Genre: M/M Romance (Mystery)

Pages:191

Publisher Samhain

Amazon Purchase Link (Available in Kindle)

On the advice of his agent, he reinvents his fortyish, frumpy, recently dumped self into the sleek, sexy image of a literary lion, and heads for a Northern California writers conference to try and resurrect his career. A career nearly as dead as the body he stumbles over in the woods.

In a weirdly déjà vu replay of one of his own novels, he finds himself stranded in an isolated lodge full of frightened women—and not a lawman in sight. Except for J.X. Moriarity, former cop and bestselling novelist. The man with whom he shared a one-night stand—okay, maybe three—long ago. The man who wants to arrest him for murder.

Rating

Today is a special day people, fellow review blogger Fiction Vixen has lost her Josh Lanyon book virginity and I couldn’t be damn prouder ::beams::. In honor of loosing her v-card I give her this ubber special badge and pummel her with ridiculous questions, cause that’s how I roll.

KC: Since I made suggested you read Somebody killed My Editor what were your initial feelings?

FV: Hi K.C., thanks for having me here at SizzlinHot…er I mean SmokinHotBooks.  I’m feeling great and ready to review!  (No thanks to the completely unnecessary beat down you gave me trying to convince me to read a Josh Lanyon novel.  I mean geez, it was on my TBR list. I think you were just looking for a reason.  Maybe you should cut back on the roids?  This Alpha blogger thing you’re trying out really isn’t working for me ya know?)  –> KC: Do I have to make you ‘submit”? (Growls) show me your neck!

Anyway, going into this I was a little concerned.  Mr. Lanyon had a lot to live up to.  I don’t know one person who hasn’t raved about Josh Lanyon so my expectations were a little high.  But Somebody Killed His Editor was one of those books that spoke to me the moment I opened it…or clicked ‘g’o on my e-reader.  It said, “Sit up straight and pay attention FV, this is going to be good.”  Then it smacked my knuckles and gave me the stink eye.  I think it was the quick wit and gentle sarcasm that hooked me from the beginning. –> Mrs. Easy Peasy (My Kindle) said the exact same thing!

KC: Give us a quick run down of the book…

FV:Christopher is a writer who has experienced a decent amount of success with a mystery series he started writing right out of college.  However at 40 years old, times are changing, and his long time agent advises him to reinvent himself.  She sends him to a writers convention to pitch a new series to his editor, whom he “affectionately” refers to as Satan. Christopher is not really on board with change, however desperate times call for desperate measures and he agrees to go along with his agents plan.

When he arrives at the convention he discovers a dead body in the woods and things go downhill from there.  Peaches, also known as “the corpse” had apparently stepped on a few toes here and there giving just about everyone at the convention a motive for murder.  And just to make things a little more interesting, Christopher discovers that an old (and very brief) flame is in also attendance.  *waggles eyebrows*

KC: Be honest did you like it?  What didn’t you like? What would you have wished more of (wiggles eyebrows)?

FV: I really enjoyed reading this book.  It’s been a while since I’ve read a good whodunit, in fact I can’t remember that last time I did.  Since I completely suck at board games like Clue, I need a mystery that will hold my hand and guide the way.  Josh Lanyon writes a mystery in such a way that I didn’t even feel like I was reading.  When I sat down with my Kindle, I became engrossed in the mystery and I may have even begun to plan out my own alibi at one point or another. *g*

There was a great cast of secondary suspects/characters, each quite colorful and packing a hefty motive or two.  More than once I had a moment of clarity, sat up straight on the couch and exclaimed, “Ah ha!  I knew you were a dirty rotten murdering bastard!”.  Then, I’d apologize to my husband, assure him I didn’t believe he was a dirty rotten murdering bastard and then I’d get on with my book.  What I’m getting at here is the mystery aspect of Somebody Killed His Editor was fun, a little tense at times and kept me guessing throughout.  (I’ll be sending Mr. Lanyon a bill for all the Hershey’s Kisses I had to buy my husband to make up for the insults I blurted out while reading.)

Reading the story from Christopher’s perspective gave me some very fun insight into his personality, insecurities and unique perspective.  I found his inner dialogue to be quite funny and at times wondered if he was in the market for a new BFF?

I liked the romance between Christopher and J.X., it was sweet but I wish there had been a little more sexual tension and a bit more build up to the love scenes.  If there’s going to be some romance mixed in with my mystery, I like a little tension in there too.

KC What was your favorite scene?

FV: I had several favorite scenes but the one that stands out for me occurred at page one. Christopher’s car has broken down and he’s hoofin’ it across an old bridge on his way to the writers conference.  As the bridge begins to give way, he imagines himself running windmill style as the slates of the bridge fall away.  It gave me a feeling for Christopher’s personality and outlook on where he is in life and how he deals with it with a touch of humor.

FV’s Fav Quoties

“Over the roar of the flood I could hear the shriek of joints giving way (luckily not my own) and splintering wood. The slats beneath my feet seemed to fall away. I pictured myself as  one of those cartoon characters, legs bicycling in empty air for a few seconds before gravity kicks in. I ran harder—like the cartoon characters always do.”

“I’d known this weekend was a mistake from the moment Rachel had suggested it. I’d known, but I had ignored my instincts. And now I was well in the lead for this year’s  Darwin Award.”

“Did she really think I was desperate enough to reinvent myself as the kind of nut who claims they’ve witnessed murders or been abducted by space aliens? Actually, I was that desperate, I just wasn’t that imaginative.”

KC’s Fav Quote:

Oh Mah Gah. As the natives say. J. X. Moriarity. How Perfect. How…ironic. How perfectly ironic. The last time J.X. and I had crossed swords – and other body parts- was at the start of my career. By some ill luck, here he was in at the kill. For some reason the image clearest in my brain was the Full Living Color memory of his tanned and taut ass slipping out of my hotel bed and into a pair of Levi’s

KC Last but certainly not least, after reading Somebody Killed My Editor did it make you want to throw your panties in the air and ‘yell yee-haw I lost my Josh Lanyon virginity’? Remember be honest and objective here, this is a pretty serious question.

FV: Um…who told you about that?  Is there a video?  I can explain.  Those weren’t my panties and I was uhhh….rehearsing for a play.  Yeah, that’s it, a play.  --> KC: Two words nanny cam.

Please comment and congratulate Fiction Vixen for loosing her virginity, many thanks for guest blogging and reviewing.

P.S. You want flare too? I gives you flare!

Fiction Vixen Blog | Stalk Her On Twitter

Possibly Related Posts:

• Smokin’ Hot Books Get’s Taken Over – Top 10 Ways Alpha Males Are Like Newborn Babies
• Welcome Baby Smokin’
• One of My Fav Lanyon Characters – Review All She Wrote by Josh Lanyon
• Review Trust Me if You Dare by LB Gregg – Awesome Sequel!
• LB Gregg’s Mistletoe At Midnight – His for Holidays Anthology Best Christmas Collection EVAH