Richard Stevenson

Richard Lipez (born November 30, 1938 in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania) is an American journalist and mystery author. Richard currently resides in Massachusetts. He is most known for his Donald Strachey mysteries, which were originally published under the pen name Richard Stevenson. Lipez is openly gay.


Death Trick:

When the sensational murder of a gay man hits the headlines in Albany, New York, the prime suspect turns out to be a young gay activist who has disappeared. His socially prominent parents call in Don Strachey, a low-key but cocky detective known for getting results when the police can't and known for his connections in the gay community - his community.

On the Other Hand:

When the giant Millpond Company finds its plans for a mega-shopping mall stymied by the refusal of an elderly lesbian couple to sell their home, the ladies are subjected to ugly vandalism and frightening death threats. The powerful director of Millpond in turn hires Don Strachey, Albany's only gay detective, to protect the ladies, find the culprits, and clear the corporate name. Strachey accepts with misgivings that deepen rapidly as kidnapping, extortion, and murder darken the lives of Albany's gay community. Fast-paced, deftly plotted, and superbly written, this is one of the best Strachey novels yet.

Ice Blues:

An icy Albany winter—and unwelcome surprises of one frozen corpse, numerous ominous threats, and a couple million dollars!

The toughest gay private investigator in mystery literature is back—with a frozen corpse in his back seat and an urgent need to find out who put it there. Ice Blues: a Donald Strachey Mystery brings back the popular wisecracking detective in a fast-paced, suspenseful, and flat-out enjoyable suspense mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. Strachey soon finds himself in possession of two and a half million dollars—and becomes the target of criminals who will stop at nothing to get it. To unravel the puzzle, he has to confront a political machine, civic corruption, and family tragedy.

Third Man Out:

Which powerful mystery man killed the gay activist for outing him? After an attempt is made on his life, Queer Nation activist John Rutka asks tough-as-nails gay private detective Don Strachey to provide him with protection. Why does someone want to kill him? The activist's efforts at outing closeted gay homophobes have earned him a multitude of enraged enemies who would just as soon see him dead. After Strachey refuses to help, the man's body is found savagely murdered in apparent retribution for his deeds. Now, because of this, the reluctant Strachey feels obligated to investigate. Third Man Out brings back one of the most popular gay heroes in mystery fiction, Don Strachey, a private investigator as hard-boiled as they come, along with his lover, Tim Callahan, in a topical and very entertaining mystery dealing with the ethical issues of outing.

Shock to the System:

Donald Strachey is asked to investigate the suspicious death of Paul Haig by three different people-Haig's homophobic mother, his ex-lover, and the psychiatrist hired to "cure" him of his homosexuality. Just as he gets started, however, all three remove him from the case, leaving Strachey with a brutal murderer that now everyone wants left alone.

Washington Post

Believe me, it's a lot of fun and much of it is very wicked fun indeed. . . . Don't think for a minute that Stevenson's writing just for gays. (Washington Post)

Chain of Fools:

Private Investigator Donald Strachey is asked to look into the events surrounding the months-old murder of Eric Osborne. His death, originally believed to be a random attack, takes on new significance when Janet Osborne, Eric's sister, survives an attempt on her life. Skeeter, Eric's lover, believed both attacks were meant to silence them before the sale of their family's newspaper. drawn into a complex family feud, Strachey must unravel the secret behind the attacks before he tries again...

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The Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

The Amulet of Samarkand:

Bartimeus Trilogy Jonathan Stroud The first book in a thrilling new trilogy about an apprentice magician and the powerful djinni he summons.

Nathaniel is a young magician with only one thing on his mind: revenge.

As an apprentice to the great magician Underwood, Nathaniel is gradually being schooled in the traditional art of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a rising, star magician. When Simon brutally humiliates Nathaniel in front of everyone he knows, Nathaniel decides to speed up his magical education, teaching himself spells way beyond his years. Eventually, he masters one of the most difficult spells of all: summoning the all-powerful djinni, Bartimeus.

But summoning Bartimeus and controlling him are two very different things--and Nathaniel may be in way over his head.JONATHAN STROUD is a former editor who has already published several children's books in England, where he lives.

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The Golem's Eye:

It answered a lot of unanswered questions from the first book. It explained who Kitty and the Resistance was. It has a lot of fantasy, mystery, and action. It’s a hard book to put down, and it always wants you wanting more. Some parts are very confusing if you don’t read the first of the trilogy, The Amulet of Samarkand. I really liked how Stroud added another point of view, Kitty. With her telling some of the story it answered a lot of my questions about the resistance and what they do. Kitty’s points of view were a lot better then I thought. I still have questions about this book and I hope that they’ll be answered in the next of the trilogy. It was a lot better then the first. It has a great story line which tempts you too keep reading. It has a great story line which tempts you too keep reading. I highly recommend this to anybody that likes fiction.

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Ptolemy's Gate:

Three years have passed since the magician Nathaniel helped prevent a cataclysmic attack on London. Now an established member of the British Government, he faces unprecedented problems: foreign wars are going badly; Britain’s enemies are mounting attacks close to London; and rebellion is fomentingamong the commoners. Increasingly imperious and distracted, Nathaniel is treating Bartimaeus worse than ever. The longsuffering djinni is growing weak and vulnerable from too much time in this world and is nearing the end of his patience.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel’s longtime rival Kitty has been stealthily completing her research on magic, demons, and Bartimaeus’s past. She has a daring plan that she hopes will break the endless cycle of conflict between djinn and humans. But will anyone listen to what she has to say?

In this glorious conclusion to the Bartimaeus trilogy, the destinies of Bartimaeus, Nathaniel, and Kitty converge once more. Together the threesome faces treacherous magicians, a complex conspiracy, and a rebellious faction of demons. To survive, they must test the limits of this world and question the deepest parts of themselves. And most difficult of all–they will have to learn to trust one another.

Jonathan Stroud is the author of the New York Times bestselling Bartimaeus Trilogy; The Last Siege; The Leap; and Buried Fire. He lives in England with his family.

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Disclosure by Michael Crichton

From the Publisher

"Expertly crafted, ingenious and absorbing." The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The #1 Bestseller by the author of "Jurassic Park." As he did in "Rising Sun," Crichton focuses on a topic as close as today's newspaper headlines: sexual harassment.
Tom Sanders is an up-and-coming executive at the computer firm DigiCom. When his new boss turns out to be a woman who is both his former lover and a business rival, Sanders determines to be professional. But after a closed-door meeting, the woman accuses him of sexual harassment. It's her word against his, and suddenly Sanders finds himself caught in a nightmarish web of deceit in which he is branded as the villian. As he scrambles to save his career and his reputation, Sanders uncovers an electronic trail into DigiCom's secrets . . . and the cynical scheme devised to bring him down.

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Magyk by Angie Sage

From the Publisher

The seventh son of the seventh son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a new born girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this myster ious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus?

The first book in this enthralling new series by Angie Sage leads readers on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters and magykal charms, potions, and spells. magyk is an original story of lost and rediscovered identities, rich with humor and heart.

Child Magazine

Listen up, all Harry Potter fans (especially the younger ones): A new wizard has come to town. Actually, the arrival of Septimus Heap, the "seventh son of a seventh son," is a tad unusual. He is stolen at birth and pronounced dead all in the first chapter. That same night, his wizard family finds and takes in another child, Jenna, who grows into a plucky young heroine with an enigmatic heritage of her own. Rest assured, though, the boy wizard is alive and kicking-as is this first book in a suspenseful new series full of intrigue, medieval atmosphere, light humor, and a fresh take on the world of magic. (ages 8 to 12)
Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2005

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The Farthest Shore by Ursula Le Guin

From the Publisher

DARKNESS THREATENS to overtake Earthsea. As the world and its wizards are losing their magic, Ged -- powerful Archmage, wizard, and dragonlord -- embarks on a sailing journey with highborn young prince, Arren. They travel far beyond the realm of death to discover the cause of these evil disturbances and to restore magic to a land desperately thirsty for it.

With millions of copies sold, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle has earned a treasured place on the shelves of fantasy lovers everywhere. Complex, innovative, and deeply moral, this quintessential fantasy sequence has been compared with the work of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and has helped make Le Guin one of the most distinguished fantasy and science fiction writers of all time. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

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The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula Le Guin

Book Two of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle Now a SCI FI Original Miniseries!

When young Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, everything is taken away from her-home, family, possessions, even her name. She is now known only as Arha, the Eaten One, guardian of the labyrinthine Tombs of Atuan, shrouded in darkness. When a young wizard, Ged Sparrowhawk, comes to steal the Tombs' greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe, Tenar's rightful duty is to protect the Tombs. But Ged also brings with him the light of magic and tales of a brighter world Tenar has never known. Will Tenar risk everything to escape the darkness that has become her domain?

With millions of copies sold worldwide, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle has earned a treasured place on the shelves of fantasy lovers everywhere, alongside the works of such beloved authors as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis.

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A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

The Barnes & Noble Review

Ursula K. Le Guin's 1968 classic fantasy A Wizard of Earthsea, a coming-of-age tale about a boy destined to become the greatest sorcerer in the world, has been heralded as one of the most pedagogical and beautifully written children's novels ever penned. Born in the realm of Earthsea, a much-storied world dominated by an extensive archipelago, Ged is a poor blacksmith's son born with an innate understanding of magic. But after he is sent to Roke Island to study the craft, he lets his arrogance and antipathy for another student lead him into a disastrous mistake -- unleashing an evil spirit bent on devouring Ged's essence!

A Wizard of Earthsea -- and the other novels in Le Guin's Earthsea sequence (The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, et al.) -- has been called "one of the most deeply influential of all 20th-century fantasy texts" by The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. Enchanting, lyrical, and almost subliminally profound ("Only in silence the word, only in dark the light, only in dying life…"), this novel is a must-read for fantasy fans of all ages. Long before Harry Potter and the Hogwarts School were ever conceived by J. K. Rowling, there was Le Guin's Ged and the school for wizards on Roke Island. In a word: archetypal. Paul Goat Allen

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