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REVIEW: Stay In Your Lane! by Cari Z. & L.A. Witt
Stay In Your Lane! – Cari Z. & L.A. Witt
The tasks are simple. Everett Mulligan is there to collect the body. Kyle Bowman is there to clean up the scene. Easy peasy. Get in, get out, get gone.
But Everett, for all he can be on another planet with fourteen tabs open in his brain, isn’t stupid like the cops think he is. Something about this death scene isn’t sitting right, and he’s going to figure it out. Bonus? He gets to team up with the adorkable crime-scene cleanup guy to solve the mystery.
Kyle, ever the thorough and detail-oriented cleaner, can’t ignore the scene’s irregularities either. He also can’t ignore the seriously attractive himbo from the mortuary who insists they should work together to solve what the cops insist isn’t a crime. Especially when that himbo is also enamored with Kyle’s cats and fiercely determined to make friends with his cranky piranha, Steve.
There’s a reason this death isn’t being treated as a homicide, though, and there are people who are very motivated to keep it that way.
And they’ll do whatever it takes to keep the pair of amateur sleuths from uncovering the truth.
Stay in Your Lane! by the acclaimed writer duo Cari Z. and L.A. Witt shines the spotlight on the unsung heroes of crime scene investigations: the cleaners and the morticians. All too often overlooked, the focus is often on the detectives and the forensics; these underdogs handle all the nitty-gritty bits, a.k.a. the dirty work, literally.
What happens when they see something that the police and forensics have missed? Everett Mulligan, the mortician, and Kyle Bowman, crime scene cleaner, found out the hard way that sometimes investigators see what they want to see or, in this case, unsee.
And the powers that be want them to stay in their lane or else…
Oooh, this is fun!
The romance developed so cutely alongside their investigation. Everett, whose brain and mouth go a mile a minute, wouldn’t let the issue of an unsolved murder rest. He found a kindred soul in Kyle, the sassy cleaner whose pet piranhas and cats Everett is crazy about. Joined at the hip, they quickly bond over crime and pets, a geeky power couple of crime scene cleaning.
These do-gooding dorks embarked on their quest to collect evidence that the suicide of the ex-con was actually a murder, so they could persuade the police to investigate. The chilling way the powers that be tried to hush things up hinted that this conspiracy goes all the way to the top. The bad guys were pretty obvious, like faceless cannon fodder for a John Wick movie, just there to do bad things when Kyle and Everett were rattling a few cages.
The fluffy romance led to suspenseful escapes, car chases, and a climax that was equal parts bombastic and hilarious! My favorite part is how they frequently meet at a diner, Waffles?, home to misfits such as conspiracy theory wackos and anti-establishment goth kids. It was only fitting that the big showdown happened there. The scenes at the diner were a riot!
Stay In Your Lane! is an entertaining blend of rom-com, murder mystery thriller, and sharp social commentary. Humorous and suspenseful, it also paints a vivid picture of the consequences of challenging the status quo. Overall, a funny and insightful story that lingers after one dares to step out of line.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Color Outside The Lines
Artist: Chris Colby
Album: II
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STAY IN YOUR LANE!: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Incubus Jonathan Wright (Excerpt)
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RELEASE TOUR: Skin Game by Elle Keaton (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Jingle Jingle Kill by C. Quince (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Holiday Fatigue by Emily Carrington (Excerpt)
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BLOG TOUR: The Talking Cure by Kathy L. Brown (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Essence by Mychael Black (Excerpt)
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REVIEW: All Of Us Murderers by K.J. Charles
All Of Us Murderers – K.J. Charles
The lush Gothic drama of Crimson Peak meets the murderous intrigue of Knives Out with an LGBTQIA+ love story to die for from award-winning author KJ Charles.
WHO WILL SURVIVE LACKADAY HOUSE?
When Zeb Wyckham is summoned to a wealthy relative’s remote Gothic manor, he is horrified to find all the people he least wants to see in the world: his estranged brother, his sneering cousin, and his bitter ex-lover Gideon Grey. Things couldn’t possibly get worse.
Then the master of the house announces the true purpose of the gathering: he intends to leave the vast family fortune to whoever marries his young ward, setting off a violent scramble for her hand. Zeb wants no part of his greedy family―but when he tries to leave, the way is barred. The walls of Lackaday House are high, and the gates firmly locked. As the Dartmoor mists roll in, there’s no way out. And something unnatural may be watching them from the house’s shadowy depths…
Fear and paranoia ramping ever-higher, Zeb has nowhere to turn but to the man who once held his heart. As the gaslight flickers and terror takes hold, can two warring lovers reunite, uncover the murderous mysteries of Lackaday House―and live to tell the tale?
All of Us Murderers is K.J. Charles‘s take on books with covers of women with fabulous hair fleeing ominous gothic mansions. The story is set in Dartmoor during the Edwardian era.
The author established the forbidding atmosphere right at the opening scene. Zebedee Wyckham arrives at a tall iron gate of a creepy, isolated mansion, and immediately all his instincts tell him to run far away from there. The thing is, Zeb is not a believer in ghosts, so he’s more annoyed to learn that he’s summoned to Lackaday House along with his estranged brother, Bram, his wife, Elise, and a couple of other cousins he barely knew, Hawley and Colonel Dash.
Bram is 10 years Zeb’s senior, an art critic whose tastes run more classical and traditional. He’s arrogant, sanctimonious, and belittles Zeb every chance he gets. Elise is an aloof, icy beauty known to cuckold her husband with none other than their cousin, Hawley.
Hawley is an avant-garde artist and a callous womanizer. He frequently butt heads with Bram not only because of their different views on art but also because of Elise. Dash is a middle-aged soldier, a man of action who isn’t easily affected by the supernatural.
Wynn is the master of the Lackaday House, also a cousin, and is friends with Dash. He’s portrayed as a jovial host, but, like the rest of the Wyckhams, he has questionable relationships, suspicious activities, and dubious intentions. His ward is Jessamyn, the 18-year-old granddaughter of Wynn’s great, tragic love.
He proposed that whichever of the cousins wins her hand will inherit everything. This proposal not so much as stir the pot as set the whole kitchen on fire when tempers frayed, ghosts started appearing, and people lost their minds
Zeb is also shocked to discover that Wynn’s secretary is Gideon Grey. They had a spectacularly bad breakup, a.k.a. Zeb’s the reason why Gideon lost his job, and now desperately doesn’t want to lose his current post, so Gideon is sternly warning him not to mess it up for him again.
Lackaday House, with its sprawling grounds, dangerous moors, and replicas of famous landmarks, is the backdrop and a major character of this twisty-turny, and hella spine-tingling gothic tale. It’s curses, bad blood, and unspeakable acts up the wazoo, the sense of impending doom thick in the air! The creep-tastic vibes gave me goosebumps, the dark imagery was so potent, and the characters were so effectively loathsome that I dreaded their scenes
It was both exceptional writing and off-putting, making the middle part a slog because I really hated most of them. But I also can’t look away. I was that morbidly fascinated spectator, covering their eyes while peeking between fingers. I wanted to remove a star in my rating, and also commend the author.
The pace in the 3rd arc went considerably faster when pieces were starting to fall into place for Zeb. It was one tragedy after another, one horrid reveal after another, building up to an edge-of-your-seat run-for-your-life climax.
The ray of sunshine in this murk is the sweet rekindling of sparks between Gideon and Zeb. Zeb described Gideon as one of those serious people who could be intimidating. Gideon’s a bit older. He was Zeb’s supervisor in their previous job. He’s organized, controlled, and very capable, while Zeb is chaotic, exuberant, and a bit absent-minded. Zeb has undiagnosed ADHD since it’s the 1900s.
Gideon was really serious most of the time. After the initial antagonistic interactions, they cleared the air, reunited, and suddenly Gideon smiled, laughed, and came alive. Holy hell, he was a revelation! The chemistry was just magical! They’re one of my favorite couples from the author
Overall, All of Us Murderers is a convoluted revenge scheme, a messy family drama, and an endearing second-chance romance. The suspenseful storytelling combined with emotional depth, vivid characters, and a gothic atmosphere so immersive that it made all of us captivated readers.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Secret of Life
Artist: Lord Huron
Album: Vide Noir
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ALL OF US MURDERERS Kindle | Audiobook
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PROMO BLITZ: Don’t Shoot Me Santa by C.F. White
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NEW RELEASE: Jenny Kidd by Laury A. Egan (Excerpt)
