Many thanks to Netgalley for this novel. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

In this book we are following Leonard Fuller and Felix Day who both write murder mysteries and are going to an acquaintance's book signing at a local bookstore. Don Marlborough runs the bookstore which he named after himself. The author who is doing the book signing is known to publish pretty controversial books and he ends up getting shot. Both Leonard and Felix are considered suspects since one found the murder weapon (not really the murder weapon) and the other went down to the basement. The chief of police locks down the bookstore until other officers arrive to gather evidence and interview witnesses. Leonard and Felix don't particularly like each other and are both trying to solve the murder. They end up teaming up together and end up solving the mystery together. The owner of the bookstore ends up being the killer because he needed money in order to save his bookstore and since both he and Leonard and Felix were put in the dead author's will which he wrote prior to the war he would have received some money. Also Leonard and Felix start a relationship towards the end of the novel once they both apologize to each other.

Funny and clever this is a book that features a love story, but is definitely not a romcom. An innovative twist on a whodunnit, this book will be a riot for mystery readers looking for something new.

It was a lot of fun as most of Josh Lanyon's story. A mix of historical fiction, some romance and a lot of humour.
I read it in one setting and thoroughly enjoyed it. Solid mystery that kept me guessing and fleshed out characters
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Princess Fuzzypants here: This book started with a bang. A celebrated author whose tell-alls have created as many enemies as fans, is shot whilst giving a speech. The room is crowded with other authors. No one sees anything and there is no way out or in that would occur without witnesses. With all the markings of a good closed door mystery, two rival writers whose fictional characters share more than a bit in common, tell the story from their POV’s.

They are, at first, considered prime suspects but it becomes clear that neither committed the crime. But who did and how? And why is there another murder in the same bookshop on the same day? The two begrudgingly discover they share more in common that their protagonists and their love of arguments. Together they decide to solve the double murder- that is if they do not become the next victims.

Set in the 1940s, post WWII, it has some interesting pieces including the observations of how wartime service affected each character. Four purrs and one paw up.

I’m not really sure why, but I usually shy away from any type of historical read. When it’s written by one of my favorite authors though, even one of my least favorite sub genres is hard to resist. I’m not really sure why I hesitate to pick them up, because once I get into them, I end up enjoying them. I suppose it’s one of those reading conundrums that I’ll never be able to explain, but there it is. *sigh*

Anyway, Murder Between the Pages was a short and sweet offering, but it kept the pages turning. I loved the situation that Lanyon put the characters in because Felix and Leonard were hardly friends. They were more like enemies… but not quite. They were actually more alike than either one of them realized and when they put their differences (and egos) aside, they actually worked pretty well together. Who better to solve a seeming unsolvable mystery than a pair of mystery authors?

Despite my general avoidance of gay romances set in the past, I was hard-pressed to pass a new story by Josh Lanyon: nostalgia on the one hand and naive hope on the other, had me discard my regular reticence. After all, just because a happy ending does not involve a legal wedding it doesn't mean it can't happen.

...and sure enough, this was not one of those heart-wrenching romances that would've had me bawl my eyes out. Unfortunately, it wasn't a particularly heart-warming one either. Inexplicably, it somehow fell closer to a YA bickering fest similar to Kaichou wa Maid-sama, with Felix channeling Misaki in his tendency to pick a fight with everyone, and Leo channeling Usui with his constant deadpan sarcasm. Rather clichéd on its own, but also hell'a weird behaviour for two men supposedly in their 30s.

I guess this was meant to be short and sweet, but instead it was just short, superficial, aggravating... and occasionally funny.

Murder Between the Pages is a historical murder mystery with a side dash of romance in the vein of the great locked room mysteries. There's a disliked, disruptive author who is killed in the middle of a bookshop event, and a room full of suspects. Felix Day and Leonard Fuller, a rivalling mystery authors themselves, both whom get drawn into the case and want to solve it.

There's a great feel of the historical period; the world war has ended and all the leading men still suffer from its consequences and how it changed them. Felix was an intelligence officer during the war and he puts his experience and intuition to work in order to figure out who the murderer is. His and Leonard's interactions are gold, because there's clearly something going on underneath the seeming dislike and rivalry.

In true Josh Lanyon style, the mystery is forefront of the story. There is a dash of romance, which is done very well and leaves a reader yearning for more, but it's not the main thing here. I very much liked Murder Between the Pages; it's fascinating mystery, great main characters, and the blossoming romance. My only complaint is the length. The ending, particularly concerning the wrapping of the murder mystery, is a bit hasty. I'd happily read more of it.

This may have been a quick read but it was very interesting. I was hooked almost from the start. It was worth reading.

I typically like historical mysteries, and I have a soft spot for books that are set in places like bookshops and libraries, which is why this book caught my eye.

This was a 1940s murder mystery. It was a fairly short read, light enough to read in one sitting, and it was entertaining and charming. Something about the writing style made it feel like an adventure story as well as a murder mystery, and it wasn't overly complicated. I enjoyed the touch of romance in the story too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

This makes me want to check out more historical mysteries. I enjoyed reading this so much! The 1940s provide great fodder for a fun backdrop with two rival writers in the middle of the murder investigation. The conflict between Len and Felix drives the humor while adding charm. Enemies to lover is a great trope that Lanyon takes full advantage of and delivers a fast-paced mystery with sleuthing hijinks, feuding authors, and steamy romance. Highly recommend for those that enjoy historical reads, murder mysteries, love stories with great chemistry between the leads, and plenty of fun (and silliness). Lanyon never shies away from the romance, the murder, or the character development, all while maintaining a lighthearted tone and style that appeals to everyone.

Murder Between the Pages by Josh Lanyon was published October 28 2016 by JustJoshin Publishing Inc.

I barley made it through the book I honestly had no idea what was going on the whole time . I knew there was a murder but I had no idea which character was which and just had a really hard time following along.

I read Hide and seek from Josh and that book was amazing and I was hooked from the very beginning so i don’t know what it was with this one.

Thanks NetGalley and Josh lanyon for allowing me to read this.

I started reading this and thought, "Wait, this seems very familiar!" And it was - I hadn't realized this was one of the stories in Shadows Left Behind: An Historical Mysteries Box Set (which I highly recommend!)

This was my review from before:
As Felix and Len pointed out, this was a locked room mystery. It ended satisfactorily, though I do wonder what became of all these characters in general in their respective universes. While Felix and Len were two very different men, in some parts, I felt like Felix and Len’s voices were too similar, so I had to go back to check whose perspective it was.

As I mentioned for the box set, this is a great short mystery. It will definitely appeal to those who like a little bit of historical fiction & classic mystery in with their romance.

Murder Between the Pages is a standalone historical mystery set in the 1940s by Josh Lanyon.Originally released in 2016, it's 157 pages and is available in audio and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

The author is adept and prolific and usually known for cozy M/M romantic mysteries. This entry starts with a (literal) bang with a shooting in a bookstore. It provides the setting for a perfect locked room puzzle leading to a cleverly constructed denouement and satisfying resolution.

There are some pacing issues in the first half of the book but readers are compensated for sticking around with a well rounded and engaging solution. As in much of the rest of the author's oeuvre, an enemies to lovers subplot is a significant part of the read. The romance content is between two rival male authors and there's a fair bit of delightful dialogue where they're sparring about their supposed mutual loathing for each other's fictive sleuth (and one another in general).

Four stars. Short, well written, and fun.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Murder between the pages by Josh Lanyon wasn’t the easiest book / murder-mystery to read and follow because the characters weren’t easily distinguished and different characters told the story in different chapters.

In the years just after WW2, an author of a soon-to-released novel is shot dead in a small bookstore during a book presentation. Two rival authors, Len and Felix, as well as the police set out to solve the case. The murder-victim had made enemies because of his not-so-fictitious characters in previous books so several in the audience had sufficient motive and opportunity.

The plot is well-constructed and the case is relatively straightforward for the ‘detectives’ (and the reader) to solve. The plot ticks along at a good pace and so the book is a relatively easy and comfortable read.

The premise of this book was very promising, and I enjoyed the writing style. Felix and Len were very likable characters with great bantering skills. Also, the competing mystery author story arc was fun and really worked within the narrative. While I didn't connect wiith the romance, it didn't distract from the story. I give this book a solid 3.5/5 stars.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Murder Between the Pages by Josh Lanyon. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

This book was hard to read as it was inundated with similes. I found it distracting, and the attempts to sound sophisticated detracted from the storyline. Sometimes, less is more.

I just finished Murder Between the Pages by Josh Lanyon. It was an excellent locked room murder mystery! Twists and turns and red herrings included! I was disappointed at the homosexual love scene and felt that the author could have alluded to the chemistry between the main characters without the graphic description. While I enjoyed this novel, I will not be reading anymore by this author. I appreciate Netgally sending me this book free of charge.

This one was a bit strange.
It was a murder mystery (ah, the classic murder in a locked room) full of clichés and plot holes, where you can´t really guess who did it on your own because the entire story is drifting so much that you just know before it happens the ending will be a thing that suits the author (and not necessarily the plot). I don´t know if I´ve made myself understood.
Here I´m going to list some things that didn´t convince me:
- How the murder was commited. How is it possible someone gets shot in a room full of people and NO ONE turns to the place the shot came from, even later, to investigate if a person or weapon is still there?
- Why would someone throw away a pistol when they didn´t use it and knowing there´s a murderer on the lose & police is investigating? Isn´t that more sus that just keeping the pistol and saying you got it for whatever invented reason? Like they pointed out in the story, after investigating the corpse they´re realize that´s not the murder weapon.
- Lack of real motive or depth in any character (maybe the protagonists got saved a bit from this... just a bit). It was like watching an low budget crime film where everyone is sus suddenly and for no reason (but the one someone invented 5 minutes ago).
- I struggled a bit trying to distinguish the narrator for they were awfully similar (not only in profession).


Anyway, it was a pleasant novella to read in spite of everything. And probably if I see something by this author again somewhere, I´d give it another chance because it wasn´t terrible and I particularly enjoyed the fact it focused more on crime than in romance.

157 pages

4 stars

It is the late 1940’s in Concord. The war had finally ended, yet the populace was still jittery.

There is a book signing at the local Marlborough Bookstore. There is standing room only as a famous author presented his latest book. The book is a thinly veiled expose of some of the town’s citizens.Then, he is shot to death while on stage.

This book brought to mind the 1930’s Raymond Chandler novels. It had a noir-ish feel to it and the cops played their parts flawlessly.

The two protagonists are Felix Day and Leonard Fuller who both write a detective series. They have been at odds for some time, taking cracks at each others’ detective stories and writing styles. Oddly enough, they are more or less forced to team up to investigate the novelist’s murder. They really don’t get along, or do they?

This is a well written story. I understand it is a departure from Mr. Lanyon’s usual novels. I enjoyed it. It is a very short read, only 157 pages, and it reads quickly. The pacing seemed a little uneven to me, but it did not detract from my enjoyment too much. The language Mr. Lanyon uses gives clues to the backgrounds of Felix and Leonard. It was an unusual way to introduce the characters, and I was impressed with the style.

I want to thank NetGalley and JustJohn Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

MURDER BETWEEN THE PAGES is a fun, fast-paced historical mystery. Rival authors Len and Felix find themselves caught up in a murder in which they are both suspects. I enjoyed this more than I expected. The rivalry and the metaliterary aspects of the mystery were really a treat. At points I had a hard time telling Len and Felix apart, and the story moved so quickly that I'm sure I missed things. I wish it had been longer so there had been time to develop more aspects of it. Still a great read!