Go Bump in the Night

James Lear, The Back Passage, 2006
What do you get when you mix gay pornography with Agatha Christie? That must be the question James Lear asked himself when he set out to write this short piece of filth set in 1920s England. Mitch is a hot, young American studying in Cambridge who is invited to spend a weekend at Drekeham Hall, the type of English country house where a lot of shenanigans goes on both up and down stairs. The novel opens with Mitch busy trying to give his best friend "Boy" Morgan a blowjob in a hallway closet, when suddenly interrupted by a piercing scream from somewhere else in the house. From then on, each chapter revolves around one or other type of sexual encounter Mitch must get through before he can assemble more clues on the murder. The question becomes not who is the killer, but who will Mitch fuck next. As a light summer read, this is a perfect book to get you through the first warm days of the season, providing also a few chuckles here and there. Anyone who loves murder mysteries, in particular the golden age types, will be amused by Lear's pastiche.