Murder in Paradise

Dave White and Christopher Thorson just want a relaxing winter getaway from Minnesota in Palm Springs, California. Almost the moment they arrive, Chris finds a dead body in the massage cabana at their gay men’s resort, Paradise Palms, and becomes the chief suspect of homophobic Detective Jack Faraday. In defending his newly married partner, Dave is drawn into his third and fourth cases. He begins investigating the murder of Doctor Don Hanson in the cabana and the disappearance of Mike Winston, a gay undertaker and the mayor of suburban Rancho Mirage. Dave’s investigation uncovers a Byzantine network of Palm Springs gay couples. He learns that the cases have roots stretching back decades to his home in Minnesota an his previous career at Medelectric Corporation in Minneapolis. While confined to Palm Springs by Faraday, Dave and Chris meet the other guests from around the world who are staying in Paradise, enjoy the eye candy at the pool, have dinner with their friends from Minnesota, and enjoy the shopping and tourist attractions the city has to offer. When they are allowed by Faraday to leave Palm Springs, Dave and Chris explore the unusual geography of the desert valley and the cultural attractions of Los Angeles. All the while, Dave is uncovering clues to save Chris from suspicion and save Paradise Palms from bankruptcy. As Dave gets closer to identifying the killer of Dr. Hanson, his confrontation with his chief suspect puts him in the Desert Hospital, where Chris uses his nursing background and shows his love for Dave. In order to protect Dave, Chris becomes his “Dr. Watson” as the two of them zero in on the dangerous perpetrators of two very unusual crimes committed by unusual murderers for deeply emotional reasons.