A review by lezreadalot
Stranger on the Shore by Josh Lanyon

3.0

“‘Intimacy issues’ is code for ‘I haven’t met the right person.’”

“And what is ‘trust issues’ code for?”

Pierce held his gaze. “I’m afraid to believe I’ve met the right person.”

So here's the thing about this book. There's a plot twist that's not meant to be a plot twist. It's a surprise to the characters but it's not a surprise to the reader. At first I thought this was just bad writing, and I've seen a few reviews that mirror that, that say it was 'too obvious'. But the thing is, I don't think that detail was supposed to be a mystery for the reader? I think laying the foundation early, and building the story knowing that the reader most likely caught on to that piece of information (and I mean it was NOT subtle) was very much part of the writer's plan for this book. If it wasn't, I would seriously be baffled. This is the sort of twist where if it had been sprung on me at 80% I would have just been annoyed. I think it worked out well this way, and after all, there were other facets to the mystery that had to be found out (facets that I didn't see coming, but in hindsight they make sense).

All that to say: this was a serviceable mystery and I liked it! More so in the beginning. It kept me on my toes, and it was one of those things where like, I was constantly engaged, constantly thinking about things (as I love doing) but I never actually really settled on a culprit in my mind, and I ended up being mildly surprised by the reveals (though again, I was able to look back and see how it made sense). Some parts of the final reveals irritated me deeply, but that's subjective, because it involved a trope/theme I just don't like, especially when it pops up in mysteries and thrillers. There were also a few details that made me raise me brows or just made me annoyed, because I am, as ever, kinda picky.

The best part of this for me was the romance! I just really liked the... well, the romance of it all, just in terms of the setup and Griff and Pierce's dynamic. I really liked their chemistry, and how it eventually overpowered their initial animosity. It does mirror a certain story that I won't mention because it's a spoiler, but now I want to read a lot more with that dynamic/trope!

Listened to the audiobook as read by Jeremy York, who is fairly new to me, and I liked it a lot.

This was my first Lanyon mystery, and I'm definitely willing to give her another try. 3.5 stars.