The Dark Tide

Adrien English Mysteries, Book 5

By: Josh Lanyon

Narrated by: Chris Patton

When a half-century old skeleton tumbles out of the wall in the midst of the renovation of Cloak and Dagger Bookstore renovation, Adrien turns to hot and handsome ex-lover Jake Riordan -- now out-of-the closet and working as a private detective. Jake is only too happy to have reason to stay in close contact with Adrien, but there are more surprises in Adrien's past than either one of them expects -- and one of them may prove hazardous to Jake's own heart.

©2010 MLR Press (P)2013 Josh Lanyon

I hope this isn't goodbye ...

If you could sum up The Dark Tide in three words, what would they be?

Great American Novel.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jake Riordan is more fully fleshed out in this latest whodunit/romance by Josh Lanyon -- an author whose prose is as clean and refreshing as sierra spring water. Through the intricately plotted mystery, Jake's inner-life of turmoil is cleverly revealed without breaking the character's penchant for few words. Getting to know Jake heighten the star-crossed romance with Adrien English, and elevated this novel to a new literary peak.

What about Chris Patton’s performance did you like?

Chris Patton's reading is expert. Mr. Patton is able to modulate the tone, quality and speed of his voice to master eccentricities of each character. I wish Mr. Patton performed all of Mr. Lanyon's book, because less face it, all are not equal.

Who was the most memorable character of The Dark Tide and why?

The most memorable character was Jinx/Jane Powers. She was fearless woman of power and prowess.

Any additional comments?

Josh Lanyon is good enough to write a great American novel that could qualify for the Pulitizer Prize in fiction.

Perfect Ending for a perfect series.

Where does The Dark Tide rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 5 out of several hundred over many years.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jake Riordan has faced the reality of his situation with honor and dignity, paid the price and is ready to move on with his life in a positive way. Jake doesn't wallow, and he exudes a strength of character and a focus that is admirable and fairly rare in literature today and especially in M/M stories. When he needs to say something he says it, and when he needs to display emotion he does, but with an economy and style that speaks volumes about Josh Lanyon's skill and ability to understand and translate his characters into sympathetic and extremely compelling entities.

Which character – as performed by Chris Patton – was your favorite?

Adrien English

If you could take any character from The Dark Tide out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Adrien English

Any additional comments?

Josh Lanyon is a master of the detective genre, with a 21st century flavor. Lanyon's stories, plotting, characterizations, and relationships are bar none. His writing is subtle, elegant, funny and poignant and his scene-setting and pacing, a must in all books, but especially murder mysteries, is exquisite. He never insults his readers' intelligence by explaining in too much detail and expecting that they won't understand references from previous books in the series or songs, quotes or cryptic remarks sprinkled along the way. Everything makes sense in these stories and everything he writes supports the story. Characters act like real people in real and harrowing situations and they learn and grow and change in organic ways. The relationships he writes are rich and complex, never quick and easy--but when two characters finally 'get it,' they and the reader are rewarded in spades.

Chris Patton is the perfect narrator for the Adrien English stories. His voice IS Adrien and yet he is able to make Jake and every other character unique, distinct and believable. His pacing is great; the characters and story come alive with his skill and ability to inject drama, humor, sensuality, and tension in just the right degrees. He never mispronounces a word, even foreign words, and his character changes are lightning fast. Listening to Dark Tide after reading it brought an enriched dimension to the story and the writing that was highly satisfying.

I enjoyed this audiobook immensely.

I hate that it's over........

“If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I.” ~ Michel de Montaigne

There really are no words I can find to describe how amazing this series is, but I can tell you that The Dark Tide is the perfect ending to Adrien and Jake's story. I've seen some reviewers refer to this installment as 'sappy' but I couldn't disagree more. Romantic, yes! But it's poignant, intriguing, and steamy - and, most importantly it's my kind of happily ever after - hard fought, and well deserved.

Once again, Chris Patton has given the perfect voice to Adrien, Jake, and the entire story.

I'm heartbroken that this series is over because I've loved every moment I've spent reading it...every page, every sentence, every word.

Please make more in this series

I just love it! This witty and funny writing. To the family drama. You just have to love overbearing with the guilt Lisa. Please make more in this series.

A book-length denoument

After the series climaxed at the end of Death of a Pirate King, the previous novel, a lot of things still had to be wrapped up. Josh Lanyon, in what ended up being a good decision, decided to wring a novel out of the wrap-up instead of tacking it onto the end of the book. When we left Jake and Adrien, the status of their relationship was uncertain--though not on quite as shaky ground as at the end of The Hell You Say--and it takes a few unexpected turns before it is finally resolved in The Dark Tide.

Accordingly, the mystery here is, compared to the previous novels, very, very low-stakes, which may sound a little odd considering that there is more than one murder, but it is what it is. Lanyon has been developing these characters and their slow burn throughout five novels at this point, and she isn't about to rush it, but she also wants Adrien's personal life to be the focus here instead of just background flavor. Adrien himself is a bit at sixes and sevens after the events of Death of a Pirate King, and it may seem like he's acting a bit out of character but as someone who went through heart surgery after a life threatening incident myself, I can relate to what he's going through. The secondary characters--Adrien's mother Lisa, his stepsisters, Guy (who I never warmed to and I'm not sure I was supposed to), Adrien's ex Mel, and a few survivors of previous novels--are all fleshed out here as well. Lanyon's writing is always sumptuous but there's something about the way she gets in Adrien's head that elevates this series even above her others.

Happily for me, I didn't discover the series until after the final novella, So This Is Christmas, was written. I get the impression it was almost an afterthought, though it's also well-written (and also features a low stakes mystery), but I can imagine I would feel just the TINIEST bit cheated if I truly thought the end of The Dark Tide were the end of the series. If The Dark Tide is a novel-length denoument, then So This is Christmas is a novella-length epilogue, and entirely necessary to wrap up the series (Lanyon has stated she doesn't have any intention, currently, of writing another novel in this series but I personally would welcome one).

This is the final Adrien English book narrated by Chris Patton, who does such a wonderful job throughout, particularly in distinguishing Adrien's voice from Jake's. This is by far my favorite series, not just by Lanyon but by any m/m author, and I can't recommend it enough.