The Curse of the Blue Scarab: A Monster Mash-up in Q&A with Josh Lanyon

Dec 16, 2016 Ami rated it liked it

Shelves: mm-mystery-suspense-thriller, mm-historical-medieval-steampunk

2.75 stars rounded up

A different 'read' coming from Josh Lanyon. This story takes place on the yesteryear (I think around 1910's?) and I felt that Lanyon adapted writing style of that era. I remember reading a lot of Agatha Christie's books with this style. I couldn't exactly explain it, I could only say that it felt "old" and made me feel detached with the characters throughout the story.

The mystery was good, though. I did guess the villain the exact time Quentin did. Which was why I thought th ...more

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Dec 10, 2016 Jan rated it it was amazing

Perfect. Josh has perfectly captured the spirit of the classic early 20th century mystery. The characters, language, mannerisms and manners of the period and the locations are fully drawn.

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Jun 17, 2019 Erika rated it really liked it

Thanks to Netgalley for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. This monster mash-up story was very entertaining. I enjoyed the mystery and at times expected the Mummy to be turning the corner.

The cast of characters were well fleshed out and I enjoyed all their different personalities and quirks. The mystery and main characters' relationship had a little of the Watson/Holmes vibe and I ate it up. The romance was cute too. I can see why this author is so popular. ...more

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Aug 11, 2016 ttg added it

**Audio Version**

This might be my least favorite work by Lanyon. I understand it's a "mash-up" or when an author takes a public domain work and contributes/edits/augments it.

What was difficult was that it felt more like a writer's exercise to adapt to the original's style and voice, but that style and voice was distant and very hard to connect to. I found it a very staid listening/reading experience, and although I didn't *dislike* the characters, I didn't really like-like them either. Armiston ...more

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Mar 29, 2017 Debra Guyette rated it it was amazing

Dr. Armiston is a man of medicine. Mysticism is not for him. When he is called upon to investigate the death of a man, he does not expect to get pulled into the Society of Osiris. The members think something sinister is going on related to the Egyptian sarcophagus. The handsome Captain Maxwell requests Dr. Amiston’s help. As the deaths continue, Armiston finds himself drawn into the puzzle. Or maybe it is Captain Maxwell that draws him in.

What a unique book to read. Set in a time where loving an ...more

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Jun 13, 2017 Liz (Bugetta) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-romance, mystery-and-suspense, m-m-romance, e-book

This was really good. It felt a bit like reading an Agatha Christie novel. This was definitely a mystery first and a romance second, which is often the case with JL's books but the mystery and all the players made for compelling reading. And I liked the romance too -- it was slow burn, like glacially slow, but I never felt annoyed by it because the rest of the story was so good. I would definitely read another mystery with Dr. Armiston, Captain Maxwell and Armiston's faithful servant, Bird. What ...more

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Feb 23, 2017 ReviewerLarissa rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbtq-stories, mystery-romance, historic-romance

Review for BookWinked

There were high hopes for this book because I loved Mummy Dearest, also by this author. Going into this book there were certain expectations of mummies, monsters, romance, adventure. What I got was a monster mash-up (which combines a pre-existing text – often from the public domain – with another genre) without the monster, a mystery and a slow-burn not really there romance.

This book was certainly not bad, but it reads more like a Sherlock Holmes mystery with a doctor for ...more

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Jan 19, 2021 Nightcolors rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-suspense-crime, historical, lgbtqi, humor, 2021

The style this story was written in and the historical setting made it a bit hard to fall into the story at first. But as I got used to the rhythm of it, I started to rather like the way it felt. And this book was spooky. I'm not a horror fan, so I'm glad it didn't get too scary. There definitely was a lot of general atmosphere of sinister happening all throughout.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Jul 14, 2017 David rated it it was amazing

Best Mash-Up Ever!!!

Perhaps the most unique entry in the Josh Lanyon canon, THE CURSE OF THE BLUE SCARAB is a delightful read for fans of Lanyon's other work, as well as fans of classic mystery and classic horror literature. This, however, is not your usual Lanyon historical, chock full of m/m romance, intrigue and mystery (though this novel is certainly not lacking in those elements). Rather, this book marks a big departure from the familiar Lanyon style, yet she succeeded in creating a wholly ...more

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Dec 15, 2016 Jax rated it liked it

Shelves: historical, 3-star

This took me nearly a week to read, which is unusually slow for me. It's well written, as you'd expect from Lanyon, but the story just didn't interest me much and the romance is a very minor component of the tale. But if you're a fan of the period or the original The Mummy, you should enjoy this. ...more

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Dec 24, 2016 Eve rated it it was amazing

Not exactly the type of Josh Lanyon stories I'm used to, but I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery. It's less of a whodunnit, more of if, how and why. As always, I can't fault Lanyon's characterization, fascinating. The romance part was simmering throughout the whole story, but the main dish was the mystery for me.
...more

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