Down and Dirty

Cole McGinnis Mysteries

By: Rhys Ford

Narrated by: Greg Tremblay

Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

A Cole McGinnis Mystery

From the moment former LAPD detective Bobby Dawson spots Ichiro Tokugawa, he knows the man is trouble. And not just because the much younger Japanese inker is hot, complicated, and pushes every one of Bobby's buttons. No, Ichi is trouble because he's Cole McGinnis' younger brother and off-limits in every possible way. And Bobby knows that even before Cole threatens to kill him for looking Ichi's way. But despite his gut telling him Ichi is bad news, Bobby can't stop looking...or wanting.

Ichi was never one to play by the rules. Growing up in Japan as his father's heir, he'd been bound by every rule imaginable until he had enough and walked away from everything to become his own man. Los Angeles was supposed to be a brief pitstop before he moved on, but after connecting with his American half brothers, it looks like a good city to call home for a while--if it weren't for Bobby Dawson.

Bobby is definitely a love-them-and-leave-them type, a philosophy with which Ichi wholeheartedly agrees. Family was as much of a relationship as Ichi was looking for, but something about the gruff and handsome Bobby Dawson makes him want more.

Much, much more.

©2014 Rhys Ford (P)2015 Rhys Ford

So happy to finally have Bobby's story

I have pretty much loved everything Rhys Ford has written, but the Cole McGinnis series has risen above all the others And finally having Cole's best friend find someone to love is a very welcome surprise.

Bobby has always been a love them and leave them type guy who loves the twinks, but enter Cole's brand newly found brother and Bobby is at a loss as to how to proceed. He's attracted to Ichi, but Cole wants better than a commitment phobic guy like Bobby for his brother, Plus Cole doesn't seem to see the true hurt and loneliness that inhabits Bobby's soul.

We get to find out about Bobby's life prior to coming out and how far he and Ichi will go to find love and support each other.

Solid storytelling

Not my favorite but a solid story. As a personal preference I like couples to be closer in age. Despite that I enjoyed the way the storyline was running roughly during the same timeline as the previous book. I am looking forward to the next book.

4th one still a charmer

When all 4 (so far) books in a series area all equally entertaining, that says a lot about the author. This story changes the main characters from Cole and Jae Min to Cole's best friend Bobby and Cole's brother Ichi. In the background, Cole is still searching for Shelia and getting shot at and into other trouble as he does so, but those things do not drive the story. The story is simply about Bobby and Ichi developing a relationship and dealing with their inner selves and their outer life (how to tell Cole, for one thing). It is witty, sexy, and insightful, as are the others in this series. The narrator is one of the best I've ever heard, as I've stated in my reviews of the former 3 books, however, his Bobby voice was always sort of silly and dopey to me, so hearing that voice more and trying to put a sexy face on it wasn't easy. Nevertheless, the writing and the performance helped and it worked for me. I think there were a few less sex scenes in this one than the others.

Worth a credit? If you enjoyed the first three in the series, definitely. Could you start with this one? I think it could stand alone, but it would be better to have the Cole story backround.

Another hit

Greg Tremblay is awesome!! He has done this series justice!! I loved the story and the narration is spot on

It is all about Bobby!

I love narrator Greg Tremblay's Bobby voice so much. I basically listened for 6 hours for the pleasure of the narration. The storyline is not the strongest in the series but still enjoyable. I am a big fan of the whole series but for me this is a fun listen because of Greg Tremblay's great narration.

What Are You Waiting On

This book! To finally have Bobby's story! I absolutely cheered at the end! The writing is superb, the sense of place perfectly depicted! I was there! Rhys Ford is a master of language, layering each moment, each interaction with such detail that you have no choice but to become a part of the story, to know these characters and love them, to almost despair when you have to let them go. She is a gift.

Down and Dirty? Magnificent!

Charming fun, Bobby is a favorite.

I love this older Bobby character and it was very fun to get his lovely love-story. There wasn't much storyline in this new part (just more or less a mirroring of the last book but in Bobby's point of view instead).

...Anyway a sweet, tender, very sexy steamy book and the narrator (Greg Tremblay) does it simply FANTASTIC. I'm so much enjoying to listening to his grunting voice every time.

Are you already a series fan is this new part a must buy. In my opinion is this a excellent gay-romance (M/M) series to choose the audiobooks for. Just a lot of smexy romantic fun.

Love Rhys! Love Greg! Love Bobby and Ichi!

Any additional comments?

Bobby’s story! Woot!

Or should I say Ichi’s story? No, it was definitely Bobby’s story!

Woot!

An important first point: let me say that you must have read the other books for this to really mean anything to you. There are snatches of moments taken from the previous books to give you a time line so that the view as seen from a different angle makes more sense, but Ford does not “backfill” too much. She assumes you are an informed reader. (Thank you!)

This is pretty straightforwardly Bobby and Ichi’s love story. There is no mystery (those were Cole’s to solve and we see them through Bobby and Ichi’s lenses only.) We learn what makes Bobby and Ichi tick (mostly Bobby) and then we learn how they can fit together.

It. Was. Wonderful!

I absolutely loved digging deep into Bobby’s psyche. He’s a unique character, with years of experience that Jae and Cole don’t have. His history (being a closeted gay cop) must mirror what so many men of his generation experienced and it serves as a reminder for how far we (as a culture) have come along (hopefully) in our acceptance of “other” in our society. There was even a story thrown in as told by an older man who had similar experiences with his mixed marriage, that is, he was subjected to questions and cruelty as well.

Without reading this book, you may be worried that Bobby couldn’t possibly be seen as someone to trust in a long-term relationship. What Ford did was show us, by slowly peeling back the layers, just why Bobby is EXACTLY the type of guy you should trust in a long-term relationship. It was very elegantly done and felt completely organic.


Ichi’s history surprised me a bit too. There are things we find out that explain some of his personality; information about his mother (Cole’s too) and father and step-mother… fascinating. He’s an old soul and perfectly matched for Bobby.

I found the lack of mystery refreshing, not that the mysteries in Cole’s books aren’t great, but we got a chance to really focus on the characters in this book. Ford spends a lot of time developing these complex, rich characters (main and secondary) and this book show-cases that effort.

The ending was absolutely THE BEST. First, the way Jamie finds out Bobby is gay and then, the last scene at the tattoo shop… (le sigh) grab some tissues, it’s just wonderful. It feels so complete, but is just open enough that it hints at more excitement that we could see in upcoming book(s). I hope that both Bobby and Ichi (and maybe even Jamie?) will continue to play big roles in any future book(s).

Well done Rhys Ford, well done!

I highly recommend this and give it 6 of 5 hearts!



Audio

Greg Tremblay has done this entire series, so we are familiar with his deliciously growly Bobby and the exquisite way he handles all the variety of Asian accents.

I think he does another outstanding job with Down and Dirty. The emotion Bobby shows and the tenderness from Ichi are breathtaking.

I absolutely loved this audiobook and highly recommend it along with the entire series.



6 out of 5 hearts

nice addition, but not a stand alone

well written, great characters, but you have to have read the previous book to follow it. For more this was a pleasure, not a problem. Just be sure you know that before you buy.

The book was meh but the narration rocked!

*3.5 stars, rounded up because the audiobook narrator, Greg Tremblay, is a-mazing*

I hold this series VERY close to my heart, and so I was dying to read Bobby and Ichi's story. However, it was only my love for these characters (and the narration, but we'll get to that later) that made this one bearable, to be honest.

The hard truth is that there is VERY little plot in this story.

The time frame jumps around because this book takes place during Dirty Deeds. One of the most difficult things about this story is that it is interspersed between the happenings of "Dirty Deeds." It didn't feel like its own independent story, but rather an offshoot of another, larger plot, which was really disappointing for me.

Part of that was my expectations. The Cole McGinnis books are so action-packed, so exciting that I was anticipating something more EXPLOSIVE. I didn't get that at all. This book is all about Bobby and Ichi coming together, which really wasn't enough to carry the story for me. At times, I found myself growing bored (GASP), which NEVER happens with a Rhys Ford book.

The problem is, I'm not sure if there was any way around my issues. The way the last book ended, this book HAD to take place during the last story, so the author was forced to mold a book to fit around that premise. I just found it sort of dull... flat. If I was going to rate this book on the content alone, I would have rated 2.5-3 stars. However, the narration saved this book and it saved it BIG TIME.

I adore Greg Tremblay. It is no secret to those who read my reviews that I'm a huge fan-girl of his. He just puts so much of himself into his work. His voices, his inflections... they are just PERFECT. This series feels like a labor of love for the narrator, and it shows in the quality of his performance. Listening to Greg embrace the characters easily bumped up my rating of this book a full star or more.

I think this book is reserved for only the most hard-core fans of this series, or audiobook lovers. All others might be disappointed by the result.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**