From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

Murder Takes the High Road

Josh Lanyon

Start date: May 1, 2018

Finish date: May 31, 2018

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

Why we're reading this: This will be our May 2018 read!!!
[close] This will be our May 2018 read!!!

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Book of the Month Club

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What Members Thought

Apr 25, 2018 Meep rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: cosy-mystery-crime-detective

2.5* I may read again but no guarantees.

I fear Lanyon's have lost their appeal for me. So wanted to like this, it has all the well-loved tried and tested ingredients. Yet it lacks any charm.

There are too many characters who are interchangeable, little more than names. The limited scope of a tour bus should have brought out more personalities instead of a dust dry visit to Scotland. I love Scotland there's far more to it than a quaint named cafe and some off-page dance. Tourist leaflets hold more ...more

20 likes · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2018 Bibliophile rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m

Fun read. Classic Lanyon. :)

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2018 2shay rated it really liked it

As a long time fan of Josh Lanyon, I was thrilled at the opportunity to get my greedy hands on this ARC! One thing that can always be counted on is that Lanyon NEVER disappoints! This story was a joy to read. I loved Carter from page one. His ex, Trevor, is a little bit..ch! Trevor is self-absorbed and greedy...and dislikable. My main question was why in the world did Carter let Trevor have the ticket for the tour in the first place? Carter paid for the trip. Harrumph! That’s the kind of nice gu As a long time fan of Josh Lanyon, I was thrilled at the opportunity to get my greedy hands on this ARC! One thing that can always be counted on is that Lanyon NEVER disappoints! This story was a joy to read. I loved Carter from page one. His ex, Trevor, is a little bit..ch! Trevor is self-absorbed and greedy...and dislikable. My main question was why in the world did Carter let Trevor have the ticket for the tour in the first place? Carter paid for the trip. Harrumph! That’s the kind of nice guy Carter is and the kind of a$$hole Trevor is. Enough about that or I’ll do a full, lengthy rant about exes taking advantage.

Okay. I took a deep breath so I can forget about exes and move on, although the before-mentioned ex gives poor Carter a lot of grief throughout the book, this story is full of great characters. It’s a tour group, so there are a lot of people, some there because of their love of Dame Vanessa Rayburn’s books and some as tag-alongs...spouses, siblings and such. Some of these characters are likable, some less so, but they are a fascinating group. Lanyon is well known for writing fully fleshed characters, even when they’re secondary in the story. And then...and then...John Knight shows up. He arrives late. The only place left for him is to room with Carter. Carter is not pleased.

Carter is a bit of an introvert, so sharing a room with a stranger makes him a little cranky, but it doesn’t last long. John’s behavior is a little off. Carter wonders right away if the man has even read a single one of the Rayburn books! And...if he’s not a fan, why is he here?

Strange things start to happen on the tour. Carter and John get more connected as one bad thing after another happens. A mystery, wrapped around a mystery, wrapped around an even older mystery unfolds, page by page with Lanyon’s iconic style. Lanyon is also known for turning a book into a series, something I hope happens with this book...I would love to see more of Carter and John.

If you enjoy a good mystery, great writing skill or a m/m story that’s more about the emotional bonding than the sex, you should grab a copy and...

Enjoy!

2shay

ARC graciously provided by Carina Press and NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review. ...more

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Apr 23, 2018 Dana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m

Reviewed for Rainbow Gold Reviews. A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Through reading m/m romance and lgbt fiction, I have become a fan of the mystery genre. Mystery is afoot when Carter joins a tour group in Scotland to meet an author whose mysteries he enjoys. There are rumors of suspicious deaths on the previous tour and suddenly everyone wants to play sleuth until one of the tourists ends up dead. Others on the tour are acting strangely, and Carter hears noises in the night Reviewed for Rainbow Gold Reviews. A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Through reading m/m romance and lgbt fiction, I have become a fan of the mystery genre. Mystery is afoot when Carter joins a tour group in Scotland to meet an author whose mysteries he enjoys. There are rumors of suspicious deaths on the previous tour and suddenly everyone wants to play sleuth until one of the tourists ends up dead. Others on the tour are acting strangely, and Carter hears noises in the night that leave him feeling like more is going on. More is going on. Things are definitely not what they seem at first, but there is trouble brewing. And before the trip is over a mystery does need to be solved. There are twists and turns in this book that leave me having to be vague in this review or risk giving away too much. If you haven’t already read this author, it must be said – Josh Lanyon does mystery very well.

I don’t know if labels are necessary but this story feels more gay fiction than romance because Carter Matheson feels like the main character in this story. The story revolves around him as it’s his POV, and we see how the other characters interact with him.There is a bit of romance between him and his mysterious roommate, John. I loved their chemistry and believed it even though their attraction very quickly turned to more. Carter’s ex, Trevor, and his new boyfriend, Vance, are also on this tour with Carter. Their anger/jealousy over Carter offers a lot of gossip for the rest of the group. Another tourist, Ben, also seems attracted to Carter. If only he weren’t too busy being embarrassed at all the complaining his mother was doing.

I felt like I was people watching while reading this book and it was interesting. There were many interesting characters. Some moved the plot along by prodding Carter to look into what is going on. Some were antagonistic for various reasons, and made you kind of wish they might be the next victim. 😉 There were also some characters that were vague and mysterious. In the long run, I’m not sure they were important enough to even have been mentioned. I definitely enjoyed reading this book, though. I guessed some of the twists and turns the plot would take, but when it came down to it, the victim and the motive for murder in this book remained a mystery to me until the very end.

9/10 pots of Gold (90% Recommended) – Compares to 4.5/5 Stars ...more

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May 23, 2018 Pete W rated it really liked it

It was a fairly enjoyable read. Sometimes it felt too slow, other time it went by at neck breaking pace. When I thought the book was half way, it was actually 85%.

The MCs were write interesting. I was sort of able to guess his occupation fairly quick. Not exactly, but in general.

There was some important discussion about artists vs their arts. What can you do when the arts you like came from *troubled* artists. A timely subject considering the last couple of years.

1 like · Like · see review

May 17, 2018 Bogusia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: firefighters-cops-mystery-mob, mm, autobuy-author, 2018, the-best-of-the-best

5 stars
LOVE IT !!!! Once again Josh offers another amazing story!
Thank you :)

1 like · Like · see review

May 31, 2020 Penny Wilder marked it as to-read

Totally worth the read! Which is as per usual with Josh Lanyon. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! Look, Josh Lanyon is a must buy for me. Murder mystery? Check. Angsty romance with ex? Check.

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