Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler

March 28, 2026

Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler

Renata Bronstein lives in a Manhattan tenement with no particular goals other than finding a steady girlfriend, partying with her friends, and doing her best not to hold down a regular job. She sees ghosts, especially the ghosts of her friends who died of complications from AIDS. The only ghost she wants to see but never does is the ghost of her best friend and roommate Mark, who she didn't get a chance to say goodbye to.

A look at LGBTQ life in 1980s Manhattan, with the grief from losing friends far too young and the fear of AIDS lurking at every corner. The two main tropes are the AIDS crisis and Renata's ability to see ghosts, both of which have been done before and done better (see Lincoln in the Bardo about the dead being unable to rest; Angels in America, Borrowed Time, or And the Band Played On about AIDS in the 1980s). The ghostbusters here are not funny guys with slime guns but might be government contractors tasked with getting old, sick, poor, marginalized people out of their rent-controlled apartments so the areas can be gentrified. Possible triggers include addiction, violence against LGBTQ people, suicide, poverty, shame.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

New York LGBTQ club scene circa 1980

City on Fire by Don Winslow

March 16, 2025

City on Fire by Don Winslow

Danny Ryan is a small-time gangster working for the Irish mob in Providence, Rhode Island, working on the docks and trying to support his little family. Although there has been an uneasy truce between the Irish and the local Italian gang, their peace is shattered when one of the Irish takes the girlfriend of one of the Italians, triggering all-out war between the two factions. As he watches his friends fall, Danny finds himself reluctantly thrust into a leadership role as he tries to find a way to resolve the conflict before more deaths occur.

A modern day retelling of Homer's Iliad, like The Iliad crossed paths with Mario Puzo's The Godfather. I had to go back and make a list of the characters in the Iliad to try and match up the players who represent who (the Achilles character is not who you think it is at first but once I connected the actions, the character absolutely fit). There is even a Trojan horse of sorts. And who doesn't love a good mafia book? Themes include revenge, fate, respect, loyalty, and moral ambiguity. This is the first book of a trilogy. Another good Winslow read is California Fire & Life, a less complicated story but still a very good read. Recommended for readers who enjoyed The Godfather or Casino, especially if you are of a literary bent and are familiar with The Iliad.

Providence, Rhode Island

Juno Loves Legs by Karl Geary

March 5, 2023

Juno Loves Legs by Karl Geary

Juno and Sean (christened Legs by Juno) meet and immediately bond at the local Catholic grade school, where the parish priest abuses both of them. Neither child fits in anywhere, at home, at school, on the playground. Juno is from one of the poorest families in the parish and is distrustful, expecting constantly to be bullied. Even as a child, it's obvious that Legs is different from the other boys, and Father (the parish priest) is determined to beat his homosexuality out of him. The two children are inseparable until Legs commits a terrible act that will tear the children apart, only to find each other again many years later.

OMG, I loved this book!! I read Juno Loves Legs in a single day, it's that good, and I found it impossible to put down. I loved the characters and the story. Juno and Legs are so tender with each other. If I have a complaint, it's that the ending felt a little rushed. Read this book! As soon as it's available!

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Dublin in the 1980s

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

January 9, 2021

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

In the 1980's, a serial killer was preying on gay men in midtown New York, hanging around gay bars until closing time, when he lured lonely men to leave with him. Dubbed the Last Call Killer by the press, he was bland and inconspicuous and faded into the crowds at the gay bars (the pianist at one bar described him as forgettable).

Even though bags of body parts were showing up along New York highways, law enforcement were slow to recognize a pattern, partly because the victims were gay men, and partly because there was no online crime network at the time, so the police departments in the various towns did not work together. 

His crimes have been largely forgotten with the AIDS crisis and the rising crime and murder rates. Elon Green remembers the victims rather than the serial killer, allowing each man's life to tell his story. Love the noir-ish cover.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.