Joseph Hansen Books

After twenty-one years on the detective beat, aging veteran P.I. Dave Brandstetter is finally going to get some rest--that is, after one last case. Even though he is no longer able to sprint after the bad guys like he used to, Brandstetter is not stopped from investigating this wild tale of kidnapping and murder told by a bruised and grubby little boy found wandering the beach alone. The police don't even believe the kid--just as they don't believe that the drug-related shooting death of a pop guitarist in anything out of the ordinary. So Dave is lured out of retirement to confront street drugs, powerful politicians, sleazy record executives, child abuse.and to unravel as snarled a tangle of carnage and deception as he's ever faced.

In a remote spot outside L.A, a giant truck suddenly plunges in flames off a mountain road at midnight. It looks like an accident, but it isn't. Someone had fastened a bomb under the truck, killing owner-driver, Paul Myers who was insured for $100,000. Crack insurance investigator, Dave Brandsetter is called in to find out what happened and why. Why was Myers hauling in that secluded spot at that hour and for whom? No one wants to answer Dave's questions but then another trucker's death arouses suspicions and a pattern begins to emerge.

The investigation into a journalist's suicide leads insurance investigator Dave Brandstetter to uncover a dangerous story involving a missing South American strongman, El Carnicero. Renowned for his fearless reporting, Adam Streeter's death seems suspicious to Dave, who suspects foul play rather than suicide. As he delves deeper, he faces threats from powerful individuals wanting to silence the truth. Balancing his pursuit of justice with the concerns of his lover, Cecil, Dave's quest reveals the high stakes of uncovering dark secrets that some are willing to kill for.

"My name is David Brandstetter. I'm a claims investigator for the Medallion Life Insurance Company." He handed her a card. She didn't glance at it. "I'm looking for Peter Oats," he said. "He's not here. I wish he were. Maybe you can help me. The police don't seem to care." She was April Stannard. Her lover, Peter's father, had died. April believed he'd been murdered. Dave Brandstetter's investigation takes him through the rare-book world, to backstage at a community theatre, to the home of a world-famous television performer. Along the way, Dave soon comes to agree with April. from book jacket

Author Joseph Hansen and his fictional sleuth Dave Brandstetter are both brand-name commodities in the mystery and gay fiction genres. In this 11th novel featuring the gay detective, Brandsetetter is called out of semi-retirement to investigate the apparently accidental shotgun death of his lover's co-worker. What unfolds is a gripping tale of blackmail and murder set in a sleepy California town, where nothing is as innocent as it appears.

In this concluding installment of an epic mystery series, Dave Brandstetter is drawn into a complex investigation while helping an old friend. The plot weaves together themes of child abuse, drug-related issues, AIDS, and the victimization of the elderly, showcasing Hansen's skillful storytelling filled with action and unexpected twists.

Freelance insurance investigator Dave Brandstetter embarks on a dangerous case involving the suspicious death of evangelist Gerald Dawson, who believed in a violent form of piety. After Dawson is found dead, the police target a local smut peddler as the prime suspect, but Brandstetter suspects a deeper, darker truth behind the evangelist's life. As he uncovers Dawson's hidden sins and nighttime activities, Brandstetter risks his own safety in pursuit of justice, revealing a world of moral contradictions and hidden secrets.

The shocking murder of Police Chief Ben Orton, found with a brutal head injury, stirs the seaside community, revealing the deep-seated animosities he cultivated during his tenure. As the investigation unfolds, the townspeople grapple with the implications of his death and the potential motives behind it, exposing a web of secrets and rivalries that challenge their perceptions of justice and morality. The story delves into themes of power, retribution, and the hidden darkness within a seemingly peaceful town.

Insurance investigator Dave Brandstetter nettles the cops and the victim's widow and comes upon all kinds of loose ends when he looks into the murder of Police Chief Ben Orton, a murder for which a gay activist has been arrested

Fadeout is the first of Joseph Hansen's twelve classic mysteries featuring rugged Dave Brandstetter, an insurance investigator who is contentedly gay. When entertainer Fox Olson's car plunges off a bridge in a storm, a death claim is filed, but where is Olson's body? As Brandstetter questions family, fans, and detractors, he grows certain Olson is still alive and that Dave must find him before the would-be killer does. Suspenseful and wry, shrewd and deeply felt, Fadeout remains as fresh today as when it startled readers more than thirty years ago.