The Hell You Say (Adrien English)
by Josh Lanyon
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Book Summary Information
Author: Josh LanyonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-11-15
ISBN: 1934531014
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: MLR Press
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9781934531013
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Hell You Say (Adrien English)
Book Review: Superb and wonderful
Summary: 5 Stars
My name is Aunt Lynn and I am a Fanyon.
I am not a regular reader or fan of mystery in any format, but I had heard great things about Josh Lanyon's Adrien English series, and since I am reading almost nothing other than m/m right now, I took the plunge. I am so glad I did! I purchased books 1-4 (Fatal Shadows, A Dangerous Thing, The Hell You Say, and Death of a Pirate King) all at one time and had a marathon reading session one weekend. Although each book can be read as a standalone, it is best to read the series in order, especially as you get further in as references are made to previous events and built-upon emotions. Oh, and I should mention that I bought the ebooks after the re-edits and the new publishers, so I did not experience the editing problems many people had with especially FS (reflected in many of the more negative reviews).
Quickie plot: Angus, Adrien English's mystery bookstore employee/resident warlock is getting threatening phone calls. Throwing money at the problem, Adrien sends him away to get a break from the harassment. Now there are bodies turning up that seem to point to satanic/occult involvement, and Adrien once again plays sleuth to clear Angus' name. Oh, and there is a missing author, a new family, a maybe boyfriend who wants Adrien to butt out of the investigation, and a sexy UCLA professor in the mix.
Set about eight months after the end of ADT, this is another well- and tightly-written, fast-paced whodunit, laced with pop culture references and humor. It made me laugh and it made me cry. As with the other books, THYS is narrated first person and it is damn-near perfect. Adrien much more developed and complex as a character here. Anyone who has read the previous books knows he is a truly wonderful, realistic, charming character. He is quick, witty, sarcastic and smart, and he maintains his take-it-as-it-comes attitude while longing for a "normal" life, one where he is deservedly loved opening and completely. I shed a tear for him in this book; his poor wonky heart can't take much more.
And Jake... My love-hate relationship inches toward the hate side in this installment, but I am an optimist and I cannot give up on him. Jake is hard to love. There are readers who asked Lanyon to kill Jake off (or to get rid of in another way) after THYS, that he is reprehensible, that there is no redemption for him, that his actions toward Adrien inexcusable. I don't feel that way, or at least I didn't once I got over my initial anger. As conflicted as my feelings are for him and though I'd like him to be kinder to Adrien and do not condone what he did, I've reread the book several times and have decided that I do kinda like him the way he is. There were moments of surprising tenderness, dare I say loving, and I was disappointed, though not surprised, that it just seemed to disintegrate before my eyes. We know that Jake is closeted, self-loathing, and as desperate to have as "normal" a life as Adrien is (though his definition of normal is very different than Adrien's). I shed a tear for Jake, too; I felt sad for him, for his being, as Adrien put it, a "victim and a prisoner of his internalized homophobia,"and knowing that no matter what he does he is going to be unhappy. Although I'm mad as heck at him, I want to give him a hug, too. [sigh] There is no surprise that being in a relationship with Jake is challenging at best for Adrien; he is not going back into the closet for anyone, and Jake can barely turn the handle to peek out. I understand that he has deep-seated issues, that he is tortured, that he has a huge inner struggle that in many ways defines how he lives his life, but I was angered and heartbroken at the end, especially after the incredible tenderness of one particular scene after Adrien has a little heart scare from an electrical shock. On the other end of this, but no less relevant, is his career; with him being so terrified of being found out, it was interesting to watch how he would act on this case that Adrien is involved in, and I found myself asking several times -- as did Adrien -- how far would Jake go to protect his secret?
THYS is a longer book than the previous two, so there is more room for character and plot development. And develop it does. The mystery element is more in-depth, with a lot of attention paid to the occult aspect of the story. Although the dysfunctional relationship between Adrien and Jake has less on-screen time than in ADT, it is just as important and explosive. We get a better opportunity to get to know Lisa, Adrien's overprotective widowed mother, and the new family it looks Adrien is going to be saddled with. I found the three soon-to-be stepsisters humorous and charming in a Stepford-ish kind of way. This is not bad at all; I mentioned in my review of FS that Adrien needs more people in his corner and in his life. We rarely see friends in these books, and the ones that made any on-screen time are dead, it seems. The members of Adrien's mystery writers group, Partners in Crime, are more prominent here, too (Jean as a tail. Hee!). We also are introduced to Angus' sexy and dynamic UCLA professor and occult expert Guy Snowden, and if Jake's not a good boy, he just might lose Adrien to him. The attraction seems to be definitely there, and oh, he's not in the closet, nor hates himself for being gay. Imagine that...
Lanyon originally and fairly successfully self published THYS via iUniverse. There is a fascinating five-part series by him entitled "A Hell of a Way to Make a Living" on his experiences with publishers and publishing from both sides on the Novelspot website in its series "Behind the Scenes blog." After THYS was released, he signed with MLR Press (for print) and LooseID (for ebooks). The reason I mention this is because I understand that THYS, along with FS and ADT, were reedited/revamped and some scenes (comments seem to lean toward sexual ones) added since the original publication -- someone called the revamp "erotically enhanced" -- and I believe I have that reedited version based on comments made in other reviews. But since I loves me some hawt sexx laced through my fabulous read, I'm certainly not complaining.
There is also a really interesting peek at the two protags in "interviews" Lanyon has with each. Set after the end of THYS, these short snippets give a little further insight to the characters. To find them, search on the Alex Beecroft site "In Their Own Words," where authors "interview" their characters.
Lastly, I bought the ebook first, but am in the process of purchasing the print versions as well if for no other reason than the cover art for this and DOAPK, which are really funkily good.
In my opinion, this is the best book yet in the series. Lanyon is incredibly talented and his writing just gets better and better; it's so crisp, tight, and spare. It's a truly superb, wonderful effort.
Now on to DOAPK with the hope that maybe, just maybe, things will work out for Adrien and Jake...
Summary of The Hell You Say (Adrien English)
The third novel in the Adrien English series finds the "ill-starred and bookish" mystery writer and bookseller battling demons--maybe literally. After bookstore clerk Angus flees following terrifying death threats, Adrien must contend with a mysterious Satanic cult, a hot and handsome university professor, and his on-again/off-again relationship with closeted LAPD Homicide Detective Jake Riordan. And, oh, yes, murder...Erotica Books
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