From award-winning male/male author Josh Lanyon: a librarian finds himself in a plot right out of one of his favorite mystery novelsLibrarian Carter Matheson is determined to enjoy himself on a Scottish bus tour for fans of mystery author Dame Vanessa Rayburn. Sure, his ex, Trevor, will also be on the trip with his new boyfriend, leaving Carter to share a room with a stranger, but he can’t pass … but he can’t pass up a chance to meet his favorite author.
Carter’s roommate turns out to be John Knight, a figure as mysterious as any character from Vanessa’s books. His strange affect and nighttime wanderings make Carter suspicious. When a fellow traveler’s death sparks rumors of foul play, Carter is left wondering if there’s anyone on the tour he can trust.
Drawn into the intrigue, Carter searches for answers, trying to fend off his growing attraction toward John. But as unexplained tragedies continue, the whole tour must face the fact that there may be a murderer in their midst—but who?
This book is approximately 60,000 words
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
Carina Press acknowledges the editorial services of Deborah Nemeth
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Before I start this review, I simply must get this off my chest. A bus tour. What a god awful way to see Scotland for the first time. Stuck on a bus with snoring passengers only able to watch the gorgeous scenery roll by with no chance to get out and truly enjoy it. Please, I beseech you, do not choose this method for seeing Scotland. It’s too beautiful to be seen behind the windows of a tour bus. Also, Carter made a terrible decision on his dinner selection when he picked lamb over fish pie. No one makes a fish pie like the Scots. No one!
Okay, now that that is over with, time for a book review. Murder Takes the High Road is a typical Josh Lanyon mystery with a Scottish setting, a lover-done-wrong librarian (Carter Matheson), and a supporting cast of weirdos, book lovers, and cranky tourists who are thrown together on a tour of the sites in the collective writings of their favorite author, Vanessa Rayburn. The tour is going well until
Carter’s room gets ransacked and a tour member dies suspiciously in her sleep. With his roommate pulling a nightly disappearing act and the tour manager acting suspiciously, Carter is pressured to figure out what’s going. In Lanyon’s usual fashion, murder and mayhem escalate as the story progresses, leaving readers to guess who is behind the crimes.
I liked Carter. Though his initial reason for going on the trip was rather bitter and angry, he is very likable and sweet. The relationship he develops with another member of the tour happened fairly quickly – it wasn’t quite my much loathed insta-love, but it was rapid. However, I felt that in the circumstances it was believable and likely. The story held enough mystery and intrigue to keep me guessing as to the who-done-it, and the ending was a bit fast, but well thought out. Overall, it was a quick, enjoyable read, and exactly what I have come to expect from Josh Lanyon.
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Josh’s mysteries are always a treat and this one was no exception. Scotland, an old haunted castle, and a sweet, steamy love story to boot. What more could you want?
I always enjoy Josh Lanyon’s writing: he creates endearing characters and he creates world’s and relationships that feel real. His stories are always entertaining page turners and he has a number of series. I really liked this new original character and enjoyed the travel scenario (having been on a number of bus tourist trips in Europe and elsewhere) so I’m hoping this book may also evolve into a series. There is always m/m romance in Josh’s books, but there is also always interesting mysteries that need to be solved with enough suspense, twists, and h/c to keep things interesting.
I can’t even believe how much I loved Murder Takes the High Road. I really do love everything Josh Lanyon writes, but this was truly spectacular.
The mystery was completely original and kept me guessing through the end.
The romance was sweet, and quaint, and totally hot – and worked 100% of the time.
And the ENDING was wonderful.
Lanyon fans will be right pleased and if you haven’t had the pleasure of one of my all time favorite authors, this is the perfect book with which to start!
Regarding the audio version, Gary Furlong was perfect. He had some challenging accents to deal with in this one and handled them well. I’ll definitely look for him again.
Murder Takes The High Road by Josh Lanyon
Reading this book I believed that the author was a guy…it seemed to feel like a sensitive male author writing a somewhat cozy feeling murder-mystery-romance set on a bus tour in Scotland. I didn’t realize till the end of the book, after reading the author’s bio at the end, that the author is a female. That said…I really did enjoy reading this new-to-me author and would gladly read more of her work in the future.
Why would I read more? Because she engaged me in the mystery but even more, she had me invested in the characters of Carter and John. They were so good together, put a smile on one another’s faces and made me smile, too. I was rooting for their romance to flourish and hoping that it would go beyond the limited time of the bus tour.
As this was a tour to see Scottish sights…and sites where an author managed to murder characters in her books…it was a bit of a travelogue but as I traveled with the group I got to know the people on the bus and a bit more about a country I would like to visit someday.
As with many groups that are gathered together but do not know one another beforehand they have to find their way as a group with each person finding where they fit on the team. There was a comedian, a complainer or two, a loudmouth, a leader or two, a conspiracy theorist and…well….a few others, too.
What I liked:
* The dialogue between Carter and John
* The mystery of John’s night walks
* The mystery of why people were disappearing
* The information that made me go look to see if Dame Vanessa Rayburn was a real person or not (the fact she was a murderer reminded me of another author who writes murder mysteries)
* The way Vanessa’s books were referred to as if they really existed
* The interactions between those on the tour
* The romance between Carter and John
What I didn’t like:
* The people meant to be disliked and some of the things they said and did.
Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more books by this author? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review
4 Stars
Want to get away from it all? How about a tour of haunted Scotland?
Trouble is, one or more of your fellow passengers may just be a murderer. Oh, and there’s your ex and his new boyfriend. And your roommate for the trip, who clearly is not who he claims to be.
The characters are, as always, deftly and humorously drawn by Lanyon. The plot is original, and the place descriptions are vivid. A superb mini-vacation.
This book has become one of my permanent top ten favorite books. It was a definite page turner that I couldn’t put down.
This book was like taking a trip through Scotland! Informative and romantic with a strong sense of mystery. Really enjoyed it!
Josh Lanyon is a favorite, if not my very favorite gay/MM author, so my opinion reflects my personal bias. “Murder Takes the High Road” is a fun mystery featuring Scotland as the backdrop and a tour bus filled with mystery writer Dame Vanessa Rayburn fans stopping at locations featured in her stories. The main character is librarian Carter Matheson, who, although very much a fan of Dame Rayburn booked the trip as a gift for his then live in partner Trevor who unfortunately found his true love several months earlier. Carter has refused to gift his ticket to Trevor’s new boyfriend and has committed to taking part of the tour despite the shade and drama an ex and his new boyfriend throw his way. In the tradition of 19 and 20th century British mysteries, the story has murder, redirects, humor, wit, secrets, inquisitive protagonist, and circle of suspects. “Murder Takes the High Road” also has its dollop of romance via Carter’s unexpected roommate who is a bit of a mystery as well. Carter doesn’t quite believe he is who he says he is but there’s an undeniable attraction.
For me, Josh Lanyon is that bit of effervescence needed to lift me out my ‘everything is going to hell in a hand basket’ state of mind because the stories are well written and incorporate the author’s trademark wit. It’s not mindless fluff because I’m always amazed by the author’s insights into emotional behavior and motives – the tick in the character that as a reader I find so relatable and also the intricacy of the characters relating to each other while driving the story to its conclusion.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Sarah –
This is the story of Carter, an American librarian who joins a coach tour around Scotland with a group of murder mystery superfans. After a lengthy tour, the group finds itself enmeshed in a real life crime story and ultimately stranded in a castle together during a fierce storm.
Carter is a bland but likeable main character. He quickly finds himself caught between a jealous ex and an attractive – if slightly suspicious – roommate. The book is full of relationship dramas and a little bit of insta-love. I liked Carter’s amateur sleuthing, but he feels much older than mid-thirties and I’m not sure we ever really understand why all of the men on the tour seem slightly obsessed with him.
While Carter’s observations of his American travelling companions are entertaining, his observations of Scotland are tired tourist clichés. The romanticised American view of Scotland in this book deprives the story of the depth and grit of my favourite Scottish mysteries by authors like Ian Rankin and Val McDermid.
As far as mysteries go, this is a relatively gentle ride. The characters are white, middle class and range in age from middle aged to elderly. A few slightly younger gay men are thrown into the mix for some added colour. It’s a slow mystery without any gore and a tiny bit of action and suspense at the very end. Most of the story is about the American tour group’s experiences in Scotland and the actual crime element of the book doesn’t come into play until the final quarter of the story.
This story really didn’t hold my attention very well. The American coach tour is as tedious as it sounds, and the staged Scottish cultural experiences are cringe worthy. The actual mystery is over before it really starts and I didn’t really engage with any of the characters or their relationships.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Murder Takes the High Road by Josh Lanyon to read and review.
I adore Josh Lanyon. I will read anything this author writes. This author has a gift for quirky, original, appealing characters, mystery, and showing not telling, that combines into an absolute delight of a romantic read, with mystery and suspense. Highly recommended.