Foxe Tail (A Skyler Foxe Mystery 1) by Haley Walsh

Funny light mystery, not really a romance (even if there is an hint of love story that will be probably developed in the next books in the trilogy), the strength of this novel lies in its main character, Gay teacher Skyler Foxe.

The epitome of flamboyant gay man, so unaware of his gayness to be the poster boy for a twink, Skyler believes he is in the “closet”: he doesn’t want to come out at the high school he is teaching fearing the reaction of his students’s parents. The only problem is that Skyler is young, pretty, with platinum bangs and driving a convertible VW Bug (“easier to cruise guys”)… how he can believe no one is suspecting it’s only a proof of how unaware Skyler is.

Skyler is a mix of innocence and naughtiness, he likes to cuddle, but he is also to change partner every 3 or 4 days (apparently more than one week is a relationship); if the partner is good enough, he is raised to role of Skyler F**k Club member, i.e. all these men Skyler had an affair but decided to remain friends afterward. Apparently Skyler has no male friends with whom he hadn’t an affair, and his only female friend is Sidney, a police detective who is his best friend since high school. The same high school he is teaching now.

To start off a series of coincidence that will lead the mystery, during a night out with the boys (and one girl), Skyler finds his principal’s son dead in a back alley; instead of having to explain to the older man why he was in a gay club, the older man leans on Skyler for moral support and this pushes Skyler to investigate on the boy’s death. Not that Skyler is any good at that, and most of the results he obtains are purely coincidences, or worst, failed attempts to Skyler’s life.

I have the feeling the author “used” this first book to introduce Skyler, and that his character and personal life will be more developed in the following books.

http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=FOXTAIL1

Amazon: Foxe Tail (A Skyler Foxe Mystery, #1)
Amazon Kindle: Foxe Tail (A Skyler Foxe Mystery, #1)
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: MLR Press (September 30, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1608202348
ISBN-13: 978-1608202348

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle