Product Description

The police say "involuntary manslaughter," but a tragic accident turns out instead to be murder, plain and simple. And San Francisco Homicide Inspector Stanley Korski, on leave from the force and his unrequited love for fellow detective Tom Danzel, walks right into a murderer's web of treachery. Wrong, Stanley. Deadly wrong.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #288337 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 252 pages

Customer Reviews

DEADLY AND WRONG
Deadly Wrong is the second book in this series starring Stanley Korski and Tom Danzel, two Inspectors for the San Francisco Police Department, Homicide Division. Stanley and Tom have broken up as partners both on the Force and personally because Tom walked away in the first book, Deadly Nightshade. He couldn't deal with his fellow Inspectors questioning his sexuality if he stayed as Stanley's partner after their first case was over. He knew the drill. His old friends on the Force would look at him differently, they would make snide remarks and he would be ostracized like every gay cop on the Force, so he chose the lesser of two evils, or so he thought. However, Tom doesn't admit to being gay. In his mind he is straight with a thing for only one man.

Stanley is on leave from the Department because his Lieutenant refused to accept his resignation and suggested instead that he take a leave of absence. He uses the time to do some serious soul searching about whether he'll continue in his chosen career as a police officer. He doesn't feel that he has the temperament to be a cop; he's too easily scared and, in his words, he's a devout coward. While cooling his heels, his old friend Libby asks for his help in clearing her brother who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. When Stanley arrives in Bear Mountain the number of potential suspects is longer than his arm, and the local Chief of Police is not at all co-operative to an out of state policeman; as far as he's concerned the case is solved and a suspect has been arrested. Stanley is up the creek without the proverbial paddle and without his partner.

The mystery is intriguing and involves a young gay man who is the local standby for every gay and supposedly straight man around. Donnie, the murder victim, is one of the most interesting characters in this book ~ even though he's dead he's very much alive through the excellent portrait drawn by Victor J. Banis. He is to be pitied in many ways as he never had a chance at a childhood. He was always craving attention in life and tried to get it the only way he knew how, through sex with strangers. Carl, Libby's brother who has been charged with the crime, was Donnie's only friend until one fateful night when they are seen arguing and fighting and Donnie ends up dead. Carl subsequently takes responsibility for Donnie's death. However, the story is much more complex and involves other people who may have motives to kill Donnie.

Stanley tries to do his usual investigative work but he gets no help from the local constabulary, or the residents who just want him to leave, or even Carl's other family members who would like the investigation dropped. Solving the crime is always the culmination of any good murder mystery but the pivotal thrust of this story is Stanley's and Tom's relationship. Tom rushes to the rescue like the cavalry as soon as he realizes that Stanley has left town and is on his own in a remote community trying to solve a murder. The dynamics of their relationship were hard to figure out in Book 1, Deadly Nightshade but in this new mystery Tom is on a mission to get his man into bed as he swoops in to save him and sweeps him off his feet the minute he finds him up to his proverbials in a bar full of bikers who are salivating at the thought of mobbing Stanley and having their way with him. This scene, and the one in the bedroom afterwards where Tom shows Stanley his oversized box of pastel colored condoms ranging from pink, to green to lavender and every colour under the rainbow were some of the best in the book.

The supporting cast were all well drawn as Victor J. Banis is very skilled in creating both sympathetic and evil characters.

Deadly Wrong was just as entertaining as Deadly Nightshade and Stanley (don't call me Stan) who I loved in book 1 and studly Tom certainly have a thing for each other but it does not get in the way of solving crimes. In book 2 Stanley solves the crime AND gets his man, and it's about time.

Another excellent instalment of the "Deadly" series.
I love the second book with our flaming gay detective STanley(he wouldn't like it if I called him Stan and straight(?)gorgoeous hunk of man, detective Tom.

Another excellent murder/mystery involving Stanley and Tom. I love these two characters and find Stanley our gay young man very endearing and his banter witty. Tom is frustrating because like us we don't know what he is doing. Does he want Stanley as a boyfriends, a buddy or simply when he gets horny. Poor Stanley is in love with Tom but can't profess his love until Tom knows what Tom wants in Stanley.

They ying and yang of these two wonderful characters makes reading about them interesting and like Stanley, I want Tom to get off the Police force fence!

The writing is smooth. The descriptive narrative of Bear Mountain flawless, the characters interesting and the story compelling.

But what makes the reader love it more are Stanley(don't call me Stan)and Tom.

I already have the third book!

Well worth the read
Victor J. Banis' novel Deadly Wrong is the second novel in his Deadly Mystery series. This is a stand-alone novel, but readers wanting to understand the relationship between Tom and Stanley just a little better may wish to read Deadly Nightshade first.

I read Deadly Nightshade not long ago, and I truly enjoyed it. It has a great mystery, wonderful characters, and overall excellent writing. Now Mr. Banis has given us a sequel, and I am just as impressed with Deadly Wrong as I was the previous novel. This is an entertaining and fast-paced tale that mixes an intriguing mystery, memorable characters, and not just a little bit of wry wit.

This story revolves mostly around Stanley Korski and relegates Tom Danzel to something of a secondary role. In my opinion, this is a good thing, because Stanley is a much more sympathetic character than his love interest is. It would be almost impossible not to love this fellow. He has a quirky and self-effacing humor that makes him acknowledge his shortcomings, yet he is overall very self-confident in his identity and comfortable in his own skin. He makes no apologies for being who he is and will gleefully thumb his nose at those who might look down on him. Even though Stanley tends to let his mouth run on without the assistance of his brain or his common sense, and he has a penchant for falling in love with unsuitable men, these foibles merely make him more likeable.

It is a little more difficult for me to warm up the Tom, although he is slightly more likeable in this story than in the previous one. Tom's refusal to acknowledge his homosexuality remains a sticking point, but he manages to redeem himself several times in Deadly Wrong. When he pulls an Oliver Hardy face and says "there's another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stanley," I found myself utterly charmed by him. Sure, the feeling lasted for but a few moments, but it's a beginning for him. Perhaps he is not such a lost cause after all.

The investigation that this story revolves around is not just space filler. It is very intriguing and will keep the reader attention for the duration of the novel. Mr. Banis does an excellent job of building the tension and the suspense, and doesn't waste his readers' time with red herrings or other false leads. Even without the story involving Stanley and Tom's somewhat dysfunctional relationship, this story would be a compelling one. I found Deadly Wrong to be well worth my reading time and will be looking forward to any additions to this Deadly Mystery series.