Queen of Mystery

The Queen of Mystery takes readers deep into San Francisco’s Castro District during the mid-1980s, a time of glittering nightlife shadowed by danger and loss. UltraSheen, the radiant drag performer and beloved community icon, finds herself at the center of a storm when a series of shocking murders shakes the queer community. As Casey Johnson, the cab driver turned reluctant investigator, navigates a world of smoky clubs, back-alley secrets, and underground drag shows, he uncovers threads that tie the crimes to forces determined to silence queer voices. Blending suspense, history, and raw emotion, John Jason Phillips delivers a hauntingly atmospheric tale of love, betrayal, resilience, and survival. Both a noir thriller and a tribute to LGBTQ+ history, The Queen of Mystery captures the vibrancy of drag culture while honoring the struggles of a community fighting to exist in the face of violence, prejudice, and the looming AIDS crisis.