In the Flesh by Ethan Stone

[reviews_and_ramblings]

I have to admit that cop novels are not usually my cup of tea, even if I can sympathize with the imaginary seeing a cop like a perfect lover. But this cop in particular, Cristian Flesh, or simply Flesh, is at the opposite of your common idea of a police detective: unapologetically gay, and that is the point I liked the most, he is also pretty open on what he likes and doesn’t like; he likes sex and more is good, and so, probably for the first time in a novel, I found a detective that slept at least once with co-workers, victims, suspects, defensive lawyers… in a way the reader could guess who was involved in the plot by the fact that Flesh has slept with him.

When Flesh is asked to investigate on an attempt murder, he has to renounce to the case since he slept with the victim; then, on a short distance, he sleeps with two of the suspects and when he is framed with a crime, he sleeps with his lawyer (plus other non-important men in the middle). If at the beginning I was wondering if I liked Flesh, one night stand by one night stand I started to realize that, even if it sounds odd, he was sleeping with all these men to take a distance from them. Lowering everything to an “only-sex” level it allowed Flesh to convince himself these men were not touching him.

That is another point I noticed, Flesh has an “untouchable” aura: not only on the physical side (bald head, white skin, no body hairs), he is also aloof and distant; Flesh put everything on plain air, his body, his personal life, so that no one can accuse him of hiding something, but in reality, he is firmly protecting what is most important for him, his heart.

Colby, the lawyer who has to help Flesh, is more or less at the opposite: apparently more open than Flesh, kind and compassionate, warm against the ice that is Flesh, he is instead deep in the closet. For various reason, his job, his friends, Colby doesn’t want to come out and in doing so, he doesn’t allow Flesh to do his “trick” with him; Flesh is not “allowed” to sleep with Colby as soon as they met, and in this way, Colby is able to insinuate in Flesh’s heart a little bit. Once there, it will not take long before the breach will break Flesh’s protective shield.

While the first part of the novel was about sex with strangers, and while good, it didn’t do much for me, once Flesh and Colby start their relationship, the sex turned in very good and hot. Flesh in bed was as complex as he is out of it, strictly a bottom, he was not though weak, and in a way he managed to be in control also in that position. Again it was an odd thing, since usually when someone tries to protect his heart, I usually link it with a refusal for the bottom position, but again the author prepared the scene for a right and good explanation of also this point.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1960

Amazon: In the Flesh
Amazon Kindle: In the Flesh
Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (August 27, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 161581552X
ISBN-13: 978-1615815524

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