Pretty Pretty Boys

Hazard and Somerset Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Gregory Ashe

Narrated by: Tristan James

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

After Emery Hazard loses his job as a detective in Saint Louis, he heads back to his hometown - and to the local police force there. Home, though, brings no happy memories, and the ghosts of old pain are very much alive in Wahredua. Hazard's new partner, John-Henry Somerset, had been one of the worst tormentors, and Hazard still wonders what Somerset's role was in the death of Jeff Langham, Hazard's first boyfriend.

When a severely burned body is discovered, Hazard finds himself drawn deeper into the case than he expects. Determining the identity of the dead man proves impossible, and solving the murder grows more and more unlikely. But as the city's only gay police officer, Hazard is placed at the center of a growing battle between powerful political forces. To his surprise, Hazard finds an unlikely ally in his partner, the former bully. And as they spend more time together, something starts to happen between them, something that Hazard can't - and doesn't want - to explain.

The discovery of a second mutilated corpse, though, reveals clues that the two murders are linked, and as Hazard gets closer to answers, he uncovers a conspiracy of murder and betrayal that goes deeper - and closer to home - than he could ever expect.

©2017 Gregory Ashe (P)2018 Tantor

Great start to a series

I had a wonderful time with this book! I haven't read anything like it in a really long time which was refreshing. There are plenty of unanswered questions I'm hoping to see come to light in the following books and I highly recommend if you're a fan of mystery as well as angsty romance. the narration is also incredible!

Great Buddy Cop Mystery!

It's got suspense, intrigue, and that beautiful sexual tension mixed with a dash of angst that make this book an excellent read. And due to the agonizingly slow burn, forces you to get the next book in the series before you snap from the tension. 5 stars!

Good plot, perfect storyteling.

Close to no steam. Erotic scenes just... go to dark and then is morning.

Well written and performed

Worth the listen. The characters are fully three dimensional, both the heros and the villains.

Finally

a lead gay character story that is a great mystery with just enough homo eroticism to make it a great story. one of the hardthings (pun intended) about gays being portrayed in heteto books is we are frantic next door neigh or the heroin hair dresser (not that is anything wrong with that. I loved this boom

Pretty pretty boys

I enjoyed the audio version of this book. I admit I struggled reading it the 1st time, but Tristan James narration brought the story to life and made the slow sections much more palatable. The mystery was interesting, But I struggled to find empathy with hazard and SomersetBut I struggled to find empathy with Hazard and Somerset. Neither one of the characters was very likable through much of the story, But by the end I waz starting to like both of them a little. Definitely enough to go on to the next book, Even though there waz 0 romance and practically no sexual tension. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that this is really not a romance.. This series has great potential, Specially since the entire book took place over only oh about a week's time.
Once again really enjoyed Tristan James narration.

Best!

Best mystery I've read in a while. Tristan James does a wonderful narration. Now to the next one.

One of my fav MM series.

This is one of my favorite MM series and it’s great to be able to listen to it. That being said the narrator can be a little monotonous and flat which irritated me from time to time if I didn’t take a break from listening, it didn’t put me off finishing though.

Surprisingly wonderfully enjoyable!

I came across this book as an Audible free listen. I didn’t have high expectations. So many “gay” novels are narrated to the stereotype. This book really surprised me - and grabbed a hold of me and wouldn’t let go. Being a gay man, I had had the typical bullied high school experience similar to that of Hazard. That’s what appealed to me in the summary before I decided to listen to this book.

I really liked that Ashe wrote a mystery here that happened to include a gay character! This is real life to me - I’m a man in this world who happens to be gay. My sexuality doesn’t define me. And I loved that that’s how Hazard seemed to be. It’s really not the center of the universe. There are way more important things.

Couple Hazard’s situation with his new professional relationship with his high school bully and you have a story in and of itself right there. And oh what a great story it was!!! I fell in love with these characters!!! Note that I’m writing this review as I listen to the fifth book of the series. The characters have really developed now and it’s hard to remember all the details that were available to me in this first book.

The book focused more on the mystery with the rocky relationship between the two main characters - the detectives - as a sub plot. It really works. I think most thinking, understanding straight people would be able to read this book with no discomfort. They may even gain some understanding of how it is to be gay in a mostly straight world. Hazard doesn’t ask for or want anybody’s pity. That’s all behind him and now life is just happening to him.

The mystery was nicely thought through and plotted. The book moved at a nice pace. For me, it showed a very real idea of the gay life for one who “happens to be gay.” I’ve used that term over the years to accent the fact that my sexuality does not define me. And I got a really good feeling that that’s how Hazard is as well. I can’t thank Gregory Ashe enough for displaying gay characters in a light where everything in their lives is not about the next sexual experience, where we do have real, normal, sometimes boring, ordinary lives.

I not only related to Hazard’s life though. Having been in a “relationship” with a “straight” man that I had worked for and seeing him move from not really wanting to work with a gay man who would ogle him to enjoying working with me and even shockingly teasing me, I could also relate with Summers - from that perspective of watching him go from bully to a man who was trying to correct his past mistakes. So much of this book appealed to me! I can’t thank Ashe enough for it and I’m so glad that it is the first in a whole series of books that I’m late to. But as they say, better late than never! Enjoy the read!!!

The Pain of Small Cities

Categories aside, I think the main character of these books is the city. the city is the hydra, the constant peril, the permanent hate, the Keeper of all demons. The root of all pain, the place where you come to die. I love the book - the fact that the hero finds gold in the mud, ways for surviving. The scary thing is that such loneliness can exist in a world so connected.