QUICK TAKE: true crime, LGBTQ+, informative, emotional

A TRUE STORY OF LOVE, LUST, AND MURDER IN QUEER NEW YORK

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Friends, I thought this book was so well done that I’m not even sure how to coherently compose my thoughts. This book releases in 2021, but it is definitely on my list of favorites of 2020, and quite frankly one of my new true crime novels.

As much as I love true crime, I know it is often lacking in stories on LGBTQ+ crimes and crimes against minorities, in general. I moved this book up into my October “to be read” (TBR) as soon as I received it from Celadon Books, in honor of October being LGBTQ+ history month. Vaguely put, LAST CALL is a true crime work about a serial killer who preyed upon gay men who frequented gay bars in the early 90’s in Manhattan, and SO much more.

This was not just a standard true crime book about a killer and their victims. Green ties in the profound loss of the AIDS epidemic, the use of gay panic against the LGBTQ+ community in the courtroom, the historical importance of gay bars, and so much more important history to really build up the story and atmosphere around these murders. What I loved most about this book and this story is that I felt like I was personally getting to know the victims and their families, rather than the killer. I was excited, angry, I laughed, and I cried. For the Murderinos out there, there’s also a surprise connection to a murder of a certain fashion designer in the late 90’s. 

Overall, I felt that this book was able to shed light on the ongoing violence of all kinds faced by the LGBTQ+ community, which is something that is often missing in the true crime world. It was gripping, heartbreaking, and very informative. Last Call is available in March 2021, and it is a must read! Thank you to Celadon Books for my gifted advanced copy. SSDGM, and read on!

An organization highlighted in Last Call by Elon Green:

The New York City Anti-Violence Project– created as a reaction to systemic indifference to queer life, at the start of the AIDS epidemic.