CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DAVE BRANDSTETTERWith a new Introduction by Michael Nava. Published
fifty years ago a time when being gay was illegal in 49 out of 50 states Joseph Hansen s
first Dave Brandstetter novel shattered stereotypes and redefined the Private Eye novel as we
know it. Five decades after its original landmark publication Joseph Hansen s Fadeout is as
fresh and important as ever. Preceded only by a handful of gay protagonists in crime fiction
Hansen s Dave Brandstetter a ruggedly handsome World War II vet with a quick wit faultless
moral compass and endless confidence shattered stereotypes and won over a large reading
audience a feat previously considered impossible for queer fiction. Set in the mid-1960s
Fadeout centers on the disappearance of a southern California radio personalitynamed Fox Olson.
A failed writer Olson finally found success as a beloved folksinger and wholesome country
raconteur with a growing national audience. The community is therefore shocked when Olson s car
is found wrecked having been driven off a bridge and swept away in a fast-moving arroyo on a
rainy night. A life insurance claim is filed by Olson s widow and the company holding the
policy sends their best man to investigate. The problem is that Olson s body was never found.
Not in the car. Not further down the river. As Dave Brandstetter begins his investigation he
quickly finds that none of it adds up.
