Tag: m/m murder mystery

Review: Knights Out (City Knight #4) by T.A. Webb

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Knights Out coverMarcus Prater and Benjamin Danvers are having a wonderful morning when they are interrupted by a phone call.  It’s Zachary and he needs their help.  An old friend of Jeremiah’s, NIck, has gone missing and Jeremiah wants to know what has happened to him.  Since Ben also knows Nick from his time as a rent boy, Marcus and Ben are quick to agree to join a growing search for a young man known for his kindness and help to those on the streets.

Their investigation takes a darker turn when more boys turn up missing. This investigation reminds Marcus that he also has someone he wants to find, his younger brother who Marcus hasn’t seen in years.  Their current search renews Marcus’ resolve to find his brother and make amends for all the lost time between them.  The shocking resolution of both investigations will change everyones lives forever.

Knights Out, the fourth story in the City Knight series, is a wonderful installment in this Pulp Friction group offering.  Here Webb continues to weave the clues to the mystery that runs through all four series, that of the increasing number of missing young men and the culprit behind their torture and subsequent deaths.  In Knights Out two more young rent boys disappear, both of which the readers became familiar with in other stories.  Now we are faced with uncertainty about their fate and the indication that a serial murderer is at work.  Webb builds our tension and anxiety in small but increasingly fearful steps.  Soon we are afraid not only for the missing men but for all the main characters that we have come to love, especially those like Ben and Jeremiah who fit the profile of the men the killer is targeting.  The fact that Ben and Jeremiah have just found happiness just increases our alarm.

But T.A. Webb balances that worry and concern with moments of laughter and love, especially when it comes to Marcus and his brother.  That is such a lovely element in this story.  It made me laugh as well as cry.  As much as I wanted to include that excerpt with Wick here, I just can’t bring myself to spoil the enjoyment of reading it as part of the whole chapter.  Trust me, you will love this moment for so many reasons, one of which is the rare scene of seeing the unshakable Wick throughly discomforted (in a funny way of course).

By balancing a man’s love for his brother and Ben against the horror that is coming., Webb shows just how fragile a state happiness can be.  Nothing is ever certain, nothing is ever guaranteed except death, so grab your love and happiness while you can.   It’s a message that some of the characters are just beginning to accept, however much they may fight it.  The author spreads tension throughout the series, like butter on bread.  Whether it is Marcus’ health, Wick’s relationships, the mens past histories emerging into the present day events, all bring a certain amount of tension and uncertainty to all the investigations and relationships.

All the other characters from the  other series are starting to appear with regularity.  Here Wick and Chance are an integral part of the search for the missing rent boys with implications for both men and their past histories.  And while there is not a cliffhanger to be found in this story, the path is laid for more investigations and more revelations to come.

Tom Webb is certainly bring his love of Pulp Fiction alive with this story and his City Knight series.  None of these books and related series are to be missed.  But you must start at the beginning with City Knight in order to understand the main characters backgrounds and relationships and the events to come.

Here they are in the order they were written and should be read:

City Knight (City Knight #1)
Knightmare (City Knight #2)
Starry Knight (City Knight #3)
Knights Out (City Knight #4)
Darkest Knight (City Knight #5)
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Book Details:

ebook, 50 pages
Published August 15th 2013 by A Bear on Books
ISBN13 9781301563555
series City Knight
buy link All Romance, Amazon Kindle Books

Review: Son of a Gun by A.M. Riley

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Son of a GunStefan Sanchez’s has returned home to Boerne, Texas after twelve years in Los Angeles as a successful childrens book author.  He has come home for the funeral of his best friend, Tommy O’Connor, scion of one of Texas’ wealthiest and influential families.  He left over a decade ago under the stigma of his deceased father, a corrupt agent and fleeing his secret relationship with closeted deputy Chet Blain.

Now that he is back, all those secrets and more rise up, threatening to pull Stefan down with them.  His alcoholic mother wants to see him, Tommy’s death is suspicious, Tommy’s wife is missing and then someone leaves drugs in Stefan’s rental car, framing him and bringing him to the notice of the FBI.  Chet Blain wants to restart their old affair while the sexy Secret Service agent hovering around him seems interested in Stefan in more ways than just business. The O’Connor family is full of hidden agendas that Stefan must unravel for his safety and sanity.  Everything, including Stefan’s life, hinges on him piecing together clues from his childhood, and coming to terms with a past that has haunted him through the years.

I really liked Son of a Gun enough to give it 4 stars even while feeling ambivalent about aspects of the story. I found the character of Stefan Sanchez to be especially intriguing, in particular his profession as an author of a highly successful childrens series, The Adventures of the Backtree Boys.  Think an updated version of the Hardy Boys based upon Stefan’s childhood up to his father’s treason and death.  Interspliced with Stefan’s thoughts on his current status and events are parts of episodes he is mentally writing to go along with what is actually happening.  It works something like this:

In San Antonio, Stefan emerged from the airport hangar, crisp air-conditioning giving way immediately to deep, humid Texas heat. His sparse luggage and light clothing all seemed to gain twenty pounds of wet, his hair sticking to his nape, and he remembered one of the dozens of reasons he’d had to leave Texas. (then Stefan starts thinking Backtree Boys dialog)

“The weather is reason enough.”

                   “Nope. Reason number one: snakes.”

                   “When was the last time you saw a snake, Tommy?”

                   “It’s the fact that they could show up ANYWHERE. Did you see that blurb in the paper about the assemblyman who              found one in his mailbox?”

                    “I think someone put that there.”

                   “And your point is?”

Dialog from the Backtree Boys is used effectively to accentuate Stefan’s thoughts as well as introduce a snapshot of his childhood growing up.  In fact, much of Stefan’s personality traits came be traced back to the fact that Stefan is still tethered to his past, unable to move forward because he ran rather than bringing any type of closure to the problems he left behind.  He is a complicated character and Riley brings him to life vividly and compassionately.  And the use of the idealized Backtree Boys adventures against the twisted, complex true life events happening to Stefan further serves to demonstrate just how wide the divide is between the two.  A wonderful technique that Riley uses very effectively in the narrative, especially as the Backtree Boys start to get more realistic in Stefan’s head as the events around him turn convoluted and more dangerous.

Riley has laid out a plot with multiple complications and layers to it.  We have a difficult homecoming to a small, bigoted Texas town by a man whose reputation has been soiled by his parents (mother is an alcoholic, dad a traitor).  Stefan is out about his homosexuality, not something the town finds acceptable either.  The funeral brings out the worst in the family, there are many mysteries that start to pop up and the author has Stefan following clues and codes from his childhood, just like in his Adventures of the Backtree Boys but on a much more complicated level and with more profound consequences than being grounded for a week. There are many twists and turns to the plot that serve to frustrate Stefan and the reader along the way, although I have to say I saw the identity of the villain almost from the start.  That fact didn’t stop me from enjoying the  trail to the finish for Stefan, it just upped the anticipation and anxiety for Stefan’s safety.

I enjoyed the character of the Secret Service agent, Evans, who hounds Stefan every step of the way, including a very hot and sexy rough tumble into bed.  His pursuit of Stefan (in more ways than one) was the highlight of the book for me.  I enjoyed the tension between them, just delicious. There are also many secondary characters to draw in the readers interest, from Colin the stoner brother with a skateboard empire to Patrick O’Connor, the patriarch of the family with political aspirations.  But my biggest issue with this story hinges solely upon one character and his interaction with Stefan and that would be the character of Chet Blain, the closeted deputy.

Chet Blain almost ruined the book for me.  I will admit that part of my reaction to him is that he is well constructed and believable in his actions as a closeted man in a small town in the South who wants to have it all his way.  There really is nothing likable about this character, from start to finish and I am not sure the author wants us to feel that way. My ambivalence starts with the fact that Stefan has been holding a misguided love for this man all these years and gives in to a sexual act almost immediately upon seeing him again.  True Stefan sees the trap in heading back into the closet with Chet, the only way they can be together.  And we want to see Stefan hold out against his ex but Chet’s character is all pervasive in scene after scene, until the mere mention of his name on the page had me wanting to flip past just to get rid of him.  I think we are supposed to feel some compassion towards Chet but Chet’s actions in the last couple of chapters as well as Stefan’s reactions almost found me tossing the book down in disgust.  At that point I had a major headache and was ready to bill Riley for a bottle of Excedrin.

I was happy I hung in there because the resolution to all the tangled events in the plot and the ending are worth it.  It was so very satisfying to see how it all plays out (with one teensy bit with Chet, really I just wanted to smack him).  The ending gives Stefan a strong promise of a HFN or even a HEA.  It’s funny and it’s absolutely realistic.  I loved it, and this is from someone who loves her HEAs!

There was a previous version of Son of a Gun published by MLR Press that was shorter in length with a different ending. This version, which is the only one I read, is supposedly longer and was rewritten and reedited for Loose id LLC.  I cannot speak for the earlier version but I can recommend this one.  I enjoyed it even through the moments of frustration, and loved the ending.  If you buy this book, make sure you have the right edition.

Cover art by April Martinez works well for the story within and the characters involved.

Book Details:

ebook, Second Edition
Published May 21st 2013 by Loose ID (first published April 9th 2010)

Review of Inferno by Scarlett Blackwell

Rating: 2.5 to 4.5 stars

Moonlight Cove Detective Zack Stewart and his partner Claire Keaton get the call for a murder at a downtown gay nightclub Inferno.  When they arrive they find a young gay man strangled in the alley in back of the club.  The victim reeked of recent sex and was strangled with his own underwear.  Inside Inferno Zack and his partner find plenty of people who knew the victim, had had sex with him including the club owner, Dante Jardin, their chief suspect.

Zack Stewart is in the closet at work but Dante Jardin ticks all his buttons and then some.  From the beauty mark on his face to the unusual color of his eyes, Dante Jardin is Zack Stewart’s hottest dream and worst nightmare all rolled into one.  Zack is convinced that Dante is the murderer but isn’t sure if that is because of the evidence or because he is  fighting his own feelings towards the man.  Then another murder occurs at the club, a victim killed in the same manner  who also was connected to the first victim.  A serial killer is on the loose and all the evidence points to Dante Jardin or does it?  What happens when a detective’s increasing obsession with a murder suspect starts to cloud his judgement?  As the killer strikes again, Stewart must decide which will rule out, obsession or justice.

Inferno by Scarlett Blackwell is 95 percent of a great book.  Here is a recommendation I have never made before.  Stop reading about 10 pages before the ending.  Just put the thing down.  Make up your own ending, or don’t. As long as you don’t finish the book you will have a terrific portrait of a man self destructing over a sexual obsession, the downward spiral of his intellectual and emotional life,  and the catastrophic  consequences that occur.  From our first introduction to Zack Stewart, we get a feeling of a man already in trouble emotionally and physcially.  Zack is exhausted by the hours of his job, worn out and lonely due to his closeted state.  He is not sleeping or eating well.  Then he is called out onto a case that will have ramifications on his job, his friendship with his partner and most important his self image.  The catalyst for his upheaval is Dante Jardin, owner of the notorious gay club Inferno.

Dante Jardin has the face of an angel and the body and attitude of the devil himself.  All sexual heat and emotional ice locked together in a package that pulls all of Zack’s strings so tight they vibrate.  His attitude towards the “dead whore” offends Zack and his partner while Dante’s sexuality turns Zack on to the point of physical arousal while questioning him.  From that moment on, Zack finds himself  growing increasingly obsessed over the club owner.  He masturbates with Dante in his thoughts even in the squad car.  Zack starts returning daily to the club because he can’t stay away from the man even as he insults him, committing borderline harassment and assault while shoving Dante against the wall.  Zack tries fighting his emotions, aware that he is falling into a trap that he might not be able to get out of.  We are there every step of the way as Zack falls down the rabbit hole, we are there as Zack makes one bad judgement call after another, helpless to stop himself.  Blackwell does an outstanding job of bringing us into the mind of a man in the throes of an obsession.  We hear his thoughts as his emotions spiral out of control even as intellectually he knows it will cost him everything he has worked so work to obtain, fifteen years on the force, the respect and friendship of his partner, even his own self respect.  All gone because he cannot turn away from a man he believes to be a murderer and who now owns him completely in every way.

Another amazing thing is that I didn’t even like Zack Stewart very much.  He whines (and knows it).  He throws his co workers under the bus, expects them to cover up his screw ups to the point of losing their own jobs, he throws an investigation and still we watch all the events happen, much like watching a train wreck.   I was never emotionally invested in the character and yet I still couldn’t put the book down.  Blackwell doesn’t make Dante Jardin someone you would relate to either.  She gives us some backstory on Dante that should make him and his demeanor more understandable but he never really came together for me outside of their sex scenes, which were very hot by the way.  And still, Blackwell keeps us turning the pages, wanting to know what will happen next.  The easiest character to understand?  That would be Claire Keaton, a “by the book” cop who considers Zack a friend and who instinctually realizes he is in trouble and that Dante is the key.

It all works, from the descriptions of the poor guys getting murdered to the club scene with the anonymous sex in the back room.  All visually rich in detail, smokey with the  smell of sex and weed, the clinking of glasses and the rustle of clothing, Blackwell’s descriptions brings us into the crime scene, into the midst of the investigation and the group of people circling around the periphery.  This is a 5 star book right up until it isn’t. And that brings us to the last 15 to 10 pages.  Were these written by a doppleganger?  Did some nefarious ghostwriter with fluff on the brain sneak in and complete this novel of grime, death and sexual obsession with a goal of inserting a measure of Hello Kitty and rainbowed unicorns?  I am still shaking my head over it.  It just makes no sense at all.  It takes everything, and I do mean everything, that went before and plants a big “Nuh uh!” over top of it, canceling out everything that felt gritty and real in order to throw us a fake HEA and “everything’s alright, boo boo cakes” epilogue.  Am I frustrated and irritated beyond belief over this wasteful treatment of talented writing, even by the author herself?  You betcha I am. Two stars for the ending, 5 stars for sexual obsession made real.  You figure out the rating.  I am out of here, still shaking my head in disgust.

Cover:  Art by Reese Dante who had done a great job with the coloring and models to achieve the idea of sex, heat, all in flames.