Product Description

Adrien English Mystery Series #1 Someone's out to get Los Angeles bookseller Adrien English. His best friend has been viciously murdered, now he's getting weird phone calls and sinister gifts from a mysterious "admirer." The cops think he's trying to divert suspicion from himself-with the exception of sexy and homophobic homicide detective Jake Riordan. Is Riordan really such a great detective--or does he have a few secrets of his own? Is his offer to help Adrien on the level or is he out to nail his favorite suspect -- to the wall?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #225283 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780979311048
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Publisher
Los Angeles bookseller and aspiring mystery author Adrien English opens his front door to murder one sunny morning. His old high school buddy (and employee) has been found stabbed to death in a back alley following a loud and very public argument with Adrien the previous evening.

Naturally the cops want to ask Adrien a few questions; they are none too impressed with his answers, and when a few hours later someone breaks into Adrien's shop and ransacks it, the law is inclined to think Adrien is trying to divert suspicion from himself.

Adrien knows better. Adrien knows he is next on the killer's list.

From the Author
Adrien English is attractive, successful and gay. But life changes for Adrien when his boyhood friend is murdered and Adrien becomes the cops' prime suspect. Soon Adrien realizes jail may be the least of his problems. First someone ransacks his shop, then the phone calls begin: "Adrien, I'm going to kill you..."

I hope you enjoy FATAL SHADOWS, and I welcome your comments at JoshLanyon@aol.com. I'm currently working on DANGEROUS TO KNOW, the next book in the series.

About the Author
Josh Lanyon is a Los Angeles based writer. FATAL SHADOWS is his first novel.

Customer Reviews

WELCOME TO A NEW GAY LA SLEUTH!
According to the cover of this book FATAL SHADOWS is the first in a new series of Los Angeles murder mysteries featuring Adrien English. Mr. English, who has "heart problems" both physical (tremors) and emotional (near celibacy), owns a small Pasadena book store which has the largest collection of gay and gothic mysteries in Los Angeles.

The mystery begins with him becoming the chief suspect in the brutal murder of his life long friend and temporary employee, Robert Hersey. Naturally, (and isn't this always the case) one of the detectives gives him heart tremors (in more ways than one).

Soon he finds out that other friends and former classmates are being killed or are already dead. It's obvious that he is the next one on the killer's stab list. Thinking that the police are more interested in proving he is the killer rather than discovering who really is, he sets out to unmask the murderer himself.

Adrien, his lifestyle and his world provide interesting possibilities for a new mystery series. I enjoyed Lanyon's witty writing very much and I look forward to future books. However, the author is not well served by the sloppy editing and/or production of the book. I was annoyed by what seemed to be strange typos until I realized that the non-words were really parts of two other words that had been joined together leaving out several lines of the story. It seems that someone should be proofreading the galleys a little closer if they want this series to get off the ground. Actually, I'm my own worst proofreader, so I usually have a friend do it.

Move Over, Hansen and Nava, Here Comes Lanyon
This is a hugely entertaining first book in a proposed new mystery series set in L.A. The mystery
surrounding the brutal murder of a young gay man is deftly and cleanly handled. What makes the
book really go is the narrator, Adrien English, whose best friend and erstwhile lover (sort of)
Robert has been stabbed to death in a Los Angeles alley. Adrien finds himself implicated in the
crime, but, worse, he's being stalked himself by the person who likely killed his buddy.

Adrien is a wonderful character and narrator, a real person, unlike some protagonists of more
established and touted series. He's funny without being mean and smart as a tack.

This is a smart book, well-paced, sweet, and suspenseful too. What more could one ask for?

Well, the second installment. I can't wait for A DANGEROUS THING!

In my top five percent...
Josh Lannyon writes in an even, unpretentious, relaxed style. There is very good character development, ingenuity of plot, believability, dialogue, and pacing.

I read mystery 90 minutes per day, year in and year out, and I can say that "Fatal Shadows" rates easily in my top five percent.

In-context humor is also important to my enjoyment. It demonstrates to me that the author has done careful in-depth thinking about his manuscript; it demonstrates his skill and his love of his work.

Consider these:

"...isn't this too much of a coincidence?" ... I thrust the `In Sympathy' card at Riordan. He read it. Turned it over. Handed it to Chan. Said gravely, "It's not a Hallmark."

I poured some brandy in my Ovaltine. Not bad. Next round I poured some Ovaltine in my brandy.

"How's the heart?" "Takes a licking, keeps on ticking."

"...I hadn't had a date in six months." "But --?" "No butts." He laughed. After a second it clicked and I laughed too. "Not on the first date anyway," agreed Bruce.

I look forward to the second in this series.