Review: A brilliant mystery with thought-provoking themes!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 5, 2014
In this much-awaited novel journalist Griff Hadley arrives to Long Island to investigate the kidnapping and disappearance of 4-year-old Brian Arlington who now have been missing for twenty years. And what a brilliant mystery it turns out to be! Its twists and turns kept surprising the reader all the way to the very end of the story! And it’s almost scary how well Josh Lanyon writes the story in a way that Griff's feelings, his doubts and fears, his expectations and uncertainties, his confusion and his determination resonates so strongly with the reader.I enjoyed hugely Griff's company and the fascinating, unique atmosphere of the beautiful Arlington estate. Lanyon’s poetical description of the Winden House and its surrondings is a lovely homage to Griff’s dear talisman, The Great Gatsby. Overall I loved the nostalgic, yet dynamic tone of this book — the story sparkles ‘old charm’ and it deals with thought-provoking themes that’ll never get old-fashioned: trust, commitment, hopes and dreams, being true to oneself.I think I fell in love with Griff the second he parked his vintage beauty, Karmann Ghia, at the star-shaped courtyard of the Winden House the first time. He seemed so small, flawed, lonely and foreign in the middle of the overwhelming world of rich. And how unlikely match Pierce Mather, slick and powerful family lawyer, would make for him. I couldn’t help but to enjoy the tricky dynamics between these two men right from the awkward and icy first meet!I enjoyed tremendously the pacing of this story. How we at first are allowed to slowly, deliberately observe the Arlington estate and the more or less odd and hostile family and staff members, and how the emotions raise and the speed picks up while the mystery itself gets more and more complicated. There were also so many delightful details to savour! For example I loved the enchanting color of Pierce’s eyes, his sexy suits, the scent of his spicy cologne and the things he did with his fountain pen when he was impatient or nervous.The story made me cry at one point, but mostly it made me smile contently and to bite my nails with anticipation. Stranger on the Shore also has some of the most touching sex scenes I've ever read. They are powerful, aptly funny and wildly sexy, but also so sweet, sincere, bare and full of longing — like finding your way home at last. I’ve always found Josh Lanyon’s sex scenes the most satisfying ones in this genre. They are perfectly timed within the plot and we always learn a lot about the characters during these intimate moments. They are never about mechanics of sex, but always about unguarded, sincere thoughts and feelings.Stranger on the Shore has great secondary characters, Pierce’s sister being one of my favorites. I also adored the fact that when the mystery finally started to unravel I myself started to remember all the small details and clues that were planned throughout the story for the reader to find — the details that only now began to make sense to me! What a cool, pleasing feeling that is! And how skillfully Josh Lanyon made it happen.I wholeheartedly recommend Stranger on the Shore to anyone who enjoys reading quality writing. In many ways this book is a lot like its theme song Stranger on the Shore by Acker Bilk: beautiful, mysterious, soothing, even gentle and a bit melancholic, but nevertheless full of hope and joy and love. This is definitely something I'll be reading over and over again. Reading a book like this leaves my heart full of affection and thankfulness towards the person who created something this lovely. Stranger on the Shore left me with all that and with the feeling of total, complete satisfaction.