Fatal Shadows [Paperback]

 

 

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Adrien English is a writer of mystery novels and owner of Cloak and Dagger Books, the bookstore with the largest selection of gay and gothic mystery titles in Los Angeles. When his current employee and oldest friend, Robert Hersey, is murdered, Adrien becomes obsessed with finding his killer. His obsession is further fueled by the fact that he's been singled out as the number one suspect by LAPD detectives Paul Chan and Jake Riordan.

In order to find the real killer and clear his name, Adrien takes on the task of investigating the murder himself. There are others with motive that could have killed Rob but the LAPD detectives won't listen to Adrien. When Adrien starts receiving strange phone calls and macabre gifts and other gay men start dying he knows that his own life is in danger.

Adrien's fears that he may be the killer's next victim once again fall on the deaf ears of the LAPD detectives. In fact, detectives Chan and Riordan are more of an aggravation and obstacle than any help. But even more of an irritant to Adrien is his growing preoccupation with enigmatic detective Riordan.

"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.

But more than writing a solid mystery, it is Lanyon's ability to combine a complex "who done it" plot with characters that both jump off the page and get under your skin that makes this story the excellent reading experience that it is.

The story is told in the first person and from the perspective of our protagonist Adrien English who is intelligent and witty with a sarcastic sense of humor. Adrien's pithy narrative utterly charms the reader. Add to this the fact that he is an ordinary fellow with some life foibles under his belt, insecurities and physical weaknesses in the form of a heart condition and this makes him an atypical hero that is altogether tangible and accessible to the reader.

Detective Riordan can be considered the quintessential anti-hero. He is enigmatic, taciturn with some unattractive personality traits and many hidden secrets, but at the same time he demonstrates courage and has the capacity for compassion, albeit often achieved through circuitous routes, rendering him somewhat of a contrary. He is a fascinating character and I cannot wait to learn more about what makes him tick.

The author also pays attention to the secondary characters in this story and they are equally well written and developed. Even murder victim Rob Hersey, who is already dead when he is introduced in the story, comes across as a well-rounded character.

In "Fatal Shadows," Josh Lanyon has written a story with an intricate plot that is very much character-driven without detracting from the overall mystery. This makes the introduction to the series an extremely rich reading experience and one that provides fertile ground for the reader to begin building their relationship with the main characters.

I feel that there are really two mysteries in "Fatal Shadows." The first is the murder of Robert Hersey, which is solved by story's end, and the second is the enigma of Jake Riordan and the possibilities of his relationship with Adrien English, the latter of which will keep the reader on tenterhooks as to what happens next and scrambling to read the next book in the series.

I enjoyed this book in spite of the proofing errors throughout. I learned to simply ignore sentences that had words thrown in that didn't belong. But I do feel that a literate proof reader would have been useful at some process in the publishing sequence. By the way, Mr. Lanyon, let's hope Adrien didn't actually spend time "pouring over documents" because that would have ruined them: the correct verb is "poring". This is the first book in what promises to be a series featuring Adrien English and Detective Riordan so it has the double burden of catching the reader's interest for the mystery as well as enticing us to read future volumes about these two characters and how they and their relationship might develop.

Errors aside, this was a fun read, all in all. Adrien English is a likeable character with a propensity for fainting at times of stress. Fortunately for him there always seems to be someone around to pick him up. Detective Riordan is also a promising character, which makes the reader want to find out more about him in subsequent novels. As a murder mystery the story was pretty good. I had pretty well figured out who had done it before I got to the end but the killer's motivation for the crimes was beyond me until that was explained right near the end. I'd have to be honest and say that the psychology behind the killer's motives seemed a little too facile but I'm sure that murders have been committed for less. Still, with a few quibbles aside, I liked the story and the main characters well enough to plan on reading the next couple of books in the Adrien English series. On second thought, maybe I'll order just the first one, to see if the proof reading improves, before I order the rest of the series.

Adrien English was not at his best when the LAPD detectives called in the morning. He was disheveled, coffee-less and didn't feel any better when Detective Riordan informed him that Robert Hersey, his on-again-off-again friend and employee, had been murdered. He also got the distinct impression that he was a prime suspect in the murder. After all, he had dinner with Robert the night before he was murdered and was the last to seem him alive (besides the killer) and he was gay so he must have done it, right? Unfortunately, Adrien was not able to persuade the persistent police that he was not the killer, but they didn't arrest him...yet.

Adrien's life only got more complicated from that point as he found himself digging into the murder investigation, trying to clear his name, but always showing up at the wrong time or in the wrong place. He also started receiving threatening phone calls and knew that someone was out to get him. However, when he took his fears to the police and even presented them with a pattern of murders very like Robert's, Detective Riordan refused to give the ravings of a gay prima donna credence. Left on his own, Adrien keeps trying to solve the mystery while fending off creepy news reporter Bruce Green and trying to fight his feelings for the all too attractive Detective Riordan...

Fatal Shadows was a fast, fun mystery. I really liked Adrien as a character and enjoyed his sarcastic, wry sense of humor and subtle wit. Detective Riordan was also an interesting character and it is hard to tell what, if anything will happen between the two. The mystery was not rocket science and not very hard to figure out, even though it was a little farfetched and probably would never happen, but, hey, we're talking fiction here, right? If you are looking for something to read in one quick sitting that is entertaining and enjoyable, this is the mystery for you! Also, A Dangerous Thing, the sequel, is even better! I hope that Josh Lanyon keeps going with this series!

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4.0 out of 5 stars A Promising - and Fun Read
This is the first of a promising new series. The protagonist is a bit of a smart alec bookish book store owner with a heart problem. Read more

Published on Oct 21 2003 by JP Colter

2.0 out of 5 stars Unsatisfying
The book is a reasonably entertaining quick read, at best.
The typos went from mildly annoying to incredibly frustrating as the novel progressed - at two points it seems that... Read more

Published on Sep 25 2003 by Richard D. Stewart

4.0 out of 5 stars Very quick but fun read
Enjoyable read. Its refreshing to have a gay detective (sort of) I will read his other book as well. Just wish it was a bit longer. Read it in a few hours. Fun though.

Published on July 8 2003 by RICHARD D. WILLIAMS

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun an fast
I liked this book quite a bit. It was fast read (1 day), but kept my interest. I usually read the last chapter, either because a book is going on & on and I'm bored... Read more

Published on Mar 30 2003 by Katielee

4.0 out of 5 stars a great read
Just finished Fatal Shadows - staying up late to find out the ending. I highly recommend this book to fans of gay mysteries. Read more

Published on Jan 29 2003 by RMS Bear

5.0 out of 5 stars A great start of a promising series
This is a well crafted and suspenseful thriller though a trifle short. I finished it in one sitting. I just could not put it down. Read more

Published on Nov 29 2002 by R.Parklane

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but too many mistakes
I was up untill 3:30 in the morning reading this book. That's always a good sign. It is fast faced and interesting. Read more

Published on Nov 2 2002 by S. A. Loibner II

5.0 out of 5 stars Move Over, Hansen and Nava, Here Comes Lanyon
This is a hugely entertaining first book in a proposed new mystery series set in L.A. The mystery
surrounding the brutal murder of a young gay man is deftly and cleanly... Read more

Published on May 22 2002 by Randall Ivey

4.0 out of 5 stars Short and satisfying
I really like this book and have been waiting (im)patiently for the next one. Although it is very short, and doesn't have a lot of literary "filler", I never got lost... Read more

Published on Mar 2 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thrilling Read
This was the first book I have read of Mr. Lanyon. I could not put it down! Great characters....suspense...could not figure it out until the end......

Published on Jan 16 2002 by Lewis C. Pizer

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