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The Adrien English Mysteries #1-2
Fatal Shadows / A Dangerous Thing
Relationships can be murder. Bookseller and mystery author Adrien English is looking for love in all the wrong places--and, according to hot and handsome LAPD detective Jake Riordan, it's liable to get him killed.
Fatal Shadows
A serial killer is stalking gay men, and a tawny-eyed LAPD detective wants bookseller Adrien English in handcuffs -- for all the wrong reasons!
A Dangerous Thing
When his romance goes south, Adrien heads north to the California Motherlode country. Can murder -- and Adrien's favorite LAPD detective -- be far behind?
Fatal Shadows
A serial killer is stalking gay men, and a tawny-eyed LAPD detective wants bookseller Adrien English in handcuffs -- for all the wrong reasons!
A Dangerous Thing
When his romance goes south, Adrien heads north to the California Motherlode country. Can murder -- and Adrien's favorite LAPD detective -- be far behind?
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2007
31 people are currently reading
856 people want to read
About the author
Josh Lanyon
188 books5,375 followersAuthor of 100+ titles of Gay Mystery and M/M Romance, Josh Lanyon has built her literary legacy on twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance.
Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.
She’s an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.
Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.
Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com
Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.
Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.
She’s an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.
Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.
Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com
Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
May 30, 2011
5 stars, to both stories of this edition! another serie I'm certainly already addicted!
Fatal Shadows - Adrien Mystery Serie, book 1
Adrien English is a loser
He is still alone, after a hard end of a relationship. His life is his small bookshop, and his aspiration is be a writer. The first book of the serie start with a murder, and Adrien is the main suspect.
I Love the characters ad most of all the suspense!!!!! If you are searching for a suspense, a very well written story and a lot of fun this book is what you need! What are you waiting for??? Go read it and see for yourself if it's a wonderful story or not! I bet you will love it too!
5 stars
A Dangerous Thing - Adrien Mystery Serie, book 2
Jake is an asshole
...sorry but is true. I can imagine his hard life, being in a closet to keep his job, but certainly Adrien don't deserve to be treat as garbage. After a terrible and sad end of a stable relationship the only thing Adrien want is to be happy... well, Jake is certainly not helping him.
Again Adrien will be in the middle of killers and mystery when he "run" from LA to hide from Jake.
I thing Jake redeem himself a little, after a lot that happen in this story, but I MUST read more because I KNOW Jake will do some STUPID thing to screw up with Adrien... I know it... asshole!
5 stars again to this second book of Adrien Mystery serie.
For it's price, and quality it's my duty to recommend this book! It's not good! NO, IT'S PERFECT! Enjoy it!
Quick comment I think this suspense should not be only read by M/M (male/male) readers, so I would recommend it to everyone searching for a very good suspense. There are love making scenes? Yes, and no. Yes, there are, but it's so tamed and in the background! This serie certainly is not just for someone like me, that read Male/Male books, but to everyone!
September 2, 2014
How the hell do I do anything with this story/stories? I can't review them properly because anything Lanyon writes will be me gushing over the location settings *waves to local towns*, the way he makes me wait for the good stuff and stuff and just the way he sucks my ass into his mysteries and... JAKE! *whispers* Sorry, Natasha.
So, goofy me bought books one and two together, I so did not realize this until the percentage seemed to never move. *face palm* Anyway...
I have to say I am glad I got my Lanyon on with his short stories first. I was able to wet my whistle with bits of his writing that of course I adored and quite frankly sobbed through. But this? This mystery that is happening around Adrien and Jake? I can’t get enough of it.
Adrien with an "E", how could I not love a writer who loves books as much as I do and has a heart issue, just like me? I mean, we are kindred spirits in that way, oh and the fact that we can fall hard and fast for unavailable, gruff and fucking gorgeous blonds? Let's take a moment to thank the Goddess and snarky detectives of the LAPD.
All I can think about is Jake. Yeah, I have a one track mind with that boy. From the moment I met him I knew he was going to lose his shit over Adrien and with that first, "baby" *sorry Ami!* that tickled my funny spot, I was a goner. I love the boys who are so, how did Adrien put it, a homosexual cop buried so deep in the closet he didn’t know where to look for himself" yeah that - and Jake just does it for me. Sure, he is a bit wonky with his feelings toward Adrien but in between the lines there is this guy that I am in lurve with.
I am late to this party so I am not going to go into the story, most of you know it. I am hooked on the boys, I am hooked and it hurts that I am. See, I have things that have to be done; workouts, WORK, a life at home with the husband and the kids and the rescue dogs, and all that runs through my mind is the small bits of affection Jake gave Adrien at the end of Fatal Shadows and then that first fucking kiss! OH. EMM. GEEEEEEE! I think that may be the best first kiss ever! Why is that? It’s what it represents. It’s what it means for Jake and then all that comes after. A Dangerous Thing, that title kills me. Just tears my damn heart out when I dissect all that it could mean. Ugh. Argh. Jake and Adrien have turned me in to a Zombie Pirate, already.
Oh and Adrien – I said it before, I love him. My heart hurts for all that he wants with this strapping detective and how he waits for it. I love how he goes toe-to-toe with Jake and is so squirly in his sleuthing and the shitty situations he ends up in! It’s calamity at its finest and I can’t get enough.
I just can't seem to get enough of... *whispers* To those who sang along with that line… *high five*
Back to Jake… I know, I am in love with an asshole. Oh well. I was once told, “You crack me up, Sara. Get a hot guy that’s an absolute dick and you wanna jump him.” Yeah, that is me with Jake. I am sure from all I have been warned that he will be a massive dick head and I am kinda ready for it as I leave this and go straight into book three.
Did I say anything about the books? I have no idea. I am in Jake land, I am Farmer Ted trapped under Jake’s table at the party banging my hands from underneath and screaming to get his attention… I am a mess.
So, goofy me bought books one and two together, I so did not realize this until the percentage seemed to never move. *face palm* Anyway...
I have to say I am glad I got my Lanyon on with his short stories first. I was able to wet my whistle with bits of his writing that of course I adored and quite frankly sobbed through. But this? This mystery that is happening around Adrien and Jake? I can’t get enough of it.
Adrien with an "E", how could I not love a writer who loves books as much as I do and has a heart issue, just like me? I mean, we are kindred spirits in that way, oh and the fact that we can fall hard and fast for unavailable, gruff and fucking gorgeous blonds? Let's take a moment to thank the Goddess and snarky detectives of the LAPD.
All I can think about is Jake. Yeah, I have a one track mind with that boy. From the moment I met him I knew he was going to lose his shit over Adrien and with that first, "baby" *sorry Ami!* that tickled my funny spot, I was a goner. I love the boys who are so, how did Adrien put it, a homosexual cop buried so deep in the closet he didn’t know where to look for himself" yeah that - and Jake just does it for me. Sure, he is a bit wonky with his feelings toward Adrien but in between the lines there is this guy that I am in lurve with.
I am late to this party so I am not going to go into the story, most of you know it. I am hooked on the boys, I am hooked and it hurts that I am. See, I have things that have to be done; workouts, WORK, a life at home with the husband and the kids and the rescue dogs, and all that runs through my mind is the small bits of affection Jake gave Adrien at the end of Fatal Shadows and then that first fucking kiss! OH. EMM. GEEEEEEE! I think that may be the best first kiss ever! Why is that? It’s what it represents. It’s what it means for Jake and then all that comes after. A Dangerous Thing, that title kills me. Just tears my damn heart out when I dissect all that it could mean. Ugh. Argh. Jake and Adrien have turned me in to a Zombie Pirate, already.
Oh and Adrien – I said it before, I love him. My heart hurts for all that he wants with this strapping detective and how he waits for it. I love how he goes toe-to-toe with Jake and is so squirly in his sleuthing and the shitty situations he ends up in! It’s calamity at its finest and I can’t get enough.
I just can't seem to get enough of... *whispers* To those who sang along with that line… *high five*
Back to Jake… I know, I am in love with an asshole. Oh well. I was once told, “You crack me up, Sara. Get a hot guy that’s an absolute dick and you wanna jump him.” Yeah, that is me with Jake. I am sure from all I have been warned that he will be a massive dick head and I am kinda ready for it as I leave this and go straight into book three.
Did I say anything about the books? I have no idea. I am in Jake land, I am Farmer Ted trapped under Jake’s table at the party banging my hands from underneath and screaming to get his attention… I am a mess.
September 30, 2024
Buddy read reread 4/29/19:
If I were being objective, I'd give Fatal Shadows 3.5 stars for a rather weak mystery, and A Dangeorous Thing would get 4.5 stars. But this is Adrien and Jake. I can't give them less than 5 stars.
Actual "reviews" here:
Fatal Shadows:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Dangerous Thing:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If I were being objective, I'd give Fatal Shadows 3.5 stars for a rather weak mystery, and A Dangeorous Thing would get 4.5 stars. But this is Adrien and Jake. I can't give them less than 5 stars.
Actual "reviews" here:
Fatal Shadows:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Dangerous Thing:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
February 2, 2017
3,5 porque me ha gustado mucho el estilo de Lanyon y Adrien y Jack son una de esa parejas que prometen.
Por lo demás, los misterios son bastante meh. Me ha gustado más A Dangerous Thing que Fatal Shadows, claramente porque la relación entre los MC avanza bastante y ya empiezo a ver de qué va a ir el tira y afloja entre ellos.
Seguiré leyendo la serie, pero sin prisa, no me ha matado.
Por lo demás, los misterios son bastante meh. Me ha gustado más A Dangerous Thing que Fatal Shadows, claramente porque la relación entre los MC avanza bastante y ya empiezo a ver de qué va a ir el tira y afloja entre ellos.
Seguiré leyendo la serie, pero sin prisa, no me ha matado.
August 31, 2015
4 stars.
Still just as good as I remember the series to be, even if I often find Adrien to be annoying in his dogged pursuit of solving the mystery and even if Jake can be a total asshole. That's what makes them seem so real.
On to the next.
.
Still just as good as I remember the series to be, even if I often find Adrien to be annoying in his dogged pursuit of solving the mystery and even if Jake can be a total asshole. That's what makes them seem so real.
On to the next.
.
January 3, 2017
I normally don't read mysteries so I was reluctant at first to read this series but I have heard that it is a great one and I already had it on my kindle, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I wasn't disappointed. Although I hoped to see more romance but the mystery was good and it kept me interested till the end, and I loved the moments between Adrien and Jake (when they weren't fighting, trying to investigate the murder or when Jake was an ass).
Fatal Shadows:
In the first book Adrien English's best friend is murdered and he is the main suspect. He's being investigated by two detectives, one of them turns out to be a gay (and is in serious denial).
The mystery part was a little predictable, but I still was pleasantly surprised that I was kind of wrong in the end. . There isn't a lot of romance in this book, if any at all but I didn't expect it because they were just starting to know each other.
3.50 Stars
A Dangerous Thing:
In this book Adrien runs away from his non-relationship with Jake. He decides to go visit the house left to him by his grandmother. When he arrives there is a dead body in his driveway, but by the time he drives to safety and calls the police, the body is gone.
The mystery in this one was a lot better, I didn't figure it out until the end. And I really liked the romance part. Jake is still asshole though, but I like him.
3.75 stars
I can't wait to know more about Adrian and Jake.
Fatal Shadows:
In the first book Adrien English's best friend is murdered and he is the main suspect. He's being investigated by two detectives, one of them turns out to be a gay (and is in serious denial).
The mystery part was a little predictable, but I still was pleasantly surprised that I was kind of wrong in the end. . There isn't a lot of romance in this book, if any at all but I didn't expect it because they were just starting to know each other.
3.50 Stars
A Dangerous Thing:
In this book Adrien runs away from his non-relationship with Jake. He decides to go visit the house left to him by his grandmother. When he arrives there is a dead body in his driveway, but by the time he drives to safety and calls the police, the body is gone.
The mystery in this one was a lot better, I didn't figure it out until the end. And I really liked the romance part. Jake is still asshole though, but I like him.
3.75 stars
I can't wait to know more about Adrian and Jake.
February 15, 2015
Had the pleasure of reading these two books from Josh Lanyon late last year, and have no choice but to join the army of zombie fanboys and girls that follow Josh around everywhere. There's good reason this author is so immensely popular! I look forward to catching up with the rest of the impressive Lanyon back catalog soon.
March 30, 2013
3,5 stars for the first two books in a five book series about Adrien English, an openly gay book store owner and mystery author, who stumbles over dead bodies and slips permanently from danger to danger. This is where Jake comes in, a homicide LAPD detective who has some problems with his attraction to men...
The books have a mix of suspense and a bit romance that keeps you reading because you want to know how it will end.
I'm curious how the things between Adrien and Jake will develop. I guess I'm going to continue reading the remaining books.
October 13, 2010
I'm currently waging a war with my good sense over these books. Do I rush over to get the other three novels and read them in one go, or do I smarten the hell up and read the piles of books I already have first?
If you like mysteries with amateur sleuths and a romance sub-plot, this series has it going on. Lanyon does first-person narration the way it should be done. It's like Adrien is telling me his story, peppering it with bits of humor, personality and clever asides as he goes. You get to take the mystery in at the same speed he does, and guess alongside him. All the hints, clues and characters are laid out for your perusal.
The characters are a joy to read. Adrien the gay bookstore owner and mystery writer with a bad heart that leaves him prone to fainting, Jake the closeted LAPD detective who pursues Adrien despite himself, Adrien's overbearing and manipulative mother Lisa, Angus the bookstore employee and resident warlock, and so on. All add levity, expertise and color as the book unfolds.
The romantic plot is what makes me wish for the whole series so I can glom it in short order. The will-they-or-won't-they dynamic between Adrien and Jake leaves the books just drenched in sexual tension. Jake is so far in the closet, he couldn't find the door with both hands and a flashlight. I'm dying to see how this arc resolves and how Adrien handles it.
If you like mysteries with amateur sleuths and a romance sub-plot, this series has it going on. Lanyon does first-person narration the way it should be done. It's like Adrien is telling me his story, peppering it with bits of humor, personality and clever asides as he goes. You get to take the mystery in at the same speed he does, and guess alongside him. All the hints, clues and characters are laid out for your perusal.
The characters are a joy to read. Adrien the gay bookstore owner and mystery writer with a bad heart that leaves him prone to fainting, Jake the closeted LAPD detective who pursues Adrien despite himself, Adrien's overbearing and manipulative mother Lisa, Angus the bookstore employee and resident warlock, and so on. All add levity, expertise and color as the book unfolds.
The romantic plot is what makes me wish for the whole series so I can glom it in short order. The will-they-or-won't-they dynamic between Adrien and Jake leaves the books just drenched in sexual tension. Jake is so far in the closet, he couldn't find the door with both hands and a flashlight. I'm dying to see how this arc resolves and how Adrien handles it.
November 18, 2016
FATAL SHADOWS Review:
I enjoyed it but it was a mess.
I went into this blind. So throughout the book, I was trying to figure out who will Adrien end up with. I felt there UST between him and Jake. But it also felt lacking to me. Also it was hard to root for both of them. Jake is too closeted. And I don't even get what Adrien's personality is. Because he's too busy figuring out the murder and thinking about his dead best friend way too much.
The mystery was okay. I was glued. But in the beginning, because it introduced few characters, it was easy to point someone as a suspect. Then it will end up they weren't it. And then it will became quite obvious that you'll get frustrated because the MC keeps putting himself in danger.
But I'll give this the benefit of the doubt. I know this is Book 1 of a well loved series from a well loved author so I'll continue reading the rest. I'm interested on what will happen to Adrien and Jake.
3.5 STARS.
A DANGEROUS THING review:
Okay. It is starting to get better.
I'm starting to get a feel of Jake. And a little bit more from Adrien. They are now closer, which is nice. But I kinda want more. I'm not sure what it is yet. Maybe more closeness? More connection? I know Jake is tentative but I'm starting to realize that Adrien is even more so. Oh what I would give for Jake's POV.
The mystery in this one was okay. Again it was one of those that I expected.
Overall, I still enjoyed it and I want to know what will happen to Jake and Adrien next!
3.5 STARS.
I enjoyed it but it was a mess.
I went into this blind. So throughout the book, I was trying to figure out who will Adrien end up with. I felt there UST between him and Jake. But it also felt lacking to me. Also it was hard to root for both of them. Jake is too closeted. And I don't even get what Adrien's personality is. Because he's too busy figuring out the murder and thinking about his dead best friend way too much.
The mystery was okay. I was glued. But in the beginning, because it introduced few characters, it was easy to point someone as a suspect. Then it will end up they weren't it. And then it will became quite obvious that you'll get frustrated because the MC keeps putting himself in danger.
But I'll give this the benefit of the doubt. I know this is Book 1 of a well loved series from a well loved author so I'll continue reading the rest. I'm interested on what will happen to Adrien and Jake.
3.5 STARS.
A DANGEROUS THING review:
Okay. It is starting to get better.
I'm starting to get a feel of Jake. And a little bit more from Adrien. They are now closer, which is nice. But I kinda want more. I'm not sure what it is yet. Maybe more closeness? More connection? I know Jake is tentative but I'm starting to realize that Adrien is even more so. Oh what I would give for Jake's POV.
The mystery in this one was okay. Again it was one of those that I expected.
Overall, I still enjoyed it and I want to know what will happen to Jake and Adrien next!
3.5 STARS.
March 12, 2010
Josh Lanyon is made of awesome.
I adore Adrien. There is something so realistic about his character, so “guy next door,” that he is even more comfortable and endearing than many of my other favorite sleuths. Adrien is fallible, he jumps to conclusions, he faints, his voice shoots up on the scale when he’s excited or outraged, he makes lists, and he can’t cook. Pirates make him happy. He’s mouthy. He’s grumpy about the trash habits of his neighbors. He has weird friends (and employees) and his mother… well. And yet somehow he never loses that casual grace that makes him incredibly sexy. Adrien is perfectly imperfect, and even if the events unfolding around him, and often because of him, weren’t so exciting and scary, I’d still want to read it, just to follow Adrien through his days (and nights).
Jake Riordan isn’t adorable, but he’s definitely squee-worthy. He’s hard, cold, cynical, ambitious, a bit of an asshole, and has some serious issues, but he does try to be gentle with Adrien. Even when Adrien’s charging full-tilt into one life-threatening situation after another, which, in my opinion, really shows a remarkable forbearance on Jake’s part.
What lays between Adrien and Jake is the kind of romance I prefer most – not the happily-ever-after, we-were-meant-to-be romance, but what can happen between two people when they obviously find each other incredibly sexy and also kinda nice to be around… when they’re not driving each other nuts (or to the hospital).
There’s not much I can say about the actual stories, because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. I will say that the plots of both novels are perfectly executed, beautifully paced, and genuinely scary and creepy. However, Josh Lanyon has a wonderful sense of balance and excels at both mystery and romance, so I can still recommend this omnibus for those romance readers who would otherwise think twice about delving into the mystery genre.
I adore Adrien. There is something so realistic about his character, so “guy next door,” that he is even more comfortable and endearing than many of my other favorite sleuths. Adrien is fallible, he jumps to conclusions, he faints, his voice shoots up on the scale when he’s excited or outraged, he makes lists, and he can’t cook. Pirates make him happy. He’s mouthy. He’s grumpy about the trash habits of his neighbors. He has weird friends (and employees) and his mother… well. And yet somehow he never loses that casual grace that makes him incredibly sexy. Adrien is perfectly imperfect, and even if the events unfolding around him, and often because of him, weren’t so exciting and scary, I’d still want to read it, just to follow Adrien through his days (and nights).
Jake Riordan isn’t adorable, but he’s definitely squee-worthy. He’s hard, cold, cynical, ambitious, a bit of an asshole, and has some serious issues, but he does try to be gentle with Adrien. Even when Adrien’s charging full-tilt into one life-threatening situation after another, which, in my opinion, really shows a remarkable forbearance on Jake’s part.
What lays between Adrien and Jake is the kind of romance I prefer most – not the happily-ever-after, we-were-meant-to-be romance, but what can happen between two people when they obviously find each other incredibly sexy and also kinda nice to be around… when they’re not driving each other nuts (or to the hospital).
There’s not much I can say about the actual stories, because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. I will say that the plots of both novels are perfectly executed, beautifully paced, and genuinely scary and creepy. However, Josh Lanyon has a wonderful sense of balance and excels at both mystery and romance, so I can still recommend this omnibus for those romance readers who would otherwise think twice about delving into the mystery genre.
September 29, 2011
I had Josh Lanyon on my TBR pile for a whole while now, but I just never seemed to get to reading his books. Incessant (digital) arm twisting by some Goodreads friends (I'm looking at you, LA!) got the Adrien English series on my currently reading shelf. And may I say: it was a pleasure.
Honestly: I'm not the biggest mystery fan and I had expected a wider romance arc, especially for the first story. But the mystery part was engaging and the romance part was -subtle as it was- strangely satisfying.
I love Lanyon's writing, it's smart, engaging and funny. And -despite the fantastical events in the story- I found that I could identify with the feelings felt and the actions took. All in all, top notch writing.
Fatal Shadows was a very pleasant meeting with Adrien with-an-e English. (3,5 stars)
A Dangerous Thing got me more invested, especially the romance plot. (4 stars).
On to the next one.
Honestly: I'm not the biggest mystery fan and I had expected a wider romance arc, especially for the first story. But the mystery part was engaging and the romance part was -subtle as it was- strangely satisfying.
I love Lanyon's writing, it's smart, engaging and funny. And -despite the fantastical events in the story- I found that I could identify with the feelings felt and the actions took. All in all, top notch writing.
Fatal Shadows was a very pleasant meeting with Adrien with-an-e English. (3,5 stars)
A Dangerous Thing got me more invested, especially the romance plot. (4 stars).
On to the next one.
January 31, 2016
This was actually 4.5 stars for me (but I rounded it up)... I am blaming it on the way that the first book ended... grrr
I will admit that I am totally hooked on these two guys... I see chaos and mayhem in their futures and I intend to enjoy every minute of it!!! Adrien (with an 'e'... it will make sense after you read it) is rather bland and boring with an occasional glimpse of something that just makes you want to take him home with you and cuddle with him!!! Jake, on the other hand... is an ASSHOLE... who is in the closet "except with the men that he has sex with"... yeah, a real doll... but he kinda grows on you... but trust me, you will be well into the second book before you start seeing that he has Adrien's best interest at heart. I could give you facts from the stories, but If you are like me, all you will want to do is move on to the next book in the series to see what else can go wrong and how many ways Adrien can find himself in a situation where he has to either deal with a murder or actually be accused of murder himself! I have long been a JL fan and I use her as my "go to author" more times than not! She writes the kind of books that appeal to me... although the first book in this series was missing a few major points that I prefer in my books... I knew that the second book would cover them so I didn't really get upset... but if you read the first book... you must read the second one... or else you will go around screaming "No, no... noooooo!" LOL
I will admit that I am totally hooked on these two guys... I see chaos and mayhem in their futures and I intend to enjoy every minute of it!!! Adrien (with an 'e'... it will make sense after you read it) is rather bland and boring with an occasional glimpse of something that just makes you want to take him home with you and cuddle with him!!! Jake, on the other hand... is an ASSHOLE... who is in the closet "except with the men that he has sex with"... yeah, a real doll... but he kinda grows on you... but trust me, you will be well into the second book before you start seeing that he has Adrien's best interest at heart. I could give you facts from the stories, but If you are like me, all you will want to do is move on to the next book in the series to see what else can go wrong and how many ways Adrien can find himself in a situation where he has to either deal with a murder or actually be accused of murder himself! I have long been a JL fan and I use her as my "go to author" more times than not! She writes the kind of books that appeal to me... although the first book in this series was missing a few major points that I prefer in my books... I knew that the second book would cover them so I didn't really get upset... but if you read the first book... you must read the second one... or else you will go around screaming "No, no... noooooo!" LOL
January 5, 2011
Adrien English is a wry, funny, endearing narrator with a weak heart, a stubborn streak and an unhealthy dose of curiosity. Jake Riordan is a smart, tough, ambitious cop who won't acknowledge himself as gay--but can't stop himself from pursuing Adrien. (Ok, sometimes it's because Adrien is a suspect, but still.) Add two creepy, puzzling mysteries and you have the first two books of a series that's impossible to put down!
January 8, 2015
Lasciamo perdere la copertina, per carità, che è proprio brutta e non rende minimamente il “tono” del libro: meglio quelle spiritose e allusive e più originali della serie di Ty e Zane. Una delle critiche che facevo alle autrici di tale serie era che le trame poliziesche dei loro romanzi erano assai pasticciate e inverosimili: mi è stato consigliato, allora, di leggere qualcosa di quest’autore, Josh Lanyon, più capace, a detta dell’amica che me ne ha parlato, di maneggiare gli strumenti e i temi del mystery, facendolo convivere in modo meno stridente col versante sentimentale della storia (siamo sempre, infatti, all’interno del “genere” M/M, che, ho scoperto, è una fucina inesauribile di titoli e ha numerosissimi estimatori). Questo libro raccoglie insieme i primi due romanzi della sua serie denominata “Adrien English Mysteries”, Fatal Shadows e A Dangerous Thing.
Siamo a Los Angeles, verso l’inizio degli anni Duemila (da principio, non avendo visto che il primo libro uscì originariamente nel 2000, ci ho messo un po’ a capire come mai quasi nessuno usasse un telefono cellulare, e perché tutti invece facessero cose “preistoriche” come lasciare messaggi nelle segreterie telefoniche!). Adrien English è un tranquillo, agiato e sofisticato trentenne proprietario di una piccola libreria specializzata in gialli (descritta un po’ leziosamente, come le “mitiche” librerie di una volta, ma ci può stare), dichiaratamente omosessuale, figlio unico e iper-coccolato dalla madre, vedova, svampita e assai protettiva. Da qualche anno, essendo finita l’ultima sua relazione importante, è single e si sta accorgendo che la sua tendenza a ritirarsi sempre più nella solitudine si sta facendo sempre più accentuata. Ma tutto sommato la sua vita scorre fin troppo placidamente, le uniche sue preoccupazioni consistono nel tentare di finire il suo primo romanzo, su un attore teatrale/detective dilettante, e tenere d’occhio la salute, a causa di un piccolo problema cardiaco. Questa almeno era la sua situazione all’avvio della serie, perché d’ora in avanti ho la sensazione (confermata anche dalla lettura del secondo romanzo) che diventerà invece una specie di calamita per i guai, una specie di Jessica Fletcher gay che dovunque si sposta si tira dietro il solito cadavere, con lui al centro dei casini (mi si dirà, per forza: la serie si chiama Adrien English Mysteries, che pretendevi? Va bene, finché non si esagererà, va bene).
Infatti, nel primo romanzo, Fatal Shadows, i problemi iniziano già a pagina 1, quando Adrien apprende che un suo vecchio amico è stato barbaramente assassinato, e che naturalmente egli è il primo sospettato. Ad occuparsi delle indagini è il detective Jake Riordan, un duro d’altri tempi, che sembra non avere alcuna simpatia per gli omosessuali in generale e per Adrien in particolare… oltre a essere, ovviamente, terribilmente sexy. Il nostro Adrien comincia, come immaginate, a indagare per conto proprio, a cacciarsi quindi nei guai e a finire nel mirino del serial killer e a dover essere salvato dall’insopportabile, sprezzante ma maledettamente in gamba Riordan… del quale a sorpresa si scoprono le insospettabili tendenze omosessuali, represse il più possibile e vissute solo in gran segreto e con vergogna.
Nel secondo romanzo, A Dangerous Thing, curiosa coincidenza con la seconda puntata delle avventure di Ty e Zane, Sticks & Stones: anche qui, dalla metropoli si passa subito a scenari più rurali, e quella che nelle intenzioni di Adrien doveva essere una pausa di relax (o meglio una specie di fuga dalla complicata e frustrante storia-non storia con Jake, che ha iniziato a frequentarlo ma ancora rifiuta persino di toccarlo) si trasforma in un’avventura un po’ bizzarra tra scavi archeologici per cercare vecchie miniere d’oro, omicidi, leggende indiane. Chiaramente anche stavolta deve arrivare l’imperturbabile Jake per dare una mano e così, lontani dalla città dove egli si mantiene rigidamente sulla difensiva per paura di essere scoperto, anche la relazione fra i due, pur fra mille battibecchi, fa notevoli passi avanti.
Le trame gialle sono gradevoli, ma nulla di più: in particolare, nella prima puntata, non ho capito perché l’assassino doveva avercela proprio con Adrien, visto che , né, nella seconda, si sia ben capita la dinamica degli eventi. Anche stavolta i veri punti di forza sono altri; la scrittura (la voce di Adrien) mantiene un gradevole tono arguto e (auto)ironico, giocando spesso anche sullo sconcerto di Adrien nel trovarsi catapultato all’improvviso in mezzo a situazioni pericolose così inusuali per lui, o al contrario sulle sue velleità di investigatore dilettante sempre pronto a formulare teorie strampalate, mentre il freddo e razionale Jake lo riporta coi piedi per terra… salvo poi scoprire che spesso le intuizioni “romanzesche” di Adrien si rivelano sorprendentemente azzeccate. Soprattutto però ad intrigare sono il contrasto di caratteri fra i due protagonisti, il delicato e colto Adrien e il massiccio, brusco, spesso arrogante e tenebroso Jake, e le scintille che si sprigionano dalla loro relazione, che è tutt’altro che “amore a prima vista”, anzi, vive in una tensione costante, fra passi avanti e continui dubbi e delusioni.
Nella serie letta poco tempo fa, Cut & Run, nessuno dei protagonisti doveva venire a patti con le proprie scelte in tema di orientamento sessuale, che non vengono mai messe in dubbio: in questa, invece, è introdotto l’argomento nuovo e spinoso della difficoltà di accettarsi, dell’ostinazione nel volersi negare alle proprie inclinazioni e nel voler mettere “paletti” ben precisi al livello di coinvolgimento che si è disposti a raggiungere, nonché dei problemi del partner, tenuto costantemente sul filo, in attesa, nel riuscire a capire cosa voglia l’altro, cosa voglio io, se si possa ritenere sana una relazione con un uomo che sembra avere in odio la propria natura, che pare poterla vivere solo in modo nascosto e degradante, che sembra disprezzarsi e quindi, sotto sotto, disprezzare forse anche te. Questo è infatti il grande interrogativo che circonda il personaggio di Jake, uomo d’azione, rude, super mascolino, forte, di poche parole, l’essenza stessa dell’autentico “maschio alfa” e agli occhi del mondo, dei colleghi, della famiglia inequivocabilmente eterosessuale, eppure intimamente molto più irresoluto e imprevedibile, nelle sue reazioni, meno “libero”, del delicato Adrien. Svariate volte questi è costretto a domandarsi se valga la pena dedicare tempo ed energie a un uomo che forse non ne è degno, ed altrettante volte si scopre però non in grado di allontanarsi da questa persona, ed è bello che l’unione fra i due non venga presentata come “scritta nelle stelle” fin da subito, ma frutto di continue e sofferte scelte. L’enigma Jake è reso ancora più fitto e stuzzicante per il lettore perché quello che sappiamo (o non sappiamo) ci arriva solo attraverso il filtro della voce narrante di Adrien: infatti, stavolta la narrazione è in prima persona. Non che il narratore onnisciente della serie di Ty e Zane fosse sgradevole, era talvolta interessante rimbalzare fra le prospettive, talvolta opposte, dell’uno e dell’altro protagonista, ma, grazie all’espediente utilizzato da Lanyon, qui non possiamo conoscere sempre, ad ogni minuto, tutti i pensieri di ciascun personaggio, e appunto specialmente di Jake, il che lo rende più misterioso, più intrigante da scoprire, e ci rende capaci di rimanere sorpresi, spiazzati, coinvolti al pari del protagonista Adrien negli sviluppi di una relazione che non riesce, ancora, a decifrare e controllare. Le scene esplicite di sesso sono eccezionalmente poche, e inoltre l’autore fa sudare ai suoi lettori il momento tanto atteso in cui i due protagonisti si lasciano finalmente andare, cosa che avviene solo dopo oltre la metà del secondo libro. Il mio unico termine di paragone è la scrittura di Urban & Roux e i libri di Cut & Run, ma qui noto meno insistenza sulle dettagliate descrizioni anatomiche e interesse per le iperboli, e un tono più “intimo” e realistico (anche l’accenno al disagio e all’imbarazzo della “prima volta” aiuta a farci sentire più vicini ai due protagonisti).
Un altro motivo per cui ho apprezzato questi romanzi: come detto, il protagonista, Adrien, è un libraio-scrittore e spesso nel racconto fa riferimento alla sua passione per la lettura e i gialli in particolare, e ritengo più che probabile che i suoi gusti rispecchino quelli dello stesso autore, Lanyon. Per ben due volte, più precisamente una volta in ciascun romanzo, si citano con deferenza Joseph Hansen e la sua serie su Dave Brandstetter (che ho iniziato a leggere quest’anno: Scomparso , Death Claims e Troublemaker ) e non si può immaginare la mia intima soddisfazione al pensiero che ormai ho messo le mani su questo tesoro (cercato per mesi… e pagato a caro prezzo), il volumone con tutti i romanzi della serie… Presto li leggerò, dev’essere, nell’ambito del genere M/M e dei polizieschi con protagonisti omosessuali, una specie di “leggenda” e un “pioniere”.
3/5
http://moloch981.wordpress.com/2012/1...
Siamo a Los Angeles, verso l’inizio degli anni Duemila (da principio, non avendo visto che il primo libro uscì originariamente nel 2000, ci ho messo un po’ a capire come mai quasi nessuno usasse un telefono cellulare, e perché tutti invece facessero cose “preistoriche” come lasciare messaggi nelle segreterie telefoniche!). Adrien English è un tranquillo, agiato e sofisticato trentenne proprietario di una piccola libreria specializzata in gialli (descritta un po’ leziosamente, come le “mitiche” librerie di una volta, ma ci può stare), dichiaratamente omosessuale, figlio unico e iper-coccolato dalla madre, vedova, svampita e assai protettiva. Da qualche anno, essendo finita l’ultima sua relazione importante, è single e si sta accorgendo che la sua tendenza a ritirarsi sempre più nella solitudine si sta facendo sempre più accentuata. Ma tutto sommato la sua vita scorre fin troppo placidamente, le uniche sue preoccupazioni consistono nel tentare di finire il suo primo romanzo, su un attore teatrale/detective dilettante, e tenere d’occhio la salute, a causa di un piccolo problema cardiaco. Questa almeno era la sua situazione all’avvio della serie, perché d’ora in avanti ho la sensazione (confermata anche dalla lettura del secondo romanzo) che diventerà invece una specie di calamita per i guai, una specie di Jessica Fletcher gay che dovunque si sposta si tira dietro il solito cadavere, con lui al centro dei casini (mi si dirà, per forza: la serie si chiama Adrien English Mysteries, che pretendevi? Va bene, finché non si esagererà, va bene).
Infatti, nel primo romanzo, Fatal Shadows, i problemi iniziano già a pagina 1, quando Adrien apprende che un suo vecchio amico è stato barbaramente assassinato, e che naturalmente egli è il primo sospettato. Ad occuparsi delle indagini è il detective Jake Riordan, un duro d’altri tempi, che sembra non avere alcuna simpatia per gli omosessuali in generale e per Adrien in particolare… oltre a essere, ovviamente, terribilmente sexy. Il nostro Adrien comincia, come immaginate, a indagare per conto proprio, a cacciarsi quindi nei guai e a finire nel mirino del serial killer e a dover essere salvato dall’insopportabile, sprezzante ma maledettamente in gamba Riordan… del quale a sorpresa si scoprono le insospettabili tendenze omosessuali, represse il più possibile e vissute solo in gran segreto e con vergogna.
Nel secondo romanzo, A Dangerous Thing, curiosa coincidenza con la seconda puntata delle avventure di Ty e Zane, Sticks & Stones: anche qui, dalla metropoli si passa subito a scenari più rurali, e quella che nelle intenzioni di Adrien doveva essere una pausa di relax (o meglio una specie di fuga dalla complicata e frustrante storia-non storia con Jake, che ha iniziato a frequentarlo ma ancora rifiuta persino di toccarlo) si trasforma in un’avventura un po’ bizzarra tra scavi archeologici per cercare vecchie miniere d’oro, omicidi, leggende indiane. Chiaramente anche stavolta deve arrivare l’imperturbabile Jake per dare una mano e così, lontani dalla città dove egli si mantiene rigidamente sulla difensiva per paura di essere scoperto, anche la relazione fra i due, pur fra mille battibecchi, fa notevoli passi avanti.
Le trame gialle sono gradevoli, ma nulla di più: in particolare, nella prima puntata, non ho capito perché l’assassino doveva avercela proprio con Adrien, visto che , né, nella seconda, si sia ben capita la dinamica degli eventi. Anche stavolta i veri punti di forza sono altri; la scrittura (la voce di Adrien) mantiene un gradevole tono arguto e (auto)ironico, giocando spesso anche sullo sconcerto di Adrien nel trovarsi catapultato all’improvviso in mezzo a situazioni pericolose così inusuali per lui, o al contrario sulle sue velleità di investigatore dilettante sempre pronto a formulare teorie strampalate, mentre il freddo e razionale Jake lo riporta coi piedi per terra… salvo poi scoprire che spesso le intuizioni “romanzesche” di Adrien si rivelano sorprendentemente azzeccate. Soprattutto però ad intrigare sono il contrasto di caratteri fra i due protagonisti, il delicato e colto Adrien e il massiccio, brusco, spesso arrogante e tenebroso Jake, e le scintille che si sprigionano dalla loro relazione, che è tutt’altro che “amore a prima vista”, anzi, vive in una tensione costante, fra passi avanti e continui dubbi e delusioni.
Nella serie letta poco tempo fa, Cut & Run, nessuno dei protagonisti doveva venire a patti con le proprie scelte in tema di orientamento sessuale, che non vengono mai messe in dubbio: in questa, invece, è introdotto l’argomento nuovo e spinoso della difficoltà di accettarsi, dell’ostinazione nel volersi negare alle proprie inclinazioni e nel voler mettere “paletti” ben precisi al livello di coinvolgimento che si è disposti a raggiungere, nonché dei problemi del partner, tenuto costantemente sul filo, in attesa, nel riuscire a capire cosa voglia l’altro, cosa voglio io, se si possa ritenere sana una relazione con un uomo che sembra avere in odio la propria natura, che pare poterla vivere solo in modo nascosto e degradante, che sembra disprezzarsi e quindi, sotto sotto, disprezzare forse anche te. Questo è infatti il grande interrogativo che circonda il personaggio di Jake, uomo d’azione, rude, super mascolino, forte, di poche parole, l’essenza stessa dell’autentico “maschio alfa” e agli occhi del mondo, dei colleghi, della famiglia inequivocabilmente eterosessuale, eppure intimamente molto più irresoluto e imprevedibile, nelle sue reazioni, meno “libero”, del delicato Adrien. Svariate volte questi è costretto a domandarsi se valga la pena dedicare tempo ed energie a un uomo che forse non ne è degno, ed altrettante volte si scopre però non in grado di allontanarsi da questa persona, ed è bello che l’unione fra i due non venga presentata come “scritta nelle stelle” fin da subito, ma frutto di continue e sofferte scelte. L’enigma Jake è reso ancora più fitto e stuzzicante per il lettore perché quello che sappiamo (o non sappiamo) ci arriva solo attraverso il filtro della voce narrante di Adrien: infatti, stavolta la narrazione è in prima persona. Non che il narratore onnisciente della serie di Ty e Zane fosse sgradevole, era talvolta interessante rimbalzare fra le prospettive, talvolta opposte, dell’uno e dell’altro protagonista, ma, grazie all’espediente utilizzato da Lanyon, qui non possiamo conoscere sempre, ad ogni minuto, tutti i pensieri di ciascun personaggio, e appunto specialmente di Jake, il che lo rende più misterioso, più intrigante da scoprire, e ci rende capaci di rimanere sorpresi, spiazzati, coinvolti al pari del protagonista Adrien negli sviluppi di una relazione che non riesce, ancora, a decifrare e controllare. Le scene esplicite di sesso sono eccezionalmente poche, e inoltre l’autore fa sudare ai suoi lettori il momento tanto atteso in cui i due protagonisti si lasciano finalmente andare, cosa che avviene solo dopo oltre la metà del secondo libro. Il mio unico termine di paragone è la scrittura di Urban & Roux e i libri di Cut & Run, ma qui noto meno insistenza sulle dettagliate descrizioni anatomiche e interesse per le iperboli, e un tono più “intimo” e realistico (anche l’accenno al disagio e all’imbarazzo della “prima volta” aiuta a farci sentire più vicini ai due protagonisti).
Un altro motivo per cui ho apprezzato questi romanzi: come detto, il protagonista, Adrien, è un libraio-scrittore e spesso nel racconto fa riferimento alla sua passione per la lettura e i gialli in particolare, e ritengo più che probabile che i suoi gusti rispecchino quelli dello stesso autore, Lanyon. Per ben due volte, più precisamente una volta in ciascun romanzo, si citano con deferenza Joseph Hansen e la sua serie su Dave Brandstetter (che ho iniziato a leggere quest’anno: Scomparso , Death Claims e Troublemaker ) e non si può immaginare la mia intima soddisfazione al pensiero che ormai ho messo le mani su questo tesoro (cercato per mesi… e pagato a caro prezzo), il volumone con tutti i romanzi della serie… Presto li leggerò, dev’essere, nell’ambito del genere M/M e dei polizieschi con protagonisti omosessuali, una specie di “leggenda” e un “pioniere”.
3/5
http://moloch981.wordpress.com/2012/1...
July 15, 2017
**grammar**
Ok, so where do I start?
BOOK 1
The mystery in the first book was interesting also if was way too easy to understand. From the start there was a person that will ring all your "danger" bells and actually I couldn't understand how Adrien, that seemed so smart, wasn't able to see Bruce(or what the hell was his name) for who he really was....the worst scene in this book, other than Claude's murder, bcs that guy was too sassy sometimes but still funny, was the fact that Adrien slept with Bruce and how it happened. A scene that for me was like rape.
Adrien is now sure that Bruce is his old classmate that is taking revenge on all the guys who bullied him when he was a teenage, something that ruined his life and made him a psycho. He is obsessed with Adrien and wants him as his boyfriend and Adrien is so damn stupid to fall in his arms. When Adrien finds out that he is the killer, of all his friends (one of them also being Robert his best friend), and let me tell you, he finds out in simple way, like dialing back the call he got from the stranger telling "I'll kill u Adrien"...couldn't he do it before, when he received all that calls where someone never talked but only breathed on the line? don't ask me why he didn't..oh wait, I know....the author had almost finished the pages and needed to wrap the story up...ok let's go on...
So our smart Adrien, that now I kind of feel pity for, also if I like him...sort of..his smarty remarks and thoughts for sure... what does he think? to go to Bruce's house and search it...
He doesn't ask for help and sure as hell doesn't wait for detective Jake Riordan to come with him. When he finds Jake there he is surprised and is sure that the guy will arrest him now, since he and his partner were sure for almost 90% of the book that Adrien was the killer and this break-in will not help him. But in the end Jake, who may or may not be straight and still banging other man is a BDSM club, now is sure that Adrien isn't the man they are searching for. Now all could have ended well..but no.
Bruce comes back and Adrien lies to him, telling that he went to his house searching for him..yeah sure...anyway..
They go in the house and in the end, they end up in the bedroom...here the scene I hated.
Bruce asks Adrien if he wants to have sex with him, and Adrie replies yes. Until that moment they had never gone all the way, and last time Adrien had done it, had been years before. Jake is outside and I don't know what he was waiting for...the guy u maybe like (like is a big word since Jack is an asshole...soon I'll explain why in the 2nd book's review) is alone in a room with a killer and u wait and wait and do nothing not even when they start having sex and Bruce is hurting Adrien. What a piece of shit..idk who I hated more in this scene, the rapist(sort of) or Jack.
Adrien agreed to the sex part just to buy himself some time and think of a plan, but he hadn't thought about the fact that Bruce would take him so hard and without a condom and he is hurting. I have this thought that this was Bruce first time and I'm starting to believe I was right, since I remembered the scene where he and Adrien kissed for the first time and Adrien thought that it had been some time since the last time also Bruce had done it, since he was too eager and clumsy...but now I bet that this had been his first kiss, bcs his obsession and strange behaviour had always isolated him. Well the fact that he had faked his death may have helped in that too...
Jake is outside the door and he hears all (he will tell us so, in the 2nd book) and doesn't do an thing..are u a fu+ing man? Idk how Adrien could start a relationship with him after they finally kill Bruce.
BOOK 2
Here the mystery was less interesting but at least a "bit" harder to find out, I say a bit, bcs if for the first book I had to wait to read the first page, here I needed to read the 2nd one.
Jake is still an asshole, he says he is straight, but still has sex with other men, or had, dunno about this, and still wants to get in Adrien's pants. They are in a relationship, sort of.. since Adrien doesn't know if they are boyfriend? sure no, or lovers, maybe?. When one morning he calls Jake on the phone and hears a woman's voice in the background he knows that Jake is still having sex with other people. I pitied Adrien, this guy had a bad luck with killers but worst with lovers/boyfriends, he was always cheated on, or left for someone else, but now Fate it seems wants to punish him.
He met a man that could be perfect for him, if not for the fact that he can't come out of the closet and still has the balls to feel jealous if some other guy smiles at Adrien. Jack man, u are probably banging another woman on the side and u have the courage to feel possessive? go die in a ditch, moron.
Since I couldn't wait to see if there was really cheating, I had to go and read the reviews of the other books and fu+ing sh+t it seems there was..Jake will get a woman pregnant and all of this while he is seeing Adrien, calling him "baby", and having UNPROTECTED sex with him...how many other people are u having sex with? are u still going to BDSM clubs? Have u got that woman pregnant at the start of the 2nd book, when we hear her in the background? or did u continue seeing her also after?
Idk why Jake had to run in search of Adrien, when the guy was finally having the balls of leaving him and forget about him(after that call). Couldn't u leave him alone if u can't be serious with him? selfish asshole.
I started to hate Jake. I wished that Adrien and that dude Kevin, someone that is suspected of a murder in this book (but was innocent) would get it on...
Well it seems that Adrien will leave Jake when he will get that woman pregnant at the end of the 3rd book and will start seeing other people, one of them being Mel his ex and another dude...so well I hope Jake will suffer seeing them.
What can I say...I was starting to like this series, a lot, but there were so MANY things that pissed me off and that pregnancy thing was the worst...but better to know it before starting the book, at least if I'll still read the 3rd volume, I'll know what is waiting for me at the end...
In my rating I ignored that fact, since it still didn't happen. My 4 stars are only for Adrien.
Ok, so where do I start?
BOOK 1
The mystery in the first book was interesting also if was way too easy to understand. From the start there was a person that will ring all your "danger" bells and actually I couldn't understand how Adrien, that seemed so smart, wasn't able to see Bruce(or what the hell was his name) for who he really was....the worst scene in this book, other than Claude's murder, bcs that guy was too sassy sometimes but still funny, was the fact that Adrien slept with Bruce and how it happened. A scene that for me was like rape.
Adrien is now sure that Bruce is his old classmate that is taking revenge on all the guys who bullied him when he was a teenage, something that ruined his life and made him a psycho. He is obsessed with Adrien and wants him as his boyfriend and Adrien is so damn stupid to fall in his arms. When Adrien finds out that he is the killer, of all his friends (one of them also being Robert his best friend), and let me tell you, he finds out in simple way, like dialing back the call he got from the stranger telling "I'll kill u Adrien"...couldn't he do it before, when he received all that calls where someone never talked but only breathed on the line? don't ask me why he didn't..oh wait, I know....the author had almost finished the pages and needed to wrap the story up...ok let's go on...
So our smart Adrien, that now I kind of feel pity for, also if I like him...sort of..his smarty remarks and thoughts for sure... what does he think? to go to Bruce's house and search it...
He doesn't ask for help and sure as hell doesn't wait for detective Jake Riordan to come with him. When he finds Jake there he is surprised and is sure that the guy will arrest him now, since he and his partner were sure for almost 90% of the book that Adrien was the killer and this break-in will not help him. But in the end Jake, who may or may not be straight and still banging other man is a BDSM club, now is sure that Adrien isn't the man they are searching for. Now all could have ended well..but no.
Bruce comes back and Adrien lies to him, telling that he went to his house searching for him..yeah sure...anyway..
They go in the house and in the end, they end up in the bedroom...here the scene I hated.
Bruce asks Adrien if he wants to have sex with him, and Adrie replies yes. Until that moment they had never gone all the way, and last time Adrien had done it, had been years before. Jake is outside and I don't know what he was waiting for...the guy u maybe like (like is a big word since Jack is an asshole...soon I'll explain why in the 2nd book's review) is alone in a room with a killer and u wait and wait and do nothing not even when they start having sex and Bruce is hurting Adrien. What a piece of shit..idk who I hated more in this scene, the rapist(sort of) or Jack.
Adrien agreed to the sex part just to buy himself some time and think of a plan, but he hadn't thought about the fact that Bruce would take him so hard and without a condom and he is hurting. I have this thought that this was Bruce first time and I'm starting to believe I was right, since I remembered the scene where he and Adrien kissed for the first time and Adrien thought that it had been some time since the last time also Bruce had done it, since he was too eager and clumsy...but now I bet that this had been his first kiss, bcs his obsession and strange behaviour had always isolated him. Well the fact that he had faked his death may have helped in that too...
Jake is outside the door and he hears all (he will tell us so, in the 2nd book) and doesn't do an thing..are u a fu+ing man? Idk how Adrien could start a relationship with him after they finally kill Bruce.
BOOK 2
Here the mystery was less interesting but at least a "bit" harder to find out, I say a bit, bcs if for the first book I had to wait to read the first page, here I needed to read the 2nd one.
Jake is still an asshole, he says he is straight, but still has sex with other men, or had, dunno about this, and still wants to get in Adrien's pants. They are in a relationship, sort of.. since Adrien doesn't know if they are boyfriend? sure no, or lovers, maybe?. When one morning he calls Jake on the phone and hears a woman's voice in the background he knows that Jake is still having sex with other people. I pitied Adrien, this guy had a bad luck with killers but worst with lovers/boyfriends, he was always cheated on, or left for someone else, but now Fate it seems wants to punish him.
He met a man that could be perfect for him, if not for the fact that he can't come out of the closet and still has the balls to feel jealous if some other guy smiles at Adrien. Jack man, u are probably banging another woman on the side and u have the courage to feel possessive? go die in a ditch, moron.
Since I couldn't wait to see if there was really cheating, I had to go and read the reviews of the other books and fu+ing sh+t it seems there was..Jake will get a woman pregnant and all of this while he is seeing Adrien, calling him "baby", and having UNPROTECTED sex with him...how many other people are u having sex with? are u still going to BDSM clubs? Have u got that woman pregnant at the start of the 2nd book, when we hear her in the background? or did u continue seeing her also after?
Idk why Jake had to run in search of Adrien, when the guy was finally having the balls of leaving him and forget about him(after that call). Couldn't u leave him alone if u can't be serious with him? selfish asshole.
I started to hate Jake. I wished that Adrien and that dude Kevin, someone that is suspected of a murder in this book (but was innocent) would get it on...
Well it seems that Adrien will leave Jake when he will get that woman pregnant at the end of the 3rd book and will start seeing other people, one of them being Mel his ex and another dude...so well I hope Jake will suffer seeing them.
What can I say...I was starting to like this series, a lot, but there were so MANY things that pissed me off and that pregnancy thing was the worst...but better to know it before starting the book, at least if I'll still read the 3rd volume, I'll know what is waiting for me at the end...
In my rating I ignored that fact, since it still didn't happen. My 4 stars are only for Adrien.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2011
Technically, this is the book I read, but I reviewed it in 2 parts as I read it.
FATAL SHADOWS
This is the first book in the Adrien English series. It was an actual mystery with not that much romance but so good.
I like Adrien English. He's smart and likable and smart. He is a mystery writer and he loves mystery novels. In this book his best friend turns up dead and he is the prime suspect. Homicide detective Jake Riordan is stern, but continues to show a bit of sympathy for Adrien. Despite knowing it's a bad idea, Adrien manages to stumble his way through figuring out who the murderer is and clear his name.
This book is a great mystery, but the romance is pretty nonexistent. The last few lines made me hopeful however and I immediately started reading the next book.
A DANGEROUS THING
This is the second book in the Adrien English mystery. Again, another great mystery. A true mystery, one that I didn't figure out until the end.
In this book Adrien runs away from his ambiguous non-relationship with Jake. He decides to go visit the house left to him by his grandmother. When he arrives there is a dead body in his driveway. Of course by the time he drives to safety and calls the police, the body is gone. He spends so time looking for the body and trying to figure out what is going on on his grandmother's land. Then he is attacked and Jake shows up at the hospital and decides to stay for the duration.
This again is a strong mystery, with a little more romance than the previous book, but still unsatisfying. There is a lot left unsaid. There is closeted and then there is denial and I'm not sure where Jake falls. I am having a hard time rooting for this couple, since I really like Adrien and I want to see him happy. (Plus, I'm just coming off another story of a closeted California Police Detective and I have a low threshold of tolerance for them being crappy to our out heroes).
All things considered I'm enjoying them, and I'm committed to reading through the series right now, but I'm just not seeing the obsessive quality people show about these books. There's nothing so compelling that I feel like I have to pick up the next book. I'm simply enjoying the well crafted stories and I am hoping for good things for Adrien.
FATAL SHADOWS
This is the first book in the Adrien English series. It was an actual mystery with not that much romance but so good.
I like Adrien English. He's smart and likable and smart. He is a mystery writer and he loves mystery novels. In this book his best friend turns up dead and he is the prime suspect. Homicide detective Jake Riordan is stern, but continues to show a bit of sympathy for Adrien. Despite knowing it's a bad idea, Adrien manages to stumble his way through figuring out who the murderer is and clear his name.
This book is a great mystery, but the romance is pretty nonexistent. The last few lines made me hopeful however and I immediately started reading the next book.
A DANGEROUS THING
This is the second book in the Adrien English mystery. Again, another great mystery. A true mystery, one that I didn't figure out until the end.
In this book Adrien runs away from his ambiguous non-relationship with Jake. He decides to go visit the house left to him by his grandmother. When he arrives there is a dead body in his driveway. Of course by the time he drives to safety and calls the police, the body is gone. He spends so time looking for the body and trying to figure out what is going on on his grandmother's land. Then he is attacked and Jake shows up at the hospital and decides to stay for the duration.
This again is a strong mystery, with a little more romance than the previous book, but still unsatisfying. There is a lot left unsaid. There is closeted and then there is denial and I'm not sure where Jake falls. I am having a hard time rooting for this couple, since I really like Adrien and I want to see him happy. (Plus, I'm just coming off another story of a closeted California Police Detective and I have a low threshold of tolerance for them being crappy to our out heroes).
All things considered I'm enjoying them, and I'm committed to reading through the series right now, but I'm just not seeing the obsessive quality people show about these books. There's nothing so compelling that I feel like I have to pick up the next book. I'm simply enjoying the well crafted stories and I am hoping for good things for Adrien.
November 24, 2012
i admit it,.i skipped to the J/A moments. would be 4 stars without all that extraneous mystery stuff. more sex, less sherlock holmes. the sex was fantastic though. had to wait to 85% to get to.it. after a massage and an awesome.first.kiss that went nowhere, they finally got down to business.
hmmmm, the break in J's armour went differently than.i.thought it would. i thought they would fall together after a rescue or near death type thing. not just a drunk.fuck, well, i guess it was after a shooting. he just seemed to do such a 180 with no explanation at all.
lots of yummy.vocab words.here
reconnoitered, took a military observation of the surroundings
tarn, a small mountain lake
sobriqettes, stripes.on a jacket arm
insipid, lacking flavor
querulous
supercilious,.one of.my.favorite words
"i woke up.with a boner the size.of a.small torpedo"
"youre probably the best looking guy i ever knew“ "No seriously. You are. Your eyes and everything. Not my type, but beautiful.”
"this is enough for you...just this?"
"is it not enough for you?"
these guys drink a lot. wine, bourbon, beer..
on to book 3.....
hmmmm, the break in J's armour went differently than.i.thought it would. i thought they would fall together after a rescue or near death type thing. not just a drunk.fuck, well, i guess it was after a shooting. he just seemed to do such a 180 with no explanation at all.
lots of yummy.vocab words.here
reconnoitered, took a military observation of the surroundings
tarn, a small mountain lake
sobriqettes, stripes.on a jacket arm
insipid, lacking flavor
querulous
supercilious,.one of.my.favorite words
"i woke up.with a boner the size.of a.small torpedo"
"youre probably the best looking guy i ever knew“ "No seriously. You are. Your eyes and everything. Not my type, but beautiful.”
"this is enough for you...just this?"
"is it not enough for you?"
these guys drink a lot. wine, bourbon, beer..
on to book 3.....
April 26, 2011
Both Adrien and Jake drove me batty. They are such opposites and their struggling in their own ways to learn how to fit. I love/hate Jake. Anyone other than Adrien would have dropped his repressed tush on the corner but you see Jake through Adrien's eyes, and you can't help but to feel for him even if he is "so lost in the closet that even he couldn't find himself." It didn't keep me from getting frustrated with Adrien for not standing up to Adrien more. I understand why but I still had moments when I had to bang my head on the desk.
The mysteries are fun. The first one I didn't have a problem with. The second one Josh kept throwing suspects at me and so I didn't get 'who dun it' until much later.
4.5 Stars all around. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!
The mysteries are fun. The first one I didn't have a problem with. The second one Josh kept throwing suspects at me and so I didn't get 'who dun it' until much later.
4.5 Stars all around. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!
November 28, 2010
Fatal Shadows is the first installment in Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English Mysteries series. In it he spins an extremely well written web of mystery and intrigue surrounding the murder of Rob Hersey. I do love a riveting page-turning plot that keeps me guessing and on the edge and the author delivers this in spades, with an attention to detail that serves to further heighten the elements of mystery and suspense. There are several suspects with motive in this story and I must admit to having pinned the wrong one as the possible murderer until about three-quarters into the story when the clues begin to fall into place.
The complete review of Fatal Shadows and A Dangerous Thing by Josh Lanyon is available at Indie Reviews.
January 14, 2011
I loved the whole Adrian English series!
If I had to compare it to some writer, I'd say it reminds me of the mystery books written by Michael Nava, which I loved.
One aspekt which I like in all of Lanyons books, are his references to classical literature.
The relationship between Jake and Adrian is an emotional rolacoaster with slightly more up, in the second book, though a lot of the time, ok most of the time, I just wanted for Adrian to dump Jake and take of with someone he met through his sleuthing.
Both books have a good mix of romance and mystery to keep you reading because you just have to know how it will end.
If I had to compare it to some writer, I'd say it reminds me of the mystery books written by Michael Nava, which I loved.
One aspekt which I like in all of Lanyons books, are his references to classical literature.
The relationship between Jake and Adrian is an emotional rolacoaster with slightly more up, in the second book, though a lot of the time, ok most of the time, I just wanted for Adrian to dump Jake and take of with someone he met through his sleuthing.
Both books have a good mix of romance and mystery to keep you reading because you just have to know how it will end.
February 23, 2011
Darnit! My review disappeared.
3.5 stars
I loved both of these books. Adrien is a great character and I loved getting to know him better. Both books do start a little slow though.
The mysteries are fun to follow along with and not too heavy or too light. :)
I took 1/2 star off each book for Jake. I hate Jake. If I had a Jake in my life, I'd kick his sorry ass to the curb. I found myself actively rooting against any relationship with Adrien and Jake. Adrien cannot save Jake. He cannot change Jake and he certainly cannot make Jake love or accept himself. I have absolutely NO desire to see him try! Adrien is great! Can't wait to see what he gets into next!
3.5 stars
I loved both of these books. Adrien is a great character and I loved getting to know him better. Both books do start a little slow though.
The mysteries are fun to follow along with and not too heavy or too light. :)
I took 1/2 star off each book for Jake. I hate Jake. If I had a Jake in my life, I'd kick his sorry ass to the curb. I found myself actively rooting against any relationship with Adrien and Jake. Adrien cannot save Jake. He cannot change Jake and he certainly cannot make Jake love or accept himself. I have absolutely NO desire to see him try! Adrien is great! Can't wait to see what he gets into next!
February 23, 2011
Wow - this series is great. These are more mystery stories with a hint of romance than most m-m books I have read.
I love the way Josh tells the story and really draws you in to the investigations even if you have guessed who the culprit is well before the book ends.
The romance is a slow burner and I can sense it will build over the course of the five books in this series. Nonetheless I think it will be all the better for it and I am already looking forward to book 3!
I love the way Josh tells the story and really draws you in to the investigations even if you have guessed who the culprit is well before the book ends.
The romance is a slow burner and I can sense it will build over the course of the five books in this series. Nonetheless I think it will be all the better for it and I am already looking forward to book 3!
February 5, 2012
$5.60 on Nook for novellas 1 and 2 of this series. Good murder mysteries with a gay male lead and a little bit of sexin' on the side.
I was on vaca when I read this so I didn't have a chance to write a full review, and it's hard to remember specific plot details in hindsight. But basically, I love this series. Just the right amount of flawed hero, sexy closeted copper, ridiculously bourgeois but loving mom, and weirdo side character.
I was on vaca when I read this so I didn't have a chance to write a full review, and it's hard to remember specific plot details in hindsight. But basically, I love this series. Just the right amount of flawed hero, sexy closeted copper, ridiculously bourgeois but loving mom, and weirdo side character.
September 29, 2015
3.5-4 stars
Review to follow after I finish the whole series.
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Can't wait to read this! :D
Review to follow after I finish the whole series.
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Can't wait to read this! :D
September 1, 2010
Oh man. Okay, these just make me want to flap my hands and squeal. Josh Lanyon can be hit and miss for me. I always like his books, but I hadn't really LOVED one yet. Until now. These were witty, engaging, well paced and well written all the way around. I can't wait to read the next one.
September 5, 2010
4.5 stars
What fantastically silly and wonderful books! Silly, and yet I never know who-dunnit 'til the end. I find myself captivated by every word. I love Adrien, I love Jake, I love Lanyon's humor. Can't believe I waited so long to read these, and can't wait to read the rest.
What fantastically silly and wonderful books! Silly, and yet I never know who-dunnit 'til the end. I find myself captivated by every word. I love Adrien, I love Jake, I love Lanyon's humor. Can't believe I waited so long to read these, and can't wait to read the rest.
March 19, 2012
I loved every page of these two books and now I am going to continue with the series and hope that at some point I stop wanting Jake to suffer an unfortunate and very painful accident!
October 28, 2013
4.5 stars
November 15, 2014
What a crazy ride ! Enjoyed the humour in this book - looking forward to more !
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