Stan “Vannos” Kraychik in his debut case
Reviewer: Parisdude
Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
At the beginning of the story, Stan’s working on Calvin, one of his least appreciated male clients, a real arrogant prick but, alas, one of those who seem to have it all: looks, hot body, wealth, and success with The Hunks. That much is obvious when Stan gets to meet Calvin’s latest hook-up, Roger, a hot Californian dude who’s staying at Calvin’s place. That tanned, muscled lad would be right up Stan’s alley. He can’t believe his luck when said Roger invites him to come have a drink with him and his host, ghastly Calvin (much to the latter’s dismay). But when Stan enters Calvin’s richly furnished flat that evening, he finds Calvin hysterical, whereas Roger is lying in Calvin’s bed, very naked, and very… dead. Strangled. And then Stan’s problems begin.
A nicely wrapped murder mystery starring a slightly stubborn amateur sleuth, Stan Kraychik aka Vannos, who’s a Bostonian hairdresser when he’s not stumbling over dead bodies.
Stan is an extremely likeable character telling his story in well-crafted sentences that make up this first-person narrative. He’s sweet, somewhat self-conscious, stubborn, often referring to his Czech heritage, bold, and clever. The secondary characters are nicely depicted as well (kudos for inventing the character of Stan’s boss, eccentric Nicole), the dialogues made me chuckle more than once, the descriptions were lively and to-the-point. I really loved this book with its cleverly invented plot, and I was more than happy to discover that Grant Michaels wrote five more Stan Kraychik-novels.
https://gaybook.reviews/2019/06/25/a-body-to-dye-for-parisdudes-review/
Reviewer: Gregory Ashe
Rating: 4 starts out of 5
These moments of subversion and resistance are what make A BODY TO DYE FOR better than another dated cozy mystery.
In fact, the whole point of Stan seems to show the range of possibility that can exist within a stereotyped gay identity. Stan’s alter-ego seems to be the ultra gay stereotype: the effeminate Ms. Leona, a gay aesthete who is also a hairdresser. When another character links the two by their profession, Stan insists, “I’m one of the new breed,” which seems to be a comment about both hairdressers and gay men. Later, a character asks Stan if he’s a pansy. Stan’s answer, again, is telling: “Does it matter?” To which the other character responds: “Guess not.”
Even San Francisco comes in for some of the subversion, with Stan pointing out the contrast between his romantic expectations and the reality (bad weather, an over-sexual cab driver, and more).
Beyond all of these culturally important moments, though, the book is just dang fun.
Michaels does a great job of introducing and sustaining funny running gags. Stan attributes almost everything to his Slavic heritage. He’s a stickler for grammar. And, no matter how bad he is at it, he insists on learning how to smoke.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2895788300
Reviewer: Ulysses Dietz
Rating: 5 starts out of 5
“People have been killed for a lot less than telling the truth.”
I am really happy to have discovered Grant Michaels’s inimitable Stan Kraychik, the red-headed Czech-American hairdresser-cum-sleuth. Michaels’s writing is sharper and funnier than I expected, and Stan’s character is both endearing and aggravating – which was rather the point, I suspect.
“Vannos is kind of a ginger hairburner Hercule Poirot, but with none of that Belgian’s effete coyness. He is out and proud and loves to make straight people uncomfortable if it suits his mood.”
Now, admittedly, the plot of this mystery adventure gets a little far-fetched (I won’t go into it, because it’s just too fun to experience with no forewarning), but the author manages to make everything seem plausible and authentic. I learned things reading this book, not the least of which is the proper use of “who” and “whom.”
The author also really made me hungry for the next installment in this series.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/20364216-a-body-to-dye-for-by-grant-michaels
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