Top Noch
Rating:
5 / 5
This excellent, albeit brief, sleuth involves two murders in the Mother Lode country of Northern California, solved in part by a L.A. bookseller and his on-again, off-again boyfriend, who comes belatedly to his assistance. The novel is taut, dynamic, playful, sarcastic, sardonic, and well-written. The editing is the only thing to mar this otherwise stellar mystery, and an abrupt conclusion to the case could have been slightly prolonged to enhance its overall enjoyment. But don't let these quibbles deny you the pleasure of reading one of the best sleuthing fictions, gay or straight, in print. It's quickly read in an afternoon, and one can relish in the delight that it reads quickly -- almost too quickly, but things and momentum develop concomitantly on every page. A real delight.
A smart page-turner of a murder mystery novel
Rating:
5 / 5
Writer Adrien English decides to take some time away from Los Angeles to copmlete his novel and to sort out his feelings for the hunky Detevtive Jake Riordan. And what better place to do this than at the Pine Shadow Ranch in the Gold Rush Country, a place left to him by his Granna. His plans start to take an ominous turn as he finds a dead body in the driveway. When the local sheriffs finally turn up, the body's gone and their dislike of Mr. English isn't exactly hidden. Adrien also discovers an archeological dig on his property - something he didn't authorize. Do they have anything to do with the mysterious disappearing body? He sets out to find the answers, with the help of Detective Jake who shows up unannounced, before someone makes him the next victim.
This is a fast-paced, smart murder mystery with a well-thought-out story. Lanyon has made very likeable, believable characters and created a very realistic relationship between the openly gay Adrien and the questioning Detective Jake which enhances the story instead of supplanting it. For all fans of mysteries, this is a great one to add to you collection!
Fun, Fast-Paced Murder Mystery!
Rating:
5 / 5
Used bookseller Adrien English had had it! He was tired of LAPD Detective Jake Riordan waffling back and forth between wanting to have a relationship with him and being too scared to admit that he could have feelings for another guy that didn't involve S&M; and bondage. So Adrien threw some stuff in his car, left his beloved store in the hands of his less-than-able assistant, and headed out to his grandmother's Pine Shadow Ranch, which she left to him when she died.Adrien hadn't been to the ranch since he was a little kid and he was looking forward to the peace and quiet so that he could work on his latest guy-whodunit, which wasn't going so well. However, running into a dead body in his driveway was not the best way to start a vacation. By the time Adrien had contacted the sheriff and explained the situation, the body was gone. Vanished. The sheriff was sure that Adrien was just imagining things and saw a drunk trying to sleep it off and Adrien let himself be persuaded for the time being. Unfortunately, things didn't look too much better in the morning. Adrien soon discovers that his supposed "caretaker" was growing marijuana on his property and he had forged Adrien's name to give permission to the local university to run an archaeological dig on his land. Too bad he is missing and Adrien can't find him. Before Adrien can do much else, Jake shows up on his porch demanding to know why the police are calling to ask questions about Adrien. When Jake hears that Adrien is involved in another murder mystery, he tries his best to persuade Adrien to go back to Hollywood where he belongs. But Adrien is positive that the dead body he saw that first night was the body of his caretaker and is determined to get to the bottom of the many mysteries in the sleepy, small town. This is the second book starring Adrien English, following Fatal Shadows, and it was just as good, if not better than the first. This one is much longer and has a more fleshed out and fully developed story. All of the characters are fun to get to know and it is amusing to watch Adrien and Jake try to get along together and figure out what they are going to do about their supposed "relationship." I also really enjoyed the mystery(s). The plot was fast paced and very interesting. I sat down and read the book in a couple of hours, it was that good. The fact that the main character is gay may put some readers off, but this is a fine mystery in its own right. Give it a try.
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