A queer case

Holtom debuts with an enthralling Golden Age--style whodunit set in 1929 England. Selby Bigge is a gay bank clerk who spends his nights discreetly touring London's underground queer bars. One evening in Hampstead Heath, he spots Patrick Duker, a handsome old acquaintance from Oxford. The two reconnect, and Bigge gladly accepts an invitation to join Patrick at what promises to be an awkward family dinner with Patrick's millionaire father, Sir Lionel, and Lionel's second, much younger wife, Lucinda. Patrick hopes Bigge will help him dig up some dirt on Lucinda that might convince his father to divorce her. The dinner goes so well that Patrick invites Bigge back for a second get-together, which takes a disastrous turn when a member of the household is found strangled in the billiard room. Bigge leaps into the role of detective, tasked with finding the killer--and keeping his sexuality hidden--if he wants to keep his new place among London's upper crust. Holtom enhances the whip-smart plot with a keen sense of humor, best displayed in scenes where Bigge fakes familiarity with the work of an Agatha Christie--like author who's a guest of the Dukers. Fair-play mystery fans will be eager for the sequel. (June)