkman, the rumor mill puts it around that she's the renouncer's girlfriend.



This chatter has multiple consequences: some people condemn middle sister for consorting with an older married man; some people show middle sister deference because they fear the milkman; and some people embrace middle sister as part of the renouncer community.

Middle sister's pious mother is especially anxious about the girl's 'relationship' with the milkman, because ma is desperate for middle sister to get married and have babies. Any single man of the right religion will do for ma, and her pushiness about marriage is a lighter aspect of the book.



People in middle sister's Catholic community live in an environment of paranoia and fear. Everyone observes and judges each other, and it's important to show complete antipathy to everything associated with Great Britain. This includes what you name your children, cars you drive, groceries you buy, newspapers you read, movies you watch, and so on. A wrong step can lead to insults, beatings, and even death.



In this climate, middle sister divulges very little about herself to anyone, not even her ma or 'maybe boyfriend.' This allows people to make up stories about middle sister, which she finds infuriating but unavoidable.

As the story unfolds, we meet additional people in middle sister's orbit, including her oldest friend; a real milkman (who delivers milk); a girl who randomly poisons people; a chef with an imaginary apprentice; middle sister's siblings; a nasty intrusive brother-in-law; a pleasant friendly brother-in-law; a French teacher; ma's friends (the pious women); Somebody McSomebody - who has a crush on middle sister; and more.

To me, one of the most entertaining parts of the book occurs when the real milkman, a middle-aged man who never married, is laid up in the hospital. The real milkman is very handsome, and the available ladies descend on the hospital en masse, each of them plotting to snag him.



Middle sister has the habit of saying the same thing over and over using different words (which can get annoying), but her observations are sharp, observant, and even a bit of fun. For me, the book provided a better understanding of Northern Ireland during the conflict.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "The Younger Wife: A Novel" by Sally Hepworth

As the story opens Stephen Aston, a sixtyish physician, is marrying Heather Wisher, a thirtyish interior designer.

Stephen's daughters Rachel and Tully - both older than their future stepmother - are the bridesmaids and Stephen's ex-wife Pam - who Stephen divorced to marry Heather - is a guest at the wedding.



You might think 'What can go wrong?' Well, something does. Blood flows, an ambulance is called, and the remainder of the book details the year leading up to the nuptials.

*****

Stephen and Heather meet when the interior designer is hired to re-do Stephen and Pam's home. Heather, who grew up in a dysfunctional family, is struck by Stephen's kindness and solicitude to his wife Pam- who's already suffering from dementia. By the time Stephen places Pam in a nursing home Heather is in love with the older man, and the pair embark on a romantic relationship.



Stephen introduces his daughters Rachel and Tully to his new girlfriend, and announces that he and Heather plan to get married.....as soon as he divorces his wife Pam. This puts Rachel and Tully on the horns of a dilemma. They blanch at the idea of their mother being 'abandoned' but they want their father to be happy. So the sisters try to befriend Heather, and this - as well as pressures in their personal lives - exacerbate their personal struggles.

The story is told from the rotating points of view of Heather, Tully, and Rachel, each of whose secrets are slowly revealed.

Rachel is a professional baker who, though shapely and beautiful, hasn't had a relationship since she was sixteen.



Moreover, Rachel is a stress-eater who gobbles food to ease her nerves, and will eat until she's sick to alleviate her anxiety.



Tully is a married mother of two small boys.



She's also a compulsive thief. To relieve her almost constant tension, Tully has been stealing things - clothes, candles, jewelry, flashlights, knick-knacks, etc. - since she was a pre-teen.



Moreover, Tully and her husband have serious financial problems and the once wealthy couple must downgrade their luxurious lifestyle. To add to their troubles, the couple's toddler son Miles is showing signs of kiddie angst.

Heather uses alcohol to cope with the stress in her life and - though she seems to truly love Stephen - part of the attraction was certainly Stephen's wealth and position in society.



Unfortunately Heather's background didn't prepare her to fit in with the smart set, and she struggles to socialize with some of Stephen's friends.




As the story unfolds, suspicions arise that one of the characters is an accomplished deceiver who's been fooling people for a long time. The other protagonists try to determine the truth or falsehood of this conjecture, and - by the end - they discover the truth.

Though the premise of the story - older man marries younger woman - has been addressed many times in literature (and real life), the story has interesting twists. Fans of domestic dramas would probably enjoy the novel.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars