From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

Stranger on the Shore

Josh Lanyon

Start date: May 1, 2022

Finish date: May 31, 2022

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

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What Members Thought

May 05, 2014 Susan rated it it was amazing

With his first full-length novel in almost three years, Josh Lanyon has given his devoted readers, and everyone who loves an intelligently-crafted mystery, a bona fide hit! Stranger on the Shore is a brilliantly-written, smoothly-paced “whodunit and then what happened,” paired with a delightful, unhurried, romantic subplot.

This review does not include a synopsis; you can see that elsewhere. No, this is about why reading this story is such an extraordinary experience!

It has been said, and recent With his first full-length novel in almost three years, Josh Lanyon has given his devoted readers, and everyone who loves an intelligently-crafted mystery, a bona fide hit! Stranger on the Shore is a brilliantly-written, smoothly-paced “whodunit and then what happened,” paired with a delightful, unhurried, romantic subplot.

This review does not include a synopsis; you can see that elsewhere. No, this is about why reading this story is such an extraordinary experience!

It has been said, and recently by Mr. Lanyon, “There are no new ideas. It all comes down to the individual author’s handling of the possible themes and plots and characters.” Apparently Josh knows what he’s talking about. The plot is extremely intricate and well laid out; it felt fresh...brand new. I had never come across this storyline before. And because Josh is the premier mystery writer in this or any genre, when all had been explained and every question answered, there were no plot holes left unfilled; the true mark of a skilled writer.

As to be expected in any great mystery, there is a diverse cast of characters. The two main protagonists, Griff and Pierce, are thoroughly fleshed out, as is the majority of secondary players. Working within the novel format, Josh has taken advantage of this opportunity to dig deep into everyone’s psyche. When I finished reading the story, I felt I’d spent considerable time with, and gotten to know these people. I hated to leave them and return to real life. A reread is in my near future.

Josh’s trademark descriptions are spare but nonetheless gorgeous. He can set a scene without overwhelming you with unnecessary wordiness, as witnessed by the following elegant passage: "The room turned golden in the late afternoon light. Retreating sunlight embroidered the outline of shelves and furniture in gleams and glints, stitched its way up the winding staircase, flashing off bronze leaves and varnished wood, and traced the gilt and leather and silk spines of old books."

Intimate content is especially appealing here. Mr. Lanyon’s ability to write an original “sex scene” after 50+ books is alive and well. Not that I ever skim his work, but he is the only author for whom I will slow down in my reading when these scenes begin; they are worth taking your time to savor. He can make you feel as though you were reading one for the first time. No quotes here, but trust me, they are sublime.
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One final comment before the end: partnered with this story is surely the most glorious book cover I have ever seen.

It is obvious I think Stranger on the Shore is something special. Josh is a one-of-a-kind writer, and this story proves again, he has no equal.

Highly recommended.
...more

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Apr 30, 2014 JSidelinger rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Publisher Description:
Twenty years ago, little Brian Arlington was kidnapped from his family's Long Island estate and was never seen again. The trail went cold, but investigative journalist Griff Hadley has always thought there was more to the story—much more. When the Arlingtons' patriarch invites him to stay at their estate to research his true crime book, Griff can't say no. It's the story of a lifetime.

But not everyone is happy about Griff's presence. Relatives and staff alike regard him co ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2014 Lady*M rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m-romance, mystery, contemporary

4.5 stars

Stranger on the Shore has a flavor of cosy mystery - it centers around the group of closely connected characters in a fairly isolated setting. Throw away the cell phones, laptops and flat screen TVs and the story gets that timeless aura of Christie's stories with all the diffused sunlight that permeates the pages and nostalgic soundtrack of old music and words in the background.

Griff is a perfect character to lead the reader through the setting with his mixture of awe, incredulity and 4.5 stars

Stranger on the Shore has a flavor of cosy mystery - it centers around the group of closely connected characters in a fairly isolated setting. Throw away the cell phones, laptops and flat screen TVs and the story gets that timeless aura of Christie's stories with all the diffused sunlight that permeates the pages and nostalgic soundtrack of old music and words in the background.

Griff is a perfect character to lead the reader through the setting with his mixture of awe, incredulity and bias towards the 'old money', his honesty and determination. Having being hired by Jarrett, the patter familias of Arlingtons, to write a book about the kidnapping of his grandson, Griff meets with a lot of resistance but non as great as that of Pierce Mather, the family lawyer and friend. Griff's honesty is a great foil for Pierce's mistrust and cynicism. The sparks fly, as they say, but don't diminish whodunit at all. I liked how the progression of their attraction was subtly laid out (for example, through Griff's initial dislike of Pierce's aftershave to his later enjoyment in it). I liked how Griff gave as good as he got. The author does well in describing his confusion, but also his courage. I liked Griff a lot and Griff and Pierce together more.

The romance, though, is in the background of the mystery. While part of the mystery was easy to guess half way through the novel, it kept me glued to the pages because I wondered how it would play out. Maybe it has been too long since Lanyon released a novel, because I worried the reveal would be constructed and unnatural. I shouldn't have. The heavy forshadowing proved to be smart foreshadowing and I was satisfied how Lanyon explained what happened to Brian. Still, it would have been better if the realization came later in the novel (which is why this is 4.5 instead 5 star read). I especially liked how characters were presented to us, how they became complex throughout the novel and could make me feel for them even when they were being obnoxious.

All in all, this was the most pleasurable experience for mystery and romance fans both. I'm glad that some things never change - you can always count on Lanyon. ...more

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May 07, 2014 Denise rated it it was amazing

I finished it this morning and, as I expected, completely enjoyed the story. It's easy to figure out one of the major plot twists early on, but I was still surprised by events at the end. The romance between Pierce and Griff develops nicely and has a sweet and satisfying conclusion. I just wish I could read Josh's books more slowly, savoring them over time, but I just can't help gobbling up the whole thing right away! ...more

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Apr 19, 2014 Cerulean rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lylbtb-review

4.75 stars

The world the extremely rich Arlingtons live in is a far cry from Griff’s, yet he ends up quickly developing an easy rapport with the likeable grandfather of Brian. The same can’t be said when it comes to the family’s ruthless lawyer, Pierce Mather. As Griff gets drawn into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Brian, he also finds himself drawn to the surprisingly charismatic man. Sure, he was a bit of a jerk at first, but as events throw them together, Griff discovers that the 4.75 stars

The world the extremely rich Arlingtons live in is a far cry from Griff’s, yet he ends up quickly developing an easy rapport with the likeable grandfather of Brian. The same can’t be said when it comes to the family’s ruthless lawyer, Pierce Mather. As Griff gets drawn into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Brian, he also finds himself drawn to the surprisingly charismatic man. Sure, he was a bit of a jerk at first, but as events throw them together, Griff discovers that there’s a lot more to Pierce than just his good looks and cynical attitude. In fact, it becomes obvious that Pierce is fiercely loyal to the family, which treats him as one of their own.

Stranger On The Shore is first and foremost a mystery, and a very good one at that. With a tight, cohesive plot and just enough clues to formulate theories on but not obvious enough to become annoyingly easy to solve straight away, I really enjoyed the way this story was put together. The interest-grabbing story combined with fascinating characters made this book very difficult to put down, especially so once the premise of the story is established. Griff was an easy MC to like, smart; determined, sometimes prickly and eminently believable, I really enjoyed experiencing the story through his POV.

I loved Griff and Pierce’s evolving romance. As this was predominately a mystery, the romance was well balanced as a story element without competing or taking over from the mystery. The chemistry between Griff and Pierce built slowly, and not always smoothly, lending a realism to the romance, especially given their abrasive start. Just like he did for Griff, Pierce grew on me, although, also like Griff, I didn’t ever truly dislike him. I found him intriguing despite his initial apparent arrogance.

The writing is beautiful with a surreal, almost dreamy feel to it, which perfectly matches the story. Every word has a purpose, whether it be to paint a vivid picture of the location, to create an atmospheric sense of anticipation or to portray wonderfully realised characters and convincing dialogue. All in all, a clever and thoroughly enjoyable mystery.

Read the full review at Live Your Life, Buy The Book ...more

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Jun 16, 2014 Kelly rated it really liked it

Not the strongest story Lanyon's ever written, but a good one. The mystery was much more about the motivations of the supporting staff, and Griff's own inner motivations than it ever was about Brian's fate. The emotional aspect was much more compelling. Griff's slow acceptance, Pierce's gradual thaw and the painfully unsympathetic Arlington family's scheming and backstabbing was much more interesting than the is he/isn't he mystery of Brian's true identity. I don't feel like Brian's true identit ...more

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Jun 18, 2014 Rie rated it really liked it

*4.5

This what Lanyon should write!! I love the mysteries, the characters, and the romance.

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Dec 22, 2014 Lisa ~ Books Are My Drugs ~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: content-erotic, m-m, genre-romance, genre-contemporary, genre-mystery, purchased-ebook, character-damaged-male-mc, from-are, 200-499-pages, trope-enemies-to-lovers

If asked to recommend a m/m mystery to someone, hands down it would be something from Josh Lanyon. He has a wonderful talent for blending a mystery with a romance so that neither seems to detract from the other.

This story focuses primarily on the mystery of young Brian Arlington's disappearance and Griff's desire to write a book covering the events of the disappearance. Everyone in the Arlington family except Brian's grandfather is opposed to the book. Family attorney Pierce Mather seems to be o ...more

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Mar 28, 2014 Lois - Who Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, stored-kindle-app, mystery-suspense

How excited was I to read the new Josh Lanyon book? I squealed when it showed up on my Kindle a day earlier then I thought it was going to (once again confirming to my family that I am far too attached to my books!).

This is another wonderful story by this amazing author. The mystery is compelling, although about a third of the way through you are given enough hints to gather how it is going to end, it is still great fun watching the characters catch up to you. The Arlington family is full of so ...more

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Mar 29, 2014 Paola marked it as to-read

Apr 02, 2014 HJ rated it really liked it

Apr 03, 2014 Laurel rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, m-m-mystery

Apr 06, 2014 Susu marked it as to-read

Shelves: wish-list-to-buy

Apr 08, 2014 k reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: queer, read-2014

3.5 stars

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Apr 09, 2014 Gwendolyn rated it liked it

Shelves: artists-and-writers

Apr 26, 2014 Manda rated it it was amazing

May 01, 2014 Anna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, amazing, 5-stars, favourites, smokin-hot-guys, awesome-couples, mm-mystery-crime-suspense, i-own-mobi, mm-seriously-adorable, opposite-attracts