Brighton Beach Murder: Sex, Male Prostitution, and More

Joel Ashkinazy, an ordinary guy from Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, works hard in the fashion business during the week and plays harder on the weekends in Manhattan. One Sunday, while on his way in to the Big Apple to shake his booty, his best friend, Nicholas Filipov, asks him to stop by. Joel discovers Nikki's body. He had been murdered minutes before Joel walked through the door. Joel is questioned by Detective Timothy Clarke, who suspects Joel is not telling all that he knows. Detective Clarke seems all too familiar with the gay scene and Nicholas Filipov’s involvement with the Russian Mob and male prostitution. Joel cannot conceal his interest in straight men, but Clarke isn’t buying. Clarke, instinctively, presses Joel to reveal what is in The Black Book. Nikki got Clyde Knudson, a young man from the Midwest, trying to find fame and fortune in Manhattan, involved with a Saudi prince who enjoyed the sado-masochistic side of sex. The prince admits to killing Knudson. Together Joel and Clarke deal with Nikki’s mother, threats from the Russians, and the possibility that the prince also had Nikki murdered. Joel learns to trust Clarke and becomes part of the murder investigation. Clarke, in spite of himself, finds Joel more complex and interesting than the Twink Joel presented during their first interview.