Emery Hazard and his partner, John-Henry Somerset, have solved their first case together. The brutal murders that rocked the quiet town of Wahredua have been put to rest. Hazard, however, finds his life has only grown more complicated as he adjusts to his new home. Living with Somers, whom he has been drawn to since high school, makes ‘complicated’ the understatement of the year.The turmoil of … turmoil of living together spills over when Hazard and Somers find themselves trapped by the weather in an old mansion and, against Hazard’s better judgment, sharing a bed. Strictly as friends, of course. Just when things can’t get any more confusing, the next morning brings a worsening storm–and a murder.
Cut off from the outside world, Hazard and Somers must face a clever, determined killer who is hiding among the mansion’s guests. Without backup, they can only rely on their wits–and on each other–to survive. And as the snow falls and the mansion’s guests continue to die one by one, solving the string of murders becomes secondary. First, Hazard and Somers have to survive.
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All right. This book was awesome. It was an absolutely wonderful nod to traditional murder mysteries and a very clever spin on the dinner theatre murder mystery gone horribly wrong. A perfect blend of serious emotional growth (or de-growth?) between Hazard and Somerset in private, while they handled a mystery that was lighter in tone after the intensity of Pretty Pretty Boys.
The story begins with our detective partners, Emery Hazard and John-Henry Somerset, answering a complaint about gunfire over the Thanksgiving holiday. Not because they should be working, but because Somers had volunteered them to. And perhaps it’s not obvious to Hazard, but to the reader, we know he did this to keep Hazard away from his boyfriend Nico. Somers can spin this any which way he wants, but the reality is, he’s a man going through a very rough situation with his wife. A child is involved. And there’s a very long, complicated history between him and Hazard that includes poor teenage choices, bullying, and budding sexuality.
Somers doesn’t approve of Nico. He doesn’t like Nico. And frankly, he’s jealous of Nico. But he won’t say this out loud, or even admit it to himself. And Hazard, a man who is very factual, analytical, and a bit removed from his own emotions and reading those of others, doesn’t put two and two together soon enough to realize why there’s a wedge between them. So they’re already on rocky grounds before they reach Windsor estate— and when they stumble across a group of white collar sorts from Strong, Matley, Gross crying about a murder while on a company retreat? All hell breaks loose.
Transposition is such a wonderfully delightful whodunit. It features a cast of suspects as devious as characters in Clue, all with believable motives, a wonderful use of red herrings, and a gentle incline of danger that reaches a pinnacle which left me breathless for nearly an entire chapter. It also employs a fantastic use of trapping the leading characters in a dangerous location they cannot feasibly leave— in this case, an out-of-the-way Victorian estate cut off from the city of Wahredua after a bridge goes out, and an absolutely impassible winter storm.
Ashe once again shines with his prose in this second book of the Hazard & Somerset series, delivering such gritty and brutal emotions to the reader that I felt scraped raw by the end. I am head over heels in love with these books because Ashe truly understands the impact of his word choices, and how to create absolute poetry in their selection. He lays bare a multitude of issues Hazard and Somers have to work through, not only with each other, but themselves. And I personally am grateful they didn’t end up romantically involved by the end because they’re simply not ready. Sure, I’m not crazy about Nico. I know he’s not right for Hazard, and that Hazard isn’t happy with them, and likewise with Somers and his wife, but I value an author who portrays humanity at its most vulnerable, frustrating, and bullheaded because the connection I have to the characters is so much more profoundly real.
I cannot recommend this series enough. New readers are in for quite the ride.
This was a rather well done fast paced mystery. It reminded me of either Sittaford Mystery or Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie in a way. When everybody is unable to leave, lies and omissions keep piling up and danger is lurking at all corners. I love when the mystery gets solved on wits alone without police resources – it makes it all the better for me. The name of the novel hit me after I finished it. The play of words is rather clever.
As for Hazard and Somerset, well, these two can’t really talk to each other unless they are in mortal danger, half dead or very drunk. It does not bode well for their romantic aspirations. As partners they work slightly better by bickering and insulting each other. Half the time I found it amusing and other half it irritated me to no end. That said I wonder if there is a purpose to them hurting each other so badly. I do know that for them simply talking it out will not work.
I liked the book (intensity, fast pace, mystery, the characters) but for two things:
1. Somerset and his wife. Why?
2. Hazard and Nico. *major pet peeve* *sigh*
***4.5***
“Somers didn’t do anything but walk away with that goddamn smirk burning like a very long fuse on a very big bomb.”
Okay Gregory Ashe, I see you and raise you comfy lounge pants, bunny slippers, oversized sleeping T, salt & vinegar chips, and Cheerwine soda. I’ll wait you out.
Pretty Pretty Boys covered from October 24th [date of Hazard’s first day at work for the Wahredua P.D., after having been gone from his hometown for fifteen (15) years] to November 2nd. Book two, Transposition, hurtles us all the way to November 21st, on the eve of Thanksgiving. Hazard and Somers have settled into being roommates and partners at work. On the surface everything is spiffy, mostly because they’re men and avoid speaking about anything of substance. Not surprising. I know quite a few guys in RL like this. Super annoying, but true to life.
Almost at the end of the day they get a call which causes them to be sequestered in a mansion with a killer(s), and no escape due to a paralyzing storm. It’s a sort of a ‘locked-room’ mystery, with interesting twists and turns, some of which may be obvious to the avid mystery reader or not, but overall fairly well executed. However the purpose of this tale is to move along the Somers & Hazard’s uphill relationship, one weighed down by their individual and shared histories.
Can I say right now how much I love John-Henry Somerset, and that your enjoyment of this will hinge on your tolerance of grade A a**holes, dicks, and general douches, by which of course I mean Emery Hazard? I understand where he’s coming from, I do. As a matter of survival he’s had to create a hard emotional shell to go along with his physical toughness, that who and what Somers was during their adolescence isn’t something easily forgotten, sloughed off or set aside, but still … let’s just say that I wasn’t entirely sorry for what happened in the basement. *shrug*
As a recap for those who may be tuning in now, these can’t/shouldn’t be read as standalones. They’re a separate case per book, but there’s an overarching mystery/case and Somers & Hazard’s relationship running throughout.
I’m not going for 5 stars because I wanted to smack Hazard one too many times, and his attitudes sometimes belied his vaunted reputation as an excellent detective. In fact, sometimes, his pigheadedness ruined perfect investigative avenues.
Gregory Ashe knows how to write a good mystery that’ll leave you guessing. I can never tell where he is going next. John-Henry is such a hot mess. Still in the slowest of slow burns. Tristan James’s voice is perfection. Whenever I hear him in other books I think of Emery and John-Henry.
Loved this one even more than the last! Of course Hazard and Somerset spend Thanksgiving together stranded at a murder housebut seriously it was actually a crazy time. Then it had some sweet moments in there and funny moments. Ree and Somers are vastly becoming my favorite!! Can’t wait for the next one.
Hazard and Somerset are in a strange place in their relationship. They’re professional partners, roommates, and near-lovers. They’ve been through traumatic situations that have forced them to depend on each other to save their lives, and yet they can’t get over that hurdle that’s preventing them from moving their relationship from just-friends to romance. So it’s not ideal that with all this emotional baggage, Hazard and Somerset find themselves stranded in a mansion with a resentful group of coworkers acting out a murder mystery role play. It’s bad enough there’s a blizzard going on, and it’s bad enough Hazard and Somerset have to interact with the other residents in the mansion, but when the murders go from acting to reality, that’s when things really start to spiral out of control.
The plot was a classic who-done-it mystery, but the execution of it was intriguing and fun. I love Somerset and Hazard and their relationship. I’m okay with the sexual tension and slow burn because it fits the story and the characters. I’m willing to wait for characters to get together if the author can make the journey to that eventual get together interesting and exciting. Gregory Ashe does a wonderful job with this slow burn and I can’t wait to read the next book to see how Somerset and Hazard’s relationship continues to develop. Overall, this was an amazing book and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Hazard and Somers deal with death and raw emotions.
The second novel in the Hazard and Somerset mystery series is exceptionally well written; the setting well-constructed in that the ancient homestead known as Windsor, a larger-than-life mansion replete with “turrets and towers, a sharply pitched roof with a row of dormers, skinny windows of leaded glass” reaching skyward and “clutching at the moon with black fingers like a castle built on a distant cliff’ — is as deftly drawn as the many characters themselves, each holding their own in such a tightly compact, limited setting covering just over five days — which makes crafting such a complicated, multi-layered “who done it” mystery challenging at best to keep the reader not only engaged and on the edge of their seat, but also determined to solve the mystery themselves before the last words wrought out. Yet what really shines through for me, in this second novel of the series is the widening relationship between both All-American pretty boy, John-Henry Somerset, and the self-depreciating, chip-on-his-huge-shoulders, Emery Hazard. Their time spent together a free-wheeling killer while hold up in such tight quarters during a monstrous snowstorm, under dire circumstances works to bring the men closer together, both mentally and figuratively; layer upon layer of their decades-old, complicated relationship slowly peeling back throughout the chapters while facing almost impossible odds at every turn, with each having to count on their personal strength and skill – and each other — to make it through the harrowing situation still as partners in crime – but alive as well.
A solid, well-conceived follow-up to Pretty Pretty Boys.Pretty Pretty Boys (Hazard and Somerset Book 1)