Snowball in Hell by Josh Lanyon

[Octobercountry]

Snowball in Hell by Josh Lanyon:

Los Angeles, 1943. Reporter Nathan Doyle had his reasons to want Phil Arlen dead, but when he sees the man's body pulled from the La Brea tar pit, he knows he'll be the prime suspect. He also knows that his life won't stand up to intense police scrutiny, so he sets out to crack the case himself.

Lieutenant Matthew Spain's official inquiries soon lead him to believe that Nathan knows more than he's saying. But that's not the only reason Matt takes notice of the handsome journalist. Matt's been drawn to men before, but he must hide his true feelings—or risk his entire career.

As Nathan digs deeper, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay one step ahead of Matt Spain—and to deny his intense attraction to him. Nathan's secrets may not include murder, but has his hunt put him right in the path of the real killer?

The publisher's blurb above really does not convey just how good this novella is. I was completely drawn in to the story---perhaps not so much for the mystery (though it is a solid one), but for the potential, developing relationship between these two characters. I really did feel for Nathan, and look forward to getting to know him better. And the moment I was finished reading I wanted more---fortunately the author is planning a sequel. Unfortunately, it hasn't been released yet---argh! But I have some ideas as to how these two fellows can be together, given the social constraints of the time period....

Most definitely recommended---if you've never read any Josh Lanyon, by all means start with this one. I look forward to reading many more titles by this prolific author.

(One little nit-pick---heh. The author has two characters going to see the Nutcracker ballet [this is set during Christmas of 1943]. However---despite the fact that the ballet was first performed in 1892, it did not become a Christmas staple in the US until the 1960's, and in fact the complete ballet was not performed in the US until 1944. Is it possible that excerpts from the ballet were performed in 1943 in LA during the Christmas season? Well, I cannot say for certain, but it seems extremely unlikely...)

Snowball in Hell

[Emilie]

Octobercountry wrote: "
Snowball in Hell
by Josh Lanyon:
Los Angeles, 1943. Reporter Nathan Doyle had his reasons to want Phil Arlen dead, but when he sees the man's body pulled from the La Brea tar pit, he knows h..."

As I've said numerous times in various places, this is one of my favorite books, and Nathan Doyle one of my favorite fictional characters. This was originally published in 2007 and I've wanted a sequel since I read it in 2008.

[Octobercountry]

Really---it's been six whole years since this book was written? Man, that makes it sound like the possibility of a sequel is becoming more and more unlikely---argh.