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Carved in Bone: A Henry Rios Novel (Henry Rios Mystery Series, 8) Paperback – October 1, 2019

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 656 ratings

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November, 1984. Criminal defense lawyer Henry Rios, fresh out of rehab and picking up the pieces of his life, reluctantly accepts work as an insurance claims investigator and is immediately is assigned to investigate the apparently accidental death of Bill Ryan. Ryan, part of the great gay migration into San Francisco in the 1970s, has died in his flat of carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty gas line, his young lover barely surviving. Rios’s investigation into Ryan’s death–which Rios becomes convinced was no accident–tracks Ryan’s life from his arrival in San Francisco as a terrified 18-year-old to his transformation into a successful businessman. What begins for Rios as the search for the truth about Bill Ryan’s death becomes the search for the meaning of Ryan’s life as the tsunami of AIDS bears down on the gay community.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

In his compulsively readable new Henry Rios installment, six-time Lambda Literary award winner Michael Nava structures his 8th Rios novel utilizing two separate narrative lines that resonate and then, like a parallel perspective drawing, converge in a powerful emotional twist. --Lambda Literary Review

Like Rios' world-weary fictional antecedents, iconic outsider heroes such as Sam Spade and Philip Marlow, Rios is vividly embodied in the rhythms of Nava's prose. Rios' insights are elegant terse punches in the gut. But Nava has expanded the conventions of noir fiction. Latino and unapolgetically gay, Rios is more familiar with the sufferings of the underdogs he chooses to defend than were Spade or Marlow. He's acutely observant of class and privilege, with a sharp eye for corruption in both individuals and institutions. Like his hard-boiled predecessors, he's a moral touchstone, but he's angrier than they were. Nava's writing doesn't preach. It has the force of understatement, holding powerful emotions under pressure. -- The Gay and Lesbian Review of Books

About the Author

Michael Nava lives outside San Francisco with his husband. His Henry Rios mystery series has been awarded six Lambda Literary Awards and he is the recipient of the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement in LGBT literature. He is also the author of an acclaimed historical novel, The City of Palaces, set in Mexico City at the beginning of the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Additionally, he wrote and produced the Henry Rios Mysteries podcast which adapts the first Rios novel into an 18-episode audio-drama and is available on various podcast platforms including Apple I-tunes and Spotify. His small press, Persigo Press, which currently publishes his work will expand to publish other LGBTQ and writers of color who work in genres beginning in fall, 2020.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Persigo Press (October 1, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 369 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1733609113
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1733609111
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 656 ratings

About the author

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Michael Nava
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Michael Nava is the author of an acclaimed series of eight novels featuring gay, Latino criminal defense lawyer Henry Rios who Garth Greenwell, writing in The New Yorker, called “a detective unlike any previous protagonist in American noir.” The New York Times Book Review has called Nava “one of our best” writers.

He is also the author of a historical novel, The City of Palaces, set in Mexico at the beginning of the 1910 Mexican revolution, the first of a projected trilogy.

His personal website is http://www.michaelnavawriter.com He is also on Facebook as Michael Nava Writer, on twitter as @micnavawriter and on Instagram as @micnavawriter

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
656 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the book for its compelling story and multilayered plot. They find the emotional content honest and relatable. The book is described as a great, well-written read that leaves readers satisfied. Readers appreciate the complex characters and the author's ability to portray the mindset of the period accurately. Overall, customers praise the writing quality and historical accuracy.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

24 customers mention "Emotional content"22 positive2 negative

Customers find the book's emotional content poignant, honest, and relatable. They describe it as a heart-wrenching story with psychological insights into the lives of gay men.

"...a great gift: a window into the near past portrayed with accuracy, compassion, depth and hopefulness." Read more

"...characters and their journeys got under my skin and evoked a multitude of emotions in me, but the mystery took a backseat with the circumstances of..." Read more

"...Beautifully written, as all of Michael Nava's books, it's an emotional and moving tale of a time in our history that has passed, but should never be..." Read more

"The story is well written in a melancholic way that I love. It was complex enough to keep me wondering, and simple enough to be believable...." Read more

24 customers mention "Story quality"24 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story's quality. They find the plot engaging and skillfully told, with an intriguing mystery and multiple timelines. The book is described as a mature perspective that adds layers to the whole. Readers appreciate the rich anachronisms and twists throughout the story.

"...even tragic elements, but it is also a book of self-examination, self-discovery, learning to live and love...." Read more

"...Nava's works show a degree of detailed research combined with a written narrative that is so elegant and moving that reading (and re-reading) his..." Read more

"...Nevertheless, I continue to be dazzled by Nava's prose and its rich anachronism and will be diving headfirst into Goldenboy." Read more

"...their idea of love and happiness, but it never falters, introducing twists and turns when you think you've figured it out...." Read more

17 customers mention "Readability"17 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find the characters engaging and the writing skill commendable. Readers appreciate the author's understanding of gay culture and community. The plotting and story revelations make it a quick, enjoyable read that can be completed in one sitting.

"...This is his finest yet, and the plotting and story revelations are produced with ever more skill...." Read more

"...and the story lines - for there are several - make this a "read in one sitting" novel...." Read more

"...or a story about AIDS or a story of healing from addiction - it's genuine art." Read more

"...The author is an amazing philosopher of common life, I even felt the need to take notes in a few parts. There is one problem, though...." Read more

14 customers mention "Character development"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters compelling and complex. They appreciate the portrayal of gay men during that time period.

"...Nava’s skill brings each of them to distinctive, individual personhood during the early plague years in San Francisco...." Read more

"...is a sensory delight; but this piece is extraordinary for it portrays what gay men during that time period felt and experienced with such flawless..." Read more

"...I found the characters compelling, engaging, and sometimes tragic, but most of all, very real...." Read more

"...Henry Rios is a compelling, complicated protagonist, and throughout the duration of the story I just wanted to give the lonely schmuck a hug...." Read more

14 customers mention "Writing quality"11 positive3 negative

Customers find the writing quality great and easy to read. They appreciate the poignant stories.

"...Beautifully written, as all of Michael Nava's books, it's an emotional and moving tale of a time in our history that has passed, but should never be..." Read more

"...Nava's writing is careful, and he renders the decisions characters make - some of which are monstrous - from a space of empathy and understanding...." Read more

"On an intellectual level, I appreciated the writing and the imagery and emotions it brought forth so vividly...." Read more

"...This is a book with difficult, even tragic elements, but it is also a book of self-examination, self-discovery, learning to live and love...." Read more

7 customers mention "Historical accuracy"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book vividly true to the times. They appreciate the rich anachronisms and how it captures the mindset of the period. The narrative is described as nostalgic, insightful, tragic, and moving.

"...of each of those lives, and Nava, though younger than I, is vividly true to the times...." Read more

"...This is a historical piece, about an era - not so long past - that marked the emergence of an entire segment of American society from the shadows..." Read more

"...He captures the mindset of this period exceptionally. All of which probably sounds terribly and relentlessly lugubrious but it actually wasn't...." Read more

"...compelling, engaging, and sometimes tragic, but most of all, very real...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2019
    I’ve read all of Nava’s Henry Rios novels (I hesitate to label them mysteries, though they are, but they are so much more). This is his finest yet, and the plotting and story revelations are produced with ever more skill. Nava returns to Rios’ early years of wandering and waste, self-doubt and struggle, exploring through the parallel development of Rios and Bill Ryan—along with the interwoven lives of Nick, Waldo, Pete, Adam, and not least, Larry, the good and ill of how we try to connect with each other. Nava’s skill brings each of them to distinctive, individual personhood during the early plague years in San Francisco. I was there, I walked those streets, I met those eyes, I lived parts of each of those lives, and Nava, though younger than I, is vividly true to the times. This is a book with difficult, even tragic elements, but it is also a book of self-examination, self-discovery, learning to live and love. In the end, we are reminded that the most deadly plague of all is internalized judgment and self-sentencing. In the end, it is a phoenix tale, of potential rising from pain. It should be read for remembrance sake by all who lived through the 80s, and even more so by all who came of age in subsequent years. Our world today has not changed that much in many places. It is not yet all rainbows and happy ever-afterings.

    All that being said, I was annoyed and irritated that today’s publishing processes too often result in hasty, badly proofed copy, where words are dropped, or left in where they don’t belong. Call me a purist or a curmudgeon, but ten such errors in the first 50 pages almost dissuaded me from continuing. Thankfully I read on; the errors diminished, and I ultimately felt richly rewarded. You will too. But Persigo Press, please hire a final proofreader.
    18 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2019
    In this work, Michael Nava has flawlessly captured San Francisco of the 1970s and 1980s. His tone is pitch-perfect, the characters compelling and the story lines - for there are several - make this a "read in one sitting" novel. All of Nava's works show a degree of detailed research combined with a written narrative that is so elegant and moving that reading (and re-reading) his body of work is a sensory delight; but this piece is extraordinary for it portrays what gay men during that time period felt and experienced with such flawless exactitude (and I can attest to it, since he is describing me to a degree) that one cannot be anything but deeply moved, saddened and hopeful about the human condition. The emergence of the AIDS crisis is unflinchingly described for the true nightmare it was, and the isolation of the homosexual man and the anguish experienced by so many is fairly and fully laid out. This is a historical piece, about an era - not so long past - that marked the emergence of an entire segment of American society from the shadows and from self-imposed shame. It stands with the very best of Randy Shilts, Paul Monette and Larry Kramer in chronicling a pivotal time. Nava has given us a great gift: a window into the near past portrayed with accuracy, compassion, depth and hopefulness.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020
    Carved in Bone is an emotional and poignant read set in the epicenter of the plague at its peak. Nava takes us on two parallel journeys: one Henry Rios who's struggling to remain sober at a time in his life where everything is in flux and Billy Ryan who is afraid of his own shadow in a city brought to its knees by the "gay cancer".

    "The world we grew up in told us queers are sick or sinful or criminal. Those were our choices. We metabolized that message. That self-hatred is part of us and like you said, it's waiting for us, waiting to exploit those moments of weakness or doubt when it tells us the world was right after all. Tells us we're defective, abnormal, broken. That voice is what drives our compulsions-for booze or drugs or sex-anything to drown it out, to distract ourselves or it takes us to that place where self-destruction seems like the only option."

    The above exemplifies what both Rios and Ryan struggle with in their own unique ways. What Nava does exceptionally well is crafting not only these two characters in the grey but even the secondary ones. All of these people touched me in one way or another. None of them are perfect but for me that's precisely what takes them from two-dimensional to fully realized and thus relatable.

    "It's hard for any human being to be hated for something that he or she cannot change and even those who are strong enough to resist the hatred as irrational cannot help but be damaged by it."

    That hatred is something that affects each and every one of these characters but what makes this book and Nava's writing zeitgeistian, if you will, is how that hatred manifests itself in varied ways for each of them during this specific time. He captures the mindset of this period exceptionally. All of which probably sounds terribly and relentlessly lugubrious but it actually wasn't. Well, not entirely. Waldo, my dear, sweet, sassy, ginger, love muffin of sagacity provides the levity.

    "Honey, if you're going to take sex advice from a bunch of men in dresses, I'd choose drag queens over priests. At least drag queens have had sex."

    Also, Nava infused the narrative with a sense of hopeful optimism that I often wondered if it was a form of catharsis for him, if in retelling this story he's taken on the older, wiser, more enlightened role of Larry or even Simon, doling out insightful and thoughtful advice to a younger version of himself.

    "Fear is an acronym, Henry. It can be either FΩøk Everything And Run-or Face Everything And Recover. Which is it going to be?"

    Or the response to the first quote:

    "The good news is that you know that voice is a lie. You know who you are and you know you're not any of those things the world says about you."

    Undoubtedly, these characters and their journeys got under my skin and evoked a multitude of emotions in me, but the mystery took a backseat with the circumstances of Bill's death being obvious. Though I do appreciate Nava's propensity to focus on the why rather than the how, what, who or when of an investigation because oftentimes the why is far more interesting than the rest. In this particular case though Bill's death was more a vehicle for telling the story of San Francisco caught in the grips of the black plague rather than a mystery and I missed that since Lay Your Sleeping Head was truly compelling not to mention cerebral.

    Nevertheless, I continue to be dazzled by Nava's prose and its rich anachronism and will be diving headfirst into Goldenboy.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2020
    'Carved in Bone' is, to me, first and foremost a story about people searching for acceptance, love, and meaning of life. Beautifully written, as all of Michael Nava's books, it's an emotional and moving tale of a time in our history that has passed, but should never be forgotten.
    I found the characters compelling, engaging, and sometimes tragic, but most of all, very real.
    At times the mystery takes a backseat, as the story explores each character's journey and struggle to achieve their idea of love and happiness, but it never falters, introducing twists and turns when you think you've figured it out.
    Honest, raw, and unflinching, 'Carved in Bone' had me hooked from the start, and will stick with me for a while. After all, I read it in one sitting.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Anthony Bidulka
    5.0 out of 5 stars Master storyteller
    Reviewed in Canada on June 13, 2021
    Nava knows what he is doing. The early Henry Rios novels, going back decades, were definitely amongst the books that influenced me and inspired me when I first considered writing as a career.
    Nava admits there are many stories that try to encapsulate the AIDS crises and none can tell it all. But this is one of the best, told in a very human, unflinching yet hopeful way.
  • SaB!ne
    5.0 out of 5 stars So many tears...
    Reviewed in Germany on October 24, 2021
    So many tears... I was mentally thrown back to 1988 when a good friend of mine died of this horrible desease 😪.

    I found it to be really clever to tell this story with two paralleling storylines- one from the view of Bill Ryan and the other from the investigating Henry Rios. The author paints a very detailed picture of the characters and of the gay culture at these times.

    To have found this new freedom in not hiding who you are only to be 'punished' with 'the gay cancer'.
  • Pierre Guillery
    5.0 out of 5 stars Moving
    Reviewed in France on July 25, 2020
    And well written. Some sort of eye opener. I was 19 in 1984. It could have been me... That story needed to be told. Thanks Michael
  • Michael Wild
    5.0 out of 5 stars A real book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2019
    This is a real book. Not some commercial pulp. Although not light, fluffy and entertaining, it was also not heavy and overemotional. As a gay man you lived through the 80's I enjoyed that it was balanced and honest.
  • Leanne
    5.0 out of 5 stars I was late for work reading the last chapter
    Reviewed in Australia on April 29, 2021
    This book was so amazing, I will never forget this book, it will stay with me forever, the story of life, death and love In the 1980's aids epidemic, to any one who is gay and lived through this I am giving you a hug and all my love for what you and others went through, I was a child of the 80's and remembered some of this awful time, i couldn't wait to find out what happened In the end. Brilliantly written I felt like I knew the characters.