Review: Good sequel to Hard Fall
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 16, 2012
Sequel to and set several months afterHard Fall, Spin Out tells the continuing story of Deputy Joe as he faces the repercussions of his actions from the summer, finds a new murder case on the mountain, and works through the kinks (sexual and otherwise) in his ongoing relationship with ex-con Kabe.Like in Hard Fall, I really enjoyed reading Joe's very distinctive narrative voice, and I give props to Buchanan for doing such good job with it and making it read so consistently "Joe" throughout. (I'm not sure how to describe it..."Realist folks-y"?) The mystery that he and Kabe (literally) stumble upon on the mountain was interesting and layered, and I appreciated following Joe as he pieced things together.Kabe and Joe's chemistry is also still pretty hot. (I'm not so into the pain play that Kabe digs, but I do find it hilarious that Joe is basically taking on the Dom role without really knowing anything about it--he just naturally gravitates towards it, so in that way, they're very compatible.) It's also nice to see how their relationship deepens along with how each of them grows, like with Kabe finding work while also training to be an EMT. At the same time, you see Joe struggling with how to be in a relationship, something he's never really had before, and his attempts to shield Kabe from his worries are admirable, but ultimately unsuccessful. Thankfully, spitfire Kabe is just as stubborn, even when he's feeling hurt.Between the two books, I think Hard Fall is still my favorite, although I'm hard-pressed to explain why. But the mystery seemed better balanced with the main story in this book, and I liked how Kabe played a part in Joe's investigation. It made me feel that they really are in each other's pockets, even when they're mad at each other.So, if you enjoyed Hard Fall, you'll probably dig this continuation of Joe and Kabe's story. I would not recommend Spin Out if you haven't read the first book though--you probably could get by, but you would be missing a lot of the "reasons" for what results you see laid out here. Anyways, I'll looking forward to checking out the forthcoming third book, and hey, there's even a Joe&Kabe; Christmas story still to read inLight Me Up (MLR Press Story A Day For the Holidays 2011). How festive!