Pretty Pretty Boys cover art

Pretty Pretty Boys

Hazard and Somerset Mystery Series, Book 1

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Pretty Pretty Boys

By: Gregory Ashe
Narrated by: Tristan James
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About this listen

After Emery Hazard loses his job as a detective in Saint Louis, he heads back to his hometown - and to the local police force there. Home, though, brings no happy memories, and the ghosts of old pain are very much alive in Wahredua. Hazard's new partner, John-Henry Somerset, had been one of the worst tormentors, and Hazard still wonders what Somerset's role was in the death of Jeff Langham, Hazard's first boyfriend.

When a severely burned body is discovered, Hazard finds himself drawn deeper into the case than he expects. Determining the identity of the dead man proves impossible, and solving the murder grows more and more unlikely. But as the city's only gay police officer, Hazard is placed at the center of a growing battle between powerful political forces. To his surprise, Hazard finds an unlikely ally in his partner, the former bully. And as they spend more time together, something starts to happen between them, something that Hazard can't - and doesn't want - to explain.

The discovery of a second mutilated corpse, though, reveals clues that the two murders are linked, and as Hazard gets closer to answers, he uncovers a conspiracy of murder and betrayal that goes deeper - and closer to home - than he could ever expect.

©2017 Gregory Ashe (P)2018 Tantor Literature & Fiction Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Police Procedural Romance Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Murder Crime

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All stars
Most relevant
In revisiting this very first novel featuring Hazard and Somers, you can compare and contrast with what follows. There's a suitably knotty case but that has to fit around introducing the principal characters and their milieu. Of course, we don't learn everything about them. Gregory Ashe's characters are way too complex for that. He does well in establishing them both, Hazard especially. There's enough to intrigue, to lead you on, to wish you could fill in the gaps. Sixteen books on and they're still mysteries on some level.

Tristan James is equally finding his way. Although he has voices for the main characters, they're not second nature to him as they are in later books. Occasionally, it's not clear who's speaking but that soon resolves itself.

Setting the scene

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Thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook.
Straight on to buying next in series.
Some reviews say it was a little slow but i think its supposed to be... First in the series, setting the tone, backgrounds of characters which moving forward will be important. Give this a go!

Pretty Pretty Boys!

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The first warning sign was the cop’s name — Hazard. The second— overly dramatic descriptions. The topic of bullying is interesting and relatable, yet the emotional reactions to seeing and interacting with the old bully/crush are described quite sloppily, giving an impression that “Hazard” never matured past teenage years. Both cops are of course cover models too. It could have been such a great book, but alas.
The town is a nightmarish simulation. Everybody is cartoonish— the supremacists, the social justice warriors, the gays etc. Not a single realistic person. I too came from a religious community — humanity is much more complicated than this. The pain of being loved but not accepted; the pain of seeing evil in someone who seems so normal etc..

Here, people are either flirting with the cops (a paramedic trying to set H up with her brother during an emergency), being moustache twirling villains or dishing out social lectures. The author tried to add nuance, while simultaneously making his characters explain themselves ad nauseam just so they wouldn’t offend anyone. The story suffers, and the interesting premise gets lost under piles of nonsense.

Tedious and unrealistic

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I struggled with this books narration. He sounded very muck like an AI to me. I found the storyline a little disjointed, mainly because, at times, the voice could not fully hold my attention. It's not bad but I've listened to better.

Mildly engaging

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This is a book I love to read myself and now it is so nice to hear it read by a voice that is perfect for the job.

Read several times

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