This book is a short story by Josh Lanyon, one of my favorite M/M authors. I found SLAY RIDE to be a fun short story but because of the length, I do think that there’s a lot to be desired. I know a lot of other people I talked to felt that it was too short also and I think that’s because readers just wanted more.

The romance builds fast but in a believable pace and I really like Lanyon’s tone in this story. But for me to truly give a 5-star rating, I would have liked to see more full-length books with this couple.

Josh Layton writes a mean short story, condensing a man hunt and the fruition of a romance into a perfectly formed tale. There's action aplenty, a car chase, cop killing, hostages and a developing relationship of the friends to lovers variety. Set against the backdrop of a war being fought overseas, this was full of interesting and well rounded characters, and one of my favourite romance types, the stoic man willing to quash his own happiness for the good of others. I thought the way Lanyon dealt with the scene where the bad guy was finally caught was clever and really fit both the time period and the story length. I was more interested in Rob's growing realisation that he could have a life with James than his they caught the bad guy, so it was perfect, good me what I need to know and let me get on with the scene I wanted.

There are lots of things to like about this book (the romance, the characters, the setting, the narrative voice) and one thing to hate (the cover; I'm sorry!). This is my first Lanyon book and I don't think it will be my last. I enjoyed how fast paced it was, although I wonder how much of this was because it's a novella and there simply wasn't room to dwell on scenes. I'd definitely recommend this one for general fans of m/m or broader queer romance.

Slay Ride is a very short historical m/m mystery from Josh Lanyon.

I've enjoyed a number of Lanyon's books in the past, but this wasn't one of my favourites. It's very short -- 96 pages -- and although there were some things I thought it did well, there were also some that disappointed me. Perhaps, if it were longer and more developed, my opinions would be different or a bit clearer, but I've sorted out a few bullet points below.

A quick read, but probably one for existing fans of the author, rather than everyone.




Positive

Jaime and Robert are charming characters and very well developed considering the length of the story. As usual, Lanyon creates a good sense of chemistry between them very quickly.

It has serious pre-Serum Steve Rodgers/ Bucky Barnes vibes.

There's some interesting exploration of PTSD, masculinity in war-time and the viability of queer relationships in small-town America during the forties.




Negative

There's no actual mystery. It's more of a cop-show vignette. The crime and the criminal are pretty simply drawn.

The resolution of the actual plot -- the crime -- is all resolved off-page and explained through a single newspaper clipping.

It's just a bit forgettable.

I always enjoy Josh Lanyon's books, but I tend to hate anything Christmas-y, so I was wondering which one would win out. Lucky for me, there was very little actual Christmas spirit and a whole lot of mystery. The characterization is amazing as always and the story flows in a way that feels incredibly realistic. Not too fast and not too slow.

Reading a Josh Lanyon book never satisfies me. As soon as I read the last page i am craving another story from this gifted mystery/romance writer.
Slay Ride has a riveting story-line in set in the rustic state of Montana. It's the 1940's and Robert Garrett is a chief police officer after returning wounded from a military stint in the Pacific. It's Christmas and he is desperately chasing a killer and much to his distress an eager young reporter is squirming his way into Robert's investigation.
Jamie Jameson has always admired the chief. That is a tame way of saying he has harbored a serious crush. This era did not allow gay men the safety of being open. I always find a lump in my throat when I realize it wasn't that long ago loving someone that did not fit the so called mold would destroy you.
Jamie is no longer a skinny kid that used to hang around Robert. He has grown into a serious and very appealing, handsome young man. He is hell bent on getting his scoop for the paper along with helping the man he yearns for.
Kidnappings and murder are piling up and the men join forces to save innocent lives from a man with nothing to lose. Can Robert stop the killer and actually entertain the idea of having a real relationship when it is so clearly dangerous? One way to find out. Just jump on the Sleigh, you are in for one heck of a ride.
I highly recommend this fast past novella, Happy reading!

A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review
Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

A wild and dangerous ride takes two lonely men into uncharted territory…

1943 Montana. Returning home to Montana after being wounded in the Pacific, Police Chief Robert Garrett was hoping for a little much needed Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward Man. Instead, he finds himself chasing after a cold-blooded killer on Christmas Day aided—whether he likes it or not—by eager young reporter Jamie Jameson.

Jamie has idolized Police Chief Garrett most of his life. Despite a stolen birthday kiss three years earlier, he knows his feelings are unreturned. Even if Rob felt the same, there’s no room in their world for such feelings between men. But while Jamie can accept Robert not sharing his feelings, he won’t put up with being treated like a troublesome kid brother. He too has a job to do and he intends on traveling this bloody and twisted road with Robert Garrett—no matter where it leads.

Slay Ride by Josh Lanyon is a thrilling murderous little ride back into a United States still deep in WWII with all the means to that era.  There's a small town in Montana swamped with it's losses of men to the war, deep in grief and winter cold.  There is the references to the enemy, ones we find so offensive now but so common then, the food rationing and the men at home, 4F, or the wounded or other reasons.  Lanyon easily recreates this historical period of depression, loss, anxiety, and uncertainty with accuracy to the times and location.

We are slid next to Police Chief Robert Garrett, getting a feel for the man who suffers physically and emotionally from the war he's returned from but has never really left behind.  He's having dinner with a widow of a friend of his, trying to fill a hole at the holidays to big to fill for a family in pain.  And we get that.  He's saved by a phone call that will jump start the proceedings  for the rest of the story.

There is a crime scene and a reporter, Jamie Jameson.  A young man who has had a crush on Robert for years, definitely not a safe idea in this time and age.

Homosexuality is a crime in this era.  You hide it, dare not have a relationship, so laying the framework for one here is interesting.  And that's all Lanyon is doing.  This is mosts definitely a very beginning of "something".  A very fragile HFN story.  How that happens, all the elements that lead up to it really can't be discussed because they all contain spoilers for this story which is concise in nature.

Once that narrative "spark" happens that sets everything in motion, all characters and the plot are propelled rapidly towards an suspenseful ending, that includes the development of a relationship between Robert and Jamie.  At all happens at "breakneck" speed.

I thought the characters were well developed, Robert a tad more so than Jamie, with his background in the war, and frankly his years on experience as well. Jamie needs more history or page time or something to be Robert's equal here.

The plot and the killer is not only plausible but chilling.  You truly felt that everyone here was in danger.  My only problem was in how the resolution was reported.  Lanyon showed an newspaper article which contained all the facts of the "showdown".  The  newspaper was small and gray, with black print.  On my Kindle I couldn't enlarge the print so I had no idea what it said so I missed out  on that whole "resolution" business.  As will everyone else with eyesight issues.

There was an Epilogue so I gleaned what facts I could about what happened towards the end from that but I still felt as though I had missed so much.  I would imagine this is one case where getting the audio version would eliminate that factor and make this a far better story.

Slay Ride by Josh Lanyon kept with entertained and on my seat.  With the exception of the use of that newspaper article to wrap things up, I thought this was a terrific historic little murder mystery, just the type Lanyon does so well.

Cover art is definitely telling you that this is a murder mystery with that cover.  I approve!

Set in December 1943, this short historical story gives us an atmospheric snapshot of the US during the war era and an exciting chase after a killer. There’s sexual tension between the Police Chief and the youthful journalist as the story progresses and they manage to snatch some romantic alone time. Despite fearing they might not have a future together, this well-rounded story also delivers a HFN ending. I liked how the climax of the story is told via a newspaper clipping as it fits in well with the context of the story.

I don’t know if there are other books that fit with these characters since I didn’t see any mentioned but I wish there were.
This is a heartwarming story. Robert watched over Jamie and Joey (Robert’s brother) when they were young. As all of them aged situations caused each to have burdens to bear. The development of the relationship between Robert and Jamie is very emotional. They both want something but Robert is afraid for a number of reasons. Both characters are likable. The story really isn’t a holiday story but focuses on the two. I would have liked to see the story go further but I enjoyed it anyway.

Josh Lanyon sets quite the mood with this gem of a story. You really feel like you are taken back in time. I just loved Robert and Jamie and the history these two shared. Seeing them figure out how they feel and navigate that into a way to share their lives was wonderful. Another winner by Josh Lanyon!

I am reading this and really enjoying it and I feel the book coming to its climax and......nothing. I was so confused that one little newspaper clipping told what went down at the most important part of the entire story!!!! The story is centered around catching a criminal and one of the MC’s is in peril and the other MC is going to save him and we got none of it! Add to that the paltry epilogue and my bubble was burst. This is not surprising because I feel like some books Josh Lanyon doesn’t fulfill my expectations but I feel like she called it in with this one. Half assed it describes it perfectly.

Slay Ride – Josh Lanyon

Some Mild Spoilers

When a Christmas day shoot-out goes terribly wrong, Bolt, Montana Police Chief Robert Garrett is horrified to find out that Jamie Jameson, a local reporter and Robert’s secret crush, has set off in pursuit of the killer. When darkness and snow force them into spending the night together, a tiny window of possibility for a future together opens up, but will their hidden feelings be enough in the midst of the time period or will their fears and a killer on the loose keep them apart?

At only 90 pages, there isn’t a lot of room for huge character and plot development, yet Lanyon manages to build two well-developed characters and a plot that was taken right out of actual 1940s headlines. The setting was well established, and the use of old, out-of-use phrases made the story sound like it came right out of the 1940s. In a time period when homosexuality was considered a crime, the author does a nice job of conveying the fear and unacceptability of two men being together, though I do wish that could have been dwelt upon more. As with any short story, everything was a bit rushed. On the night that Robert and Jamie are thrown together while chasing a killer, one minute Robert is shutting down Jamie’s intimation at their mutual feelings and the next minute, they are having sex. I guess that limitation should be expected in a short story, but I would have liked a little more time between them feeling that they had to hide their emotions to an exact 180 of that.

My one other issue was the way in which the situation with the killer in the end was handled. It was simply included as a newspaper article between chapters, so instead of being there for the action and experiencing the substantial fears Robert must have had for Jamie’s safety, I felt as though the retelling of the events via an article in the paper was a letdown. It killed the momentum of the story. It made the whole scenario seem detached and almost trivial as if the threat didn’t really matter because now, with this after-the-fact retelling, the actually danger was in the past and completely neutralized. It would have been so much better to have experienced that moment with either Robert or Jamie. As much as I hate to say this, it felt like a cop-out on the part of Lanyon.

As far as short stories go, it was a good read, but I think some extra scenes and a slower pacing would have made it a great story.

3* Not my cup of tea, but a very readable book that seems pretty authentic to the era.

Due to when this is set, it's not a romance novel, though there is an element of something akin to romance in it. By the latter, I'm not dissing the author, the book or the characters, simply trying to explain that this tale isn't about the romance, but more about events that connect the leads and make them see that they might have a future together.

It's well written, and, I'm pretty certain, accurate to the time. I had to look up several expressions that I wasn't familiar with, so I learned from this book, which is always a bonus in my book, pun intentional.

A masterfully written novella packed with emotion and action.

This was a lovely piece of writing. The short length of this had me worried that it might lack characterization, but Lanyon is a master. In only a few pages I was drawn into the emotional turmoil of Chief Robert Garrett and cub reporter, Jamie. They live in a time when it’s dangerous to be gay, and yet, in a sweet moment at a birthday party, Robert gave Jamie one kiss. That kiss stayed with both of them.

Robert has all but cut Jamie out of his life, wanting to protect himself… or perhaps Jamie. They are thrown back together when a crime is committed and Jamie chases off after the perpetrator. In one evening of danger, the two men have to face each of their truths. Jamie’s character is raw and authentic, a little lost as he’s struggling to find his way in a world. He feels deserted by Robert.

Robert is dealing with an injury from the war, and probably a life of living in a type of emotional exile as he’s hidden away his sexual orientation. I thought that Lanyon captured this period well and the repressed longing and sadness are vibrant on the page. This is a beautiful story.