By Elizabeth Parker
Both of the books in this column will be spoiled if you read the column. Check the bibliography for the book titles if you'd like to leave the surprises intact. This month we return to the world of the serial killer. It is unfortunate that so many transgendered fictional characters are represented this way, but anytime a plot calls for disguise, the opportunity opens for crossdressing. Because of the popularity of this genre, there will be many such opportunities. I will continue to intersperse uplifting or heroic characters as long as possible. John Sandfords Lucas Davenport series has always featured interesting heros and villains. Lucas Davenport is a street cop with connections all over the Twin Cities who has risen to a high position within the police department. He is also independently wealthy, having started a successful side business designing computer games. With each book, he introduces an assortment of interesting characters to assist and/or harass Davenport. Michael Bekker, first encountered in "Eyes of Prey", is a serial killer with a fixation on his victims eyes. Bekker is also very proud of his personal beauty. Davenport tracked down and arrested Bekker in the previous book. In "Silent Prey", Bekker escapes from a Minneapolis courthouse. As Davenport hunts for Bekker, the story is alternately told from Davenport and Bekkers points of view. There are clues given throughout the book on how Bekker is hiding from the police. He is flirted with by a bookstore clerk. He "teeters" down the street. His voice "squeaks" when he speaks and he tries to minimize his speaking. Finally Davenport figures out, long after we have, that Bekker is living as a woman, making use of his beauty to pass successfully in society. Once this is revealed there are some good descriptions of Bekker dressing and how he makes himself over. There is also a scene where Davenport gets help from a transvestite hooker in figuring out what Bekker is doing. I found this book to be an exciting read. There are many plot twists along the way with several sub-plots to keep things moving. The book is also a very good thriller, a little less so if you have already caught on to the surprise. However those of our interests will not be surprised too much anyway. Val McDermid is best known for her two series featuring tough, kick-boxing private investigator Kate Brannigan and top-notch lesbian reporter Lindsay Gordon. "The Mermaids Singing" is a significant departure for the talented British author, and one which won her Britain's top crime-fiction award, The Gold Dagger. The book is a complex psychological study of a serial killer known as Handy Andy, who somehow manages to seduce, torture and kill young men. He records the torture and killing and delights in taunting the police with the recordings. The police psychologist who is called in to help the police has problems of his own; he is addicted to phone sex with a mysterious caller. There are many complicating factors in the investigation, not the least of which is the reluctance of the police to admit there is a serial killer at all. Obviously there is a TG element at work here, which is not revealed until late in the book. Handy Andy is revealed to be a post-operative transsexual, who is not particularly pretty. Nevertheless she worked for a time as a prostitute and learned skills which stand her in good stead for seducing her victims. The climactic scene in the book has her fixate on the psychologist. This book is a very dark and gloomy story, with not much overt transgender activity to recommend it, except for one factor; the psychologist's reaction to Handy Andy's seduction. He becomes quite excited and disturbed by his reaction when it becomes clear that Handy Andy is transsexual. He is fascinated, yet repelled at the same time, much like our reaction to transgendered serial killers. I found the discussion quite thought provoking. Therein lies the story and its worth to us. If you have any book suggestions, send them to 72117.571@compuserve.com. Next time, a look at an opera brought to fictional life in a very clever way. Bibliography McDermid, Val, "The Mermaids Singing", Harper Prism, December 1 1996, ISBN: 0061011746 Sandford, John, "Silent Prey", Berkely Pub Group, March 1995, ISBN: 0425137562 |