Deadly Wrong (Deadly Mystery 2) by Victor J. Banis

[reviews_and_ramblings]

If you liked Deadly Nightshade, the first book in the Deadly Mystery series, you will love Deadly Wrong. I liked the first book in the series, but it was in some way interrupted: the two main characters, Tom and Stanley, were presented to us, the reader had the chance to feel for them (I, for example, hearted for Tom), but in the end their story was not finished at the end of the book. And in fact, Deadly Wrong begins with Stanley who needs to take some decision in his life.

In the first book Stanley was obviously the main hero, but he didn't shine as he does in this second book. More than half the book is about him and his life change decision: should he remain in the Homicide and working with Tom everyday, when the man clearly stated that nothing could be happen again between them? Tom said his goodbye to the man in a very "personal" way, having his first and only anal sex experience with Stanley, baring himself to Stanley in the most intimate way, and then walking away barely saying goodbye. Stanley can't stay around and his first reaction was to quit his job. But then he receives a temporary leave and a call for help from a long time friend: Libby's brother was accused of manslaughter, but he claims to be innocent. Can Stanley come to Bear Mountain and help them to "straighten" the true? Not that Stanley is familiar with straightening things up, and even less with an homicide case, but it's a good way to leave San Francisco for a bit.

An apparently simple case has its root in the small town way of living, and with the murder of a young boy who has never had a chance in his life to be happy. It's strange, but even if Donnie is already dead when the reader meets him, he is one of the most interesting characters of this second book; I found myself wondering how his life could be if someone cared enough for him to give him a friendly hand. Donnie asked in every possible way help, but no one seemed to hear his call if not Carl, the one man that now is framed with his murder. I was already liking the book, even if I had the idea for it to be very sad, when the book took a suddenly, but well welcomed, turn with Tom's reappearing on the scene: even if Tom's mind said goodbye to Stanley, his body has other idea and it craves Stanley. And so Tom arrives to rescue Stanley and to stake his claim on the man. All right, Tom is straight, but he wants Stanley, and the things are obvious for him: there is no much to say, it's time to act.

Again I like Tom's character, he is "straight" (pun intended): he is probably not a man used to mourn a lot on his mind, he thinks and reacts, he is plain in his behaviour as in his feelings. Stanley on the other hand is a man in love, and he is willing to face and suffer everything to be with the man he loves; when Tom changes his mind, Stanley doesn't hesitate a minute to welcome him again in his life, and it's very sweet reading when he attempts to look into Tom's intentions without letting go that he is doing so.

Again Victor J. Banis wrote a real good book where plot and characters mend in a perfect way.

http://www.mlrpress.com/ShowBook.php?book=DEADLYWR

Buy at 1 Romance Ebooks

Amazon: Deadly Wrong

Amazon Kindle: Deadly Wrong

Series: Deadly Mystery:
1) Deadly Nightshade: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/498531.html
2) Deadly Wrong

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Comments

tempting

[(Anonymous)]

I think I will like this book. Your review told me just enough about the characters and subject of story to make me want more, but you did not give away any secrets of the book. Yours is the best kind of review, in my opinion.

Thank you,
Jardonn Smith

Re: tempting

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

It's always difficult to write something on a mystery, you haven't to give up the story. So usually I focus on the characters ;-) Elisa