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REVIEW: Corpse at Captain’s Seat by Josh Lanyon
Secrets and Scrabble: Corpse at Captain’s Seat – Josh Lanyon
At long last, the renovations of stately Captain’s Seat are complete, and to celebrate, mystery bookseller and sometimes amateur sleuth Ellery Page decides to throw a house-warming party and invite all his New York theater friends to stay for the weekend.
When a freak snowstorm leaves the house-party cut off from the village of Pirate’s Cove, there’s nothing to do but drink, reminisce, and play board games. Or so Ellery thinks.
Until he’s trapped in a real-life game of Clue.
Since the beginning of Secrets and Scrabble, when Ellery Page moved to Pirate’s Cove and inherited Crow’s Nest, a bookstore, and Captain’s Seat, he has been lamenting the sorry state of his sprawling ancestral mansion.
Fast forward to Corpse at Captain’s Seat, Book 8 of the cozy mystery series the titular house is now renovated. Ellery is hosting a housewarming party with his friends from the island and his old friends from Tisch in New York.
His New York friends arrived and were suitably awed by Captain’s Seat. But with a snowstorm coming, the party was canceled. Ellery and his friends hunkered down with wine and some board games. It wasn’t long before old habits and old grudges surfaced, the atmosphere made even tenser by the news of an escaped axe murderer loose in Buck Island.
I loved this! Josh Lanyon was having fun with metas. She’s done it before, but here, she’s layering the meta stuff pretty thick.
First, Ellery was a former actor, not an especially good one, he’s first to admit. He starred in a cult-favorite slasher series and is known as the Final Boy. He’s set to reprise his role in another sequel of his horror movie franchise. And now, there’s a missing hatchet, and he may or may not be trapped in a house with an axe murderer.
Ellery is also the owner of a bookstore specializing in mysteries. And he frequently stumbles upon mysteries whether he wants to or not. Even when there is no actual mystery yet, he’s roped in by his friends to solve some historical mystery because of his reputation as an amateur sleuth.
Here, he was reading Wikipedia about a missing diamond pendant stolen by the ancestor of the axe murderer while his group speculated where it is hidden on the island.
His fiancé, Jack Carson, is the chief of police. Jack met and quickly assessed Ellery’s college friends. Upon learning that one of their group, Noah, died in a hit-and-run when they were still students, Jack became intrigued with the circumstances of his death and started asking questions.
Ellery’s friends are mostly jobbing actors:
Tosh – a talented actress and special events organizer at a theater. She used to be married to Freddie, but she hooked up with Oscar during their stay in Captain’s Seat. Her split with Freddie was amicable
Oscar – works in film and television. He has a thing for Tosh since their college days.
Lenny – she’s a Goth girl and is close to Flip.
Phillip, a.k.a. Flip – is considered the better actor in the group. He and Lenny bunked together during their stay
Freddie – is a passable actor, but his good looks make him more appealing to the masses. His genial personality made him well-liked. He has a regular stint in the tv drama, LAPD Blues, as a detective
Chelsea – is the more talented actress but less attractive. She’s bitter about a lot of things. She’s known to pull pranks. She also stole the box of old photos Tosh brought with her. She more or less threw herself all over Freddie causing friction with Tosh
Belle – she’s engaged to a viscount. She’s a no-show because of a cancelled flight.
The group reminisces about a murder mystery play they starred in. They found themselves in an actual murder mystery in Captain’s Seat when one of them was lying dead in the secret passageway with an axe to the head. This person allegedly knew something about Noah’s death.
They played Clue to pass the time while waiting for the police to arrive. Per Jack’s instructions, because they were snowed in and roads still had to be cleared, Ellery is also gathering preliminary statements and securing the crime scene.
Captain’s Seat, with its countless secret passageways and underground tunnels, is an enigma on its own. Ellery’s ancestor, Horatio Page, was a famous pirate hunter. Buck Island was a notorious haven for pirates, and is full of underground tunnels and hidden lairs.
I lost count of the tropes and layers here, but this was the best installment so far! Ellery appreciates Jack’s solid dependability and trustworthiness more than ever. The supporting characters all stood out, whether in a good or bad way. The plot was mostly wining, dining, and snarking, but I was engrossed with the group’s history and dynamics.
However, the resolution was rushed, the big reveal was anti-climactic, and the confession was too convenient.
Corpse at Captain’s Seat is a reunion of old friends, opening of old wounds, and creating new memories. All in all, a highly entertaining cozy mystery where a party for old time’s sake ends in murder for old crime’s sake.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Old Friend
Artist: Elderbrook
Album: FriendsP.S.
Secrets and Scrabbles must be read in order. Witness Ellery go from fish out of water to Buck Island’s very own amateur sleuth in the following:
Murder at Pirate’s Cove
Secret At Skull House
Mystery at the Masquerade
Scandal at the Salty Dog
Body at Buccaneer’s Bay
Lament at Loon Landing
Death at the Deep Dive
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CORPSE AT CAPTAIN’S SEAT: Kindle I Audiobook
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BOOK TOUR: I Will Never Leave You by Kara A. Kennedy
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REVIEW: Be Mine, Twisted Valentine by Gianni Holmes
Corrupt Cupid: Be Mine, Twisted Valentine – Gianni Holmes
Fifteen years ago, I helped put my abductor behind bars.
And shunned the events of my traumatic past.
I’ve lived a content life with my wife.
Until the dreaded phone call.Duncan Whittaker’s out on parole.
The first time I confront him, I intend to kill him.
But when we’re face to face, everything changes.
I’m still codependent on him.Duncan’s the only man who’s ever made me feel desire.
He’s also the one who held me captive for almost a year.
Isolated me from others to make me grateful for his presence.
Deprived me of sensation to make me crave his unwanted touch.Duncan Whittaker’s the sadist who broke me in the name of revenge.
Now his twisted obsession is about to ruin my life a second time.
And God help me, but I don’t know how to stop him.
I… may not want to stop him.Be mine, Twisted Valentine is part of a multi-author collab. Ditch the hearts and flowers and step into the dark world of Corrupt Cupid. Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not grab each and every deranged romantic tale as you slip into a place where darkness rules?
I thought I had a strong stomach when it came to dark romance. Be Mine, Twisted Valentine, Book 1 of Corrupt Cupid, a multi-author collab, proved me wrong. The opening chapter alone churned my insides with how exceedingly creepy it is inside the mind of Duncan Whittaker.
The story is a Stockholm Syndrome romance between Duncan and his captive, Teddy Scott, son of the police captain who killed Duncan’s younger brother. As revenge, he abducted Teddy and kept him in a white-out room for nine months, deprived of all senses, driving Teddy mad and desperate to feel anything.
Teddy was so desperate that he started making himself bleed so that he could feel something. Duncan tortured the young man and eventually had BDSM sex with him because Teddy responded the most to pain, then later to the few crumbs of kindness and affection the psycho deigned to dole out, so deprived Teddy was.
The story opens with the courtroom scene, Teddy on the witness stand and in Duncan’s POV. His chilling thoughts showed how much power he had on Teddy. He was spectacularly confident of his hold on the young man, and everyone was shocked when Teddy reversed his testimony just because he saw Duncan looking straight at him.
Fifteen years later, Teddy’s carefully constructed ‘normal life’ crumbled when he received a phone call that Duncan Whittaker was out on parole. He grabbed a gun, drove to Duncan’s house, and started stalking his former captor. Meanwhile, Duncan has court orders to stay away from his victim.
I spent the majority of the book disturbed yet riveted. It was a trainwreck I couldn’t look away. I was hella curious how, HOW is this relationship going to work. How is this romance when it’s nothing but insidious lust and the most toxic co-dependency I’ve witness?!
No matter how dark the romance is, for it to work, there should be some kind of redeeming quality, something that would make me root even just a little for both characters. Here, you have to dig extra deep, because the kernel of good is buried under layers and layers of manipulation, denial, and violence.
Duncan is still as manipulative and unrepentant of the abuse he had done. He’s cold and brutally direct. He says exactly what he means, so at least, he can claim he doesn’t lie. Once in a while, we glimpse a softer side, a tiny, tiny kindness, some niggle of conscience that shows he got a heart somewhere deep down.
Duncan voices things Teddy is too afraid to admit to himself. He confides that he himself is bewildered by this magnetic pull towards Teddy, his pet, likening it to a disease that took hold and spread like cancer that consumed his entire being.
Teddy, oh boy, the man is a mess! A tiresome one too. Teddy says one thing and does the opposite, always in denial but acting otherwise. Goes to Duncan’s house then does his hairpulling routine after having sex with Duncan. Then sneaks out of his house in the middle of the night, leaving his pregnant wife, for more of the same.
One thing I liked about him is that he is fiercely protective of Cassie. The cheating disaster of a husband that he is, he actually shot Duncan when the man threatened her.
Cassie drops her own bomb near the end. I already had my suspicions, and it’s just another proof of the lengths Duncan will go to for his pet.
Just when I was about to lose hope of these two ever getting their shit together, Duncan started making certain decisions. I wouldn’t say things became swoony, this story will never be squees and fluff. But it was a genuine effort to redeem himself.
Teddy too, resolved his internal conflict and blurted out his truths. And just like that, everything clicked! It was completely fucked up but it worked! I heartily applaud the author for taking a huge risk with this story and it is a risk that paid off big time!
Be Mine, Twisted Valentine is a game of revenge, obsession, and dare we say, love in all its twisted glory. Deep, dark, and all-consuming.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Twisted By Design
Artist: Sum 41
Album: 13 Voices
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BE MINE, TWISTED VALENTINE: Kindle I Audiobook
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: The Quicks, The Deads, and Me by Don Hilton (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Death In The Spires by K.J. Charles
Death In The Spires – K.J. Charles
The newspapers called us the Seven Wonders. We were a group of friends, that’s all, and then Toby died. Was killed. Murdered.
1905. A decade after the grisly murder of Oxford student Toby Feynsham, the case remains hauntingly unsolved. For Jeremy Kite, the crime not only stole his best friend, it destroyed his whole life. When an anonymous letter lands on his desk, accusing him of having killed Toby, Jem becomes obsessed with finally uncovering the truth.
Jem begins to track down the people who were there the night Toby died – a close circle of friends once known as the ‘Seven Wonders’ for their charm and talent – only to find them as tormented and broken as himself. All of them knew and loved Toby at Oxford. Could one of them really be his killer?
As Jem grows closer to uncovering what happened that night, his pursuer grows bolder, making increasingly terrifying attempts to silence him for good. Will exposing Toby’s killer put to rest the shadows that have darkened Jem’s life for so long? Or will the gruesome truth only put him in more danger?
Some secrets are better left buried…
From the bestselling, acclaimed author of The Magpie Lord and The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen comes a chilling historical mystery with a sting in the tail. You won’t be able to put this gripping story down!
Death In the Spires is foremost a murder mystery. While there are some queer romantic elements, it is one man’s quest to solve the decade-old murder of his friend, an incident that destroyed his life.
The story is set in Oxford at the turn of the century and in Jeremy Kite’s POV. Jeremy, a mathematics major, is there on a scholarship. He’s painfully conscious of his club foot and provincial accent, especially when surrounded by sons of lords and maharajahs.
On his first day, he was adopted into a group that became known as the Feynsham set.
Toby Feynsham – a marquis’s son and fearless leader of the group. He has the audacity of someone who doesn’t worry about the consequences.
Nicky Rook – Toby’s best friend since childhood. Nicky is blunt and sarcastic. He’s also known to be in love with Toby. Later became Jem’s lover.
Hugo Morley-Adam – a rich man’s son and a celebrated athlete. He and Nicky were fencing rivals. Hugo is a likable fellow and has political ambitions
Ella – Toby’s twin sister and the more cerebral of the two. A statuesque woman, Ella is a chemistry major. She and Aaron started dating later on
Pru – Ella’s friend and a mathematics major. Pru is petite, more introverted and, like Jem, came from a working class background
Aaron – an African man majoring in medicine. Aaron is also into athletics and frequently runs with Hugo. They also discovered he cannot act when the group auditioned for a Shakespearean play.The group made waves around the campus and even starred in Cymbeline, a hit among the students. At their peak, the Feynsham set was glorious. Then Toby was found dead, everyone was suspect.
Ten years later, Jem received a letter accusing him of the murder, so he decided to investigate.
I love Jem! He’s smol, he’s tired, he’s jobless and almost broke, and his leg hurts, but our boy’s not leaving any stones unturned. He’s a man who wants to start living his life and he can only do that if he puts spectres of the past to rest once and for all.
The plot alternates between flashbacks to university days and the present day. Jem was forced to swallow bitter truths, reopen old wounds, and reveal secret crimes during his investigation.
The complicated relationships of different personalities, their spectacularly vitriolic fallout, and their begrudging reunion interweave with the author’s go-to themes of class difference, excesses of privilege, the importance of consent, and the right to bodily autonomy.
Jem also reunites with Nicky. The romance here is very HFN. I didn’t like it but we were warned this is not romance-centric.
I love the dark academia vibe! K.J. Charles always has a way of making her settings immersive. Gaslit streets, pea soup fog, imposing ancient buildings, and shadowy figures stalking Jem popped up like movie scenes in my mind.
The mystery was twisty-turny, suspenseful, and very effectively made me thoroughly invested in finding the truth. I thought I had a handle on it, knowing the author’s style, but she still pulled off some unexpected reveals.
And, of course, the writing. Apart from the nuanced characters and plot twists, the author’s sharp wit, humor, and overall word wizardry make reading a breeze while also being a masterclass in writing.
Overall, Death In The Spires is a vision of youth through rose-colored glasses and jaundiced eyes. Brilliantly written, wonderfully atmospheric and as gripping and addictive as promised!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Shake It Out
Artist: Florence + The Machine
Album: Ceremonials
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DEATH IN THE SPIRES: Kindle I Audiobook
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
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BOOK TOUR: The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe
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BOOK BLAST: Bridge at the Beach by Garrick Jones (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE: Jagged Ends by Thom Collins (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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SERIES TOUR: Jagged Shores Series by Thom Collins
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BLOG TOUR: Six by Paulina Ian-Kane (Giveaway)
