Book Review: Snowball in Hell by Josh Lanyon

Title: Snowball in Hell
Series: Doyle and Spain, Book 1
Author: Josh Lanyon
Genre: Mystery, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: April 2011 by Carina Press

Reporter Nathan Doyle had his reasons to want Phil Arlen dead, but when he sees the man's body pulled from the La Brea tar pit, he knows he'll be the prime suspect. He also knows that his life won't stand up to intense police scrutiny, so he sets out to crack the case himself.

Lieutenant Matthew Spain's official inquiries soon lead him to believe that Nathan knows more than he's saying. But that's not the only reason Matt takes notice of the handsome journalist. Matt's been drawn to men before, but he must hide his true feelings—or risk his entire career.

As Nathan digs deeper, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay one step ahead of Matt Spain—and to deny his intense attraction to him. Nathan's secrets may not include murder, but has his hunt put him right in the path of the real killer?

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Freakin’ awesome noir mystery with amazing atmosphere, compelling leads and emotional MM romance.

The Set Up: LA during WWII is not a kind place for gay reporter Nathan. When a rich man is pulled out of the La Brea Tar Pits and Nathan was the last to see him alive, Nathan becomes the prime suspect for Detective Matt Spain. Spain is dogging Nathan’s every step and their attraction can’t be denied but the investigation will put both men in danger.

Why I Read this Book: I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Josh Lanyon so knew I had to read this one.

What I Liked: Nathan and Matt are both stellar characters and each unique, though both have been injured and sent home from the war. Nathan’s loneliness, isolation and anguish ooze through the book as he tries to drink and stay a step ahead of his demons. Matt is the classic stoic detective but he’s slowly pried open to reveal his softer core, though he never allows himself to be swayed from his moral compass. The men’s attraction is immediate but deepens as the novel progresses. There is a near frantic element to their relationship as these two men in 1943 can’t even begin to imagine how they’d build a life together. Readers are sucked into their emotional anguish as the characters truly believe their relationship has an expiration date on it. This isn’t the most erotic of romances but its emotional intensity makes it much better than its more erotic counterparts.

What I Also Liked: The noir atmosphere in this book is absolutely stellar. The streets of LA are brilliantly described and made me feel like I was wearing a fedora, sloshing through puddles with Nathan and Matt. The wartime atmosphere of coffee rationing and stamps to buy food added to the noir bleakness of this amazing murder mystery. The secondary characters were all well-rounded and fleshed out this story. The mystery of who killed the rich young man whose body was dumped in the La Brea Tar Pits was fast-paced and was the perfect plot for the novel.

I have to also mention that I like to think of myself as a fairly sophisticated reader and the author turned everything upside down on me. First, he did this with the murder. Good murder mysteries should have plenty of red herrings and I can truly say I didn’t know who the killer was until Nathan and Matt did. Second, the romance surprised me a bit. I thought I knew 25 pages in which lead was going to have issues with their sexuality but I had no clue! And the author did all of this organically without making the romance or the mystery seemed forced or too-smart-for-its-own-good.

What I Didn’t Like: Only that this book is 6 years old (it was originally published in 2007) and the second in the series isn’t out yet. Doyle and Spain’s relationship clearly needs more progression and I’m dying to read it. C’mon! Hurry up already!

IMO: This is a stellar read even if it’s a tad incomplete from a romance perspective. Don’t start this book unless you have time to finish in the same sitting!

J9’s Rating: