Fadeout Audiobook By Joseph Hansen cover art

Fadeout

The Dave Brandstetter Mysteries, Book 1

Preview

Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

Fadeout

By: Joseph Hansen
Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.56

Buy for $15.56

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Fadeout is the first of Joseph Hansen’s twelve classic mysteries featuring rugged Dave Brandstetter, an insurance investigator who is contentedly gay.

When entertainer Fox Olson’s car plunges off a bridge in a storm, a death claim is filed, but where is Olson’s body? As Brandstetter questions family, fans, and detractors, he grows certain Olson is still alive and must find him before the would-be killer does.

Suspenseful and wry, shrewd and deeply felt, Fadeout remains as fresh today as when it startled readers more than thirty years ago.

©1970, 2019 Joseph Hansen (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Literature & Fiction Mystery
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Fadeout

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    240
  • 4 Stars
    103
  • 3 Stars
    45
  • 2 Stars
    18
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    242
  • 4 Stars
    87
  • 3 Stars
    32
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    202
  • 4 Stars
    112
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    10

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Ehhhh

I thought the book was okay. I got to chapter 5 and quit the book. It might have been better with a different reader or if I was reading the book but I honestly couldn't get into it and I also couldn't tell you what happened up to chapter 5 either.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyable

This was a fun listen. Quality whodunit wrapped around a slice of historic queerness. It's refreshing to have an essentially well-adjusted, incidentally gay hard-boiled detective, and it's especially noteworthy in a story that's decades old.

Most everything about the writing was very solid: three-dimensional characters with their own lives and motivations, evocative descriptions of the seedy side of Southern California, clear exposition, appropriately subtle hints that made plot points seem natural instead of arbitrary. My only complaints were that it was pretty short and it overused some gay tropes. But it was a solid intro for Dave Brandstetter, and I plan to continue the series.

The narration was perfectly fine. I had no problem following along. I don't know what some of the other reviews are talking about when they say they had trouble keeping up while listening. There are only around a dozen characters, the exposition around them is clear, and the narrator does a decent job with using multiple voices. I prefer some other narrators (e.g. James Marsters), and this one was a touch fast in places, but I have no complaints of substance.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Kinda humorous, kinda nostalgic

Really reminds me of the old detective novels like Sam Spade. Awesome having a gay protagonist. Colorful characters. The author really paints a picture for your mind's eye.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Rediscover a Great Series

Note: This is a series that is best read in order.

Joseph Hansen was a groundbreaking figure in the gay community of the '60s and '70s; he was a poet, a radio show host, and a damn good crime writer. His prose is crisp and his characterizations are compassionately drawn. This series has been out of print for a long while, and I am thrilled to see Blackstone is recording them (the first four are available as of this writing).

Keith Szarabajka's narration is outstanding...he perfectly captures Brandstetter's tone, while also clearly defining the voices of all the other characters. Distinction of character is especially important in a mystery series, where each book comes with a relatively new cast. Szarabajka distinguishes each voice without tipping into caricature or stereotype, which is an impressive balance.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in (and augmented respect for) crime fiction, and I hope Hansen's work gets the attention it deserves. In my view, Brandstetter belongs in the company of Lew Archer and Travis McGee. Now here's hoping this series reappears in print sometime soon....

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love all Joseph Hansen’s books

Characters become old friends, lovely to read about altruistic, loving, kind men doing good with integrity, and a smashing good crime solving story as well

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I am thrilled to have found this series...

I often search by narrator and discover some hidden gems. This is one of them. Keith Szarabajka is one of the best narrators out there with pitch-perfect vocal talents. Add this to the intricate and enthralling talents of author Joseph Hanson and we have a complex book. Set in the 1970s, insurance investigator Brandsetter sets out to unravel a suspicious insurance claim. Surprises, twists and turns ensue. I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced and interesting book and I look forward to more in this this series. Thank you to Audible for adding this one to its Audible Plus catalogue at no cost. Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Looking forward to hanging out in this world

I’m surprised I have never come across this series or author before. So happy I found it. I enjoy the main character, Dave. It’s written and set in 1970 and it is authentically that time period. I also appreciate gay characters who are not over sexualized. It’s there when it needs to be, but does not define who Dave is. He’s good at his job and interesting, so that’s the real focus.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Where were these books hidden?

This entire series is fabulous, each book a gem. They’re hard-boiled and believable, the same old LA—as cliched as it actually is—with a striking cast of characters, people I grew to know and care about (if not all like) throughout the series. In era, tone, and social awareness, they are most like the Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo books featuring Martin Beck, though Brandstetter operates mainly alone, unlike Beck. I am a big fan of LA noir, and somehow didn’t hear of this series until a random mention on Fresh Air. To my amazement, most were free to me on Audible Plus. Usually I am annoyed by short listens, but these all seem complete, not skimpy. I want to run away with Madge.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

Cannot believe this was written in 1970! It’s timeless thanks to the narrator’s performance. Keith S is the best storyteller.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Lots to enjoy in this classic queer mystery

Dave Brandstetter is matter of fact and competent without being a hardboiled cliche. A nice twisty plot. Nuanced characters, complicated lives, and a well-written disabled minor character.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!