Men of Mystery: Homoerotic Tales of Intrigue and Suspense
Edited by Sean Meriwether and Greg Wharton
Published by Haworth Press (July, 2007)

Men of Mystery: The New Sexual Outlaws

Queer sex has always been dangerous. The physical act shared between men has been punishable by humiliation, imprisonment and death—and still is in some countries—but as we move closer towards mainstream assimilation and acceptance, we’re losing a certain edge to our sex. There was once something heroic in our copulation; your libido overruled your fear of discovery and drove you into sodomy with a friend, with a stranger, despite everything you stood to lose. Getting off was a subversive act with a tangible risk, and that weight added an intensity to the moment, heightening the experience and giving each person equal power over the other. The shared secret bound men together into more than just sex partners, they became co-conspirators against a society that turned up its nose to their illegal desire.

I am not suggesting we return to the dark days before Stonewall in order to spice up our bedroom lives, but there are some of us who want to recapture the gritty glamour of being a sexual outlaw. In retrospect, although our gay predecessors lived in various modes to conceal their sexuality, they were members of an exclusive community that required a serious commitment in order to join. They speak of meeting men clandestinely, of underground clubs and private sex parties, entire networks of other gay men who kept a closely guarded code of membership.

In lieu of those faded days, some of us seek out sketchy men in sketchier situations for the dark thrill of committing a crime with our passion, an act that makes us feel endangered and alive. Sex with risk is more intense, just like that first time you held another man’s cock in your hand knowing it was what you wanted all along, despite what everyone else told you. Risk flavors the down-and-dirty coupling with a sweaty bite, making it more than sex—making it sexcrime. It’s not the hookups of backrooms or bars, but erotic gambles where you stand to lose as much as you gain.

There are those of us who forego the sanitized version of homosexuality and drive down darker alleys, seeking the adventure of hard sex with a threat in it. We want dirty cops who harass their suspects, shifty criminals who offer a violent fuck that will leave you aching for more, Mafioso who live with the daily threat of death, even dominant specters from beyond the grave who challenge us to define a whole new way to please them. We want to be taken by down, and hard, by rough guys who make us feel more masculine as they pump into us; hard-talking, chain-smoking men with guns; thieves who dodge bullets and questions.

What makes these shadowy men of mystery so attractive? It is more than the lack of background, not knowing if he’ll hurt you or throw you the hottest fuck you’ve ever had; more than the rough-hewn masculinity he exudes, a phermonal challenge to all takers; beyond the fuck you attitude he gives the world in his stance. It’s the threat he holds over you, the shared secret of your crime, the potential for violence. Living outside society’s boundaries gives him a freedom to do with you as he pleases, and that’s what our author’s have captured.

We’ve gathered 16 stories about our obsessions with these mystery men. Some tales take us back before Stonewall, to an age of secret lives and hidden sex, when every tryst was still a crime. Others bring us the shadowy figures of the underworld; mobsters and hit men, chop shoppers and classic villains. There are private dicks here, nosing their way into the tawdry underside of society, feeding their own desires while they service their clients, along with cops who are as hard on each other as they are on their suspects. And tales from beyond, the sensual spirits of men teasing us into paranormal submission.

Cross with us over to the underbelly where our dark men live. Turn down the lights, take off your shorts, and prepare to conspire with our lineup of sexual outlaws.

Contents:

• Thomas S. Roche - Requiem for a Punk
• Jeff Mann - Fireflies
• Trebor Healey - A Perfect Scar
• Patrick Allen - The Rubens Gamble
• Simon Sheppard - The Boys of Fu Manchu
• Michael Stamp - Never Trust A Pretty Face
• Vincent Diamond - Lions and Tigers and Snares
• Steve Berman - A Different Trick
• Max Reynolds - Fade to Red
• Gregory L. Norris - Too Many Questions
• M. Christian - Hollywood Blvd.
• David Matthew Barnes - Bruised
• Mark Wildyr - Augury
• Caitlín R. Kiernan - Breakfast in the House of the Rising Sun
• Patrick Califia - Above All the Lights

Bypassing the increasingly PC gay world for the back alleyways and dark corners of the heart, this collection of short stories is a refreshing change of pace. Mob Bosses, terrified drug runners, back-room opium dens—they’re all here, as sexy and dangerous as ever. -- HX Magazine

A top notch collection of erotic fiction that is highly original from beginning to end. Within these stories you'll find surreal description, imaginative experiences, and dangerous attractions between men. . . . Satisfying on all levels for a fan of the genre--quality fiction with an erotic edge on a topic that intrigues--the sexual outlaw. Bad Boys, Great Writers. A top notch collection of erotic fiction that is highly original from beginning to end. Within these stories you'll find surreal description, imaginative experiences, and dangerous attractions between men. . . . Satisfying on all levels for a fan of the genre--quality fiction with an erotic edge on a topic that intrigues--the sexual outlaw. Bad Boys, Great Writers. -- Paul Willis, Founder, Saints and Sinners Literary Festival

Surpassing the predictable nature of the modern, homoerotic collection, Men of Mystery blurs the boundaries between the dark corridors of the queer mind and the appetite for lust that dominates a culture without remorse. The collaborative efforts of editors Sean Meriwether and Greg Wharton are bold and easily unrivaled. The storytellers . . . provide A DARING, ENGAGING, AND ALTOGETHER TOUR-DE-FORCE RIDE into a world created of the darkest desires--such is the grueling power of this collection. . . . . AN EROTICALLY DRIVEN MASTERPIECE that leaves nothing left for the reader's mind or body, save for a cold shower with all the lights turned on. -- Andrew Wolter, Author of Nightfall and The Rules of Temptation