The Late E. Lynn Harris' Modeling Mystery 'In My Father's House' Challenges the Black, Elite and Gay

What reaction would you have to one of Hollywood's hottest black celebrities, who has a wife and children, being a member of an underground, elite, gay men's club? Seth Sinclair is one of the finest actors in the industry, but instead of checking for the women falling at his feet he'd rather be intimate with one of the fellas. That's the juicy topic in the late E. Lynn Harris' June 22, 2010 fiction release, "In My Father's House."

Bentley L. Dean, is a co-owner of one of the hottest modeling agencies in Miami. He's also a man in love with Warren, an athlete who refuses to admit he's gay but loves to have sex with men. To add more confusion to the equation, Bentley has called off his wedding with his fiancée Kim because he's fed up with trying to act like he wouldn't rather be in a relationship with a man-Warren. And his father is none too thrilled to find out his son is gay and promptly disowns him until he can somehow shake off his homosexual feelings. That didn't happen.

Although Bentley has broken one woman's heart, is the victim of mind games with Warren and misses his father terribly, he's got another issue. In the middle of President Obama's then-election, Bentley is dealing with the recession that hurt a lot of businesses and he needs a new client. It turns out that the Prosperity Gentlemen's Club (PGC), the elite gay men's club, is looking for new guests to attend their party. And at that party, Bentley and his models, including a very close friend of Bentley's, get more than they expected. Some learn just how far one man will go to keep his homosexuality hidden.

E. Lynn Harris is known for writing fiction books about couples with one openly gay man and the other in the closet. I've read almost all of his books, and I must admit that after awhile that scenario got old. I expected the overly dramatic crying scenes, the draining way the openly gay guy just kept on hoping that love would overcome social pressures and the frustration with men who would rather hide their feelings. But what I didn't expect is the exciting way Harris flipped the plot.

I wasn't interested in Bentley's or Warren's character since these character types had been covered countless times in Harris' other books. I'd heard and read about the stories of gay men being neglected by family one too many times, so even Bentley's father disowning him was met with a shrug.

But I liked the naivete of his brother-from-another-mother, Jah, and thought he added flavor to "In My Father's House." My interest piqued even more when Sinclair's slimy representative, Sterling Sneed, dropped by Bentley's office to talk about the PGC club. Mystery surrounded who could get in and out of the PGC club, and when Jah met Sinclair, I knew there was going to be tension. But when outside characters came in to lead to some disturbing connections, it was hard for me to pull myself away from this book. Initially I couldn't figure out how the outside characters mattered, but I liked the way Harris sewed them altogether into one sensational cloth.

Although "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted: A Memoir" is my favorite book by him, "In My Father's House" beats my former favorite Harris' fiction novel "A Love of My Own." Harris blended mystery, drama, crime and history in an excellent package.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.