JOHNSON, Michael Craft 1950-

(Michael Craft)

PERSONAL: Born 1950, in Elgin River, IL; partner of Leon since 1982. Education: Graduate of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.

CAREER: Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL, art director, 1976-87.

MEMBER: Lambda Literary Foundation, Mystery Writers of America, Publishing Triangle, Society of Midland Authors.

WRITINGS:

"MARK MANNING" SERIES; AS MICHAEL CRAFT

Flight Dreams, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Eye Contact, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Body Language, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Name Games, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2000.

Boy Toy, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2001.

Hot Spot, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2002.

"CLAIRE GRAY" SERIES; AS MICHAEL CRAFT

Rehearsing, Los Hombres Press (San Diego, CA), 1993.

Desert Autumn, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2001.

Desert Winter, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: Michael Craft Johnson, who writes as Michael Craft, published his first novel, Rehearsing, with Los Hombres Press, a small California publisher specializing in gay literature. His next book, Flight Dreams, features Mark Manning, a Chicago journalist. Mark is looking for a missing heiress who will soon be declared legally dead, at which time the local Catholic church will inherit her fortune. Mark, who is gay like his creator, acknowledges his homosexuality and falls in love. "Two very happy endings won't exactly surprise readers, but getting to them is a lot of fun," wrote Booklist's Charles Harmon. In a Library Journal review, Rex E. Klett noted the novel's "strong premise … easy prose and well-drawn characters."

Manning returns in Eye Contact, which finds him living with his partner, architect Neil Waite, in the condo Neil has designed for them. Manning is tempted, however, by a young reporter named David as he investigates the claims of the head of the Civic Planetarium. Pavo Zarnik says he is a famous Eastern European scientist and also announces that he has discovered a new planet. The heat is turned up when another reporter with suspicions about Zarnik is found dead. The action culminates on the eve of a gay-rights festival that has the local Christian fundamentalists up in arms.

In reviewing this installment of the "Mark Manning" series, A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that "there is more gay sex—some real, some imagined, most graphically depicted—on these pages than mystery." Klett praised the plotting and felt the novel to be notable for its "witty conversations, erotic dreams, and a philosophical moment or two."

Body Language opens with Manning leaving Neil in Chicago to return to the family mansion in rural Dumont, Wisconsin, where he takes over the town's newspaper. His wealthy family comes together for a Christmas reunion, but before dinner makes it to the table, cousin Suzanne is murdered. Suspects include her mildly retarded brother Joey and her son Thad, both of whom are questioned by a good-looking police officer. A Publishers Weekly writer faulted the author for "an improbable number of handsome men," although Booklist's Whitney Scott called the characters "beautifully drawn" and the plot "neatly twisted." Klett called Body Language "a solid series addition."

In Name Games Manning is joined by Neil, and they are now parenting the orphaned Thad. Manning investigates the murder of miniatures expert Carrol Cantrell, who is strangled before the opening of a dollhouse show in Dumont. Evidence points to the closeted Sheriff Douglas Pierce, who had been sleeping with the victim. Cantrell was also to be a defense witness in several pornography cases, and his death will make the crusade of eccentric feminist Miriam Westerman to shut down the town's only porn shop significantly easier. Pierce's conviction would clear the way for his deputy to take his place as sheriff and assure the district attorney's reelection.

A Publishers Weekly contributor commented that "Craft's habit of recapping the action every time a new character enters the plot may irritate seasoned mystery readers." Ken Furtado wrote in Lambda Book Report that "Craft goes to greater lengths than in previous novels to create characters with both strengths and weaknesses, which makes this his best mystery yet and augurs for a promising future for Manning, his family, and cohorts." Klett defined the novel as "well-written and engaging," and Scott called Name Games "a welcome addition to the ranks of gay mysteries."

Lambda Book Report's Greg Herren called Boy Toy "an absolute delight to read." Herren noted that the first books of the "Mark Manning" series, set in Chicago, are written in the third person, present tense, and that beginning with the first book set in Dumont, they are written in the first person, past tense. Herren commented that there has also been a change in tone, noting that the earlier books contained more action, and wrote that the author "has settled into an Agatha Christie-esque style that works very well." A Kirkus Reviews writer felt that the tone "has become downright schoolmarmish. The mystery, in fact, barely holds a candle to Craft's latest paean to gay life in the suburbs."

In Boy Toy Thad and fellow Jason Thrush are sharing the lead in a local community theater production, and when Jason is murdered, Thad is the prime suspect, in part because he opposed Jason's homophobia. Mark tracks down the real killer with the help of Sheriff Pierce. A Publishers Weekly contributor called Boy Toy "a well-developed mystery with a surprising conclusion" and described as "sensitive" the depiction of the two men becoming a family for Thad. Booklist's Gillian Engberg called the cast "richly drawn … with some delightful new additions."

Roxanne Exner, a Chicago attorney and friend of Neil and Manning, has appeared throughout the series with failed hopes of eventually marrying one or the other. In Hot Spot Roxanne is about to wed Carl Creighton, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor of Illinois, and her gay male friends have offered their beautiful home for the nuptials and are planning the grand social event of the year in the small town of Dumont. The wedding goes well, but during the reception Betty Gifford Ashton, a wealthy matron and cousin of the Republican candidate for governor, is found dead, electrocuted. Roxanne becomes a suspect, and if she isn't cleared quickly, Carl will be dropped from the ticket. Manning has a surplus of suspects from which to choose, including Carl's own daughter, who is less than pleased with her father's new wife.

A Kirkus Reviews writer commented that "beneath Craft's trademark gay-rights updates is another sly retro puzzler complete with formal gatherings, understated gossip, half dozen red herrings, and clues by the bushel. The best of Mark's six cases to date." Harriet Klausner reviewed Hot Spot for BookBrowser online, saying that the "Mark Manning" mysteries "get better with each book written. The protagonist has a strong social conscience which serves to make him a great reporter, one the audience can believe in."

Claire Gray, the central character in Rehearsing, has made cameo appearances in two "Mark Manning" books and has her own series, including the novel Desert Autumn. Claire is a fifty-four-year-old, unmarried, heterosexual theatrical director who is leaving New York for southern California to take a job on the faculty of the newly formed Desert Arts College, founded by multimillionaire software giant D. Glenn Yeats. After she settles in, Claire offers to drive to the airport to pick up another faculty member, and when they return to his home, they discover the body of the man's wife. Detective Larry Knoll, brother of Claire's gay neighbor, Grant Knoll, picks up on Claire's intuitive investigative skills and asks her to help with the case.

Claire is coming to terms with her new life, in a new place, and hoping to settled some of the problems she has been grappling with, including a problematic relationship with her mother. Claire also becomes involved with a student half her age. A Publishers Weekly contributor felt that the secondary characters "enhance" the plot and provide insight into the lives of the artists and wealthy of the Sonoran Desert region, but added that "it is the vivid details of autumn in the desert, from the sunrises to the sunsets, that will create a longing for more." Another installment in the "Claire Gray" series, Desert Winter, was published in 2003.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 1997, Charles Harmon, review of Flight Dreams, p. 1665; April 15, 1999, Whitney Scott, review of Body Language, p. 1470; May 15, 2000, Whitney Scott, review of Name Games, p. 1732; May 1, 2001, Gillian Engberg, review of Boy Toy, p. 1626.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 1997, review of Flight Dreams, p. 759; April 1, 1998, review of Eye Contact, p. 447; May 1, 1999, review of Body Language, p. 675; April 15, 2001, review of Boy Toy, p. 543; May 1, 2002, review of Hot Spot, p. 615.

Lambda Book Report, January, 1994, review of Rehearsing, p. 46; June, 2000, Ken Furtado, review of Name Games, p. 26; June, 2001, Greg Herren, review of Boy Toy, p. 16.

Library Journal, June 1, 1997, Rex E. Klett, review of Flight Dreams, p. 156; May 1, 1998, Rex E. Klett, review of Eye Contact, p. 143; June 1, 1999, Rex E. Klett, review of Body Language, p. 186; May 1, 2000, Rex E. Klett, review of Name Games, p. 158; June 1, 2001, Rex E. Klett, review of Boy Toy, p. 224.

Publishers Weekly, April 6, 1998, review of Eye Contact, p. 62; April 19, 1999, review of Body Language, p. 65; May 1, 2000, review of Name Games, p. 53; May 14, 2001, review of Boy Toy, p. 56; November 5, 2001, review of Desert Autumn, p. 44.

ONLINE

BookBrowser,http://www.bookbrowser.com/ (March 31, 2002), Harriet Klausner, review of Hot Spot.

Michael Craft Home Page,http://www.michaelcraft.com (August 24, 2002).*