REVIEW, Fatal Shadow by Josh Lanyon

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Fatal Shadow

Series: Adrien English Mysteries # 1

Pub:  2012 by Just justine

Author: Josh Lanyon

Genre: contemporary mystery

Format: ebook; 232p w/ 15 chapters

Age Range: adult

                        Synopsis

Someone's out to get Los Angeles bookseller Adrien English. His best friend has been viciously murdered, now he's getting weird phone calls and sinister gifts from a mysterious "admirer." The cops think he's trying to divert suspicion from himself-with the exception of sexy and homophobic homicide detective Jake Riordan. Is Riordan really such a great detective--or does he have a few secrets of his own? Is his offer to help Adrien on the level or is he out to nail his favourite suspect -- to the wall?

                   Thoughts

WOW. Absolutely…wow.

Shit, it was…I—I just don’t know where to start.

I started my Lanyon reading with Fair Game, it was an erotic mystery. The only reason that I read it was for the fact that it had the word ‘erotic’ in its category. I thought, if anything, I’d be semi interesting, because I can read a lot of shit I wouldn’t normally if it’s erotica.

I wouldn’t have put the book in that genre, it clearly was a mystery.

I loved it to pieces.

The second story was Icecapade’s and I was already starting to fall in love with Mr Lanyon but was still a little hesitant about whether or not I would be able to handle a mystery story by him.

That was until I read Lone Star.

I’m in love. Like I’m nearly gaga for this man and his writing abilities. He’s brilliant and he’s to a point, and he makes you relate to his characters

Which is a feet seeing as they are gay men and I’m not one of them.

This love had me finally giving in and getting this first book in the series. Though I know I could have chosen a few others (even though the word ‘few’ said with utter seriousness, I’m ebook reading threw iBooks on my iPad and they still have a limited collection, even though that collection has become bigger) but this series, many books in it, have caught me eyes.

Still hesitant as to whether I would like it or not, even after I bought it.

I’m really not a mystery fan. I’m not, and this book—this series is a mystery before it’s anything else.

And I think that was one of the man reasons that I loved it so much.

And I did. Truly. I would brag and tell you to go out and buy it, but I still believe that’s you chose and you should have some sort of feeling before buying a book.

This one starts with us meeting Adrien, with an ‘e’, as he is woken by the cops and they tell him about his friend—best? And employee was murdered and he’s the number one suspect.

And well, really, that’s the book.

Nah, it’s done so well, I found myself interesting in all the words on the page. Lanyon has a way of juggling mundane world with thinking and information with monolog so well that you are gripped to the book, wanting to know more. Wanting to find out who’s done it.

I also didn’t know. Though I had a thought or two along the way, but it was so nicely shut down with logic, and still open to your own thoughts, but I found that I didn’t have time to pounder such things as killers as I read through the pages, I was to engrossed in what was going on that, and it wasn’t so much that there wasn’t clues, but there was just an easy flow and monolog threw the whole book that it didn’t matter what was happening.

You weren’t given the answers, or really, any clue that made you need to ponder, and nothing boring in the book that let me mind wonder enough to have a thought either way.

That’s not to say I didn’t have a thought, that I couldn’t discuss the clues and the motives as I went along. More so, it didn’t matter.

The worse is the end, though it wasn’t crime wise. That was truly done and finish, like it should be at the end of every book, I hate cliff hangers with my crime—well, at least, most of the time, I can deal, just don’t like to. (I watch a lot of that shit; it’s my number one, in choosing a TV show). But the relationship that builds up through the story has a soft start at the end of this book, and the blurb for the next, adds to my need to read that one as well.

I can’t wait—hell, I already have it waiting for me to read next.

Series

Fatal Shadow, A Dangerous Thing, The Hell You Say, Death of a Pirate King, The Dark Tide

☼☼☼