SOME RELATIONSHIPS ARE JUST MURDER
It’s 1985, and Joe Stone is excited to be joining his old school friend, and lifelong crush, Chris, for a long weekend in London’s Soho—home to a vibrant, developing gay scene, and a million miles from the small town where Joe and Chris grew up.
When Chris is found brutally murdered, the police write his death off as just another rent boy fallen foul of a bad hook up. But Joe knows his friend was killed deliberately, and joins forces with former police detective, Russell Dixon—Chris’s flatmate—to find out why.
Spiralling debt, illicit sex, blackmail, spurned lovers and hard-nosed gangsters all play their part, but who among the celebrities, fashionistas, drag queens, ex-lovers and so-called friends is Chris’s killer?
A noirish whodunnit set in 1980s London, with all the big hair, electro-pop, shoulder pads, police discrimination and lethal killers that the era had to offer.
TAINTED LOVE IS THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SOHO NOIR SERIES OF COZY CRIME NOVELLAS.
Review
I would like to thank the author and the publisher for the ARC of this novella in return for an honest review.
Tainted love is an absolutely superb read! As a reader I’m really happy that this is just the start of the series, because book one left me wanting more.
Why did I love it so much? It is a perfectly formed novella, with a flawlessly paced story and fabulous characterisation. Writing this short form of a novel takes skill, you still need the typical elements of a thriller, but have to be disciplined enough to write a gripping story in a restricted narrative. You’re taking away all the freedom to develop the story in a longer book and are left with a much leaner and appetizing story. The writer achieves this perfectly, the narrative is tight, but still thrilling, nothing has been sacrificed and your left feeling very satisfied. He takes a single central drama, avoiding multiple subplots that would overly complicate the plot and delivers his story with enough excitement to maintain interest throughout. From page one to the last page I was gripped in the drama and left thrilled by the possibility of more to come. You are drawn by the quality of the writing and story to the end, by what feels like a gravitational pull, exerting it’s influence on you and an intense eagerness to know the outcome of the story. I was caught up in this world of big hair, fabulous drag queens and closeted ex-lovers scared of exposure in a still far from accepting 80’s Britain.
Joe arrives in London to spend time with an old friend, only to be caught up in an investigation after Chris is murdered. I loved, no I adored that all the main characters were LGBT and that this booked is targeted not at a niche market, but has characters of such richness it should rightly be read by all thriller fans. Joe starts off as a young man caught up in the dizzy richness of life as a open gay man in London, a bit naive, but develops into a confidant man who helps ex police detective Russell Dixon look into the death of their mutual friend. He opens up and flourishes in this new world to him and I loved him as a character. Intelligent and open to exploring the much brighter world he has fallen into, he is not naive about his friend’s life, but rather than retreating from world of spurned lovers and gangsters, looks to find his place and solve the Chris’s Murder.
It really is a superb start to a new series and I am honestly excited for what is to come!
Though I warn you, if you a fan of 80’s music you will be humming Tainted Love for weeks after, with a big happy smile on your face.
You can purchase this novel from Amazon
You can also a RaffleCopter Prize Giveaway of a Signed Copy of Tainted Love, a fabulous “Go Away I’m Reading” tote bag, a rainbow button badge, and some chocolate being run and administered by the publisher by following this LINK
About the author
Claiming to be only half-Welsh, T.S. Hunter lived in South Wales for much of his latter teens, moving to London as soon as confidence and finances allowed. He never looked back.
He has variously been a teacher, a cocktail waiter, a podium dancer and a removal man, but his passion for writing has been the only constant.
He’s a confident and engaging speaker and guest, who is as passionate about writing and storytelling as he is about promoting mainstream LGBT fiction.
He now lives with his husband in the country, and is active on social media as @TSHunter5
booksaremycwtches 