Snowball in Hell
By Josh Lanyon
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Reporter Nathan Doyle had his reasons to want Phil Arlen dead, but when he sees the man's body pulled from the La Brea tar pit, he knows he'll be the prime suspect. He also knows that his life won't stand up to intense police scrutiny, so he sets out to crack the case himself.
Lieutenant Matthew Spain's official inquiries soon lead him to believe that Nathan knows more than he's saying. But that's not the only reason Matt takes notice of the handsome journalist. Matt's been drawn to men before, but he must hide his true feelingsor risk his entire career.
As Nathan digs deeper, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay one step ahead of Matt Spainand to deny his intense attraction to him. Nathan's secrets may not include murder, but has his hunt put him right in the path of the real killer?
Previously published, newly revised by author.
44,490 words
Josh Lanyon
Author of 100+ titles of Gay Mystery and M/M Romance, Josh Lanyon has built a literary legacy on twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance. Her work has been translated into twelve languages. She is an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.
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Reviews for Snowball in Hell
69 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I loved the setting. I don't remember the last time I've read a book set in 1940s. It has that noir feel, only instead of a PI, you get a depressed suicidal journalist and a wonderful and strong lieutenant. Some readers might not like the love at first sight trope, but it is well written and it doesn't overwhelm the story. It didn't bother me and I think it worked well here. It starts with obvious physical attraction, of course.
Too bad there aren't any instalments. As the first book what I assume should have been a series featuring these two as partners solving crimes together as well as being a couple, it is very good. Doyle's inner struggle is heartbreaking and it only makes you love Matthew more. Even with the stuff I didn't necessary like, and there are a few, this is a good story with characters I wouldn't mind reading about in the future.
The mystery is very good. There are many red herrings and lots of suspects. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I liked a lot of things about this book. It was an interesting mystery, set during WWII, great Los Angeles noir atmosphere, complicated family dynamics, and two protagonists with realistic challenges to face after returning from the war.I didn't, however, love the romance. It felt like the characters spent way too little time together before they were suddenly in love. It had great potential because there were high emotional stakes and some real character development could have happened to bring them together, but it felt like a romance short cut was taken.I'll definitely give the author another shot because there was a lot of good in the story and I enjoyed it overall.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Nathan Doyle knew he would be a potential suspect in the death of Phil Arlen, so he decided to use his investigative reporting skills to try to solve the case on his own and clear his name. But he didn't count on Detective Matt Spain to throw a wrench in that plan. Not only is Matt committed to solving the case but he's also quite attractive--a fact Nathan has a hard time shaking. But when the truth comes out, will Nathan be cleared? And what will he do about his crush on the straight detective who seems like he wouldn't hesitate to lock Nathan up?
I had a hard time getting into this one, and it never really seemed to click for me. The story moves apace but there is very little opportunity to get to know and connect with the characters. I felt like it lacked depth, which was surprising to me since I usually find Josh Lanyon stories a bit more enjoyable. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another one of the nicely written mystery novels from Lanyon, once again with a nice guy who is involved in a murder case, this time by being one of the prime suspects, who falls for the handsome macho detective as does that stallion does for him. The question (well, not really) is, will they be able to form a couple because this story takes place in the forties.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love the way that Josh Lanyon makes me feel about his characters. I always seem to start feeling ambivalent, maybe not even caring that much, and then no matter how short the story is, I quickly come to care about them and feel very strongly about them. I grew to love Matt and Nathan very quickly, and to hurt for them, and also -- obviously, I suppose -- to believe in their feelings and their predicament.
Snowball in Hell also has a reasonably solid plot: I wasn't too far behind the game, but it wasn't horribly predictable, either. I didn't care about the plot nearly as much as I cared about the characters -- there wasn't enough danger to either of them of being suspects, I think, so they weren't as deeply connected to the case as I'd like. I mean, Nathan was a suspect, but it didn't seem for a minute like Matt would push that angle. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wow. For a short book this packs a punch. I am in the middle of a Lanyon glom and unlike my normal gloms, I am not feeling fatigued.
This was my first non contemporary Lanyon. Well written, gritty.
Lanyon captures the time (at least how I feel the time to be) and the place well. I don't enjoy film noire, but this literary noire seemed to speak to me, seemed to wind its way into my soul.
The story is not a sweet love story with a HEA or even a HFN. But it is a love story. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wow. For a short book this packs a punch. I am in the middle of a Lanyon glom and unlike my normal gloms, I am not feeling fatigued.
This was my first non contemporary Lanyon. Well written, gritty.
Lanyon captures the time (at least how I feel the time to be) and the place well. I don't enjoy film noire, but this literary noire seemed to speak to me, seemed to wind its way into my soul.
The story is not a sweet love story with a HEA or even a HFN. But it is a love story. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well, this is more romantic suspense than romance and I wasn't expecting that for one. I liked the 'noir' atmosphere though and enjoyed it a lot. I also liked Nathan very much, he was a very sweet hero. On the other hand I don't know why, but I didn't feel I got to know Matt as well as I'd like. And I so desperately needed an epilogue! The ending was way too abrupt for my tastes, especially considering how many difficulties those two have to face. Still, a very nice & emotional read and very nice writing style. I feel that if there were a few more pages added to it, it would have been perfect.