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Memory Of Darkness
Johnny Wager has been a loser all his life and proud of it. But when a West Hollywood twink ends up dead in a hotel room with Wager literally holding the bag, he knows his life is going to change for the worse. Pursued by the West Hollywood sheriffs for a murder he knows he didn't commit, Wager has to stay one step ahead of them and prove his innocence. It doesn't help matters any that his own son, Mark Wager, is a deputy sheriff who has joined the manhunt and has more reason than anyone to find the father who failed him all his life and bring him to justice.
Add Hyacinth, a six-foot-five drag queen from New Orleans, Taz, her Puerto Rican boyfriend, an ex-Marine porno filmmaker and his incontinent Basset Hound Columbo, and the Armenian mob chasing them all through the streets of Los Angeles and the art walks and canals of Venice Beach. Wager pursues his own answers to the question of who is trying to kill him in the sleazy bars and back alleys of Hollywood all the way to Cathedral City.
Can Wager stop the killers and reconcile with his son or will he end up being the next victim? Betrayed by friends, beset by his own conscience that has come back late in life with a vengeance, and the need to redeem himself, he battles the ruthless mob in the only way he knows with cunning and a total disrespect for the law.
Add Hyacinth, a six-foot-five drag queen from New Orleans, Taz, her Puerto Rican boyfriend, an ex-Marine porno filmmaker and his incontinent Basset Hound Columbo, and the Armenian mob chasing them all through the streets of Los Angeles and the art walks and canals of Venice Beach. Wager pursues his own answers to the question of who is trying to kill him in the sleazy bars and back alleys of Hollywood all the way to Cathedral City.
Can Wager stop the killers and reconcile with his son or will he end up being the next victim? Betrayed by friends, beset by his own conscience that has come back late in life with a vengeance, and the need to redeem himself, he battles the ruthless mob in the only way he knows with cunning and a total disrespect for the law.
166 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2009
49 people want to read
About the author
P.A. Brown
35 books127 followersPat Brown, writing as P.A. Brown, is the author of the Chris and David police procedural novels featuring LAPD homicide detective David Eric Laine and his lover, computer network engineer Christopher Bellamere. In L. A. Heat the first in the series, David is an uptight, in the closet cop living a life of denial and dark secrets he will protect at all costs. Then his life becomes entwined with Chris who is a suspect in the brutal slayings of young gay men. Neither of them ever expected to find love. L.A. Heat was followed by L.A. Mischief which follow Chris and David as they try to reconcile their vast differences and forge their relationship into one of true love. In L.A. Boneyard, a dark thriller that moves from the bright streets of West Hollywood to the gang ridden streets of East L.A. All the while David faces the temptation of his sexy new partner, Jairo Hernandez.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 18, 2009
2.5 stars
This particular book is a hard sell for many reasons. The anti-hero and first-person point of view are likely to cause a wide variety of reader reactions. Unfortunately for me, the lack of strong writing disappointed and created an uninteresting story. The various characters felt weak and without motivation while the strengths of the book are the strong depiction of L.A. and the father/son interaction. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book, it might entice readers looking for a redeemed hero.
Johnny Wager goes out to a gay pride parade to pick up a gorgeous twink for a hot quickie, but as he’s pounding away at said twink, mysterious men burst in, kill the boy and leave Johnny knocked out cold. As soon as Johnny comes to, he realizes he’s been framed and runs from the cops. Unfortunately, his son is on the police force, complicating matters, and more problems crop up when Johnny turns to his best friends Hy and Taz for help. Johnny must solve the mysterious death before he’s arrested and sent to prison for life for a murder he didn’t commit.
The basic mystery revolves around Armenia gangs and has numerous loose ends involving pirating movies, terrorists, guns, gay bashers, and just about every other detail thrown in. This dilutes the mystery portion and seems to change and evolve with ease to fit the story. The added involvement of Johnny’s best friend Hy and her husband Taz is interesting, yet slightly far-fetched. How exactly Hy and Taz become targeted by the Armenia gang is confusing and ill-explained, but this is characteristic of many details and situations in the story. Often the action is told in awkward information dumps instead of allowing the action to unfold dynamically. The result is a told story instead of shown which makes readers very aware of reading a book rather than experiencing a story.
The characters are somewhat interesting and Johnny especially is a classic anti-hero. He frequently calls himself a loser and his actions back up that claim rather vividly. Living very loosely as a hustler and part timer bartender, in between stints of stealing cars and dealing drugs, Johnny has never been much support for his ill-fated marriage and subsequent son. He drifts from job to job, apartment to apartment, even spent time in jail. He has a very loose moral code that consists of taking care of himself first and foremost, which doesn’t paint Johnny in a positive light at all. If the entire mystery didn’t revolve around Johnny potentially going to jail, he wouldn’t be involved. Instead Johnny involves anyone and everyone without thought or care as long as it benefits him. He is partially redeemed at the end of the story, but that is really up to reader interpretation. I personally felt Johnny wasn’t redeemed and would return to his previous behavior at the first stumble he runs across.
This leads to the problematic character of Tyler. An ex-marine now heterosexual porn producer, Tyler is Johnny’s wealthy love interest in the story. Why Tyler puts up with Johnny’s antics is unexplained. Although clearly the sex is good and Tyler hasn’t had sex recently, there is very little to no further justification for Tyler’s continued involvement. While the relationship is interesting and has potential, I couldn’t get past the fact that any normal person, such as Tyler, wouldn’t get involved in the mess of Johnny’s life, especially adding in the murder charge, running from the police, and gang activity.
On the positive side is Johnny’s relationship with his son Mark. This dynamic is the strongest of the book and highlights a very realistic and interesting conflict between the two. Mark’s frustration and anger at Johnny are tempered by his unwilling love for his father. Just as Johnny’s self destructive and selfish actions are tempered by love for his son and eventually this love and desire for a relationship plays a large role in Johnny’s redemption at the end. The dynamic between Johnny and Mark ends nicely, almost too neatly considering their history.
In addition to the plot holes, poor writing, and somewhat muddled characterization, there are several errors that show the lack of good, tight editing. There are several scenes that are added which ultimately offer little to the story or its progression. On the other side of this criticism is the very strong depiction of L.A. Clearly the author is well acquainted with the city and offers the setting in sharp, vivid focus. The attention to detail brings the city to life much more so than the characters and mystery. The scenes of Johnny moving about the city are sharp, interesting, and drew me in whenever the characters and writing started to lose my attention.
Overall this is a mixed story that may have a variety of reader reactions. The lack of strong writing from the first person point of view which led to a recited story rather than an experienced story was disappointing. However, for all the problems with the book, it did have some good elements that saved the book for me. Perhaps other readers won’t be as bothered by the writing and if nothing else, the character of Johnny is sure to elicit a reaction.
This particular book is a hard sell for many reasons. The anti-hero and first-person point of view are likely to cause a wide variety of reader reactions. Unfortunately for me, the lack of strong writing disappointed and created an uninteresting story. The various characters felt weak and without motivation while the strengths of the book are the strong depiction of L.A. and the father/son interaction. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book, it might entice readers looking for a redeemed hero.
Johnny Wager goes out to a gay pride parade to pick up a gorgeous twink for a hot quickie, but as he’s pounding away at said twink, mysterious men burst in, kill the boy and leave Johnny knocked out cold. As soon as Johnny comes to, he realizes he’s been framed and runs from the cops. Unfortunately, his son is on the police force, complicating matters, and more problems crop up when Johnny turns to his best friends Hy and Taz for help. Johnny must solve the mysterious death before he’s arrested and sent to prison for life for a murder he didn’t commit.
The basic mystery revolves around Armenia gangs and has numerous loose ends involving pirating movies, terrorists, guns, gay bashers, and just about every other detail thrown in. This dilutes the mystery portion and seems to change and evolve with ease to fit the story. The added involvement of Johnny’s best friend Hy and her husband Taz is interesting, yet slightly far-fetched. How exactly Hy and Taz become targeted by the Armenia gang is confusing and ill-explained, but this is characteristic of many details and situations in the story. Often the action is told in awkward information dumps instead of allowing the action to unfold dynamically. The result is a told story instead of shown which makes readers very aware of reading a book rather than experiencing a story.
The characters are somewhat interesting and Johnny especially is a classic anti-hero. He frequently calls himself a loser and his actions back up that claim rather vividly. Living very loosely as a hustler and part timer bartender, in between stints of stealing cars and dealing drugs, Johnny has never been much support for his ill-fated marriage and subsequent son. He drifts from job to job, apartment to apartment, even spent time in jail. He has a very loose moral code that consists of taking care of himself first and foremost, which doesn’t paint Johnny in a positive light at all. If the entire mystery didn’t revolve around Johnny potentially going to jail, he wouldn’t be involved. Instead Johnny involves anyone and everyone without thought or care as long as it benefits him. He is partially redeemed at the end of the story, but that is really up to reader interpretation. I personally felt Johnny wasn’t redeemed and would return to his previous behavior at the first stumble he runs across.
This leads to the problematic character of Tyler. An ex-marine now heterosexual porn producer, Tyler is Johnny’s wealthy love interest in the story. Why Tyler puts up with Johnny’s antics is unexplained. Although clearly the sex is good and Tyler hasn’t had sex recently, there is very little to no further justification for Tyler’s continued involvement. While the relationship is interesting and has potential, I couldn’t get past the fact that any normal person, such as Tyler, wouldn’t get involved in the mess of Johnny’s life, especially adding in the murder charge, running from the police, and gang activity.
On the positive side is Johnny’s relationship with his son Mark. This dynamic is the strongest of the book and highlights a very realistic and interesting conflict between the two. Mark’s frustration and anger at Johnny are tempered by his unwilling love for his father. Just as Johnny’s self destructive and selfish actions are tempered by love for his son and eventually this love and desire for a relationship plays a large role in Johnny’s redemption at the end. The dynamic between Johnny and Mark ends nicely, almost too neatly considering their history.
In addition to the plot holes, poor writing, and somewhat muddled characterization, there are several errors that show the lack of good, tight editing. There are several scenes that are added which ultimately offer little to the story or its progression. On the other side of this criticism is the very strong depiction of L.A. Clearly the author is well acquainted with the city and offers the setting in sharp, vivid focus. The attention to detail brings the city to life much more so than the characters and mystery. The scenes of Johnny moving about the city are sharp, interesting, and drew me in whenever the characters and writing started to lose my attention.
Overall this is a mixed story that may have a variety of reader reactions. The lack of strong writing from the first person point of view which led to a recited story rather than an experienced story was disappointing. However, for all the problems with the book, it did have some good elements that saved the book for me. Perhaps other readers won’t be as bothered by the writing and if nothing else, the character of Johnny is sure to elicit a reaction.
August 8, 2011
The story opens with a 42 year old man picking up a young prostitute at a gay pride parade. Once at the hotel, in the middle of sex, someone busts in and murders the young guy. It’s not a good sign when the main character is “framed” for a crime, and you couldn’t care less. John Wager is not a likeable guy. It doesn’t help that the first few chapters are spent learning just how pitiful and unsympathetic he is, and all from his point of view since the story is told in first person. I found myself plodding through the story – I just could not connect with the characters. Unfortunately, without that connection – the mystery just wasn’t strong enough. I only made it through half the book before I have up and put it aside.
July 4, 2010
I think my biggest problem with this book is the anti-hero. John Wager, the main character is this book is practically despicable. He's a fuck-up and I find myself dislike him so much in the beginning. However, as the story rolls on, there are characters that I come to like, and the story has a bit funny flair in it, and well, P.A. Brown's writing is always good. So, I did enjoy it in the end. Still, John Wager is not my favorite anti-hero character ...
April 25, 2011
I had a hard time getting into this book, particularly because of the main character. John Wager is a class A asshole and a whiny looser in the beginning, although he manages to rehabilitate himself somewhat towards the end.
Otherwise, this wasn't bad, not at all. Action, blood, and hot sex - not overly romantic, but still strong enough to qualify. An okay read.
Otherwise, this wasn't bad, not at all. Action, blood, and hot sex - not overly romantic, but still strong enough to qualify. An okay read.
February 13, 2021
Characters in various colors, a tad mainstream, and the adventure is entertaining enough. Just like watching a B-grade Hollywood action movie.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews