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A review by cspoe
Declination by Gregory Ashe
5.0
And so wraps this first arc of the Borealis Investigations. Declination was a hell of a mystery—each layer peeling away like an onion and revealing intensity, grittiness, danger, and masterfully done character development in our private investigator heroes, North and Shaw. It was a perfect conclusion from where these two men longed to be in Book 1, and where they finally ended up, coupled with the finale of the carefully constructed murderer haunting Shaw's life—The West End Slasher.
The long-fought battle against their personal demons seems to be won. North has left Tucker, his abusive husband, and he and Shaw have finally, after eight years, come clean to one another about their emotions, and it has paid off. We begin this final mystery with North and Shaw as both partners in business and in life. But for all the heartache it took to reach this moment, Shaw is still deeply struggling with intimacy. His near fatal experience at the hands of the Slasher during college, followed by Matty from Orientation, has left him physically and emotionally scarred. Shaw has been unable to take control of the panic and anxiety that bubbles to the surface during sex, and he feels like it's already putting a wedge between him and North.
If that wasn't bad enough, Shaw's ex-boyfriend, Detective Jadon Reck, ends up in the hospital, and our two P.I.s are going to investigate the threats and attack, no matter who tries to stop them. And boy, does the entirety of St. Louis seem to be against them. The cops can't be trusted, the local government can't be trusted, and those who can help are too afraid of the repercussions.
This conclusion was just so, so, so good. Epic in the way the danger and tension keeps mounting, fantastic red herrings, and a great cast of suspects. And all of this is so artfully balanced with the trademark humor, banter, and hilarity of the characters, North and Shaw. Their dialogue and interactions are something so rarely seen in the genre—Ashe is able to stress the years of life and love they've shared in the authenticity of their conversations. After all, we all reach a point in a relationship where our chitchat seems nonsensical to outside parties.
I wholly and absolutely recommend this series. You will be in for an incredible ride of storytelling from the first page to the last.
The long-fought battle against their personal demons seems to be won. North has left Tucker, his abusive husband, and he and Shaw have finally, after eight years, come clean to one another about their emotions, and it has paid off. We begin this final mystery with North and Shaw as both partners in business and in life. But for all the heartache it took to reach this moment, Shaw is still deeply struggling with intimacy. His near fatal experience at the hands of the Slasher during college, followed by Matty from Orientation, has left him physically and emotionally scarred. Shaw has been unable to take control of the panic and anxiety that bubbles to the surface during sex, and he feels like it's already putting a wedge between him and North.
If that wasn't bad enough, Shaw's ex-boyfriend, Detective Jadon Reck, ends up in the hospital, and our two P.I.s are going to investigate the threats and attack, no matter who tries to stop them. And boy, does the entirety of St. Louis seem to be against them. The cops can't be trusted, the local government can't be trusted, and those who can help are too afraid of the repercussions.
This conclusion was just so, so, so good. Epic in the way the danger and tension keeps mounting, fantastic red herrings, and a great cast of suspects. And all of this is so artfully balanced with the trademark humor, banter, and hilarity of the characters, North and Shaw. Their dialogue and interactions are something so rarely seen in the genre—Ashe is able to stress the years of life and love they've shared in the authenticity of their conversations. After all, we all reach a point in a relationship where our chitchat seems nonsensical to outside parties.
I wholly and absolutely recommend this series. You will be in for an incredible ride of storytelling from the first page to the last.