A Dangerous Thing (The Adrien English Mysteries, #2) in Q&A with Josh Lanyon

Jun 21, 2010 Merith rated it it was amazing

Despite his attempts at understanding Jake, Adrien finds that after one too many broken 'dates', he cannot take any more - at least for the moment. He decides a long overdue visit to the ranch his grandmother left him is in order... but he's not running away, not issuing a challenge to Jake, not at all. Adrien just needs time to think, and maybe the fresh air and new locale will inspire him to write more on his latest novel.

The body in the driveway was more than just a roadblock. Its disappearan Despite his attempts at understanding Jake, Adrien finds that after one too many broken 'dates', he cannot take any more - at least for the moment. He decides a long overdue visit to the ranch his grandmother left him is in order... but he's not running away, not issuing a challenge to Jake, not at all. Adrien just needs time to think, and maybe the fresh air and new locale will inspire him to write more on his latest novel.

The body in the driveway was more than just a roadblock. Its disappearance worked as a catalyst in making the local law not only suspect that Adrien was more than "light in the loafers," but probably one of them LA types demanding attention, even to the extent of killing people. Adrien's penchant at stumbling over mysteries (and murders) brings up several in spades, landing him in the hospital, hot water and in bed with Jake (AT LAST!).

Dangerous Thing is one of my favorite stories in this series. It has light-hearted moments, showing us that Jake truly cares about Adrien, no matter his reticence in declaring their relationship. It has a spooky Native American mystery of the ghost/demon variety; at one point, had my hair standing on end when Adrien is sure he's going to draw his last as he runs for his life. And it has the old fashion murder mystery - who did it? why? And how do we stop them from killing us?

In this story, we see more of what's behind Jake. We get a feel for him as a man and lover. It is nearly heartbreaking when Jake admits to Adrien that sometimes he doesn't want people to know he's a cop, since once people know, they treat him differently. This wistful air shows that for all Jake's solidness, he still needs support sometimes. We also see that Jake is truly entering new ground with the progression of his relationship with Adrien; that for all his seeming callousness, he is tender.

Why this book? Despite the mystery, the story advances Adrien and Jake as more than friends, but still in less than an ideal relationship. It shows us more of both Jake and Adrien, and gives us a glimpse on what their relationship could be like if it could be. ...more

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