Review: loved this book!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 8, 2014
5 of 5 stars~ Review by BeverleyFor original review see Prism Book AllianceShockingly, I had only read two of Josh Lanyon’s novels, until Stranger on the Shore. The two I had read were so totally different from each other that I didn’t know quite what to expect from his latest release. This novel showed me why Josh Lanyon is so respected as an author and why his titles sell so well. Here we have an elegant mystery… a crime reporter obsessed with The Great Gatsby, comes to research his first book concerning a twenty year old case, the kidnapping and disappearance of four year old Brian Arlington.The Arlington family are very wealthy and influential and before this have stopped all attempts to write about their family tragedy. Their main protection comes in the guise of the handsome Pierce Mather, the family’s lawyer. Pierce is intimately connected with the family and cares about them very much. His allegiances  become stretched when Griff, the reporter, arrives in their midst. Like any family the Arlingtons have their squabbles and secrets. Griff must dig into these if he is to write a decent book and maybe, however far fetched, maybe solve a twenty year old mystery.I will not go any further into the plot, as I was thrilled that I only guessed one of the secrets, and then quite far into reading this story. I don’t wish any new reader to get any clues from me and find a wonderful read ruined.Josh Lanyon uses elegant prose to guide the reader in the direction he wishes them to explore, a wonderful example of this below,…the house stood before him, lights blazing in welcome. Of course, it wasn’t actually in welcome. It was in complete disregard for natural resources and indifference to utility bills.in a couple of lines the author sums up the dichtomy of Griff’s feelings towards the wealthy and the Arlingtons in particular.He further thrilled this reader by comparing the Italian gardens of the Arlington’s house to the ones at Hever Castle, which I visited many times when I was a child, as Anne Boleyn’s home is very close to where I grew up. Again pulled two ways, Griff describes the beautiful surroundings as,Ridiculous, in a word. Ridiculous but undeniably beautifulThere is something of The Great Gatsby’s ‘Nick Carroway’ about Griff reporting on the wealthy, welcome but always on the periphery. I truly loved this novel, the relationship between Pierce and Griff is complex, believable and full of sexual tension. The mystery is involved and intriguing. I had one moment when I feared it was a written version of ‘Murder She Wrote’, but believe me that view changed totally. The elements for an enjoyable read are all here and the bar is then raised by some little poetic gems,The stream chuckled over the rocks as it poured into the pool below, the only sound in the night.the dichotomy  is still there though as Griff  remembers how alone he is at that moment and that he may be in danger.  I just had to put one last one in this review, as Griff wakes up one morning on the Arlington’s estate,Outside the windows, the climbing rose bushes threw pewter-colored silhouettes, sharply cut as old-fashioned valentines, against the white ceiling…immediately following this thought he remembers something ‘very negative’ and the dichotomy is preserved.Did I mention I loved this book…