Book Review: "Dive Bar at the End of the Road" by Kelley Armstrong

“It’s pitch dark, pouring rain, and I have no idea where I’m going, which is also the perfect analogy for my life.”

It was a dark and stormy night…literally. Ellie is driving home to her parents in Michigan in the middle of a torrential rain storm. Her GPS had her take a detour a while back, but she hasn’t seen another car in quite some time. Suddenly in a flash of lightning, she sees a woman inexplicably standing in the middle of the road. As she swerves to avoid hitting the woman, she crashes into a fallen tree. But was there even a woman there?

Shortly thereafter, a pickup truck crashes into Ellie’s car. The truck is driven by Henry, a paramedic who was traveling to a cabin for a fishing weekend with his friends. Henry helps treat Ellie’s wounds and with no cell service, they go looking for shelter. They soon discover a dilapidated-looking bar, which is surprisingly nice on the inside.

Not long after their arrival at the bar, a young couple crashes into Henry’s truck. This same thing happens a few more times. But the crashes aren’t even the worst of it—strange things seem to be happening to each of the victims. One thinks they see zombies, one is being chased by wild animals, and no one is sure whether these things are really happening or if they’re hallucinating.

The tension definitely keeps rising as the paranormal occurrences keep happening. It seems like they’re each caught up in their own nightmare. But can they break out of these horrors, or are they doomed to repeat them forever?

This was a quick, eerie read. There was too much going on at once, however, with too many characters’ perspectives to keep track of. At one point things felt repetitive, but the story picks up speed as it barrels toward the conclusion. This is my first Kelley Armstrong book, but it won’t be my last!

Book Review: "The Bell in the Fog" by Lev AC Rosen

“There are endless possibilities for murder if you’re queer. Most people don’t really think it’s a crime to kill a criminal—and all of us are criminals to the rest of the world.”

It’s 1952 in San Francisco. Andy was in the Navy and then became a police officer—until his homosexuality was discovered, and he was fired. Now he works as a private detective, living and working above The Ruby, a queer bar.

One day, a blast from the past arrives at his office. It’s James, with whom Andy shared a relationship (as well as other men) while they were in the Navy. But one day James disappeared, and Andy thought his sexuality had been discovered, and perhaps that meant Andy might get court-martialed.

James, who is still in the Navy, and is being considered for a major promotion, is being blackmailed with photos of him in compromising positions. If these photos get out, they will ruin him, so James hires Andy to find out who’s behind it. While Andy would like to send James packing, old feelings run deep, and he could use some money.

Tracking down the blackmailer forces Andy to confront his days in the Navy. He meets another old friend, and the forced reminiscences fill him with nostalgia, anger, and grief. How can he find out the truth when the police would all too happily let queer people kill each other?

This is the second book in a series that started with the fantastic Lavender House, but this can be read as a standalone. The characters are so compelling and the glimpses of what life was like for queer people back then are fascinating and at times, sad. Can’t wait for the third book, Rough Pages, to publish on 10/1!

Book Review: "Gay Bar: Why We Went Out" by Jeremy Atherton Lin

Jeremy Atherton Lin's Gay Bar: Why We Went Out is an interesting juxtaposition of sociology and personal memoir focused on gay bars.

Pre-pandemic, did you go to bars or pubs often? Did you frequent them when you were younger?

At different points in my life I enjoyed hanging out with my friends at bars. There’s a camaraderie at bars that’s always fun to watch as an observer, as everyone goes to bars for different reasons, but the less enamored I became of crowds the less frequently I went.

In Gay Bar: Why We Went Out, Lin traces the history of the gay bar through time, from truly secret places where discovery could be deadly, to places where joy could reign unfettered, even for a few hours, from places where people gathered to mourn, to spots that have their own places in their neighborhoods.

Lin also touches on his own experiences at gay bars through his life, mainly in three cities—Los Angeles, London, and San Francisco—with a few others thrown in sporadically. He talks about what it’s like to feel like you belong in a space, the furtive and sometimes shocking discoveries and encounters he had, and the connections he made—one in particular which changed his life.

This was an interesting read for Pride Month and it’s very well-written and well-researched. However, I felt like the book struggled with what it wanted to be. Was it a memoir or social commentary? I also wish Lin had touched on the role gay bars play in small communities—it’s much different than the meccas he touched on.