Finalist for the Lambda Award in Gay Mystery, Boystown: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries takes place in Chicago during the early 1980s. Haunted by his abrupt departure from the Chicago Police Department and the end of his relationship with librarian Daniel Laverty, Nick Nowak is a beat cop-turned-dogged private investigator. In this first book of the series, Nick works through three cases: a seemingly … seemingly simple missing persons search, an arson investigation, and a suicide that turns out to be anything but. While working the cases, Nick moves through a series of casual relationships until he meets homicide detective Bert Harker and begins a tentative relationship.
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Marshall Thornton is a new to me author, recommended to me a friend. *I listened to the Audiobook*
Nick is a P.I. in the 80s Chicago. There are 3 different stories in this Audiobook. In the first one Nick gets a mysterious phone call asking him to find a missing person but, things don’t add up as he starts looking into the case. In the second one Nick has a side job as a bouncer at a bar & when it burns down his boss asks him to find out who did it. In the Third story Nick goes undercover because a woman believes her son was killed. He finds out that there’s more to the story than meets the eye…
I really love these stories, he did a great job of bringing the 80s P.I. to life & Brad Langer’s voice is perfect for Nick!!!!
Great writer of a great series. Main character grows and changes with the times. If the sex bothers you skip it. That’s one of the points of the series, what kind of sex you have and who with is no indication of character it’s how you deal with lifes changes and your treatment of other people.
The first thing you should know is that Boystown is not a romance. The second thing you should know is that Nick Nowak, the main character, is a hard man with many flaws. And third, this book deals with many issues and subject matters that can also be possibly triggering for some people.
Set in the early 1980s Chicago, Nick Nowak is a former cop who was unofficially kicked off the force when he was outed as gay. Now he works as private investigator, alienated from his former friends and family, and finding brief moments of pleasure in casual one night stands. Nick is a hard man to like at times – he’s self-centered, emotionally constipated, and bullheaded, yet despite his attempts, he’s also unsuspectedly compassionate and tender. This dichotomy makes Nick a fascinating character which only emphasizes the depth of the trauma he experienced in previous years.
This book is composed of three different novellas each featuring one case. The novellas are full of action, thrills, and sex, with a mystery that is solved by the end. However, each novella builds on the series plot. These plots are fascinating and completely enthralling – I was completely captivated. I also loved Marshall Thronton’s writing. He is a new-to-me author, but I can see why he was a finalist for the Lambda Awards.
The audiobook was narrated by Brad Langer who does a wonderful job. Nick Nowak is such a dynamic and complicated character, and Brad was able to bring him to life with all the right nuances and energy. The performance was well done and I found it engaging and thrilling without being over the top. The audiobook production sounded extremely professional and it made for a great listening experience.
Marshall Thornton has written many interesting books but boy did the man take me to school with his Boystown series! Listening to the Boystown Book One audiobook, beautifully narrated by Brad Langer, I was left shaken and felt absolutely clueless about the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in the times (the late 70s to mid-80s) when I was a young adult! Book One contains three novellas that follow one behind the other within the series’ timeline. In the books, we follow the life of Private Investigator Nick Nowak who was outed as a result of a gay-bashing incident, and his professional and personal growth over the course of six years. In the first novella, ‘Little Boy Found’, Nick is charged with finding the young lover who’s currently living in Chicago but his ambivalence causes him to be extra vigilant on the case. In ‘Little Boy Burned’, the club where Nick serves as the doorman is set ablaze with an employee inside who’s badly burned, and the club’s owner is thought to be the culprit. Nick’s investigative skills are crucial in finding the perpetrator. With the last novella, ‘Little Boy Fallen’, P. I. Nowak seeks to provide a mother proof of her son’s suicide only to become more and more certain foul play was involved. In addition to being incredibly entertaining, the series highlights how much progress has been made by the LGBTQ+ community and yet it underscores what work has yet to be accomplished.
A really good read/listen to.
Not my normal sort of book, but it was so good.
A PI working in Chicago, this is 3 stories in one but all linked. Great writing and well narrated. Can’t wait for the next lot.
This is the first I’ve read/listened to of this author’s stories. I wasn’t quite sure what these stories were going to be. I was pleasantly surprised. The short stories held my attention all the way through. The author has been able to really put a lot of background and story details in a small amount of time. These stories required my attention to see how the mystery would play out. I enjoy how the author finishes each with a answer different than I expected. The casual sex is also more than a little hot. I have to believe Nick is such a manwhore because he really wants his ex back but doesn’t know how to handle it. I really feel the size of the stories are good because I can enjoy the time it takes to listen to one without being tied to the same story for days. Nick’s story is an ongoing part but each case has an ending. The Brad Langer is the perfect narrator for these stories. His voice fits with the different situations throughout the book.
The first story explains a lot about Nick Nowak. Why he quit the Chicago Police force. His attitude. His current lifestyle. His relationship or lack of, with Daniel. Besides being a P.I. Nick also works part time at the Paradise bar as a bouncer. This story is also about Nick’s case finding a “missing person”, Brian who isn’t missing but who doesn’t want to be found. This to me was my introduction to Marshall Thornton’s stories. It is set in the 1980’s. It has that classic P.I. feeling. The set is realistic. People tend to forget this is before aids and safe sex didn’t mean what it does today.
The second story, Little Boy Burned.
A fire burns down the Paradise and Nick has to clear the owner Davey. The relationships are made clearer. The twists lead you to and away from the person responsible for the fire. Nick’s sex life does not suffer throughout this story.
Third story Little Boy Fallen
Lenny’s mom doesn’t believe he committed suicide and hires Nick to find out the truth. Nick is faced with his uncle when he goes to the station for information. Nick is getting mixed signals on Lenny’s state of mind from his mom and others. Nick goes undercover. Nick is also reminded of his ex and he gets melancholy. He is remembering before he met Daniel and the first time he saw Daniel. Nick wasn’t out yet then he and Daniel got together and got an apartment. Nick actually breaks down and calls Daniel. Daniel had needed cheekbone reconstruction. Nick remembers what had happened the night Daniel got hurt. Nick is still bed hopping but in a non serious way. His sleeping with Ross continues.