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A review by cspoe
Orientation by Gregory Ashe
5.0
At this point, I've read enough of Gregory Ashe's backlist to know that he's going to 1. write an absolutely engaging, atmospheric, and terrifying mystery, and 2. he's going to cripple me in the process. I'm happy to report that he has not disappointed with Book 1 in the Borealis Investigations. This series stands out with a wholly developed and unique voice, where the reader is guaranteed to get something different from Hazard and Somerset or The Lamb and the Lion, which I cannot appreciate enough as a reader, or marvel at enough as an author. Walking the tightrope of writing your true voice while also straddling the personalities of the characters, is never easy—but Ashe manages time and again.
The series centers around two private detectives in St. Louis—Shaw Aldrich and North McKinney. Business hasn't been great since North lost his license and getting customers is now dependent on Shaw. And these two... God, does Ashe know how to write creative, hilarious, believable, and extremely detailed characters. These two have a history of friendship going back to college, but never does the reader feel overwhelmed by this backstory. In fact, Ashe is able to convey what these two mean to one another within a few sentences of sarcastic, bratty, funny as hell back-and-forth, and when Shaw and North sprinkle in further details about school, the dorms, or old boyfriends, it all makes complete sense because of how their initial interactions are conveyed.
In this respect, it's definitely a lighter tone than that of Hazard and Somers, but as the mystery unfolds, and the onion layers of North and Shaw are peeled back one-by-one, we're dealt another emotional blow akin to what we're used to with an Ashe book. Matty is a good boy, a church boy, and after spending the night with a man he met at a local gay bar, he comes to the Borealis office claiming he's being blackmailed with a sex tape and needs to hire North and Shaw. What follows is an absolutely radical mystery through the streets of St. Louis, of which I've never visited, and yet the imagery was so vivid and powerful I could feel the air on my skin and the light of the streetlamps blazing down overhead. The two detectives have interactions with local drag queens, members of the LGBT community, police, and more. The clues are so subtle that I could have smacked myself for missing their initial introduction, and the cast of bad guys are all completely relevant. And that finale? Did I breathe at all the entire time? Jury's out, but I doubt I did.
I wholly recommend Orientation for the laugh-out-loud narrative and dialogue, the heart-pounding action, and emotionally devastating characters that just love each other so much and are kept an arm's length away from their happily ever after the entire freaking book. Ashe is just an incredible author. Full stop.
The series centers around two private detectives in St. Louis—Shaw Aldrich and North McKinney. Business hasn't been great since North lost his license and getting customers is now dependent on Shaw. And these two... God, does Ashe know how to write creative, hilarious, believable, and extremely detailed characters. These two have a history of friendship going back to college, but never does the reader feel overwhelmed by this backstory. In fact, Ashe is able to convey what these two mean to one another within a few sentences of sarcastic, bratty, funny as hell back-and-forth, and when Shaw and North sprinkle in further details about school, the dorms, or old boyfriends, it all makes complete sense because of how their initial interactions are conveyed.
In this respect, it's definitely a lighter tone than that of Hazard and Somers, but as the mystery unfolds, and the onion layers of North and Shaw are peeled back one-by-one, we're dealt another emotional blow akin to what we're used to with an Ashe book. Matty is a good boy, a church boy, and after spending the night with a man he met at a local gay bar, he comes to the Borealis office claiming he's being blackmailed with a sex tape and needs to hire North and Shaw. What follows is an absolutely radical mystery through the streets of St. Louis, of which I've never visited, and yet the imagery was so vivid and powerful I could feel the air on my skin and the light of the streetlamps blazing down overhead. The two detectives have interactions with local drag queens, members of the LGBT community, police, and more. The clues are so subtle that I could have smacked myself for missing their initial introduction, and the cast of bad guys are all completely relevant. And that finale? Did I breathe at all the entire time? Jury's out, but I doubt I did.
I wholly recommend Orientation for the laugh-out-loud narrative and dialogue, the heart-pounding action, and emotionally devastating characters that just love each other so much and are kept an arm's length away from their happily ever after the entire freaking book. Ashe is just an incredible author. Full stop.