Margaret Millar's The Beast In View, Random, 1955 (also Bantam), while a horrible story, is a convincing psychological tale marked by unusually good writing.

Negro novelist, Chester Himes, who is well known for his Cast the First Stone, wrote a wonderful argot filled spoof called All Shot Up, Avon, 1960. It is very major, and very unusual.

Malignant Stars by Jerome Barry, Doubleday, 1960, is, like Mr. Masterson's A Hammer in His Hand, an example of things are not always what they seem. The entire hinge of this story, the entire plot depends upon the lesbianism (?) of the main characters.

The Dark Tunnel by Kenneth Millar, Dodd, Mead, 1944 (as I Die Slowly, Lion Books) is recommended for the writing and the suspense. He is no more sympathetic to the subject, however, than his wife, Margaret Millar. (See above.)

The Slasher by Ovid Demaris, Fawcett Gold Medal, 1959 is a very special book. It is horrible and sickening, but it shows the terrible things guilt can do and the possible effect of repressing homosexual desire.

The off-beat mystery, The Pyx by John Buell, Farrar, 1959 (Fawcett Crest, 1960) has substantial characterization not poorly handled.

A "red herring" treatment of interest as an excellent example of the tough school of writing is The Men From the Boys by Ed Lacy, Harper, 1956 (also Fyramid). For the lover of clever plotting and procedural detection as well as content of interest read John Boland's The League of Gentlemen, London, Boardman, 1958 (Beacon, 1961).

The English poet, Roy Fuller, includes well-handled male homosexual characters in his mysteries, Fantasy and Fugue and The Second Curtain, both published by Macmillan in 1956. He is also the author of the very fine homosexual school novel, That Distant Afternoon, Macmillan, 1959, not a mystery, but very fine reading.

The recent paperback original, The Bedroom: Bolero by Michael Avollone, Belmont, 1963, uses the device of suspecting everyone in the cast of being homosexual. However, even the villains turn out to be "normal" nuts, and this is refreshing for a change.

Where Is Mary Bostwick? by Rae Foley, Dodd, Mead, 1958, uses a pair of gay boys as integral characters necessary to the plot line.

There are many, many others, of course. One last humorous note is provided in the admonition to mystery writers that a mystery could have lots of "good clean mayhem" but no sex, just a few years ago-really?

mattachine REVIEW

88TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION

H. R. 5990

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 1, 1963

Mr. Dowdy introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com mittee on the District of Columbia

A BILL

To amend the District of Columbia Charitable Solicitation Act to require certain findings before the issuance of a solicitation permit thereunder, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 5 of the District of Columbia Charitable Solicita tion Act (D.C. Code, sec. 2-2104 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:

"(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no such certificate of registration shall be issued after the date of the enactment of this subsection unless the Commissioners shall have affirmatively found and publicly declared that the solicitation which would be authorized by such cerțificate will benefit or assist in promoting the health, welfare, and morals of the District of Columbia."

SEC. 2. Notwithstanding the District of Columbia Charitable Solicitation Act or any other provision of law, the certificate of registration heretofore issued to the Mattachine Society of Washington under such Act is revoked.