Bath Haus
~ A Capsule Book Review by Allen Kopp ~

Oliver Park and Nathan Klein are two gay men living together in a six-million-dollar home in the ritzy Georgetown section of Washington D.C. Oliver is a recovering addict from a small town in Indiana. Nathan is a successful surgeon from a wealthy family. Nathan has been Oliver’s savior, rescuing him from a life of addiction.

Oliver is always painfully aware that he and Nathan are of two different social classes. It’s Nathan’s family’s house he and Nathan are living in. He feels he doesn’t belong there. Nathan’s family, especially his mother, doesn’t like Oliver and feels that he is beneath Nathan.

Oliver is always struggling with his past, and most especially with his drug addiction. As much as he has benefited from Nathan’s kindness and generosity, he isn’t happy. When Nathan is out of town, he decides to seek some action on his own. He goes to a gay male bathhouse, called, oddly enough, Bath Haus. He finds some action, sure enough, but of a kind he would have been better off without.

In the dark and steamy confines of a gay male bathhouse, he meets up with a man who calls himself Kristian. He’s Scandinavian, or something, and devilishly attractive. When Kristian gets Oliver alone in a private room, he tries to strangle him with his bare hands, and there is no one who might help him. The only way he can get out of Kristian’s stranglehold is to slash at this face with a key.

Oliver has visible marks on his throat. He can’t pretend the attack never happened. He must think of a convincing cover story to keep Nathan from knowing where he was and what he was doing. This circumstance sets up the story to follow, a story of lies, deception, confusion and fear. Did Kristian choose Oliver at random, or is there something more sinister afoot?

Oliver knows that, with his visit to Bath Haus, he is jeopardizing everything he has, including his relationship with Nathan. The price he will pay is going to be a steep one.

Bath Haus, by P. J. Vernon, frequently veers into melodrama, but it’s an engaging and tightly plotted mystery with many surprising twists. It will keep you guessing right up to the end.

Copyright © 2023 by Allen Kopp