From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

Footsteps in the Dark

L.B. Gregg,

Nicole Kimberling

Start date: June 1, 2019

Finish date: July 1, 2019

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

Discussion leader: Jordan Lombard

Why we're reading this: This will be our June 2019 read!
[close] This will be our June 2019 read!

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Book of the Month Club

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What Members Thought

Jul 08, 2019 Jordan Lombard rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a-favorites, a-own, a-own-ebook, g-romance-m-m, bom-jl-group, y-2019read, bpl-qlr-read, g-mys-rom

One - Entree to Murder by Nicole Kimberling
A pot of Kimchi explodes and someone is murdered during an after hours party at a local restaurant. Slightly creepy, as basement murders tend to be, this had great characters from the elderly lesbian chef and her wife to the young, impressionable youth trying to make kimchi in secret. Also, Big Mac is pretty lovable right from the start. The romance was slow and sweet in building while the murder mystery truly was a mystery right up until the very end. One - Entree to Murder by Nicole Kimberling
A pot of Kimchi explodes and someone is murdered during an after hours party at a local restaurant. Slightly creepy, as basement murders tend to be, this had great characters from the elderly lesbian chef and her wife to the young, impressionable youth trying to make kimchi in secret. Also, Big Mac is pretty lovable right from the start. The romance was slow and sweet in building while the murder mystery truly was a mystery right up until the very end. I did want a bit of an epilogue though, just to further cement the relationship, but otherwise I really enjoyed this one.

Two - Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry
When a rocket explodes with a super secret payload on board, a man is found dead inside the mouth of an alligator. I like how Greg wants to be a positive influence on Justin, but isn’t going overboard with it. This is a very emotionally positive relationship that's easy despite the conservatism they’re surrounded by. I’ve not yet read a romance or a mystery set around a rocket launch, that wasn’t sci-fi, and that made it a fun and interesting read. The location is almost as much a character too, and despite the alligator, there were some beautiful places mentioned I’d now like to go see. I will admit, however, I wish both of their exes had returned just to see how much they’d been left in the dust.

Three - Reality Bites by S.C. Wynne
A man steps into the cage of a wild animal, for reality TV, and gets attacked. This one is a bit suspenseful, with the lives of the two main characters seemingly in constant danger. I appreciated the fact that Jax isn’t like most Hollywood types, though I wish we’d gotten to see a bit more of his other side that enjoys cooking and the outdoors. I’ll admit, reality TV is not my thing and the premise of Jax’s show really turned me off of his character since it had been his idea. I’m not entirely sure what Decker saw in him. This was a good murder mystery where the stakes kept rising with every attempt to kill Dax and with each body that turned up.

Four - Blind Man’s Bluff by L.B. Gregg
A band of teachers break into an abandoned mall for a game of capture the flag before realizing that danger lurks inside. This reminded me a bit of an old fashioned Dean Koontz novel, though slightly less creepy, and with a little gay romance mixed in. The romance is definitely overshadowed by the plot, and that’s a good thing here. I liked that it was understated and quiet because the characters said a lot without saying anything at all. I do question what they think is fun, but maybe this is a set up for a possible sequel? I guess I’m just too goody two-shoes for their initial breaking and entering and cavorting about a dangerous abandoned property without permission, especially viewing their vocation as high school teachers.

Five - A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean
One family has deep ties to the Lewis Chessmen, but someone will go to great lengths to get their hands on the rare pieces. Such a sad story tinged with sweetness at the end. The ending was a bit of a nice twist I wasn’t expecting in the romance department. The mystery was good and kept me turning pages. I loved the Scottish setting and the fact that the Lewis Chessmen are a real thing. I hadn’t known anything about them, but they made for an interesting mystery here! Google them for more information and pictures. There is also a glossary for Gaelic at the end, but the words and phrases were also translated right in the text most of the time, and done in a natural way, I thought.

Six - Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfield
A young man moves into an apartment just before his neighbor is murdered, leaving the dog to bark nonstop until someone finally takes notice. I want more. I got to the end and desperately want a sequel! The mystery was good, though I might have been too caught up in the romance and the dogs so that I missed an important clue or two, but I was definitely on the edge of my seat all the way through. The main couple here are adorable together, and I just really want more of them, and their dogs, and their lives. Plus, the other residents were well-rounded and fun to read about. I love the idea behind the restaurant, Factory. It sounds amazing and I’d like to eat there, like, every day.

Seven - Lights. Camera. Murder. By C.S. Poe
Someone has stolen what could become a valuable script from the set of an historical television drama, and it’s up to a PI to find out the truth before bodies start to fall. Loved this one! The Bowery is an historical drama about a gay crime boss in NYC, and I am extremely sad this does not exist in real life because I want to watch it sooo bad! The mystery had me guessing until the end and all of the characters were interesting, especially the second lead, Marion, whom I would like to know more about.

Eight - Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon
A young teacher gets the chance of a lifetime when he inherits a mansion in Canada from his Godmother, but not all is as it seems. Josh does creepy really well and this was creepy right off the bat! I also thought this story did a great job of showing just how much a young artist can pin all their hopes on one thing, or person, and how that can go terribly wrong, and still have repercussions years later. I didn’t see the resolution to the mystery coming at all, but I’m glad it left some questions unanswered in a realistic manner. I would like a sequel, or just a coda, to see how the relationship has progressed, but also to see how Miles has been handling that huge house by himself.
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Aug 01, 2019 Antonella rated it really liked it

A generally well written, meaty (almost 800 pages in the print version!) anthology, as usual some stories are better than others, all of them combine mystery and romance. I particularly liked: «Entree to Murder» by Nicole Kimberling, «A Country for Old Men» by Dal MacLean, «Pepper the Crime Lab» by Z.A. Maxfield, «Stranger in the House» by Josh Lanyon.

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Jun 06, 2019 kathleen rated it it was amazing

I loved this group of stories! What a great way to read some of my favorite authors and discover some new to me authors.
These short stories were the perfect pick me up. I could dive into one as time allowed. I gobbled them up. I love a good mystery.

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2020 JSidelinger rated it it was amazing

Loved it!

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Apr 27, 2024 OkayKim added it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m-romance, crime, audio, mystery-suspense, anthology, narration-is-good

Entree to Murder - 4 stars
Twelve Seconds -4.5 stars I always enjoy this type of story.
Reality Bites -4 stars
Blind Man's Bluff -3.5
A Country for Old Men - 4.5 Love this one! One romance that's bittersweet, another that ends in hope.
Pepper the Crime Lab - 4
Lights. Camera. Murder. -2
Stranger in the House -4 ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 JR rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, favorites, mystery, leo, mm

Very enjoyable, very well done. A Country for Old Men and Pepper the Crime Lab were the faves for me, but they were all fun to read.

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Mar 06, 2020 Lora rated it really liked it

There were three auto-buy authors, a couple of familiar authors and a couple I had never read before.
I enjoyed every single story in this anthology. Every one. That never happens, but I'm glad it did this time. ...more

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