JERY TILLOTSON

"I runne to Death and Death meets me as fast, and all my troubles are like yesterday."
John Donne
Thus begins Jason Fury's classic tale of terror and suspense. Based on fact, this extraordinary sociological thriller is set in the heart of the world's greatest concentration of gay decadence: New York City's shameless, wild Times Square of l980. Although long vanished, Fury brilliantly evokes this extraordinary time in American history when men could shamelessly celebrate their sexuality in such huge cities like Manhattan without fear of being punished. A serial killer is butchering the gay strippers of Manhattan and police have no clue as to his identify. Brett James is the most famous of them all, with thousands of men fantasizing about his gold hair, his beautifully proportioned torso and boyish expression. When his stunning, older brother Mark moves in with him, Brett senses the unknown killer is moving closer. Just when he thinks he is safe, however, the killer traps him and whips out his steel razor to murder again.
When THE ROPE ABOVE, THE BED BELOW first appeared in l994, it closely followed on the heels of the phenomenal success of Jason Fury's ERIC'S BODY. Fans and critics alike were unanimous in hailing this new type of erotic thriller as a "brilliant, feverishly written account of the Plague Years." The author, however, remembers the tremendous censorship problems his thriller ran into. "All my books, but especially this, were flat out banned in Canada. Several bookstore owners were arrested for even advertising 'The Rope Above, the Bed Below.' Fury had an even worse time trying to find a publisher. Before ERIC'S BODY, appeared, 'the Rope ABove,' had set around for years, gathering dust. One agent who held onto it for nearly six months finally "called me one night and shrieked that I should be ashamed of myself for sending him porno.' But after ERIC'S BODY flew out of bookstores across America and then in Europe, Masquerade Books agreed to publish 'Rope Above.' It, too, became an instant best-seller. Fury, himself, has said that he wanted this real-life mystery to entertain first but to also provoke thought. "When I first came to Manhattan in late l978, the tabloids were full of a serial killer of gay men. All were blonde go-go boys. The butcher was never found. And then in l980, it happened again. Several male strippers were found mutilated. Once more, the psychopath vanished. All during this time, I had come to know well the sleazy, hot, erotic, mind-boggling world of live sex shows, strip joints, gay movie houses, the baths. Everything I describe in THE ROPE ABOVE, THE BED BELOW is taken from my journals I kept at that time. Some readers have asked me if I had to use my imagination in describing some of the events that occurred on the stages of the live sex shows, especially those at the world famous Show Palace. I can promise you, I made nothing up."
Fury's hurricane-paced thriller followed on the heels of ERIC'S BODY success, going through several printings. In 2001, THE ROPE ABOVE, THE BED BELOW was selected by the Author's Guild Back-in-Print series of American classics to be reprinted. This new edition has repeated the success of its initial publication. It still sells steadily around the world. It is also said to be a favorite of today's male go-go boys and male strippers everywhere. Most of all, says Fury, "it evokes a time in American erotic history that has definitely gone with the wind. I even have younger readers who can't believe that Times Square and 42nd Street, as depicted in 'the Rope Above,' even existed as it did. If only they knew!"

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