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44 reviews for:
Footsteps in the Dark: An M/M Mystery Romance Anthology
Meg Perry, Z.A. Maxfield, C.S. Poe, L.B. Gregg, Nicole Kimberling, S.C. Wynne, Dal Maclean, Josh Lanyon
4.02 AVERAGE
44 reviews for:
Footsteps in the Dark: An M/M Mystery Romance Anthology
Meg Perry, Z.A. Maxfield, C.S. Poe, L.B. Gregg, Nicole Kimberling, S.C. Wynne, Dal Maclean, Josh Lanyon
4.02 AVERAGE
If you are looking for mystery with a little side of romance, then this is it for you. There are multiple stories by various authors and all of them are wonderful.
Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling
Drew is trying to make Eelgrass Café a success with the somewhat absent assistance of his work partner, Sam. No offense, Sam seems like a big ol' mess but Drew keeps trying. Evelyn is one of those secondary characters that make you want to know more about. When he discovers a body in the basement after one of Sam's after hours parties, he contacts the police and gets one of his Wednesday regulars, Big Mac. Now, as they try to figure out what happened, both men are attracted to each while trying to figure out why Dorian the bartender was killed. You'll never figure out who done it!
Reality Bites by SC Wynne
So, if you enjoy reality shows or ever wonder exactly who much is true, this is the story for you. You have a dead contestant, a cop that is a little confused why he is there since it was an animal attack and a producer that knows something is wrong. As they try to figure out what happened, the sparks fly.
Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry
This story begins with a weird phone call to a reporter and ends with more intrigue than you can imagine. As the special agent, Greg, investigates the exploding rocket that has some interesting pieces, Justin is trying to figure out what the phone call meant when the one who made it is missing. As these two work together to uncover what happened, their heat flares up.
Now, the rest of the stories are just as intense and interesting as you can imagine. Well worth the purchase.
Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling
Drew is trying to make Eelgrass Café a success with the somewhat absent assistance of his work partner, Sam. No offense, Sam seems like a big ol' mess but Drew keeps trying. Evelyn is one of those secondary characters that make you want to know more about. When he discovers a body in the basement after one of Sam's after hours parties, he contacts the police and gets one of his Wednesday regulars, Big Mac. Now, as they try to figure out what happened, both men are attracted to each while trying to figure out why Dorian the bartender was killed. You'll never figure out who done it!
Reality Bites by SC Wynne
So, if you enjoy reality shows or ever wonder exactly who much is true, this is the story for you. You have a dead contestant, a cop that is a little confused why he is there since it was an animal attack and a producer that knows something is wrong. As they try to figure out what happened, the sparks fly.
Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry
This story begins with a weird phone call to a reporter and ends with more intrigue than you can imagine. As the special agent, Greg, investigates the exploding rocket that has some interesting pieces, Justin is trying to figure out what the phone call meant when the one who made it is missing. As these two work together to uncover what happened, their heat flares up.
Now, the rest of the stories are just as intense and interesting as you can imagine. Well worth the purchase.
4.5* of wonderful mysteries.
This multi author anthology has a wide range of mysteries from kitchens to boardrooms to seemingly haunted houses there is something to grab the attention of any mystery fans.
Even if Josh Langdon what was the draw because I like his style. This is a book that has short stories from several talented authors. All the stories had for a fair bit going on with them, which keeps the reader guessing, I found myself to be right as often as I was way off base.
Highly entertaining anthology one that has introduced me to some new authors and that’s never a bad thing.
This multi author anthology has a wide range of mysteries from kitchens to boardrooms to seemingly haunted houses there is something to grab the attention of any mystery fans.
Even if Josh Langdon what was the draw because I like his style. This is a book that has short stories from several talented authors. All the stories had for a fair bit going on with them, which keeps the reader guessing, I found myself to be right as often as I was way off base.
Highly entertaining anthology one that has introduced me to some new authors and that’s never a bad thing.
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Entrée to Murder.
I really liked this, it had great characters. The ending was slightly confusing though.
Twelve Seconds.
I loved this, it was really sweet and I loved the story line as well. Both MCs were adorable and deserve a full-length novel.
Reality Bites.
Wonderful characters, a proper whodunnit
Blind Man's Buff.
Amazing story, very atmospheric, I especially loved how protective these teachers are of kids.
A Country for Old Men.
Another excellent and atmospheric story, even more atmospheric than Blind Man's Bluff because of its remote setting, presumably far away from most readers' experiences. The language, the characters and setting all felt authentic. I normally never solve these whodunnits in advance, but this once, I guessed the 'villain' of the story correctly. Perhaps not the most realistic ending but what a lovely ending nevertheless.
Pepper the Crime Lab
This was a fun change of pace in that it was more focused on the romance rather than the mystery. I liked both MCs, Lonnie a bit more than Rick because he is the one who has the most character development. I liked how he didn't plan at all to get a lab but ended up loving her anyway.
Lights, Camera, Murder
Another fun story that perfectly balanced the romance and mystery part. In this case I have some doubts about the long-term prospects of the relationship, but I loved how we got to the relationship.
Stranger in the House
This was a lovely romance not so much mystery with some very light touches that almost seemed horror. This really had a very happy ending and I wouldn't mind someone leaving me a house worth 9 million.
Merged review:
Entrée to Murder.
I really liked this, it had great characters. The ending was slightly confusing though.
Twelve Seconds.
I loved this, it was really sweet and I loved the story line as well. Both MCs were adorable and deserve a full-length novel.
Reality Bites.
Wonderful characters, a proper whodunnit
Blind Man's Buff.
Amazing story, very atmospheric, I especially loved how protective these teachers are of kids.
A Country for Old Men.
Another excellent and atmospheric story, even more atmospheric than Blind Man's Bluff because of its remote setting, presumably far away from most readers' experiences. The language, the characters and setting all felt authentic. I normally never solve these whodunnits in advance, but this once, I guessed the 'villain' of the story correctly. Perhaps not the most realistic ending but what a lovely ending nevertheless.
Pepper the Crime Lab
This was a fun change of pace in that it was more focused on the romance rather than the mystery. I liked both MCs, Lonnie a bit more than Rick because he is the one who has the most character development. I liked how he didn't plan at all to get a lab but ended up loving her anyway.
Lights, Camera, Murder
Another fun story that perfectly balanced the romance and mystery part. In this case I have some doubts about the long-term prospects of the relationship, but I loved how we got to the relationship.
Stranger in the House
This was a lovely romance not so much mystery with some very light touches that almost seemed horror. This really had a very happy ending and I wouldn't mind someone leaving me a house worth 9 million.
I really liked this, it had great characters. The ending was slightly confusing though.
Twelve Seconds.
I loved this, it was really sweet and I loved the story line as well. Both MCs were adorable and deserve a full-length novel.
Reality Bites.
Wonderful characters, a proper whodunnit
Blind Man's Buff.
Amazing story, very atmospheric, I especially loved how protective these teachers are of kids.
A Country for Old Men.
Another excellent and atmospheric story, even more atmospheric than Blind Man's Bluff because of its remote setting, presumably far away from most readers' experiences. The language, the characters and setting all felt authentic. I normally never solve these whodunnits in advance, but this once, I guessed the 'villain' of the story correctly. Perhaps not the most realistic ending but what a lovely ending nevertheless.
Pepper the Crime Lab
This was a fun change of pace in that it was more focused on the romance rather than the mystery. I liked both MCs, Lonnie a bit more than Rick because he is the one who has the most character development. I liked how he didn't plan at all to get a lab but ended up loving her anyway.
Lights, Camera, Murder
Another fun story that perfectly balanced the romance and mystery part. In this case I have some doubts about the long-term prospects of the relationship, but I loved how we got to the relationship.
Stranger in the House
This was a lovely romance not so much mystery with some very light touches that almost seemed horror. This really had a very happy ending and I wouldn't mind someone leaving me a house worth 9 million.
Merged review:
Entrée to Murder.
I really liked this, it had great characters. The ending was slightly confusing though.
Twelve Seconds.
I loved this, it was really sweet and I loved the story line as well. Both MCs were adorable and deserve a full-length novel.
Reality Bites.
Wonderful characters, a proper whodunnit
Blind Man's Buff.
Amazing story, very atmospheric, I especially loved how protective these teachers are of kids.
A Country for Old Men.
Another excellent and atmospheric story, even more atmospheric than Blind Man's Bluff because of its remote setting, presumably far away from most readers' experiences. The language, the characters and setting all felt authentic. I normally never solve these whodunnits in advance, but this once, I guessed the 'villain' of the story correctly. Perhaps not the most realistic ending but what a lovely ending nevertheless.
Pepper the Crime Lab
This was a fun change of pace in that it was more focused on the romance rather than the mystery. I liked both MCs, Lonnie a bit more than Rick because he is the one who has the most character development. I liked how he didn't plan at all to get a lab but ended up loving her anyway.
Lights, Camera, Murder
Another fun story that perfectly balanced the romance and mystery part. In this case I have some doubts about the long-term prospects of the relationship, but I loved how we got to the relationship.
Stranger in the House
This was a lovely romance not so much mystery with some very light touches that almost seemed horror. This really had a very happy ending and I wouldn't mind someone leaving me a house worth 9 million.
I'm always a bit leery of anthologies since I'm not a fan of stories under 30 pages, but I couldn't pass up an m/m mystery anthology. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was a collection of novellas not a short story anthology. I won't review each story individually because they were all exceptional. Nothing stands out as being much higher or lower quality than the others. They are all matched at a really good level. A must read for fans of the m/m mystery genre!
I expected much more from this anthology than I got. My star average for this book is 2.8 - a fairly low rating for me. But I do not regret reading it - I discovered some new authors I will definitely add to my shelf.
Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling - ★★★★☆
Loved it. The mystery was decent, though I would have liked more of the romance.
Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry - ★★☆☆☆
This was an enjoyable read right up until a plot hole appeared near the end. MC1 is an investigator and MC2 is a journalist. The journalist was contacted by the victim right before the vic was killed, and that's how the two MCs meet.Throughout the investigation, the information about the victim's death was withheld from the public, even from the victim's wife (publicly he was presumed missing) and the journalist wasn't supposed to know about the victim's death at all, but the investigator told him when they first met. So, everyone thinks the victim's missing, except for the police and the murderer and the journalist. The murderer calls the journalist pretending he's the victim, trying to set up a meet, the journalist calls his boyfriend the investigator right away (smart) and... no one bats an eyelash? Not one question about how he knew to call the police at all? It was a stupid mistake, and so glaringly obvious I'm surprised it wasn't caught before the story got published. As it is, I'm lowering my rating to 2 stars.
Reality Bites by S.C. Wynne - ★★★☆☆
A decent mystery, and it didn't end as I feared it would based on the first couple of chapters, which is great. The romance part was lacking chemistry though - I couldn't feel it at all and it was kind of boring.
Blind Man's Buff by L.B. Gregg - ★☆☆☆☆
This was a slasher flick, not a mystery. The MC was funny at first but got annoying really fast, and I got the impression the writer doesn't like fat people - seeing how every one of the "good guys" was distinctly described as lean and/or fit, and the only bad guy was described as fat, and there was a running commentary on how he should just get a heart-attack and die. This kind of problematic writing is not a first for L.B. Gregg - I also remember a similar thing done to a trans character in one of her previous books, and it's why I don't think this was an honest mistake.
A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean - ★★★★☆
This was my first Dal Maclean story and I enjoyed it even though I didn't like the MC whose POV it was written in - frankly, he was kind of exhausting. I'm tired enough of my own headspace to want to participate in anyone else's pity party. But the story itself and the writing were great.
Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfield - ★★★★☆
I really enjoyed this story. It had the right balance of serious and light-hearted. I haven't read Z.A. Maxfield in a loong while (I've been steering clear of her books - but it was not really a conscious decision), so it felt almost like it was my first time reading one of her books. I loved it.
Lights, Camera, Murder by C.S. Poe - ★★★☆☆
3.5 stars. Another new-for-me author, and I was not disappointed. I liked the story, but I feel like it wasn't fleshed out enough - like it wasn't meant to be a short story, but a longer story that was cut down to its bare bones to fit a page requirement. But even so I enjoyed it a lot. I will definitely move this author up on my tbr list.
Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon - ★★☆☆☆
There was one main thing wrong with this story - it's called "Joel Leslie does French-Canadians speaking English". It was incomprehensible and irritating. It was Beauty & the Beast's Lumiere on steroids. It completely ruined the story for me. When he's not doing accents he's an okay narrator. When he tries any non-English accent, he needs a warning label.
Other than that little niggle (*snorts*), the story was okay but the mystery was kind of on a back burner in favor of endless descriptions of furniture, art pieces & other surroundings.
Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling - ★★★★☆
Loved it. The mystery was decent, though I would have liked more of the romance.
Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry - ★★☆☆☆
This was an enjoyable read right up until a plot hole appeared near the end. MC1 is an investigator and MC2 is a journalist. The journalist was contacted by the victim right before the vic was killed, and that's how the two MCs meet.
Reality Bites by S.C. Wynne - ★★★☆☆
A decent mystery, and it didn't end as I feared it would based on the first couple of chapters, which is great. The romance part was lacking chemistry though - I couldn't feel it at all and it was kind of boring.
Blind Man's Buff by L.B. Gregg - ★☆☆☆☆
This was a slasher flick, not a mystery. The MC was funny at first but got annoying really fast, and I got the impression the writer doesn't like fat people - seeing how every one of the "good guys" was distinctly described as lean and/or fit, and the only bad guy was described as fat, and there was a running commentary on how he should just get a heart-attack and die. This kind of problematic writing is not a first for L.B. Gregg - I also remember a similar thing done to a trans character in one of her previous books, and it's why I don't think this was an honest mistake.
A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean - ★★★★☆
This was my first Dal Maclean story and I enjoyed it even though I didn't like the MC whose POV it was written in - frankly, he was kind of exhausting. I'm tired enough of my own headspace to want to participate in anyone else's pity party. But the story itself and the writing were great.
Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfield - ★★★★☆
I really enjoyed this story. It had the right balance of serious and light-hearted. I haven't read Z.A. Maxfield in a loong while (I've been steering clear of her books - but it was not really a conscious decision), so it felt almost like it was my first time reading one of her books. I loved it.
Lights, Camera, Murder by C.S. Poe - ★★★☆☆
3.5 stars. Another new-for-me author, and I was not disappointed. I liked the story, but I feel like it wasn't fleshed out enough - like it wasn't meant to be a short story, but a longer story that was cut down to its bare bones to fit a page requirement. But even so I enjoyed it a lot. I will definitely move this author up on my tbr list.
Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon - ★★☆☆☆
There was one main thing wrong with this story - it's called "Joel Leslie does French-Canadians speaking English". It was incomprehensible and irritating. It was Beauty & the Beast's Lumiere on steroids. It completely ruined the story for me. When he's not doing accents he's an okay narrator. When he tries any non-English accent, he needs a warning label.
Other than that little niggle (*snorts*), the story was okay but the mystery was kind of on a back burner in favor of endless descriptions of furniture, art pieces & other surroundings.
This was a quality anthology. These were all told by the pov of 1 person, either 1st or 3rd perspective, just like I prefer my mysteries. Unlike with some other anthologies, I wasn't much tempted to read something else between the stories. Very short thoughts of each story below:
Entree to Murder by [a:Nicole Kimberling|1035116|Nicole Kimberling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1676611350p2/1035116.jpg] - 4/5
Interesting mystery and characters. I'll be picking up the sequels for this story when they come out.
(Story 1 in [b:Mystery on the Menu: A Three-Course Collection of Cozy Mysteries|119821489|Mystery on the Menu A Three-Course Collection of Cozy Mysteries|Nicole Kimberling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1681484160l/119821489._SY75_.jpg|141600239])
[b:Twelve Seconds|51522034|Twelve Seconds (Space Coast Mysteries #1)|Meg Perry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568520064l/51522034._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73377873] by [a:Meg Perry|6877250|Meg Perry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1374583972p2/6877250.jpg] - 3.5/5
I was interested in the space theme and the couple was cute but this didn't completely take off.
[b:Reality Bites|51474850|Reality Bites (Hollywood Detective Mysteries #1)|S.C. Wynne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582089827l/51474850._SY75_.jpg|76140473] by [a:S.C. Wynne|7340038|S.C. Wynne|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1635606721p2/7340038.jpg] - 4/5
This had a sort of enemies to lovers quality and the mystery was interesting. The story was suprisingly not overly wacky, considering the premise.
Blind Man's Buff by [a:L.B. Gregg|2833117|L.B. Gregg|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1559403136p2/2833117.jpg] - 3/5
The story was engaging but this wasn't really a mystery, and there should have been more romance too.
A Country of Old Men by [a:Dal Maclean|15408926|Dal Maclean|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1470182224p2/15408926.jpg] - 4.5/5
Angsty but beautiful story and a good mystery too. Though I always wish people would be able to decide on their own to live their lives.
Pepper the Crime Lab by [a:Z.A. Maxfield|2738500|Z.A. Maxfield|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1683396304p2/2738500.jpg] - 4/5
This was surprisingly funny story and I'll be sure to check out other stuff from the author. The culprit was pretty obvious but there were many hints given.
([b:Pepper|50711522|Pepper (The Crime "Lab" Mysteries #1)|Z.A. Maxfield|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580286683l/50711522._SY75_.jpg|75741869])
[b:Lights. Camera. Murder.|53467947|Lights. Camera. Murder. (The Silver Screen #1)|C.S. Poe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590265861l/53467947._SY75_.jpg|83507398] by [a:C.S. Poe|13832392|C.S. Poe|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1537378902p2/13832392.jpg] - 4/5
This was my second novella from the author and while the first, [b:Kneading You|52461518|Kneading You (A Lancaster Story, #1)|C.S. Poe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584489420l/52461518._SY75_.jpg|71107704], was nice, this was better and makes me want to read more of her mystery stories.
[b:Stranger in the House|51478132|Stranger in the House|Josh Lanyon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582127031l/51478132._SY75_.jpg|76144067] by [a:Josh Lanyon|359194|Josh Lanyon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1289326144p2/359194.jpg] - 4/5
Heavier on romance than mystery I delved into this one completely loving it, but the story should have probably been a real novel length to really shine.
Entree to Murder by [a:Nicole Kimberling|1035116|Nicole Kimberling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1676611350p2/1035116.jpg] - 4/5
Interesting mystery and characters. I'll be picking up the sequels for this story when they come out.
(Story 1 in [b:Mystery on the Menu: A Three-Course Collection of Cozy Mysteries|119821489|Mystery on the Menu A Three-Course Collection of Cozy Mysteries|Nicole Kimberling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1681484160l/119821489._SY75_.jpg|141600239])
[b:Twelve Seconds|51522034|Twelve Seconds (Space Coast Mysteries #1)|Meg Perry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568520064l/51522034._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73377873] by [a:Meg Perry|6877250|Meg Perry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1374583972p2/6877250.jpg] - 3.5/5
I was interested in the space theme and the couple was cute but this didn't completely take off.
[b:Reality Bites|51474850|Reality Bites (Hollywood Detective Mysteries #1)|S.C. Wynne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582089827l/51474850._SY75_.jpg|76140473] by [a:S.C. Wynne|7340038|S.C. Wynne|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1635606721p2/7340038.jpg] - 4/5
This had a sort of enemies to lovers quality and the mystery was interesting. The story was suprisingly not overly wacky, considering the premise.
Blind Man's Buff by [a:L.B. Gregg|2833117|L.B. Gregg|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1559403136p2/2833117.jpg] - 3/5
The story was engaging but this wasn't really a mystery, and there should have been more romance too.
A Country of Old Men by [a:Dal Maclean|15408926|Dal Maclean|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1470182224p2/15408926.jpg] - 4.5/5
Angsty but beautiful story and a good mystery too. Though I always wish people would be able to decide on their own to live their lives.
Pepper the Crime Lab by [a:Z.A. Maxfield|2738500|Z.A. Maxfield|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1683396304p2/2738500.jpg] - 4/5
This was surprisingly funny story and I'll be sure to check out other stuff from the author. The culprit was pretty obvious but there were many hints given.
([b:Pepper|50711522|Pepper (The Crime "Lab" Mysteries #1)|Z.A. Maxfield|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580286683l/50711522._SY75_.jpg|75741869])
[b:Lights. Camera. Murder.|53467947|Lights. Camera. Murder. (The Silver Screen #1)|C.S. Poe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590265861l/53467947._SY75_.jpg|83507398] by [a:C.S. Poe|13832392|C.S. Poe|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1537378902p2/13832392.jpg] - 4/5
This was my second novella from the author and while the first, [b:Kneading You|52461518|Kneading You (A Lancaster Story, #1)|C.S. Poe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584489420l/52461518._SY75_.jpg|71107704], was nice, this was better and makes me want to read more of her mystery stories.
[b:Stranger in the House|51478132|Stranger in the House|Josh Lanyon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582127031l/51478132._SY75_.jpg|76144067] by [a:Josh Lanyon|359194|Josh Lanyon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1289326144p2/359194.jpg] - 4/5
Heavier on romance than mystery I delved into this one completely loving it, but the story should have probably been a real novel length to really shine.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated