Tyack & Frayne: Don’t Let Go – Harper Fox

What’s haunting Lee Tyack? He’s moved in with Gideon Frayne, and they’re both loving their new lives. But the shadow is still there – a voice from hell that torments clairvoyant Lee, and which even the pragmatic copper Gideon can hear. 

Gideon’s determined to protect his lover. But after a serious injury on duty, Gideon finds out the hard way that he needs protection too. His job’s on the line and he’s scared. Worst of all, he thinks he knows who that voice belongs to – and he can’t stop Lee from heading off to confront this most terrifying ghost from his past. 

When the full spring moon rises over Cornwall’s rugged coast, and the veil between the worlds grows thin, Tyack and Frayne must join forces to solve a decades-old mystery that still has the power to tear their world apart.

A couple of years ago, I started on Tyack & Frayne. It was OK but book two, Tinsel Fish, wasn’t all that spectacular and I dropped the series. I passed too hasty a judgment it turned out because Don’t Let Go, the third book, succeeded in captivating me this time.

Some things I liked:

Zeke, who was introduced on Tinsel Fish, was a revelation. Gideon’s Methodist preacher brother showed Lee and Gid that he wasn’t the stone cold religious conservative Gid thought he was. Loved his dry sense of humor.

Lee and Gideon had moved in together and I totally loved how their relationship grew. Gid was a stubborn git when faced with his convalescence but Lee, bless him, dealt with it all like a saint. That’s true love for you.

Meeting Lee’s family and getting some closure. Locryn is a beautiful name. Lee and Gid exorcised a monster from the past. Boy, was it creepy, especially when listened to at wee hours of the night.

Once again, Harper Fox made me want to go to Cornwall and visit these two men. Her trademark lyrical prose is best read with a British accent and Tim Gilbert did a good job making it all come to life. The way HF describes Bodmin, the imagery she used, was very evocative. I’m glad I gave this series another chance. While it does meander a bit, it delivered a riveting and emotional story. I have loved Lee and Gid’s chemistry from the get go and here they are evolving into a comfortable domesticity which is just lovely and ‘normal’ in contrast to all the excitement of chasing criminals, ghosts and psychic monsters. Someday, when they are both old men, they could rest in front of the fire and feel nostalgic about all this but for now, they’re still up for another adventure in book 4, Kitto.

P.S.

review of Once Upon a Haunted Moor here
review of Tinsel Fish here
review of Harper Fox books here

Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

Soundtrack: Hold On
Artist: Flor
Album: Come Out. You’re Hiding