A humorous slang term for an LGTBQ+ person who is openly queer but chronically messy, chaotic, socially awkward or disastrously unlucky in life or love. That’s the definition I found online for ‘disaster gay’, and it’s certainly true of the four main protagonists in Rosen’s low-peril, light-hearted mystery manage to embody all of those traits.
Set in the present day, this novel follows the exploits of four young friends navigating their careers and their romances in an unnamed, large American city. Brandon, Ian, Ollie and Nicole keep in touch through a group chat and weekly games nights. In their mid-20s, roughly, each is at that point in life where they have to grapple with some personal or professional challenge.
First we meet Brandon, a hotel concierge and hopeless romantic. For Brandon, with sexual encounter he believes he’s finally met ‘the one’. It’s one such encounter – with a hotel guest, the handsome, mysterious Jon – that kickstarts the mystery.
Ian is Brandon’s flat mate, a gender-fluid bookseller and drag artist. He’s more grounded than Brandon but still can’t get over his ex. Victor cheated on him before their relationship ended, which Ian can’t help brooding over. When he’s in a rage, to sooth himself Ian keys Victor’s car or leaves anonymous snarky comments on his social accounts.
Ollie, bisexual, is a dog-walker and house-sitter. He is aware that he’s treading water, and he’s happy with that for now. He’s a true crime podcast fan, a hobby he enjoys with his mum, and has a secret fantasy of becoming a detective. When Jon checks out early from Brandon’s hotel, leaving his phone behind, Ollie is the one who encourages the group to treat Jon’s departure as a mystery they should investigate, rather than just another ill-judged liaison for Brandon which he would be better off moving on from.
Nicole is an ambitious junior lawyer who has put her personal life on hold in order to climb the career ladder. She’s conscious of being a black lesbian in a corporate, largely white environment, and keen to avoid the messy, chaotic situations that bedevil her friends. Ostensibly the is the most sensible of the group, Nicole finds herself reluctantly drawn into the mystery.
Jon, of course, is not who he claims to be. When Brandon attempts to find him to return the phone (and hopefully hook up again), he witnesses a murder. He is in possession of something a number of shady groups want very badly.
Now, a murder might be the point where most sensible citizens back out, but not our disaster gays! It’s not long before (hot!) threatening strangers are visiting Ian’s bookshop and Brandon’s hotel.
As things play out, the mystery is somewhat secondary in the novel and a little undercooked compared to most crime fiction. The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is more concerned with the queer experience in contemporary life. It benefits from a strong sense of found family, and an empathic, supportive tone. My hot take is an enjoyable mix of Tales of the City meets a gay Sex and the City.
On several occasions, Rosen replays the story from different perspectives, either in the group chat sections or the main narrative. I found it enjoyable at first, but it happens too frequently and becomes somewhat confusing and repetitive quite quickly.
How much you enjoy The Gay Disaster Detective Agency will ultimately depend upon how important the mystery element of a novel is to you. If you are happy for it to be somewhat side-lined then I think you will enjoy spending time with these four likeable, chaotic characters.
For more mysteries with gay representation take a look at our review of The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace.
Poisoned Pen Press
Print
£12.95
CFL Rating: 3 Stars
