Surprisingly good Police Procedural read that kept my interest throughout. This is a series that I would enjoy reading more of.

An enjoyable police procedural, good characters, interesting storyline, and a love story on the side.

I look forward to reading more books in this series.

I found the writing to be pretty lacklustre, with a lot of descriptions that were so tell-not-show-y that it was genuinely jarring:

"She was a six-foot, terrifyingly beautiful, incredibly intimidating black woman. Her presence, combined with her drive and intelligence, made her a force to be reckoned with."

Luckily, however, there wasn't too much of this throughout, and for the most part the writing wasn't stunning, but it was functional (dare I make a pun and say prosaic?). The mystery plot was alright, with quite a few twists and turns, but I didn't find the murder motive quite convincing enough, and a couple of the suspects were ruled out a bit too early. Still, it wasn't bad.

I keep saying the same things - okay, not bad, mediocre, etc etc, which basically sums up this book. A solid three-star book, it was pretty enjoyable but instantly forgettable.

Paul Solomon, at the age of thirty-eight, has to face the end of his lingering eight-year relationship with Andy. Andy has finally drawn the line, and Paul has to move out, no more procrastinating. It’s not that either did anything wrong but that time just took them to different stages in what they wanted from life. Paul doesn’t have an easy time with the move or making friends; plus, being a detective with the Baltimore PD can certainly interfere with social time. Lucky for Paul, though, he does have a good friend and partner, Tim Cullen. Tim is divorced and has a young daughter, so it’s made clear that Paul’s stay is only temporary. Tim often teases Paul and is even willing to share his bed with him since the couch is not compatible with sleeping.

Paul has another longtime friend in Annie. Both Tim and Annie want to see Paul be happy and get back in the dating mode. When he does, finally, he meets a strange, shy and nervous David Haygood, who leaves Paul with mixed emotions and decisions to make. Annie also gets Paul back in touch with Owen, whom he once dated, but at that time, what Paul wanted and what Owen wanted in life were too different. But, Owen is an eye-opener; he seems to have grown up and has a better grasp on life than Paul.

With all the craziness in Paul’s personal life, there’s also the murder of two young teens of different ethnicities who come from opposite sides of the track. Tim and Paul are put through their paces in their investigation, what with so many questions and suspects to track down to solve these mysterious murders.

Good Boys was a first time read for me by Keelan Ellis, and I have to say this was a very good and entertaining start to the Solomon Mysteries series. Paul is not a big, bad detective; he just does what he does best—solves crimes. He’s good at his job, but he’s somewhat naive in starting his personal life over again. One thing that really stands out with Paul, though, is that no matter what he sees on the job, he still wants to believe there’s good in everyone. I was also impressed with how the author showed how Tim and Paul worked really well as a team in getting to heart of the crime.

This storyline also has a lot to do with life and timing. Paul, Tim, Anne, Andy, and Owen all have something that’s changed in their lives, taking took them down different life paths. As for the mystery, the plot was creative, and I couldn’t even begin to guess what the outcome would be. I’d seen it going in a different direction, but I was wrong. The Solomon Mysteries series has really good potential and lots of interesting characters. I’m all-in on this one! Keelan Ellis has a second installment in the works, High Time, and there’s a sneak peek at the end of this novel.

Reviewed by Maryann

4 stars

Great start to a new series. Very believable interactions between the characters. Especially love the hero.


Posted to Goodreads. Amazon wouldn't let me review.

I'm not usually a fan of romance with my mysteries but Ellis really mixed the two together in a delicate balancing act that I enjoyed.

I liked how Paul and Tim were like ying and yang and how Tim grew during the novel.

I like a good mystery. A mystery with a touch of romance is even better. Good Boys even had the extra bonus of taking place in Baltimore and since that’s really close to where I grew up, it made the first book in the Solomon Mysteries even more interesting.

There was a lot going on in Good Boys and some of that went beyond the mystery behind the boys’ murder. Paul’s personal life gets even more complicated with a man from his past and another he can’t get out of his head. I’m not a huge fan of love triangles and I know who I want Paul to end up with, but I’ll just have to wait and see where things go… Keelan Ellis has her work cut our for her if she plans on winning me over. 😉

Good Boys was a great start to the Solomon Mysteries. It didn’t slow down much, between the mystery, romance, tough issues and danger – it was pretty easy to keep the pages turning. I can’t wait to see where this series goes from here. Since this was my first book by Keelan Ellis, I may have to check out some of her other books while I’m waiting.

This book swept me up and didn't put me down until long after I'd turned the last page. It was pretty damn awesome, if I'm going to be honest, without leaving too many spoilers laying about.

Paul is not perfect, he's imperfect. He's not the best partner, not even the best detective but he does what he can and he is determined to do as well as he can in his life and his job, even when he's in a bit of a slump. He also doesn't take any bullshit from anyone which I do like. 

The other characters are not as fully fleshed out as I would like but I have a feeling they will be later on in the series. 

The mystery is pretty solid, and the plot is not slow moving. I look forward to the next work in this series.

Humorous in parts, I was prone to bursts of giggling while I read quickly through, this novel, intrigued by the mystery and charmed by the various endearing characters.

The basic premise of the story and characters within are all very realistic - to the point that some readers may find it shocking, disturbing and/or worryingly close to potential happenings in real life..

'Good Boys' is a fairly light read, but I found the story very enjoyable and really warmed to the main characters. I'll certainly be on the lookout for further novels about Detective Paul Solomon.

Sometimes it is good to have NO expectations at all. I picked up this book because of the category – a gay mystery. The author was new for me. I read the blurb and found it interesting. But to tell the truth, I didn’t expect this novel to be better than my last books: in the best case, not bad, but lacking on something to amaze and captivate such a picky reader as myself. 

A pleasant surprise! This book was like a fresh cool wind in a hot day (not a thunderstorm, but very refreshing). 

Who could imagine that it was not the mystery that would get my full attention, but the characters! 

Tim and Paul together WERE.FUN.PURE. Completely different, but the most endearing guys. 



Their harmonic team play was perfectly matched to each other and drew my whole attention. They seemed to enjoyed each other's company immensely, and there's plenty of banter that I, in return, enjoyed a lot. 

The mystery itself then became of secondary importance. 
But don't misinterpret my thought: it doesn't mean the mystery was NOT good, it was not THAT WOW-Jo Nesbø's-MINDFUCK-kind of mystery, but a solid murder mystery where you definitely want to find out who-FGS-did-it-and-WHY. But, BELIEVE ME, this book wouldn't be THAT good without Tim and Paul and their intercourse with each other.

Actually I reject to tell you more: there is a romantic spirit here, but if you expect a love story, you'll be disappointed, this ROMANCE is just in the very beginning and NOBODY knows exactly what direction it will take. Tim and Paul are the partners of the Homicide unit of the the Baltimore City Police Department and work on a brutal murder case and at the same time try to bring order into their lives. Everyone on his own. 

Hehehe. Oh, yes, you'll have many wrong ideas on this case, but I am not going to tell you more.

Paul Solomon is an openly gay cop, who is trying to secure a place to live after his ex moves on, while trying to solve the double murder of two gay teens. This is the first book in a series following Paul, and it is a promising start. I really enjoyed Paul's character. He's not stereotypical, or a dark, broody cop, and seems to know himself well enough to admit to his flaws. He reevaluates past lovers with maturity, and doesn't blame his ex entirely for their breakup, since he knows that he is partly to blame as well. His chemistry with his police partner is genuine, and I enjoyed their friendship and bond develop throughout the book. The mystery of the murdered teens was a little underwhelming, and seemed to play out as the background task that Paul does throughout his life, rather than the main event. Paul and his new adjustment to life and new relationships seem to take the main focus away from the mystery whether this was intended or not, and when the mystery was solved, I didn''t feel like I had missed some clue earlier, or had been blown away by the revelation. It sort of felt like watching an episode of CSI where the main focus is on whether or not the cop investigating can get their life together while going through the motions of solving a murder. I enjoyed the book, but I think I was expecting more mystery going into it, or more romance. I was really glad that nothing romantic developed between Paul and his partner, which would have been too cliche, and I liked that he was open to keeping his exes on good terms. Nothing really explicit happens romantically, most of the sex is fade to black.

This was a strong start to a series that I will likely follow, but hope for more of a mystery next time.

Four stars

Interesting thriller with a good story line and open ended enough to lead into more without ending on a cliffhanger.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

A fantastic read, the characters are complex and the plot is strong throughout the whole book. The story takes us for the whole ride and you didn't feel left out with any of the clues and suspicions . A little romance in between was a breath of fresh air in the more intense moments. The relationship between Tim and Paul was one of true brotherhood and they really are a great pair up.

Look forward to more

this book was a good mystery.
4/5 stars
thank you to author,publishers and netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This is the first book I've read by this author and there was plenty to like about it. There are plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing, and I love that in a mystery.

Paul, the main character, is a likeable guy. It took me a while to get a handle on his (work) partner, and I'm not sure I ever did. At times I found him offensive, other times funny, and other times...

There's a developing romance of sorts, but I wouldn't class this story as romance. If you enjoy a good thriller, what the hell's going on story, and don't mind religious slants/slurs, this could be just the ticket.

Copy provided by the publisher, NineStar Press, via NetGalley.

I was completely engrossed in this story!

It is not a romance. It is a crime mystery novel featuring two homicide detectives. However, it does have elements of romance - just not between those two since their sexual orientation is different.

What kept my attention was the "whodunnit". I was carried away along with the detectives as they discovered so many twists and turns in their case. It was fascinating. Very well written. I never lost interest.

The story itself was a braided, winding plot that encompassed characterization of several main protagonists along with the mystery trope. The characters were so well done that they seemed like real people. People I could know or run into in my daily life.

I'm going to recommend this one as a fresh, out of the box, gay-lit novel. As long as you don't go into it expecting romance and smexy times, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well a story with several gay characters reads outside of the romance genre.

This was my first experience with this author. I really enjoyed the book. I thought the mystery had some nice twists and kept my guessing. The characters were interesting and well fleshed out. The relationship between Paul and TIm was very engaging- I loved their banter and how TIm did not fit the stereotype Paul kept trying to put him in. I thought the David character was a twist that was unexpected. Things I wanted more of. I wanted to see more connection between Paul and the potential boyfriends. I also needed a bit more heat- I didn't feel the emotions in the sex scenes and wanted more description. This is a serial so things were left slightly hanging but I will definitely read the next in the series.

I enjoyed this which is the first book in a proposed series about a Baltimore detective.

He is skilled at his job and handles the internal politics well. The plotting was excellent as was the characterisation and this promises to be a series well worth waiting for.

Recommended.