The Gay Book Club Certified Reviews

Cat Sebastian's We Could Be So Good is a tender 1950s slow burn about two newspapermen falling in love. Not a page-turner—but the yearning is exquisite.

A popcorn thriller with a body count and a Vegas meet-cute. The Murder Between Us won't surprise you, but it doesn't need to—it's fun, soapy, and exactly what it promises to be.

A gay Secret Service agent. The President of the United States. Yes, it's absurd—but Enemies of the State is the kind of unputdownable popcorn read that knows exactly what it is. Check your brain at the door and enjoy the ride.

'The Road' made me want to lie down and never get up. Erik J. Brown's duology offers something different: a post-apocalyptic romance with sharp banter, real heart, and the radical idea that hope might survive the end of the world. A great YA entry point for fans of survival stories—and a book I wish I'd had as a teenager.

Rav Trivedi is the kind of protagonist I didn't know I needed: sharp-dressed, sharp-tongued, and falling for his prime suspect. He's to Die For works better as a romantic thriller than a whodunit, but with dialogue this witty and a voice this fun, I'm not complaining. A step up from typical gay fiction—and I'm already hoping for a sequel.

The less you know going in, the better—just trust me. Two astronauts, one rescue mission, and a mystery that kept me turning pages late into the night. This is the most fun I've had with sci-fi in years.

Liam is a homicide detective with a secret side hustle: killing the murderers who got away. When his partner Gabriel catches him red-handed, it should be the end—but instead, it's the beginning of a bloody, banter-filled romance. Alice Winters' Deadly Mistakes series is fun, fast, and doesn't ask too much of you. Just don't expect to remember it next week.

Gore Vidal's 1948 novel is a landmark of gay literature—and a book that's easier to admire than enjoy. Jim Willard is a groundbreaking protagonist, but his obsessive fixation left me more disturbed than moved. Essential history, impeccable prose, and an ending that still haunts me (not in a good way).

Harriet Tubman is back from the dead and she's making a hip-hop album. It sounds ridiculous—and it kind of is—but Bob the Drag Queen makes it work through sheer force of voice and genuine reverence for his subject. Part history lesson, part story of personal reinvention, Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert is funny, educational, and surprisingly moving. The audiobook is a must.

Ellis and Michael meet as boys in Oxford and become something more—until life, marriage, and the weight of the 1980s pull them apart. Sarah Winman's Tin Man is spare, poetic, and atmospherically devastating.

Henry Rios is freshly sober and investigating a death that might not be an accident. But Carved in Bone isn't just a mystery—it's a portrait of gay San Francisco on the brink of the AIDS crisis. Michael Nava delivers character, history, and heart in equal measure.

The Prettiest Star is about AIDS, yes—but also about family, forgiveness, and the gap between the lives we imagined and the ones we got. A must-read.

C.S. Poe raises the stakes in this grittier sequel, and Larkin and Doyle's slow-burn connection is more convincing than ever. I just wish the mystery knew what kind of book it wanted to be.

The Sunflower Boys is a study in contrasts—innocence and devastation, first love and survival, the warmth of a Ukrainian childhood and the horror of watching it destroyed. Sam Wachman's debut is spare, devastating, and essential. An instant A+.

storm unearths a body and a Victorian death mask in Madison Square Park. Enter Everett "Grim" Larkin—a cold case detective with perfect recall and zero social graces. The mystery kept me guessing, even if I wanted more moments to watch Larkin's unusual mind at work.

Gaunt and Ellwood love each other—but saying it might ruin everything. In Memoriam is a brutal, beautiful WWI novel about the cost of silence, the weight of war, and what it means to love someone you can't openly claim. Push through the first quarter; what's waiting is extraordinary.

A gay Latino lawyer. A charming young man in recovery with a dark family secret. A hunt for truth through San Francisco's mean streets and Nob Hill mansions. Michael Nava's 1986 noir is gritty, authentic, and handles addiction with unflinching honesty—plus a twist I never saw coming.

Morally gray criminals pull off an impossible heist, enact messy revenge, and fall for each other along the way—and the gayness is just part of the world, no commentary needed. Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows duology is propulsive, emotionally satisfying, and features one of the best ensemble casts in fantasy. If you're looking for sharp characters and ambitious plotting, this one's a solid B+.

Inheriting a mystery bookshop in a quaint seaside village? Living the dream—until there's a body on your floor. Murder at Pirate's Cove is cozy, charming, and comfort-food readable, but I wish the mystery had been a little less predictable.

Not all gay mystery books are created equal. Some deliver clever plots and authentic gay characters. Others... well, they tried. Here are five that actually stick the landing—from 1920s espionage to brutal revenge thrillers.