Murder Takes the High Road
by
Josh Lanyon
amateur sleuth, m/m romance in a Kindle edition that was published by Carina Press on April 23, 2018 and has 250 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Fatal Shadows, Death of a Pirate King, A Dangerous Thing, The Hell You Say, Dark Tide, Somebody Killed His Editor, Fair Play, Fair Chance, "So This is Christmas", Murder at Pirate's Cove, Secret at Skull House, Footsteps in the Dark, Mystery at the Masquerade, The Dark Farewell, “A Funny Thing Happened . . .”, Fair Game, Corpse at Captain's Seat, Scandal at the Salty Dog, Body at Buccaneer's Bay, Lament at Loon Landing, Death at the Deep Dive
A standalone story of a rejected librarian and his self-absorbed ex who embark on a tour of an author’s inspired locales.
My Take
We’ve been there. Going out somewhere and encountering the ex with their new significant other. Only Carter takes it further by deciding to go on his paid-for trip to Scotland. The same one that he bought for his then-boyfriend. I cannot believe what a jerk Trevor is!!!!!
Oh, yeah. Murder Takes the High Road is full of Carter’s angst over why is he torturing himself with the presence of the ex and his friend. We know this from Lanyon’s use of first person protagonist point-of-view from Carter’s perspective.
What’s truly funny about the Carter versus Trevor bit is how much time Trevor spends talking about his past with Carter. Methinks he doth protest too much, lol. Of course, Lanyon does reveal Trevor’s true, larcenous nature over the course of the tour. Ya gotta love the retribution.
Yes, Carter is passionate over the purpose of this trip, revisiting the scenes that one of his favorite authors has used in her books, but . . . oy. It is a useful trip, in spite of the drama, as Carter comes to terms with the truth of his life with Trevor.
Carter does a lot of fact-dropping. Hey, he’s a librarian who loves to do research. Part of that love includes noticing details, like, ahem, John not bringing even one of Vanessa Rayburn’s books, those nighttime excursions of his, the focus on his belongings . . . hmmm . . .
That Yvonne! She’s never satisfied. She complains about everything! Carter comes to think she “was the type of person who took pleasure in not enjoying herself”. Yep, I’ve known a few people like that. Too sad.
Then there are the rumors about previous deaths, whipping up fears and concerns amongst the travelers, and the game is afoot with only one person actually playing.
There’s quite a bit of controversy over the author’s past, and the tour members do hash out whether she’s atoned sufficiently, if she should have been honored, and why did she kill Donald? It’s certainly an underlying theme over how long or if atonement is ever enough.
It’ll be a tour that incorporates attempts at murder as well as Carter’s noting that travel is supposed to be about broadening your horizons, pushing your boundaries. I do wonder why people travel and then expect to get their regular American breakfast. Why? Why not try what the locals have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? It may be unusual, but it sure is fun!
Of course, some of the accommodations could use some work. I’m impressed that they get repeat business.
The Story
Librarian Carter Matheson is determined to enjoy himself on a Scottish bus tour for fans of mystery author Dame Vanessa Rayburn. Sure, his ex, Trevor, will also be on the trip with his new boyfriend, leaving Carter to share a room with a stranger, but he can’t pass up a chance to meet his favorite author.
Carter’s roommate turns out to be John Knight, a figure as mysterious as any character from Vanessa’s books. His strange affect and nighttime wanderings make Carter suspicious. When a fellow traveler’s death sparks rumors of foul play, Carter is left wondering if there’s anyone on the tour he can trust.
Drawn into the intrigue, Carter searches for answers, trying to fend off his growing attraction toward John. As the unexplained tragedies continue, the whole tour must face the fact that there may be a murderer in their midst — but who?
The Characters
Carter Masterson is a librarian in LA.
Trevor Temple is the self-absorbed ex-boyfriend who cheated on Carter. Vance Stafford, a former model and actor who now works as a dental hygienist, is the new boyfriend. Doesn’t sound like he was very successful at his previous careers. Bitchy? Me? The very jealous boyfriend who’s not above some dirty tricks.
Dame Vanessa Rayburn, a.k.a. Claire Sims, is the popular (and prolific) author who had served time for a murder and lives in Castle Dìomhair on the island of Samhradh Beag. Elizabeth Ogilvie is Vanessa’s personal assistant. Queen’s Counsel Michael Patterson and Chief Inspector Rachel MacKinnon are the leads in one of Rayburn’s series.
Donald Kresley had been Vanessa’s boyfriend whom she killed. Evie Waters had been another of Donald’s girlfriends.
The Tour to Die For
Alison Barnes is the tour organizer. Hamish MacLaren is the bus driver. Fellow travelers include the elegant Rose Lane, a retired accountant; Ben Iams, a business systems analyst from Seattle, is traveling with his mother, the bitchy Yvonne Iams, who is a retired veterinarian; Bertie and Edie Poe are twins; both couples, Nelson and Wilma Scherf and Joel and Gerda Rice, are high school teachers who travel together; John Knight, an insurance salesman with Birch Specialty Insurance Company from San Diego, is a last minute addition; Jim and Laurel Matsukado from San Francisco; Wally, a pediatrician, and Nedda, a retired GP, Kramer from New York; Daya and Roddy Bittywiddy from Devon; and, Sally Daly, a divorcée and bookseller from New Mexico.
Some of the places they stay and visit include the Caledonian Inn, the village of Tyndrum, the Green Welly Stop, Strathpeffer near Ben Wyvis where Mrs Jamieson leads a tour and where Ms Eccles is the manager of the Ben Wyvis Manor House Hotel, and the Chaophraya, which is Europe’s largest Thai restaurant. Dean Gordon is the area commander for Orkney. Peter Tobin was a real-life serial killer. Davidson had written a book, Suspicious Circumstances, about the Kresley murder.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark with ominous black birds flying the cloudy gray skies and the dark castle viewed from below. Thankfully, there are a few lights on to “brighten” things up, lol. The author’s name is in red at the top followed by the title in white. I did enjoy the epigraph’s take on “If it’s Tuesday, it must be . . .” (in white).
The title is one of vengeance, as Murder Takes the High Road.
