Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Fenimore James is tired of his common day to day life in a farm, full of bandits stories and ambition he decides that it is indeed time for a change of scenery. Armed with nothing but his life savings and hopes out of daydreams he takes his mare and rides to Arizona. He will change his clothes, hair and name all in the name of the adventure of the wild west, at 15 he considers a man and even though there will be moments of doubt and uncertainty the life behind has nothing to offer him anymore.
His adventures will test the man in him when he realizes that the newspaper version and real life version are quite different.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
This book has such amazing character and world building. I felt like I could get lost in the world, and like the people there we so well thought out, it made the easy to identify. While this book isn't something I'd normally read, I thought it was a great story. It's a bit slow to start in my opinion, but it was a great read, none the less. I do recommend this book if you like a book with western theme, a little romance and mystery.
Review By
Manda Kelly
Review By
Manda Kelly
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
The Man in Black is story about exploring your dreams. Fenimore James has been obsessed with crime stories that he clips from the newspaper, and decides to leave home to join a gang. He decides to go by the name Simon, and when he meets the leader of a notorious gang, Red, he is introduced to the rest of the gang by that name. The story begins in the fall of the year 1880, and as Simon lives with the gang he discovers that he is interested romantically in one of its' members. There are all kinds of escapades that happen along the way as they explore the physical terrain and also Simon lives with the choices that sometimes feel uncomfortable to him. While all of that is going on members of the gang are getting murdered one at a time, Simon sees a mysterious Man in Black, and tries to figure out who is after them before its too late.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Fenimore James leads an idyllic life with his family on the farm but has big dreams of running away in search for adventure. He has read all about the famous outlaws in the newspapers, books, and wanted posters. The life of an outlaw is a glamour job for him so away he runs to find a group of outlaws to get in with and live their wild and lawless lifestyle. First, he must ride away on Messy from his small hometown, so away he goes. Fenimore decides that he needs to change his name as well and becomes Simon Shaw. Shaw buys new clothes and finds a meal. He quietly asks around as to where the Red Evans gang can be found so as “not to run into them” but reality is that is exactly who he is looking for! The life of an outlaw is not all the glamour that he thought it would be as one by one, gang members are being killed and clues left on their bodies. On top of that bit of stress, Simon is having feelings that he cannot understand for a fellow gang member, another male and not the typical floozie that he would engage in sex with. What is going on? He is haunted by dreams of a man in black and now his boss or gang leader is starting to suspect one of their own of killing! Will this end and will Fenimore return home? Great cast of characters and the setting is done very well. I can picture myself in some of these old western towns decrepit or rich and even find myself a bit saddle sore after reading about their time in the saddle. Great book!! It was a bit on the long side but definitely worth the time to read!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
My emotions were riding a roller coaster in this novel. Simon is a good guy at heart, but his obsession with becoming a notorious outlaw gang member soon becomes something he dreads once he's in Red’s gang. By the time he figures out it's not what he wants, the bonds of friendships can’t be broken. Simon romanticizes what being in the gang is supposed to be like and things go sideways regularly. The daily danger and close quarters fuels a lot of emotions including feelings for one of his fellow outlaws. A relationship with another man is as dangerous as being an outlaw.
There is someone murdering gang members and leaving messages with the bodies. There were times I thought I knew who was killing the members of Red’s gang. The ending was surprising as to who the killer was! The Man In Black is an LGBT thriller and mystery that contains some violence, occasional foul language, and adult sexual situations.
There is someone murdering gang members and leaving messages with the bodies. There were times I thought I knew who was killing the members of Red’s gang. The ending was surprising as to who the killer was! The Man In Black is an LGBT thriller and mystery that contains some violence, occasional foul language, and adult sexual situations.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
While not really the type of book I'm drawn to, L. R. Liverpool's Western, Romance, Thriller, The Man in Black, truly caught me by surprise. The book is rather lengthy (just shy of 900 pages) and starts out a little too slowly for my taste. I felt like some of the story could be condensed down and still have been just as effective. However, if amazingly detailed world-building coupled with surprisingly realistic, lovable characters is what you go for, this is a good read for you. There are a few heavier topics touched on in this book such as MM relationships, violence, and adult situations. Overall, The Man in Black flowed well and was fairly entertaining. I found myself feeling emotions along with the characters, celebrating triumphs, and rooting for their success in the dark of failure.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
This was a really good book! I was drawn in immediately from thr first chapter. The chapters were a little long in some spots that I didn't like a lot (I'm not a big fan of long chapters and this book 800+ pages) but it honestly felt like it was flying by just because it was do well written. I felt like I was right there in the story! This was a fantastic book and I highly recommend it especially if you're a person who like LGBTQ+ stories!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Fenimore was the son of a farmer but always dreamed of becoming more. Having read a lot of articles about famous outlaws, Fenimore decided that it’s the life he always dreamed of. He set off on his adventure of finding a gang and becoming famous as well, changing his name to Simon Shaw.
Time goes by when he meets Red Evans and his gang. Simon is invited to join the gang and doesn’t hesitate. Quickly he learns that life as an outlaw is nothing like he imagined. He thought it was all adventure and riches, never taking into account it also included murders and life on the run. On top of that revelation, he also is questioning his sexuality. Simon started developing feelings for Red’s second in command, Monty.
Killings among the crew start happening and it is a mystery as to who is doing it. The killer is always one step ahead of the gang causing Red to start losing his marbles thinking that he has a rat within his own men. Simon starts regretting this whole thing but it’s too late to tuck tail and go home especially when he could be the next victim.
I have to say that this book has so much going on within that I am finding it difficult to put into words. I usually hate reading anything of the Western style but the other going ons in the synopsis intrigued me. Even though to me Westerns are boring, this one was not. There was romance, mystery, murder, and it delved into darker topics like racism, homophobia, possible rape etc. It was packed full to the brim with different topics.
My only issues with this book are that the author kept switching from first name basis to last name basis of the characters that I found it a bit difficult to keep track of who's who. The second issue is the book is divided into 3 parts and part 1 felt like it was dragging on too long before anything of importance happened. Once I started in part 2, the plot started to speed up and get more exciting.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Deep and intense read
This book delves deep into a time where outlaws were common and loving another man was not. The author has intricately woven together a story that is engaging and heart racing. The adventure starts immediately and follows Fenimore as he navigates his position in the outlaw gang and the violence that follows. The mystery of the Man in Black will have you reading late into the night. Recommend.
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
The story does start off a little slow but don't let that stop you.
I feel like I must warn you...the author did a phenomenal job...be ready to go on an emotional roller-coaster.
This story is filled with action, mystery and romance. There is a little something for everyone. Trigger warning: It does get violent.
The story is a little on the long side but definitely worth the read. Trust me you won't be able to put it down and you'll get to the last page and wish it hadn't ended yet.
I feel like I must warn you...the author did a phenomenal job...be ready to go on an emotional roller-coaster.
This story is filled with action, mystery and romance. There is a little something for everyone. Trigger warning: It does get violent.
The story is a little on the long side but definitely worth the read. Trust me you won't be able to put it down and you'll get to the last page and wish it hadn't ended yet.