Books by Stanley Bennett Clay

Los Angeles has no ghettos, according to some. And that is nearly true. But even behind the sun-kissed facade of privilege in its Black upper middle class is a harsher reality. In Search of Pretty Young Black Men is the tale of Dorian Moore, a mysterious and seductive young man who provides comfort to the moneyed, the neglected, the lost, and the lonely in an elegant hilltop community in Southern California. Among the women is Maggie Lester-Allegro, who, disillusioned by a loveless marriage, finds support in her small circle of women friends and sexual healing in Dorian's arms. The blessing brought by this pretty black man soon becomes a fatal curse, as terrible truths come to light. Maggie's husband, Lamont, seeks sexual solace outside of their picture-perfect marriage as well. He lives in the shadow of his larger-than-life father, a member of the Baldwin Hills gentry, and under the weight of secrets and lies that threaten to tumble the walls of his carefully guarded life and standing among the elite. This stunning new novel, by the author of Diva, is a poetically rendered, provocative, and revealing tale that challenges every notion of what we believe equals success, prestige, and, most of all, love.