Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

just recently finished a sometimes shocking, and shockingly good, book, just reissued by kensington press: charles nelson's panthers in the skins of men, which was originally published in '89 by meadowland and has been out of print for many years. panthers tells the continuing tale of kurt strom, a soldier just back from vietnam who's very, very gorgeous and very, very gay. he has sex the way most of us breathe, and nothing stops him from getting who he wants - in fact, the straighter, the better. kurt ends up falling hard for nick esoldi, a married state trooper from new jersey who enjoys kurt more than he thought possible, pulling him into a series of nasty, dirty adventures involving blackmail, knockout drops, violence, and lots and appallingly hot man-to-man sex. but the novel isn't just about sex; it's also about kurt figuring out what (and who) he wants, not to mention painting a fascinating portrait of navy life post-vietnam. very highly recommended.