Review: Another great one from Lanyon
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 26, 2011
I have never had any reservations EVER recommending one of Josh Lanyon's book, and this is no exception. I've never been a huge fan of noir and period pieces though. If they were all as good as this one, I think that would change. The era was horribly dangerous and discriminatory for gays and lesbians, and Lanyon shows that angst, risk, and persecution beautifully without letting it dominate a great story. Matt and Nathan dance around each other beautifully before finally coming together.I loved the tension between the two leads. A homicide detective and a city beat reporter who's covering a murder while also being a suspect. Frame all of that in the attitudes of the wartime 40's, and you have more than enough for our guys to deal with. The whole time each of them is trying to get a read on the other and keep their own secrets to themselves. Several times I was drawn in enough to often feel anxious FOR the guys. And Nathan's feeling of loneliness and relationship despair were heartbreaking and felt very honest.This is a murder mystery that very much has an Hercule Poirot feel to it in my opinion, complete with a room full of suspects being confronted with a 'whodunit' moment. I've often applauded Lanyon for honoring the genre with stories that could have easily been mainstream. He has done it once again. This is either a glass-half-full situation challenging other writers to actually tell great stories in the m/m romance books we buy, or a glass-half-empty moment reminding us just how few authors actually do it.