A Dangerous Thing: The Adrien English Mysteries Paperback – May 14, 2012

My name is Aunt Lynn and I am a Fanyon.I am not a regular reader or fan of mystery in any format, but I had heard great things about Josh Lanyon's Adrien English series, and since I am reading almost nothing other than m/m right now, I took the plunge. I am so glad I did! I purchased books 1-4 ( Fatal Shadows , A Dangerous Thing,  The Hell You Say , and  Death of a Pirate King ) all at one time and had a marathon reading session one weekend. Although each book can be read as a standalone, it is best to read the series in order, especially as you get further in as references are made to previous events and built-upon emotions. Oh, and I should mention that I bought the ebooks after the re-edits and the new publishers, so I did not experience the editing problems many people had with especially FS (reflected in many of the more negative reviews).Quickie plot: Frustrated with Jake Riordan, and in an effort to get some writing done, mystery bookstore owner and writer Adrien English heads north to Gold Country and property he inherited many years ago. Dead bodies, an archeological dig, Native American folklore, and small town (and minded) cops are just some of the things he runs into once he arrives. Oh, and Jake, who follows him after getting a call from the local law. Can they get their relationship on track? Once again, Adrien finds himself playing the sleuth, much to the dismay of everyone around him.ADT is Book 2 of the Adrien English Mysteries series, and is set about two months after the end of FS. Adrien is finding being in a relationship with a cop 'buried so deep in the closet he didn't know where to look for himself' and his self-loathing issues such a challenge that he's developed writer's block. This book is just as much -- and arguably more -- about Adrien and Jake's relationship and about Jake's growth as it is about the mystery they are trying to solve. They have a seriously dysfunctional romance, and it was my pleasure to watch the changes to that romance in this book.Adrien is still his witty, smart, sarcastic, determined self in this installment. I felt for his frustration over Jake and his hang-ups, and was pained when he realized that whatever he had with Jake was going nowhere fast. Poor Adrien, his heart has problems -- physically and emotionally -- and he deserves to be happy and in a healthy relationship with someone who will love him openly and completely. I was thrilled for him that based on the happenings in this story, he could just possibly, maybe, if all the planets align in a leap year, have something deeper with Jake.As I said in my review of FS, I have a love-hate thing for Jake. I love him. I hate him. I love him and I hate him, though in this book I love him more, especially by the end. I loves me some conflicted, broken, tortured hero, and Jake is a master (pun intended) tortured hero. I felt for them both, but I was really hoping Jake would relax some and let himself experience his first homosexual relationship. We just know that he cares for Adrien, but his actions and inability to take their relationship to the next level -- or hell, even be seen with him in public -- was sad to watch. We know from FS that Jake is no virgin in the world of gay sex; he's had sex with many men, but there is a difference between what he does in the S/M scene and intimacy. And make no mistake, it is intimacy that he shares with Adrien, and perhaps it's that emotional committment that scares him so badly. It's treading into lovers territory, and in Jake's mind, he only has sex.I was heartened to see that Jake grows somewhat by the end of the book. I had snickered at Adrien's musing in FS that Jake was probably a selfish lover ('He was probably selfish in the sack. Probably selfish and greedy and ... unsophisticated. And hung like a horse.'), and was thrilled to see how gentle and dare I say loving he was with Adrien in ADT. I felt hope for their future with some hurtles out of the way.For the mystery aspect, with so many supporting, colorful characters, I had some difficulty pinpointing the bad guy, especially with as many twists and turns there are towards the end. That's not a bad thing, and I think lovers of mystery novels will like this story better than FS. Since I read the series for Adrien and Jake's relationship first, the surrounding plot isn't quite as important to me as to others.I liked this book even more than I did FS, and that's saying something. Lanyon seems to have matured with this book; the writing is just as tight (if not tighter) and spare, the humor blended in perfectly, the story fast-paced, and the characters and plot well developed. It's a great follow-up and it's now onto THYS..

I cannot get over this series. It’s complicated and complex and I screamed at Adrien and Jake more than once, but I can’t help rooting for those two somehow endearing idiots. Damn them! What an excellent story. I’ve really been devouring Josh Lanyons works I cannot get enough of her stories.Do not pass this book up! Great mystery, complex couple that will drive you mad but somehow you fall in love with them as they fall in love with eachother. But it’s complicated. Can Jake get what he needs to be himself? I hope so and I’ll find out.Warning though the characters have to deal with blatant and implicit homophobia and racism (for example one side character uses the N word, that bastard) so if you’re looking for a book to mentally escape that reality you won’t find that here.100% recommend. But be warned this isn’t a fluff romance novel, though there is tenderness. It pulls no punches so be up for a challenge.Thank you to the author!

I should have written a review after I finished each book, but since I didn't, this is a review of the entire series (no spoilers):I love this entire series. In all earnestness. It is so clever, so funny, so unique, so beautiful, just the best...probably my favorite series of all time. Josh Lanyon is probably also my favorite author because no matter how short or long the story he spins is, you always become invested in its outcome and enjoy its duration. Adrien and Jake...wow...I just love those two with all my heart. Even when I was pissed off at one or both. There's five books, and so much goes on between Jake and Adrien, and outside of them, that the story is so hard at times, spans years, and works through a lot of obstacles, but you enjoy every second of it. The mysteries are so well written, that you really have no idea who done it until Adrien knows (and I usually can guess beforehand with other authors). The characters are all so distinctive and unique and colorful that you react to them on way or another.Things never turn out how you think, some parts pain your heart, sometimes you're sitting there yelling at the book and waving your arms around, sometimes you are tearing up, sometimes you are laughing until your abs hurt, sometimes you are hoping so hard it consumes your head, and sometimes you are smiling so hard and wide and so happily that you feel all warm inside. And through it all, you won't be able to get Adrien and Jake out of your head (nor will you want to). I don't quite hold all other books to these because I know none will stand up to them, but they easily take the cake. I really can't say enough about or fully describe the intricacies of Lanyon's writing or how he just sunk a hole in one with this series, I can only urge you with all of my heart to read it, and I will buy all of them in paperback (I have them now on kindle) to reread sometime soon. Plus I still have the interactive sixth book to enjoy! So, potential reader, the bottom line is that Adrien and Jake and their mysteries will worm their way into your heart, and will never get out, so just read, enjoy, and cherish.P.S. After you read "The Dark Tide" (the fifth book), read the interview Josh Lanyon did answering lingering questions about the end of the series (or more accurately, clearing up a few things and "checking in" with the characters about their life sixth months after the conclusion of the series).

When you think about escaping away from the city for some peace and quiet at the old ranch your Gran left to you when she died and you find a dead body on the drive of said ranch, you might want to read this book.Adrien is having trouble, with his "partner" Detective Jake. So he decides to make a sudden trip to Shadow Ranch to escape from Jake, LA etc but instead of being able to get settled down and get on with his second novel, he finds a dead body lying in the drive of the ranch. Getting out to see what he believed it was, he discovered the dead had recently just died by the fresh bullet hole inside of him. From there things tend to get worse, and Adrien winds up in hospital after getting bashed over the head. Thankfully keeping a certain detective's card in his wallet, Jake is the first thing he see's when he wakes up.I know I've said this about the other books in this series, but this is such a great read! If you loved the first one of this series, you're going to love this one.Recommend to all.

Second in series, told in first person in Adrien's witty voice which conceals his thoughts as much as it displays them. It's a tightly-written mystery with plenty of character development, and the only less credible aspect is how an apparently ordinary bookseller keeps coming across dead bodies! Adrien's involvement with Jake continues and I was hoping so much for things to work out well for them. Although I like this type of mystery, I read it for the strong romance and sensual element and was not disappointed. This side of the book doesn't dominate but is always there, enriching the story.

There is not a lot that I can say about this book or the series that has notalready been said by other reviewers Josh Lanyon is one of the best authors Ihave bought books by for the kindle His books make it feel like you are reading about real life .This is an excellent book with great charaters and a great storyTwo very different guys both quietly falling in love and not really knowingwhat to do about it.Worth reading and keeping just for the two guys

Are these my guilty pleasure? I seem to be more interested in Adrien's emotional well being and how he gets on with his mother - Lisa than the actual murder investigation - is that wrong? Of course there are stereotypical gay characters, unrequited desires and some requited desire. Just pour yourself a glass of wine, turn off your phone and settle back and enjoy. I have bought the remaining 3 books.I am not going to have any great life changing experiences or philosophical insights reading Josh Lanyon but I am going to enjoy reading them.

I enjoyed this story, not as much as the first book, but overall it was good.The main problem for me was starting to get annoyed with Adrien for putting up with Jake and his issues.It was a complex story with lots of things going on which kept my interest all the way through.