In the first full-length novel of the Boystown series, it’s late summer 1982 and private detective Nick Nowak is asked to find a retired gentleman’s long lost lover. Instead, he finds himself embroiled in a decades old murder connected to the man who wants tobe Chicago’s next mayor. Meanwhile, an ambitious young reporter develops a friendship with Nick’s lover Bert, making Nick wonder exactly … where their relationship may be heading.
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A Time for Secrets is the fourth book in the Boystown series, a 1980s mystery/thriller series that follows the life of Nick Nowak, a former cop turned private detective. This series is best read in order to understand all the intricacies of the plot and character development.
Nick Nowak has not only captured my attention but also my heart. This is a flawed man who’s stubbornly making his way through a world that is hostile towards him and his boyfriend. While Bert comes to terms with his illness, a deadly mystery becomes Nick’s next case. This summary does not do justice because I’m not sure how I can convey exactly how much I love this book. Marshall Thornton is a talented writer who expertly writes about tough emotions with a keen eye, and keep the story entertaining and addictive. There were moments where my heart felt like it was breaking, but then it was pieced back together by tender moments. I know that there will be further heartache in the series, but there will also be redemption, humor, mystery, action, and amazing sex scenes. All in all, this is a fantastic series.
Listening to the Boystown Book Four 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! This work titled ‘A Time For Secrets’, is the first of the full-length Boystown books of the series. It’s 1982 and Nick’s detective boyfriend Bertram Edgar Harker is horrendously sick. He gets a diagnosis that rocks them both. In the meantime, P. I. Nowak is approached by the very man whose potato-throwing may have saved him and his boyfriend’s lives during the gay-bashing incident that ultimately cost him his career with the Chicago Police Department. The man wants Nick to locate a friend he had back in the late 50s. Harker busies himself reconstructing the MurderBook for tracking a serial killer known as the BugHouse slasher as a distraction from being too sick to continue to work for the department. Addition diversion occurs in the form of a handsome young gay reporter who wants to do a story on the murderer. The entire series allows us to 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 addition to being incredibly entertaining, the Boystown books highlight how much progress has been made by the LGBTQ+ community and yet it underscores what work has yet to be accomplished.
These books follow a private detective called Nick Nowak, set in the 1980s it follows his career, once a policeman and his love life. These are great short stories that all mingle and somethings are sad.
It’s great remembering the things we did in the 80s. Great series.