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The Hell You Say
In the third in the popular Adrien English series, the "ill-starred and bookish" mystery writer has to contend with a Satanic cult, a handsome university professor and his on-again/off-again relationship with the eternally conflicted LAPD Detective Jake Riordan. And, oh, yes, murder... It's a long, arduous journey from pen to publication, but in the meantime, here's an excerpt. Short-listed for a 2007 Lambda Literary Award in the Gay Mystery category. "A lovely lark of a whodunit. What makes this mystery sparkle are Lanyon's sturdy characterizations, from the turmoil of the sexually conflicted cop to the bubble-headed bounciness of three girls who are about to become Adrien's half-sisters, when his imperiously dotty mother remarries." "This has all the charm, suspense, wit and fascination of the first in the series. Gorgeously written, full of humor and engaging intelligence, I bought this one in paperback on the strength of the first two in the series, and I'm glad I did, because this is possibly better than either of them. It isn't often that a series gets better with each book, but this one does! I cannot recommend it highly enough." "Satisfying for a first read as a good beach mystery, for a second or third for reflection. Lanyon has joined Joseph Hansen in power and is now poised to surpass him." "The Hell You Say is clever -- beautifully written and witty, with a satisfying conclusion and nothing left unresolved." "A cracking good read, told with great wit and style, with all the humorous trademarks of the earlier two novels." "The Hell You Say is superbly written with a tight plot, lots of dark alleys and nooks and crannies all over the place. It's a fast and entertaining read, and Lanyon is carving out quite a niche for himself as the creator of gay mysteries. The characterizations make the book absolutely delicious. Excellent!" "Josh Lanyon pulls you in from page one with a fast paced sleuthing adventure, wonderful characters, zippy dialog, brutal longing and sword through the heart devastation. Adrien gracelessly steps from ugly situation, to uglier relationship realities. He saves the day, predictably, but there is no prince charming to carry him off into the sunset. He is alone in a crowd, drink in hand on Christmas at the close of the book. It's solitary and leaves you trembling." "Have I made it clear yet how much I adore Josh Lanyon? I haven’t, you say? Then let me rectify that here and now. Aside from sharp prose – often funny, always hitting close to the emotional bone – he’s created a character I adore and want desperately to follow into the next book, and the next, and the next one after that."
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The Hell You Say
2007, Loose id OTHER EDITIONS
2006, iUniverse 2006, iUniverse ALSO AVAILABLE |
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