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The Back Passage

Author: James Lear
Publisher: Cleis Press
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

10 reviews
Sales Rank: 3340

Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 176
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5 x 0.7

ISBN: 1573442437
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
EAN: 9781573442435
ASIN: 1573442437

Publication Date: April 17, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New book. Due to problems with Standard Airmail delivery times from the USA, we have switched to using PRIORITY AIRMAIL ONLY. UK & European delivery is 7-10 days.

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Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

No, not the Isis!!! June 7, 2008

Yes, it's entertaining and yes it's arousing and thus fulfils its own brief. But ... oh dear Mr Lear, on page TWO you identify the river that flows through Cambridge as the Isis. It isn't. The Isis flows through Oxford. The "old" name of Cambridge's river Cam is the Granta (like the literary magazine). In a confection such as "Back Passage", it's these details (easily checked on Wikipedia, for God's sake), that make the difference between a genre-subverting delight and a ho-hum "well ... it's sort of OK and ... sort of fun ..."

Louis LaSalle's cover photograph is, as usual with Mr LaSalle, drop-dead sexy.

4 out of 5 stars

The Back Passage May 15, 2008
A Funny, sexy "Who dunnit" book, with quite graphic sex in every chapter.
The main character Mitch takes every opportunity (and there are many) to enjoy his sexuality. James Lear is on to a winner with this character and I hope he takes him further into his adventures as a detective. I can't wait to read more.

4 out of 5 stars

Giggle fest almost the whole way through! October 3, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

With the exception of a brief interlude of (appropriate to context) police brutality, I laughed the whole way through this book! I read it when working nightshift and my co-workers thought I was mad. Written in a great 1920's style it is very explicit and the sex scenes are very intense (and unrelenting). However, the humour in evident on every page. If you want a nice whodunnit buy agatha christie - want a whodunnit with wit and bite? Try this! Ok, as a straight woman I am maybe not the intended audience but as random purchases go, I am so glad I bought it. Hilarious.

3 out of 5 stars

5 stars for the cover! August 8, 2007
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Is there a label for this kind of gay lit that has proliferated in recent years? These romps are usually decently written and often quite diverting but their raison d'etre is the endless stream of graphically described sexual encounters in which just about every young guy the handsome hunky hero encounters is ready and willing. If you removed the continuous stream of sex fantasies nobody would be bothered to read these books and presumably the authors wouldn't be bothered to write them. This particular opus in totally anachronistic in the sense that the gay ethos of our modern age is transplanted to a 1920s setting. But it's all fantasy so what does it matter?
Now, are you looking for a dazzling example of a classic whodunnit from the Golden Age of the 20s and 30s? In which case do an Amazon search for the Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley.
Or would you prefer a porny read that's pretty good fun, capably written with a so-so whodunnit stitched on? I thought so. In which case the Back Passage will do nicely.

5 out of 5 stars

An Absolute Hoot June 1, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This is an absolute scream, a period piece set in the world of silent cinema and po faced between-the-wars-Britishness. The sexy bits are, ahem, not for the faint hearted, but are never gratuitous, and the plot itself is neatly put together. One of the funniest books I have ever read.