The Chimney Sweeper

by John Peyton Cooke

Two years after murdering a man in Isthmus City, Jesse James Colson, now a cop, is forced to confront the past when the body of his victim is finally discovered. Reprint.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Mystery, Gay

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

Author of several novels and short stories of crime, suspense, horror, and dark fantasy. I have tried in my work to bring gay characters and a gay perspective to my favorite genres of popular fiction. Please check out my books and let me know what you think.

I was born in Amarillo, Texas, and grew up in Laramie, Wyoming. My novels include TORSOS, THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER, HAVEN, OUT FOR BLOOD, THE LAKE, THE RAPE OF GANYMEDE, and THE FALL OF LUCIFER. My short story "After You've Gone" was selected for BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 2003. I've also published short fiction in Christopher Street, Weird Tales, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and THE VALANCOURT BOOK OF HORROR STORIES, VOL. 4. My first 10 published tales are collected in AFTER YOU'VE GONE AND OTHER OUTRE TALES. I currently live in Los Angeles with my husband and our whippet Oliver.

Reviews

[Eric]

The lost gay Richard Bachmann book my Stephen King-loving teenage self wouldn’t have admitted to wanting. Seedy, pulpy, “problematic” as all hell, and extremely fun. A good way to start the year!

[Deedz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give it one full star more if he actually lost his balls. Weak.

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3 and 1/2 stars--when the hell will Goodreads go to half-stars like Letterboxd does?) Kinky gay noir mystery which is not porn but has it darkly erotic moments. A drifter who is homophobic (clearly because he is fighting his same-sex urges kills a transvestite who has tried to force him to have sex, stuffs her body up a chimney in an abandoned house, and leaves town. A couple of years later, as he slowly gives in to his attractions, he is now a kept man and an openly gay cop--though he still doesn't not identify as gay personally--in that town. When the body in the chimney is found, he fears he will fall under suspicion. All the erotic scenes in this novel are tied to perversity of some sort, and the central character is very well written. However, the last quarter of the book goes so over-the-top (bondage leading to threat of emasculation) that I found myself chuckling where I clearly should not have been. Still, the overall atmosphere is compelling and memorable, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

[The Book Posh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book completely caught me off guard! i purchased it for $0.50 at my local library. I didn't read the jacket and so I was initially shocked by the sexuality. Overall, this was a good story. I enjoyed the graphic content and the characters. The ending was so unexpected...

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally don't like stories written from the point of view of the psychopath and this was no exception. Not one of my favorite.

[Harold bucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gay murder mystery.

[Tim Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this in a bargain book store. Was surprised when I saw the plot, as I would not normally read stories with a gay plot. It was a very good plot and enjoyed it!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My friend's book.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ridiculously erotic thriller that should be read with a box of Kleenex by your side. *wink wink*