Padme's Library: 🌷🌹Monday's Mysterious Mayhem(Mother's Day Edition)🌹🌷: Scandal at the Salty Dog by Josh Lanyon

Monday, May 2, 2022

🌷🌹Monday's Mysterious Mayhem(Mother's Day Edition)🌹🌷: Scandal at the Salty Dog by Josh Lanyon

Summary:

Secrets and Scrabble #4

Mystery Stalks the Cobbled Streets of Pirate's Cove

Who or what is haunting elderly recluse Juliet Blackwell, what does it have to do with mysterious goings-on at the Salty Dog Pub--and why is any of it mystery bookshop owner Ellery Page's problem? According to sometimes boyfriend Police Chief Jack Carson, it's not Ellery's problem, and Ellery should stop asking awkward questions before it's too late.

Ellery couldn't agree more, but it's hard to say no when someone is as frightened as old Mrs. Blackwell. Mrs. Blackwell insists the ghost of long dead pirate Rufus Blackwell has come to avenge himself on the last member of his treacherous clan.

Before Ellery can say, "Yikes!" Mrs. Blackwell takes a tumble down the grand staircase of her spooky mansion, and it's up to Ellery to find who is trying to kill his eccentric customer.

Original Review September 2021:

Scandal at the Salty Dog. I think this is my favorite title in Josh Lanyon's Secrets and Scrabble series yet. Not only a great book title but Salty Dog is excellent for a bar name too. Fun! Yes, I know I use that word a lot when reviewing the entries in this series but it's the simplest and completely truthful word I can think of. . . FUN!

Normally I wouldn't spoil anything but technically it's in the blurb so me saying Ellery and Jack move forward with their relationship isn't actually a spoiler. Watching them take the next step is a delight, both emotionally and comedically. Don't worry, Salty Dog maintains the series' cozy status, the mens' chemistry may be light on the page but you just know the heat is there.

Ellery, who is still recovering from his adventures of Mystery at the Masquerade is trying to stay away from mayhem but it always has a way of finding him. Delivering books can be so dangerous😉😉. Ghosts, thieves, underground secret passages, wills, death . . . where does one start on the factors Ellery, Jack, Watson, Nora, and the Silver Sleuths face?

You'll just have to read this one for yourself to find out.

For those new to the series and are wondering about reading order. My suggestion is to start at the beginning. The mysteries begin and end in each book but the relationships between the main characters as well as other townsfolk evolve and will flow better if read in order.

RATING:

Ellery Page was dreaming of New York.

He was standing in line, though whether for theater tickets or Absolute Bagels was unclear, when the person behind him leaned in and kissed the back of his neck.

Ellery’s eyes popped open. He was not in line. He was not in New York. He was in bed at Captain’s Seat—and the life-sized portrait of Captain Horatio Page was gazing down at him with a dubious expression.

“Better get a move on. You’re going to be late.”

That opinion was not offered by Captain Horatio Page. That was Pirate Cove’s police chief and Ellery’s, well, boyfriend, Jack Carson.

Ellery turned his head to answer, and his face was immediately covered in wet, passionate kisses. That was also not Captain Horatio Page. Nor, sadly, Jack. That was Watson, Ellery’s sixish-month-old black spaniel-mix puppy and occasional (according to Jack) partner in crime.

Ellery started to laugh, kissed Watson back—though less passionately. “Good morning to you too.”

Jack bent to scoop up Watson at the same moment Ellery sat up, and their collision ended up in a kiss that went on a little longer than either anticipated—ending in smiles and reluctant parting of lips.

As Jack drew back, Ellery realized he was already dressed—that navy-blue uniform really suited his athletic six foot, one hundred and ninety-plus pounds and rugged good looks—right down to his police boots.

“Yikes. I really am late.” Ellery threw back the sheet and summer blanket.

“No. I’m early. I’ve got breakfast with the State Police Superintendent.”

Ellery’s smile was wry. “That’s right. And dinner with the town council.”

“I could meet you for dessert?”

“Silver Sleuths. I promised Nora I’d look in.” This was his first day—his first official day—back at work after suffering what Jack referred to as an extra-curricular concussion. Amateur sleuthing turned out to be a hazardous hobby. Not that Ellery considered his sleuthing a hobby. Or even something he planned on doing again.

Jack considered. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“You tell me.”

Jack grinned, leaned in to kiss him one final time, and murmured, “I will. In detail.”

Saturday Series Spotlight

Part 1 / Part 2

**Books #6-7 have not yet been released

so check the author's website for approximate dates**

Author Bio:

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.