'In My Father's House,' By the Late E. Lynn Harris is a Summer Scorcher

Take E. Lynn Harris' posthumously released novel, 'In My Father's House,' to the beach this summer and you just might burn under the hot the sun trying to finish it.

Yes, it is just that hot.

Harris completed it nearly a year ago just before his unexpected death. The book hits shelves today to commemorate the iconic author's lifetime of achievements.

His novels, 'Basketball Jones,' 'Just Too Good to Be True' and 'I Say a Little Prayer' hit the best-seller lists of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. They are among his 10 celebrated novels, as well as his memoir, 'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.'

'In My Father's House'' will definitely be added to the best-sellers list. It's a potent tale of love, lust, betrayal, murder and redemption spun around Bentley L. Dean III, who jeopardizes his right to his family's multimillion family fortune simply because he reveals his homosexuality. The owner of Picture Perfect, one of the hottest modeling agencies in Miami, comes out to his beautiful fiancée, Kim Boston, in order to be with his lover, Warren Stubbs.
In typical form, Harris uses the moment to address homophobia in the black community through is trademark crisp dialogue and scene description. Below, Bentley comes out to Kim while nestled in bed.

" l'll always cheat on you. And one day, I'll meet a man that I will leave you for.''
She sat up, glaring down at me. She pulled the Egyptian cotton sheet to cover her small but plump breasts.
"Does this mean you're one of those down low brothers?'' she demanded.
There were those two words again.
"No, Kim. I'm trying to be an up-and-up brother."

And in typical fashion for some women, Kim offers to stay with Bentley and "pray the gay away'' like it's some sort of condition, saying she wanted the life he promised. Instead, he offered friendship.

"Friends don't need friends, Bentley. I need you to be a man.''
"I'm a man, Kim. I'm just not the man for you.''

Beyond praying away homosexuality, Harris addresses other important issues that plague the black community regarding homosexuality-family acceptance. Bentley was disinherited from the family fortune because his father refused to accept his homosexuality. As a result, Bentley goes from an overly confident trust fund baby to a struggling businessman. Warren also disappears when the money dries up.

But does Bentley's decision to come out turn out to be the worst in his life? The truth is revealed as the intricate plot unfolds. At the same time, the story reaches a major turning point when a rich party planner promises an insane amount of money for Bentley to provide 15 so-called "call bois" for an "A-list" party for a hip-hop mogul on a yacht. The bois don't have to work as sex toys, but the rules are unwritten. When one of the men in the lineup drops out, Bentley subs one of his protégés, Jah, in a move he later regrets because it could lead to murder.

'In My Father's House' is a rip-roaring page-turner, a gift to Harris' many fans and followers.

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