Stevie‘s review of Jefferson Blythe, Esquire by Josh Lanyon
Gay Romantic Suspense published by Carina Press 16 Nov 15
A few years ago, I felt like I really got Josh Lanyon’s humour. I read a few cosy mystery stories, and meant to get on top of at least one series. Then the author announced a year’s sabbatical from publishing and I drifted off to read other writers. The one book I’ve read since Lanyon’s return to the fray didn’t have the same feel to me, but I put that down to it being the second in a series. A standalone set in Europe and with an American protagonist – Lanyon is a Brit living in the States, and ought to have the background to pull that one off – sounded more my kind of caper, so I jumped at the chance to read it, in the hope that the author and I hadn’t really drifted apart in our time of separation.
And drifting apart is partly the theme of this book too. Jeff and George lost touch after George came out and moved away, but now Jeff is suddenly single and fulfilling his ambition to travel Europe, guided by a battered, old (extremely outdated old!) travel guide. His grandfather had adventures way back when he did something similar, and now Jeff feels it’s his turn to do something slightly wild before settling down to fulfil his family’s expectations for him.
Things start to go wrong the moment Jeff arrives in England. A strange girl accosts him, claiming that he has something of hers; the relations’ house he planned to stay in is already occupied by a cousin, who really doesn’t want additional company; the strange girl gets her friends to follow Jeff and try to kidnap him. Fortunately for Jeff, George comes to his rescue.
George is a bit of a shadowy figure, both in terms of his job working for a secretive part of the civil service and in terms of what we actually learn about him. Only a couple of years older than Jeff, he seems far more mature and self-aware, as well as resigned to the fact that he’s going to have to keep pulling Jeff out of peril with no real reward for himself. George has always had feelings for Jeff, but has been rebuffed in the past and doesn’t want to either get hurt again or hang around waiting for Jeff to come to his senses.
When the whole issue of the girl’s missing whatever-it-is gets a little too perilous, George encourages Jeff to leave England and visit the other countries and cities on his list. Not that this stops Jeff ending up in ever-more-frequent peril from which George has to rescue him, although he does meet a confusing number of other helpful souls along the way.
Overall, this book felt a little disjointed and overcrowded, with little indication of what genre it wants to be: romantic suspense, spy caper or perhaps modern day cosy mystery. As with the previous post-hiatus Lanyon I read, the humour wasn’t quite there either. I’m not totally giving up on the author just yet, but I think I’ll go back and catch up with some of the earlier books in my possession before reading any more new releases.
Grade: C
Summary:
After his first relationship goes disastrously awry, Jeff Blythe uses his savings to tour Europe—the old-fashioned way. Armed with his grandfather’s1960 copy of Esquire’s Europe in Style, Jeff sets off looking for adventure but finds much, much more than he bargained for…
In London, dodging questions from shady criminals about a mysterious package he most certainly does not have is simple. Losing the gunmen who are convinced he’s someone else is not. And when George, an old friend, offers him help—and a place to stay, and perhaps something more—things become complicated.
Is George really who he seems? And is Jeff finally ready to act on his attraction?
From Paris to Rome and back again, Jeff and George fall for each other, hard, while quite literally running for their lives. But trusting George at his word may leave Jeff vulnerable—in more ways than one.
Read an excerpt.
