Rating: 
Summary: Silly. Obvious. Unendurable.
Review: Michael Craft makes Lillian Jackson Braun look like Umberto Eco. Flight Dreams is horribly written, weakly plotted, and insufferably dull. This is definitely the worst gay mystery I've ever read, and it's in the top 10 of my worst mystery of all time list.The book details the utterly uninteresting travails of Mark Manning, repressed journalist extrordinaire. Given a ludicrous deadline by his publisher, Manning has just ninety days to solve the mystery of the missing heiress, or he'll lose his job. Along the way, he must confront his sexuality. On paper, this sounds like a winning set-up for a fluff mystery, something that might be fun and diverting. It isn't, mostly because Craft just doesn't deliver. There are so many problems it's hard to know where to begin. Let's begin at the beginning: the book is written in the present tense. This becomes excruciating by page thirty or so. Add this to the rampant flaws in the writing itself, and you have a book that is virtually unreadable. That's okay, though, because it really isn't worth reading. The mystery portion of the plot is utterly predictable; I solved the entire mystery by page 42, and spent the rest of my time wondering why Mark Manning, Brilliant Boy Journalist, was such a moron. And the romance portion is both unrealistic and dull, mostly because romance is character-driven, and there are no characters of note in this book. Mark Manning is probably the worst of the people lifelessly inhabiting the pages of the novel. He is supposedly so hideously uncomfortable with his sexuality that he's made it to 39 without admitting that he's gay even to himself, but he spends every waking moment entertaining thoughts and feelings that would clue in a person of normal intelligence in four seconds flat. However, he displays none of the homophobia or self-loathing so common in such violent closet cases. Manning isn't even a believable reporter. His life as he knows it rests on solving this case. A Catholic priest may hold some of the answers. And Manning chooses to spend the first five minutes of the interview telling the priest that there is no god and he's a moron for thinking there is. That's some suave investigative technique there! I've left out some of the more ludicrous portions of the book, like when Manning discovers Neil is the boy for him because they both have the same erotic dream about flying. I'll leave them for the intrepid or terminally determined reader to discover.
Rating: 
Summary: IS THAT ALL YOU BLIGHTERS CAN DO?
Review: My goodness these chaps talk alot! And it's all in that highflown tone reminiscent of novels from the '30s, like BETTER ANGEL (or am I thinking of GIRL OF THE LIMBERLOST?). Mark and Neil chat about Art and Architecture and Sex and missing heiress Helena Carter (because this is, after all, a mystery). But for all their jawing I never could gain a real fix on Neil and Mark's personalities, and that's a problem because this novel is also a romance, as well as the story of Mark Manning's coming to terms with his homosexuality. Romance has become a staple of the gay mystery sub-genre. Cool. But if romance is going to be the subplot of choice, then shouldn't it have to meet the same criterion as, say, a Harlequin Intrigue? Who are these guys and WHY are they in love? Young architect Neil Waite is 39 year old journalist Mark Manning's first homosexual affair. It is through meeting Neil that Mark accepts his own sexual orientation. So what is it about Neil? FLIGHT DREAMS is the first of the Mark Manning series, so perhaps Michael Croft will develop these promising characters and their relationship on a later leg of the journey. As for the riddle of what did happen to the vanished airline heiress and her two prize Abyssinian cats, Craft offers a smart and satisfactory, if unsurprising answer.
Rating:
Summary: A Story That Hits Home
Review: Overall, the best part of Craft's novel is its ability to make the reader think about his past. All too often Mark Manning's experiences made me re-live episodes from mine (sometimes with laughter and sometimes with tears). Craft has made Mark Manning believable because he is so like the rest of us. Struggling with the same feelings and sometimes fears. Few books today are successful in doing this. Craft draws the reader into the minds of his characters so well, the reader doesn't know it until the last page is read, and then of course it's too late. You just have to find out what happens next to Mr. Manning and his new found love Neil. But perhaps, best of all, when I finished the book I felt satisfied. Again, another rarity in today's mass produced fiction. Great job Craft!
Rating:
Summary: The Beginning Of A Beautiful Relationship
Review: This book, had me weary at first. After getting into it, and not being able to put it down - I knew I was going to love this book! Not only did I read it in a record three days, I then started to research the entire Mark Manning series. This book is GREAT for anyone who enjoys a good mystery novel, with a terrific group of characters. You will love some and loathe a few of them - it has all the essential elements of a fantastic mystery must read! Since it is the first in the series, I might caution you now though - you will be ordering the other four books soon after finishing this one!
Rating: 
Summary: A satisfactory launch
Review: This is not the best gay mystery (see Joseph Hansen)I ever read, but it's not the worst by any means (see Zubro). What FLIGHT DREAMS is, is the promising but flawed beginning to what could be a solid and long-running series. The basic problem (as pointed out in detail by fellow reviewers) is that these characters are not very realistic or clearly drawn. And they DO talk too much. The mystery itself is the strongest element--no, it's not too hard to figure out, but really once you've read many mysteries almost no mystery is too hard to figure out. Craft is a craftsman. He creates a solid mystery in the traditional mold and plays fair with his readers. I liked the old-fashioned touches. I didn't get why Neil and Mark ended up together. There didn't seem to be anything there. I like to see gay relationships portrayed in a positive way, so I hope this is an element that will be focused on.
Rating:
Summary: Slow Starter...Predictable Finisher
Review: This is the first book in the series and it leaves something to be desired. The "mystery" is predictable, save the "twin brother" twist. Mark Manning's coming out is tortured; and what's with the Japanese Vodka? Neil, Mark's "loftmate" is not fully flushed out as a character. I hope the 2nd book in the series has more to offer.
Rating:
Summary: A Bit of a Disappointment
Review: Wealthy Chicago widow Helena Carter disappeared six years and nine months ago. In three months, Helena will be declared legally dead and her estate will be divided up amongst the charities listed in her will. Investigative journalist Mark Manning had covered Mrs. Carter's disappearance years ago and was one of the few who still believed that she was alive. He refused to follow the mainstream and make his articles match what every other newspaper was reporting until his editor gave him the ultimatum: either back up his story that Helena Carter was still alive or go find another job. Mark cannot believe that he is being tossed out after years of hard work and popular articles, but he is not going to leave without putting up a fight. Mark digs up all of his old information about the Helena Carter case and reviews. Then he reinterviews the cast of suspects and begins to find some clues. All of his instincts tell him that Helena left of her own free will and has chosen to remain missing for personal reasons. But why? Mark wishes that he could leave Helena to her new life, wherever it is, but he just can't. His leads will send him to exclusive cat shows, religious cults, televangelists and a host of other wacky characters. Along the way, Mark makes a startling discovery - the reason why he has never been able to commit to a relationship and get married is because he's gay! When Mark's pursuit of the story leads him to Arizona, he meets a friend of a mutual friend and finds himself strongly attracted to architect Neil Waite. But will Neil be able to break down Mark's walls and pursue a relationship with him? Will Mark ruthlessly pursue the truth of Helena Carter regardless of the consequences? And what is up with Mark's strangely erotic dreams about flying naked? Flight Dreams is the first book in the Mark Manning mystery series and I was not very impressed. The mystery plot had a lot of potential, missing heiress, tons of suspects, a surprise twist to the ending, but it was all presented as a sideline to Mark's personal life and Mark's personal life just wasn't that interesting. I liked Mark as a character at first, but after a while, I kind of lost that because the author takes any and every opportunity to stand up on his soap box about sex, homosexuality, politics, religion, etc. using Mark as his trailer. This led to a lot of long-winded sermons that I just skimmed through as I kept losing interest. On the plus side, the book is well written and the mystery had a lot of potential. I hear that the series gets better as it goes along, so maybe this is a just a rocky start...?
Rating:
Summary: A Bit of a Disappointment
Review: Wealthy Chicago widow Helena Carter disappeared six years and nine months ago. In three months, Helena will be declared legally dead and her estate will be divided up amongst the charities listed in her will. Investigative journalist Mark Manning had covered Mrs. Carter's disappearance years ago and was one of the few who still believed that she was alive. He refused to follow the mainstream and make his articles match what every other newspaper was reporting until his editor gave him the ultimatum: either back up his story that Helena Carter was still alive or go find another job. Mark cannot believe that he is being tossed out after years of hard work and popular articles, but he is not going to leave without putting up a fight. Mark digs up all of his old information about the Helena Carter case and reviews. Then he reinterviews the cast of suspects and begins to find some clues. All of his instincts tell him that Helena left of her own free will and has chosen to remain missing for personal reasons. But why? Mark wishes that he could leave Helena to her new life, wherever it is, but he just can't. His leads will send him to exclusive cat shows, religious cults, televangelists and a host of other wacky characters. Along the way, Mark makes a startling discovery - the reason why he has never been able to commit to a relationship and get married is because he's gay! When Mark's pursuit of the story leads him to Arizona, he meets a friend of a mutual friend and finds himself strongly attracted to architect Neil Waite. But will Neil be able to break down Mark's walls and pursue a relationship with him? Will Mark ruthlessly pursue the truth of Helena Carter regardless of the consequences? And what is up with Mark's strangely erotic dreams about flying naked? Flight Dreams is the first book in the Mark Manning mystery series and I was not very impressed. The mystery plot had a lot of potential, missing heiress, tons of suspects, a surprise twist to the ending, but it was all presented as a sideline to Mark's personal life and Mark's personal life just wasn't that interesting. I liked Mark as a character at first, but after a while, I kind of lost that because the author takes any and every opportunity to stand up on his soap box about sex, homosexuality, politics, religion, etc. using Mark as his trailer. This led to a lot of long-winded sermons that I just skimmed through as I kept losing interest. On the plus side, the book is well written and the mystery had a lot of potential. I hear that the series gets better as it goes along, so maybe this is a just a rocky start...?
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