Triangulation

By: Gregory Ashe

Narrated by: Charlie David

Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

After a recent case with a treacherous client, North and Shaw are ready to go back to work building Borealis Investigations. They’re also ready to go back to dodging their feelings for each other, with neither man ready to deal with the powerful emotions the Matty Fennmore case stirred up.

Everything is getting back to normal when their secretary asks for help: her girlfriend’s boss has gone missing. Shep Collins runs a halfway house for LGBTQ kids and is a prominent figure in St. Louis’s gay community. When he disappears, however, dark truths begin to emerge about Shep’s past: his string of failed relationships, a problem with disappearing money, and his work, years before, as one of the foremost proponents of conversion therapy.

When Shep’s body turns up at the halfway house, the search for a missing person becomes the search for a murderer. As North and Shaw probe for answers, they find that they are not the only ones who have come looking for the truth about Shep Collins.

Their investigation puts them at odds with the police who are working the same case, and in that conflict, North and Shaw find threads leading back to the West End Slasher - the serial killer who almost took Shaw’s life in an alley, seven years before. 

As the web of an ancient conspiracy comes to light, Shaw is driven to find answers, and North faces what might be his last chance to tell Shaw how he really feels.

©2019 Gregory Ashe (P)2020 Gregory Ashe

So emotional!

Now that wasn't nice.... I mean that cliffhanger... I might go bald from ripping out all of my hair waiting for the next book.. So… after finishing this book you might have guessed I'm not in the best of moods, and I blame it all on that bloody cliffhanger… But you know what, to save us all from insanity (and my major ranting), I think I'll just go away and write this review another day - when I've had the chance to calm down.

………..

It’s been a few days since finishing this book, and I’m still not happy about that ending. Calmer, but not happy. So I’m going to try to tell you about my feelings for the rest of the book. It did take me a while to get into this story, but once I did I couldn't stop listening. Before I knew it the book had ended, leaving me wanting, no needing, to know more. More about what happened next, but also more about Shaw and North.

There were many raw moments, charged ones in this book. To be honest they were stockpiled as if expecting a major sale somewhere. For me, Shaw especially touched me this time around. I don’t know why, but I had this idea that he was the stable one of the two. Sure he had hangups and issues, but with his past how could he not still be affected by it? But for some for some reason, in my mind, he’d found a way to deal with it, to function and not only on the surface. So it seems that I too fell for that act, that surface. My heart broke for him and I really wish he’d accept help to get better, because he really needs it. His facade is fraying at the edges and I fear what will happen to him when it crumbles.

Both North and Shaw are, for a lack of a better term, messed up. And majorly so. They have so many huge issues that sometimes I feel it was a wonder they even functioned. Then again, they didn’t really. They are both so good at hiding everything they feel. Hide it from each other but also from themselves.

Triangulation is not a book you pick up if you are looking for something pink and fluffy. Contrary to what the cover might suggest this book is mentally draining. It’s filled with emotions, angst and horrors and many that you’ll feel deeply. Wishing to know more at the same time you are wishing for it to stop.

The bath tub scene and the events leading up to it were the most raw moments I’ve come across in books for a long while. The feelings were just oozing from North and Shaw and Charlie David. In those moments there were so many emotions I don’t think I could name them all, the horror, despair and fear, the hopelessness, love, longing, want and need. It was all jumbled and Charlie David made you feel them all – and then some. He will have your head spinning in the best and worst ways.

After finishing this book you might want to look for something pink and fluffy to recover. Because this ride is insane.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes

Great Story . . . Angsty!!

Okay, so in my review of the first book in this series I mentioned that I am not into angsty books. But . . . angsty as this one was (I think this author can't help himself!) I simply loved the whole book. I did, however, have to stop listening from time to time as it had my nerves on end. So I finished it today after several stops and starts because I just had to know what happened and if North and Shaw would ever finally get together. Guess what . . . It looks like they did but you never know since the end of each of the stories left you hanging. I don't usually like this type of ending either . . . but WOW what a good book!

So it looks like I shouldn't read the next book when it comes out . . . but I know I will not be able to help myself!!!

Slow Burn . . . so worth it!

Some listeners are put off by the slow burn that Shaw and North have going on throughout this book...typically I would be the same...cut to the chase...get on with it...but what I like was that their relationship wasn't filled with angst and longing (ok a bit of that) but really mutual respect...

Not going to tell you how that ends up...no spoilers here...but I will say that the length of the book scared me a bit (would it drag on) BUT it didn't... the story moved along (quicker than their relationship...lol).

I was given a copy of this book to review but it was on my list to purchase anyway...since I purchased the Audible the first Borealis Investigations Book and will also listen to the third one.

Shaw and North are moving up the ladder of favorite MM series...

Charles David did an excellent job especially with Shaw and North's "back and forth" I laughed out loud more than a few times!

Slow Burn not for the faint of heart

Gregory Ashe doesn't write warm fluffy hot chocolate cozies with romance. His work reminds me more of Marshall Thomas's Boystown Mystery series with a serious overlay of angst-ridden slow burn between its detectives . At least in Borealis, we get to see the two break through to an actual relationship at the end of book 2. He made us wait three books in Hazard and Somerset.

Gregory Ashe's detectives work on bloody, gritty, messy mysteries that touch the lives of its detectives in bloody, gritty, messy ways. They are, at times, pretty dark. Some of the recurring character's aren't especially likeable (I appreciate Shaw's loyalty to her, but I can't find anything to like in Paris), but they do provide color. Others (hi, Jadon) are good people who do pretty consistently good things.

I found listening to the story hard because it was so edge of your seat on every plot strand we've had so far. Twice I took a break and listened to another book entirely. Both times I came back to the story because...

1. Shaw and North have some of the best banter among characters ever. it's clever and funny and lightens up otherwise confrontational scenes. The dialogue in general is really well written.
2. Shaw and North are both good people with great chemistry. They are stupid towards each other sometimes, but they have an 8 year history they're untangling. I wanted them together. Ashe made me care about that.
3. It's well read. Charlie David's voice works for both Shaw and North. He is a good story teller. I didn't ever have to work out who was talking. His voices are distinct.
4. Nevermind Pari and Chuck and Shep et al. I want to know who is involved in the Slasher and see them all get what's coming to them. That's the really hard part of this series. Ashe is hard on his main characters (Hazard and Somerset make a cameo here, and they're both still recovering from the end of their first series.), and I feel like if I don't show up, who knows what he'll put them through. Gregory Ashe probably bathes in the tears of his readers, but he still writes a truly compelling novel, and Charlie David reads it well.

Great Story

I received an ARC of this audio for my honest review. Shaw and North are partners at Borealis Investigations. They have been friends since college. The fun interactions between North and Shaw is just as good as in the last book, but I even liked the deeper emotional stuff better. A great story one you really should not miss.

4.5 stars- Great narrator who elevates the book

Triangulation is the second book in the Borealis Investigations series and is definitely one which should be read in order. I needed a bit of an adjustment period to warm up to Shaw and North when reading the first book, but the pair of friends and work partners really shown in Triangulation. I enjoyed their banter and silliness even ore this time and really loved the fast, fun pace that makes these books incredibly hard to put down.

I read the first book in the Borealis Investigations series and listened to the second, and I definitely think this narrator is a spot on choice for the series. In fact, I’d wager his performance played a big role in why I enjoyed the second book in the series even more than the first. His voice fit the characters, moments, and pace so very well, inputting emotion into the scenes without overplaying them.

The suspense element in Triangulation was well done with some good twists I didn’t anticipate at all. There’s still a bit of levity and luck involved with North and Shaw’s investigations, but the series is not lacking in suspense or action. I think what really won me over in Triangulation was the romance and character progression. I enjoyed getting to see more from both North and Shaw, including a good amount of insight into their past feelings and experiences, and I was incredibly happy that this book really furthered their relationship. Plus that ending…wow! I’m torn between wanting to dive into book three because I have to know what happens next and forcing myself to wait because I so enjoyed Mr. David’s narration. If you like some silliness with your suspense and mystery, I definitely would recommend giving this series a look or, better yet, a listen. I think many will develop just as much a soft spot in these two best friends turned PI partners as I have.

*Received ACX promo code via LesCourt Author Services. The author, narrator, and PA had no influence over this review*

Leveling up with book two! 4.5 stars!

Don't you just love it when an audiobook exceeds the lofty bar you've set for it? I already knew going into Triangulation that Gregory Ashe was going to knock the story out of the park, but I'm thrilled beyond belief to say that Charlie David impressed me with his narration in this second book in the Borealis Investigations series. I'm going to highly recommend that you listen to the series in order because you'll have a better understanding of the history between the main characters as well as the development of their relationship--the whole stop and start of it--plus there's the continuing story arc involving a life-changing incident that continues to haunt them. The series is three books in, although at the moment, there are only two audiobooks available, which is why I've got my fingers crossed that the third one will be released REALLY soon.

There's no rest for the weary, which is why North McKinney and Shaw Aldrich are on to their next case. If being busy means not having the time or energy to tackle their feelings for each other, well, then that's just the way it goes. The search for Shep Collins, a prominent figure in the LGBTQIA community who runs a halfway house for LGBTQIA youth needs to be their top priority. As they uncover the dark and dirty secrets that Shep's kept hidden, he's found--dead in the very halfway house he runs. From a missing person, Shep is now a murder victim, and the search switches from finding him to finding his killer. This puts North and Shaw at odds with the police who, naturally, are doing their own investigation. When there appears to be ties between their case and the West End Slasher, aka the serial killer that Shaw barely survived, Will Shaw and North survive the onslaught of everything coming at them and will they end up with more questions than answers?

Goodness me, but everything has leveled up with this audiobook! I was in serious like with North and Shaw and loved Gregory Ashe's writing, but this time around, I'm in doubly serious love with North and Shaw and in awe with Ashe's writing. North and Shaw have tension and then some and darn it, but how delicious that tension was. The romance was heightened and the mystery and suspense was exemplary. With the expected comes the unexpected, and this is where I need to mention that I quite liked Charlie David's narration here. There was more oomph with his performance, making for a better overall listening experience. Four stars for narration, five for story, so an average of 4.5 stars for Triangulation! ♥

Brings the characters to life.

As a glutton for both comedy and angst, this book definitely hit the spot. I laughed, I cried, and I spent a lot of time wanting to smash North's and Shaw's heads together. Shaw, especially, is heartbreaking as he struggles to heal from everything that has happened to him. They continue to circle around each other while never really saying what they mean, but their reluctance makes sense in the context.

The double-layered mysteries (the current murder and the overarching Slasher arc) are intriguing and I love the way North and Shaw's relationship issues aren't a side story for the mystery. Rather, their relationship grows and changes through the mystery so both parts remain front-and-center in the story.

Charlie David's narration is extremely entertaining, especially the way he portrays their banter and the completely dry way they respond to each other. A top-notch performance.

Good Story

This was a really good story, but the slow burn and angst from the mystery made me want to put down the audio and get it in ebook so I could read it at a faster pace. Charlie David did a great job with the narration; I really enjoyed his voice. The writing itself is very good.

Excellent as always, and that last 5 minutes...

Finally, some things are faced and said between North and Shaw, and that is wonderful. As always, however, the romantic struggles never overshadow the great mystery plotting. Here, they are hired investigate the disappearance of a man who left his life running a religious, gay conversion camp to move on and marry a man and open a help center for LGBTQ youth. There is an angry ex-wife, angry young men messed up by the conversion "therapy", possible financial theft from the center to all kinds of possible suspects and motives. Charlie David is again the perfect narrator for these two. He gets the snarky byplay 9see the first chapter for an hysterical meeting) but also takes you right inside the gut wrenching feelings as North and Shaw realize they have both been emotionally misdirected/manipulated by a certain individual for many years. Then, there is that horrifying promise delivered in the last five minutes. Can't wait for the final book to hit audio!

Best friends...still business partners?

So, this second book in the Borealis Investigations series by Gregory Ashe is quite gripping as narrated by Charlie David, who does an excellent job of bringing the guys and all the supporting characters to life. There is also an appearance by Hazard (from the author's Hazard & Somerset series), with his boyfriend, which I quite enjoyed, having listened to several books from that series previously.
There are issues which relate back to a trauma that Shaw went through about seven years prior to the events in this book involving a serial killer. There are also issues from their previous case that continue to haunt them.
This was another thrilling chapter in their saga as North and Shore try to figure out where they stand with each other as there are several ups and downs in their personal relationship which has a knock-on effect on their professional relationship/partnership.
Highly recommended if you have listened to the first book in the series as I have.

Awesome

This was such an entertaining audiobook.
I was hooked from the beginning and I didn’t want to stop listening.
I can’t wait to listen to more of this series.

Really great mystery thriller!

I haven't read/listened to book 1 in the series yet, but I have it in my queue, so I hope to make time for it soon. The author wove enough detail/background info into the story so that even if a reader jumped into book 2 first, they wouldn't be lost.

I really liked Shaw and North, even if there were several times in which I wanted to knock their heads together. OMG, but they could both be difficult sometimes! The banter and the out-of-this-world UST was more than enough to sell me into this pairing, despite all they had to go through in this book and what might be coming in the next installment for them.

This book ends in a cliffhanger, which I hate, and I wasn't aware of it, which somehow makes it worse, but at the same time, I could barely put down the audiobook until I finished it and I was completely riveted with the case and invested in Shaw and North's relationship, so there's that. Plus, Charlie David did such a great job with the narration and he was in a great measure the reason why I enjoyed the audiobook so much. Highly recommendable!

Amazing Characters & Splendid Mystery, I loved it!

The depth of these characters just increases exponentially with each interchange. The true level of the how deep the damage goes, how desperately these two need each other, and the whole mystery surrounding the slasher comes out in Triangulation. Or maybe Gregory Ashe is just scratching the surface.

Mr. Ashe is building something incredibly intense along with the wonderful mysteries in the Borealis Investigations. Shaw and North have so much history. It’s everything they’ve brought along with them over the past eight years, plus everything (and everyone) getting caught in their wake… I don’t know if I can wait to find out what happens next in Declination!

But wait I will, because I’ve so thoroughly enjoyed listening to Charlie David read these books to me and it wouldn’t be the same without him. So *fingers crossed* the audio version of Declination comes out soon!

Fans of Charlie David know what he brings to his performances, and if you’ve not had the opportunity to enjoy him yet the Borealis Investigations series is a great place to start. He definitely gets these guys and I love how he handles their banter (as well as all the drama and tension between them).

An excellent mystery, interesting characters, and a hearty dose of delicious angst, Gregory Ashe’s Borealis Investigations series is amazing.


an audiobook copy of Triangulation was provided to me for the purpose of my honest review

Not what I expected

DNF'D an hour plus into the audio. I can't listen to another 11 hours of this.
From the reviews I was expecting delicious UST but despite being alleged best friends I don't believe these two even like each other. They're unprofessional as PIs, breaking in the middle of questioning a witness to have a childish argument. And every other character was super high maintenance.
On a positive note the narrator was okay.

Fab mystery

Great mystery with the added suspense of a will they won’t they situation between the two main characters. This book had me hooked and I didn’t want to stop listening, I devoured this in a day!

This books is full of twists and turns, intriguing characters and an epic slow burn romance.

Charlie David provides a fantastic narration.

Will they or won’t they?

At first glance, this book is a mystery. A detective agency, a missing person, mysterious surroundings, and all is not as it seems. North and Shaw own Borealis Investigations and although they’ve been through some tough times recently with their agency, they’re still open for business. When their receptionist comes to them asking for their help with a missing person, they’re intrigued. When they get the full history of the missing man, Shep Collins, things take a turn. Shep used to run a conversion camp and is now married and living with his husband. So, yeah, a complete one-eighty. Turns out he hurt a lot of young men during his time running the conversion camp, and although some have forgiven him, others are downright peeved.

Although this investigation is personal for the men – they do support their receptionist after all – the St. Louis police become involved and suddenly things are a lot more complicated. Several bodies later and it’s clear this has gone way beyond just a missing man.

And although the book centers around a mystery, it’s the relationship between North and Shaw that is the most interesting. The thing that kept me hanging on. Each man is involved with someone else. Shaw is in a relationship with a cop named Jadon. Their relationship is…interesting. North is married to Tucker and that relationship goes sideways. There’s a lot to unpack and the split might be a good thing, but these things are always messy. And since North was the one doing the leaving, he finds himself homeless. Shaw, of course, offers up his couch, but that creates a whole other pile of complications.

North and Shaw have history. They went to university together and there’s been a weird push and pull ever since. Will they or won’t they? Can they admit how they feel? Will the other reciprocate? How will it affect their work relationship? Add in Shaw’s obsession about the West End Slasher, and things become even murkier. Like I said, there’s a lot going on.

This book ends on a breathtaking cliff-hanger although the main story is resolved. Now, I didn’t get a chance to listen to book 1 and I fully intend to go back. Does this book stand on its own? Yes. Is it clearly the middle book of a structed trilogy? Yes to that as well. And I plan to jump on book 3 when it comes out on audio. Man, this was a good story with great characterization. I also want to quickly mention the dialogue. The banter back and forth between the two men had me laughing out loud. And Shaw’s obsession with food was also fodder for more laughter. The humor added more layers to the story which I appreciated.

I want to mention the narrator, Charlie David. He’s a fave of mine and I always enjoy his performances. He definitely did this story justice and I’m glad I listened. So, needless to say, I’ll be waiting with bated breath for the finale of this story.

Interesting

Okay, I really enjoyed this story. The characters were thought provoking and made me slightly angsty with their level of love for each other. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat, and I truly didn't see it coming. This book can be a solid standalone, however it's better enjoyed when you have read/listed to the previous one. David is a new to me narrator, and I found it to be a slight struggle to listen for long stretches. Even though he did a good job, I did feel a bit of lacking emotional draw at times, but his narration grows on the listener.

Good follow up to book 1

After listening to book 1 Orientation and finding it enjoyable but not, in my opinion, as good as the authors, Hazard and Somerset series, I was interested to see if the second book could change my mind.
Unfortunately, despite the storyline being good, I found, I began to dislike the character Shaw more and more at times. Not that I didn’t feel compassion for him but I’m not sure if it was the way the author depicted him or he came across in Charlie David’s narration of him.
In my last review I did say that Charlie David wouldn’t have been my first choice for this series of books, and whilst that is still true I must say he appears to have become much more comfortable with the characters and the style of writing and did a much better job.
However, there were times during the book, when things appeared to be ‘manic’ if that’s the right word, at times, especially around Shaw. Again I’m not sure if that was something the author was trying to get across or the narrator just portrayed.
All in all, I found this book much more enjoyable than book 1 and I will look forward to book 3.

Who are you?

As was the case for book one in the series, I was given this book as an advanced audible listener, so I alternated between the eBook and the audible book. We still have Charlie David and he has cemented the two lead characters in my mind, capturing all of their emotions. Along with the storyline, his voice makes me want to continue listening even when I need to get to sleep! So, this time Shaw and North, private detectives have two cases to solve. One serious case which covers most of the elements detectives may suspect as motives in a crime and butts them up against members of the police with whom they do not always have the best connection. Some of this relates to Shaw’s own history, that he can’t let go and this makes him and the others around him vulnerable. The second case could be perceived as rather frivolous unless you happen to live in that circle, and it defines who you think you are. As well it allows us to catch up with two of Gregory’s Ashe’s best characters from another series and the encounter is a treat. Shaw and North’s friendship is continuing to be an important thread running through the story. There is much for them to work through and some instants are hard on the heart but also leave other causalities besides themselves along the way. I also like that their good knowledge of one another allows for some great banter between them even when they find themselves in the stickiest of moments. The lighter moments are needed! Yes, there is a cliff-hanger and they are not always my favourite thing but here it seemed the perfect time to stop. Luckily, I have already teed up the next eBook in the series. The case makes you think about the many faces we show to world and how well do we know anyone. It also made me think about how far LGBTQ+ rights have come but still how far there is to go I hope that the audible narration for book three is not too far behind.