Cruising (novel)


Cruising is a novel written by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker and published in 1970. The novel is about an undercover policeman looking for a homosexual serial killer in the gay New York City of 1970 before S/M and leather subcultures became well known. The murder victims were closeted or relatively open men who came across the killer while "cruising" for sex. While working undercover, the policeman develops feelings for his gay neighbor.

Plot summary

The novel focuses on three main characters, the killer, Stuart Richards, the undercover policeman, John Lynch, and the policeman, Captain Edelson, who assigns the undercover role to Lynch. Each chapter focuses on one of the character's thoughts. Focus is placed on Lynch's feelings about various minority groups, including gay men and his feelings related to working undercover and how his life is changing as the job progresses. Additional focus is Richard's various heterosexual exploits, his rocky relationship with his father and many more memories of his life, both past and current, and Edelson's thoughts on the case and how he hopes it will garner him a promotion if he solves it.

Film adaptation

The novel was adapted as the 1980 film, also called Cruising. There were substantial changes to the plot of the film, such as moving the killer into the world of sadomasochism and leather gay bars in Greenwich Village, New York. The movie also includes the policeman Steve Burns having an active sexual relationship with his girlfriend, Nancy,. Neither of these facets are part of the plot of the novel. The film starred Al Pacino and was directed by William Friedkin.