This is another great mystery. I loved the 1940s aspect of things. It felt like a very real protrayal as to how not only police investigations may have been handled but the views of sexuality as well.

I don't read a lot of mysteries in general, but I really enjoyed this one. It was interesting seeing the case from two angles and watching clues come to light. Before the reveal, I figured it out, but only barely. In all honesty, I would have liked to see Doyle and Matt's relationship unfold a little differently, but it wasn't unsatisfying. The jump from attraction to declarations of love was maybe swift but their vulnerability together was so sweet that I was willing to overlook almost anything. I think I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the series.

This noir-ish murder mystery is satisfying, with a touch of adventure along the way. Lanyon does Los Angeles settings so adeptly, which serves this novel and its atmosphere well. The romance is deeply imbued with the psychological and legal challenges of being gay in the 1940s, and so the whole novel is tinged with melancholy as well as moments of optimism.

This novel is theoretically the first in a series … but there’s been no second novel in the 15 years since the first was published. But I just read this re-released version (apparently mildly revised), thanks to NetGalley, so might that mean that Landon is returning to this series? Fingers crossed!