For the last fourteen years, former celebrated Boy Detective Merle Madison has been trying to build a grown-up career for himself as a private investigator. There are just two problems: there’s not a lot of serious crime in the small town of Hayvenhurst—and Police Chief Isaac Ramsay keeps denying Merle’s application for a PI license.
Merle and Isaac have history, some good and some bad, so when someone seems determined to put Merle out of business—permanently—he naturally turns to his former sidekick for help.
But Isaac’s days of playing second fiddle to a Junior Sherlock Holmes are long past. In fact, Merle will be lucky if Isaac doesn’t kill him himself.
It's been over 2-1/2 years since I read The Boy Next Door and it's just as brilliant now as it was then. I love Merle and Isaac's interactions both good and bad, history and now, friendship and romance, work and play, and everything in between. Beyond that there really isn't anything I can add to my original review that still won't spoil the story. As for the narration? Kale Williams brings life to Merle and Isaac beautifully. The chemistry is real, the anger, frustration, and heart is all there. The Boy Next Door may be short but it's an amazing package of mystery, romance, and just the right amount of humor to make it an entertaining gem to be re-read/listened for years to come.
Original ebook Review January 2018:
Merle Madison found early fame as celebrated Boy Detective and he's been trying to find the same fame as an adult private detective, too bad his former friend, sidekick, and more Isaac Ramsey has denied his application for a license. That hasn't stopped Merle though and now it seems someone has taken exception to his skills. Will Isaac help Merle out before its too late or has the Boy Detective pushed the police chief too far?
First off, The Boy Next Door is a short story and its brilliant. There was a time when I would never give a short story top marks, it was just instinctual to knock off at least 1/2 a mark if not a whole one just for its shortness. I had nothing against short stories/novellas but in truth I am a full-length novel kinda gal at heart. Somewhere along the line I began to realize that I was missing out on many brilliant stories and authors and was shortchanging the ones I was reading. A tale's brilliance is not in it's length, entertainment is a question of quality not quantity. Having said all that I reiterate: The Boy Next Door by Josh Lanyon is brilliant and that has nothing to do with my love of everything written by Josh Lanyon. Add in that this completely slipped my radar when it first came out so you can imagine what an after holiday treat this was to jump start the new year.
I never really read any Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew when I was younger, I watched them but never read them. Merle and Isaac may not be the Hardy Boys but I couldn't help but remember some of my childhood memories of watching them as I read Boy. I really won't touch on the plot because as it is a short story even the little things can be too much but I will say this:
- Thank you, Josh Lanyon for bringing back those Saturday afternoon Hardy Boys memories.
- I'm already looking forward to a Christmas Coda or two starring Merle and Isaac.
- I know Miss Lanyon probably doesn't have plans for anything beyond a Coda for these boys but if down the road they have another case to tell her about, I'd be first in line to read their next adventure.
Merle and Isaac have this second chance(third or fourth perhaps😉) edge to the story which left me wanting to knock their heads together more than once but it also endeared them to me. If you have never read Josh Lanyon before than this will make a wonderful introduction and if you are like me and already a huge fan, than you will certainly enjoy this little ditty. The Boy Next Door may be short on pages but its packed to overflowing with friendship, arguments, romance, nostalgia, and of course a little mystery tied all together with just the right amount of humor to brighten any day. When a book can make you scream "OMG!" out of frustration, laughter, and warmth when you are so NOT an OMG-kinda gal, you know you found a winner.
RATING:
Prologue
Warm lips moving on mine, passionately, insistently.
I knew those lips. I knew that kiss.
Isaac…
Moist breath pushing into my mouth, filling my lungs.
Inhale.
Exhale.
We breathed in unison. Quiet. Intimate. Yes.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Isaac, I love you. I really do. I miss you so much…
From down a long tunnel a voice said, “He’s breathing on his own, Chief.”
And I’m really, truly sorry…
Inhale.
Exhale.
And from now on—
Waaaait a minute.
Chief?
That wasn’t right. I wanted Isaac, not Chief.
“Chief?” Once more the word hollowly echoed down long, empty corridors. “Chief?”
I murmured protest. The mouth fervently pressing mine withdrew.
I unstuck my eyelids, stared dazedly up. Bits of black floated in the evening air. Red embers drifted down like glowing snowflakes. In front of a kaleidoscope of ragged black-edged treetops was a ring of grim faces gazing down at me—and the grimmest face of all was that of Police Chief Ramsay. I thought I could see tiny twin flames dancing in his eyes.
I unstuck my lips. I’m not sure what I wanted to say. I can explain everything?
I probably owed him an explanation or two.
In the distance came an alarming tearing-away sort of sound. The cops all turned to watch in silence as my neighbor Dick Chekhov’s plastic Santa—still sitting in its red plastic sleigh—plummeted in flames from his rooftop.
As Santa’s sleigh crunched nose-first in the frosty grass, Isaac swung back to me.
“Goddamn it, Merle,” he roared. “What did I say? What did I tell you? I’m done warning you. This time I’m throwing your ass in jail.”
I tried to sit up. “On what charges?”
“Malfeasance. Obstruction of justice. How about that? Interfering with a police investigation. That’s a good one. Conducting business without a license. Disturbing the peace. Public nuisance. How about menace to society? That fits. Don’t worry about it. I’ll find something. There won’t be any shortage of charges when I get done with you…”
Warm lips moving on mine, passionately, insistently.
I knew those lips. I knew that kiss.
Isaac…
Moist breath pushing into my mouth, filling my lungs.
Inhale.
Exhale.
We breathed in unison. Quiet. Intimate. Yes.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Isaac, I love you. I really do. I miss you so much…
From down a long tunnel a voice said, “He’s breathing on his own, Chief.”
And I’m really, truly sorry…
Inhale.
Exhale.
And from now on—
Waaaait a minute.
Chief?
That wasn’t right. I wanted Isaac, not Chief.
“Chief?” Once more the word hollowly echoed down long, empty corridors. “Chief?”
I murmured protest. The mouth fervently pressing mine withdrew.
I unstuck my eyelids, stared dazedly up. Bits of black floated in the evening air. Red embers drifted down like glowing snowflakes. In front of a kaleidoscope of ragged black-edged treetops was a ring of grim faces gazing down at me—and the grimmest face of all was that of Police Chief Ramsay. I thought I could see tiny twin flames dancing in his eyes.
I unstuck my lips. I’m not sure what I wanted to say. I can explain everything?
I probably owed him an explanation or two.
In the distance came an alarming tearing-away sort of sound. The cops all turned to watch in silence as my neighbor Dick Chekhov’s plastic Santa—still sitting in its red plastic sleigh—plummeted in flames from his rooftop.
As Santa’s sleigh crunched nose-first in the frosty grass, Isaac swung back to me.
“Goddamn it, Merle,” he roared. “What did I say? What did I tell you? I’m done warning you. This time I’m throwing your ass in jail.”
I tried to sit up. “On what charges?”
“Malfeasance. Obstruction of justice. How about that? Interfering with a police investigation. That’s a good one. Conducting business without a license. Disturbing the peace. Public nuisance. How about menace to society? That fits. Don’t worry about it. I’ll find something. There won’t be any shortage of charges when I get done with you…”
Bestselling author of over sixty titles of classic Male/Male fiction featuring twisty mystery, kickass adventure and unapologetic man-on-man romance, JOSH LANYON has been called "the Agatha Christie of gay mystery."
Her work has been translated into eleven languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first male/male title to be published by Harlequin Mondadori, the largest romance publisher in Italy. Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan's annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list).
The Adrien English Series was awarded All Time Favorite Male Male Couple in the 2nd Annual contest held by the Goodreads M/M Group (which has over 22,000 members). Josh is an Eppie Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist for Gay Mystery, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads Favorite M/M Author Lifetime Achievement award.
Josh is married and they live in Southern California.Her work has been translated into eleven languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first male/male title to be published by Harlequin Mondadori, the largest romance publisher in Italy. Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan's annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list).
The Adrien English Series was awarded All Time Favorite Male Male Couple in the 2nd Annual contest held by the Goodreads M/M Group (which has over 22,000 members). Josh is an Eppie Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist for Gay Mystery, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads Favorite M/M Author Lifetime Achievement award.
Josh Lanyon
SMASHWORDS / iTUNES / SHELFARI
EMAIL: josh.lanyon@sbcglobal.net
Kale Williams(Narrator)
