Emery Hazard is trying to plan his wedding, even though his fiancé, John-Henry Somerset, isn’t exactly making things easy for him. To be fair, Somers has been distracted lately; his father is running for mayor in a hotly contested election, and their hometown is splintering under the weight of divisive politics.In a matter of hours, those poisonous politics invade Hazard’s life in a way he … way he couldn’t have imagined. Glenn Somerset, Somers’s father, shows up on their doorstep, and he wants two things: first, for Hazard to neutralize a blackmail threat; and second, for Somers temporarily to move out of the house he shares with Hazard, part of public relations stunt to win the election. To Hazard’s shock, Somers agrees.
Determined to lose himself in his work, Hazard takes on a missing person’s case, but his investigation only leads him deeper into the tangled web of small-town politics. To find the truth, he must face off with the viciously rich who rule Wahredua—and with the poor, desperate, and marginalized, who fight just as viciously in their own way.
When Hazard’s investigation uncovers a murder, he is forced to work with Somers to bring the killer to justice, despite their fractured relationship. But the sudden news that Hazard’s father is failing fast threatens to put an untimely end to the case—and, in doing so, jeopardize Somers’s last-ditch effort to repair his relationship with his own father.
The killer, though, has an accelerating timeline, and in a world of wayward children, every relationship is fraught with hidden dangers.
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To solve a murder (an audio review)
I am relatively new to the whole Hazard and Somerset pairing, and I’m pretty sure John-Henry’s father has been in previous books. Well, frankly, I don’t like the guy. He’s running for mayor and is convinced he’ll only win if his gay son moves out of the home he shares with his gay lover. I understood why John-Henry moved out, but it took him down a notch or two in my estimation. In Emery Hazard’s as well. There’s more going on than he knows about, but he also knows he doesn’t function well without his other half. Then rumours start that John-Henry is getting back together with his ex-wife and all hell breaks loose. I also have to say there’s a lot of dysfunction in the relationship and it breaks my heart how often the men hurt each other – whether intentionally or not.
Oh yeah, and the men are still working. Somerset’s father has asked Emery to look into a case of blackmail – an interesting backdrop to the real mystery. Emery is approached by a woman who wants him to track down her sister. The wayward sister. The irresponsible sister. This responsible woman and her parents have cared for the errant sister’s daughter for years – through the woman’ flights of fancy – but now that the woman appears gone for good, the ne’er do well father of the child has taken custody. And isn’t he just a piece of work. Between him and his parents, I really did wonder for the little girl’s safety.
But as missing person turns to a murder investigation, Hazard needs Somerset the cop. And as Somerset is a step behind, he needs Hazard the PI. So the men are forced to work together and, to top it off, there are political machinations at the office as well. Add to that the fact Hazard’s father is dying, and the men have a lot going on.
I enjoyed this book. I was surprised at the end to see who the real killer was. That always ranks high in my estimation. Tristan James did a brilliant job narrating the story – as he has with the entire series. There’s one more book to go when all will be revealed – I can’t wait.
This novel made me so emotional. Oh, the angst! I loved it. The author combined well written mystery with a very emotional relationship between two COMPLICATED men. There is so much between them that is still unuttered which just proves that saying I love you is only the beginning of the long road that is called happy ever after.
As always the mystery and its subsequent solution was superb, the side characters were the additional level of emotional intensity and John and Emery proved again that their bond can conquer all – town gossip, family troubles and personal strife. I enjoyed this book more than the others. Well done!
A Union of Swords continues, and Wayward is probably my favorite of this arc. (Have I said that about every other book so far? Probably. But as it currently stands, Wayward, final answer!) Ashe whips together a plot of loss and heartache, blackmail and murder, politics and small-town happenings, in such a way as it appears effortless, which speaks volumes to his writing prowess.
Much like the Hazard and Somerset titles to come before, our intrepid PI and detective are always working on their relationship, which in this title, feels like one step forward and two steps back. Somers’ father makes a last ditch effort to win his race to become Wahredua’s mayor and cashes in on a favor: he has Somers move out of the house he shares with Hazard. Because if Somers appears to be “less gay,” and if the rumors are anything to go by, thinking of getting back together with his ex-wife, then Glennworth might be able to steal the votes of the Ozark Volunteers—the city’s notoriously racist and homophobic militia. The move, unsurprisingly, crushes Hazard, and he’s hardly able to be upset over Somers’ decision because Glennworth has hired him to take care of a blackmail issue at the same time the police department is looking into a missing person turned murder victim and Hazard’s expertise are once again called in.
Can the situation get much worse? Sure. Hazard’s father’s health is on the drastic decline and he’s dying in the hospital.
I absolutely loved the twists and turns of this mystery. All of the characters involved in the story of the missing woman were fully developed, with compelling motives, backstories, and alibis, and how Ashe managed to draw this out while not losing the emotional gravity of Glennworth’s disgusting dealings and the impending loss in Hazard’s life—a man who he’s had a very troubled relationship with since childhood—is needless to say, impressive. And for me, the whodunit at the conclusion of the story, both of the murder and the story behind the blackmail? Awesome. Loved it.
And now we move onto unveiling who the Keeper of Bees is! You must pick up the second arc if you haven’t yet done so.
While this one was not my favorite, it was still a solid 5 star read. The others I would just put over 5 stars. First, Hazard & Somers find themselves in a tough spot and spend some time apart, like not broken up, but it causes so real rifts between the two. The mystery this time while still really interesting, I could pick it out right away, last book I guessed, but it was not as noticeable. This one was kind of like a soap opera. But you get everything in this book, all the feels as well as the different dynamics between all the characters. I am obsessed any time Evie is in the books especially while interacting with Hazard, melts your heart. By the end of this, I wanted to give Hazard the biggest hug and just help him so much. I know this series is leading up to something nuts in the next one, and so it was kind of nice of Greg to give us a bit of a reprieve from the super intense cases. Tristan James on the audio was fantastic, and I cannot wait to continue.
Another evolution in the relationship of Hazard and Somerset. Just when you get so angry at them for missing the point to one another, they pull it together. Oh, and solve a murder or two.