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45 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
4.0 AVERAGE
45 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
4.0 AVERAGE
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
Entrée to Murder: 4*
I adored Big Mac. Clever twist on the mystery which was already keeping me guessing. Hated Drew's best friend. Loved the elderly couple. Did I say I adored Mac?
Twelve Seconds: 3.5* Another solid entry in the anthology. Not sure about the logistics of a cop giving info to a reporter he's only just met but I liked both guys, thought they were a good match and the mystery was interesting and not something I'd heard of before. Appreciated older MCs.
Reality Bites: 3.5* Decker was an unreliable narrator, down on himself in everything from his age to his wage to his taste in food and wine. He certainly didn't think he was good enough for a tv producer with a big house and mega bucks and because it was only in his pov it was hard to know what Jax really saw in him. But that's part of what I liked about this story, Decker's insecurities, his reluctance to get involved, his denial he wanted more. The mystery was good too.
Blind Man's Buff: 3* Struggled to get into this one at first, but once it hit its stride I was hooked. The romance is very low key.
A Country for Old Men: 5* Beautiful, lyrical, heartbreaking. I sobbed ugly tears during this one. Mystery was good too.
Pepper the Crime Lab: 4* This was fun. Relationship style reminded me very much of Kit and JX. I kinda pegged the killer from the first meeting but the story was lots of fun.
Lights, Camera, Murder: 4.5* This is first CSPoe I've read. I'll definitely be picking up more. Really enjoyed this.
Stranger in the House: 4.5* Yeah. Great writing, interesting plot. I could have done with a scene or two more to fully commit to the romance but I think they'll make it :) And I like both of the MCs. I'd love a catch up at dinner point (Christmas coda?)
I adored Big Mac. Clever twist on the mystery which was already keeping me guessing. Hated Drew's best friend. Loved the elderly couple. Did I say I adored Mac?
Twelve Seconds: 3.5* Another solid entry in the anthology. Not sure about the logistics of a cop giving info to a reporter he's only just met but I liked both guys, thought they were a good match and the mystery was interesting and not something I'd heard of before. Appreciated older MCs.
Reality Bites: 3.5* Decker was an unreliable narrator, down on himself in everything from his age to his wage to his taste in food and wine. He certainly didn't think he was good enough for a tv producer with a big house and mega bucks and because it was only in his pov it was hard to know what Jax really saw in him. But that's part of what I liked about this story, Decker's insecurities, his reluctance to get involved, his denial he wanted more. The mystery was good too.
Blind Man's Buff: 3* Struggled to get into this one at first, but once it hit its stride I was hooked. The romance is very low key.
A Country for Old Men: 5* Beautiful, lyrical, heartbreaking. I sobbed ugly tears during this one. Mystery was good too.
Pepper the Crime Lab: 4* This was fun. Relationship style reminded me very much of Kit and JX. I kinda pegged the killer from the first meeting but the story was lots of fun.
Lights, Camera, Murder: 4.5* This is first CSPoe I've read. I'll definitely be picking up more. Really enjoyed this.
Stranger in the House: 4.5* Yeah. Great writing, interesting plot. I could have done with a scene or two more to fully commit to the romance but I think they'll make it :) And I like both of the MCs. I'd love a catch up at dinner point (Christmas coda?)
A generally enjoyable group of stories that has a couple of duds, but Dal Maclean makes the whole thing worthwhile.
Pepper The Crime Lab: Z.A. Maxfield 3/5
*skimmed through most of it
Stranger in the House: Josh Lanyon 3/5
*a little disappointing seeing as this was the story I was most looking forward to reading. Too rushed
A Country for Old Men: Dal Maclean 5/5
*a bloody fantastic short with so many great elements it's almost a shame there isn't more to read
Entree to Murder: Nicole Kimberling 4/5
*super enjoyable Lanyon-esque type mystery/romance
Twelve Seconds: Meg Perry 3.5/5
*interesting, engaging story but I felt the ending was a bit flat
Reality Bites: S.C. Wynee 2/5
*I didn't engage with the characters or the story; not for me, I guess
Blind Man's Bluff: L.B. Gregg 5/5
*super creepy in the best way with a little romance thrown in - I loved it!
Lights, Camera, Murder: C.S. Poe 4/5
*a fun, little story set on the soundstage of a period drama
Pepper The Crime Lab: Z.A. Maxfield 3/5
*skimmed through most of it
Stranger in the House: Josh Lanyon 3/5
*a little disappointing seeing as this was the story I was most looking forward to reading. Too rushed
A Country for Old Men: Dal Maclean 5/5
*a bloody fantastic short with so many great elements it's almost a shame there isn't more to read
Entree to Murder: Nicole Kimberling 4/5
*super enjoyable Lanyon-esque type mystery/romance
Twelve Seconds: Meg Perry 3.5/5
*interesting, engaging story but I felt the ending was a bit flat
Reality Bites: S.C. Wynee 2/5
*I didn't engage with the characters or the story; not for me, I guess
Blind Man's Bluff: L.B. Gregg 5/5
*super creepy in the best way with a little romance thrown in - I loved it!
Lights, Camera, Murder: C.S. Poe 4/5
*a fun, little story set on the soundstage of a period drama
Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling and Stranger in the House by Josh Lanyon were both excellent. Part of what took me so long to read this that not all the stories in the anthology gripped me the same way. That's the risk of getting an anthology, but I think that this one is worth a buy for the two aforementioned stories above.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Overall these stories are a 4/5. Of 8 stories, I DNF one and finished but didn’t love one. The absolute best was A Country For Old Men by Dal Maclean - if I could give it more than 5 stars I would.
My only issue is many if them felt like they could or should be longer. I decided on this rating because I would read a sequel to any of these stories and I would recommend this anthology to other readers. I listened to the audiobook, the narrators are absolutely fabulous.
Individual ratings:
4/5 Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling
2.5/5 Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry
2/5 Reality Bites by S.C. Wynne
3.5/5 Blind Man’s Bluff by L.B. Gregg
5/5 A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean
3/5 Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfield
4.5/5 Lights. Camera. Murder. By C.S. Poe
3.75/5 Stranger in the House by Josh Layton
Individual ratings:
4/5 Entrée to Murder by Nicole Kimberling
2.5/5 Twelve Seconds by Meg Perry
2/5 Reality Bites by S.C. Wynne
3.5/5 Blind Man’s Bluff by L.B. Gregg
5/5 A Country for Old Men by Dal Maclean
3/5 Pepper the Crime Lab by Z.A. Maxfield
4.5/5 Lights. Camera. Murder. By C.S. Poe
3.75/5 Stranger in the House by Josh Layton
mysterious
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ratings for individual stories, with any notes:
"Entreé to Murder" by Nicole Kimberling
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
Drew and Mac are great characters, and I particularly love how Drew's impression of Mac changes as he gets to know him.
"Twelve Seconds" by Meg Perry
â â âââ (2/5 stars)
This felt like a first draft rather than a final story; my fingers itched to take a red pencil to it. There was a lot of telling rather than showing.
"Reality Bites" by S. C. Wynne
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
The characters never quite seemed real to me. I think there just wasn't enough sensory / evocative detail when it came to both place and character.
"Blind Man's Buff" by L. B. Gregg
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
I noticed some weird word choices and ungrammatical sentences that don't seem to be an intentional part of the stream-of-consciousness narrative style, but that's a pretty minor quibble. Also, I'm very much over the "fat villain" trope. Otherwise, though, this was a really excellent adventure story.
"A Country for Old Men" by Dal Maclean
â â â â â (5/5 stars)
There's so much about this story to unpack. It really made me think about duty versus personal happiness and the shift in how Western culture has prioritized the two over the last couple of centuries. (Cool-to-me side note: It's set on the island my dad's family comes from.)
Content warning: Internalized homophobia
"Pepper the Crime Lab" by Z. A. Maxfield
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
Worst title pun ever!
"Lights, Camera, Murder" by C. S. Poe
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
These ought to be the kind of characters that I really love, but I didn't quite connect with them.
"Stranger in the House" by Josh Lanyon
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
Interesting characters who have actual depth. Great sense of place; I can clearly picture the mansion and its eclectic contents.
"Entreé to Murder" by Nicole Kimberling
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
Drew and Mac are great characters, and I particularly love how Drew's impression of Mac changes as he gets to know him.
"Twelve Seconds" by Meg Perry
â â âââ (2/5 stars)
This felt like a first draft rather than a final story; my fingers itched to take a red pencil to it. There was a lot of telling rather than showing.
"Reality Bites" by S. C. Wynne
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
The characters never quite seemed real to me. I think there just wasn't enough sensory / evocative detail when it came to both place and character.
"Blind Man's Buff" by L. B. Gregg
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
I noticed some weird word choices and ungrammatical sentences that don't seem to be an intentional part of the stream-of-consciousness narrative style, but that's a pretty minor quibble. Also, I'm very much over the "fat villain" trope. Otherwise, though, this was a really excellent adventure story.
"A Country for Old Men" by Dal Maclean
â â â â â (5/5 stars)
There's so much about this story to unpack. It really made me think about duty versus personal happiness and the shift in how Western culture has prioritized the two over the last couple of centuries. (Cool-to-me side note: It's set on the island my dad's family comes from.)
Content warning: Internalized homophobia
"Pepper the Crime Lab" by Z. A. Maxfield
â â â â â (4/5 stars)
Worst title pun ever!
"Lights, Camera, Murder" by C. S. Poe
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
These ought to be the kind of characters that I really love, but I didn't quite connect with them.
"Stranger in the House" by Josh Lanyon
â â â ââ (3/5 stars)
Interesting characters who have actual depth. Great sense of place; I can clearly picture the mansion and its eclectic contents.