Customer Reviews

Eye Contact (Mark Manning Series)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I like this series more with each book. Journalist Mark Manning is a likable, thinking man's hero, and his lover, young architect Neil Waite makes an appealing foil. The more Michael Craft developes these characters and their relationship, the more I like his mysteries--although, I gotta say, the religious fanatic thing is getting real old (there ARE other motivations for evil). Mark and Neil talk more than most gay protagonists, and about an interesting variety of topics. Craft has toned down the artificiality which affected characters and dialouge in FLIGHT DREAMS, first book of the series. Craft has plotted a solid mystery this time with plenty of action, and I particularly liked the way he handled the threat which developed in Mark and Neil's relationship (although it was far too easily and unrealistically resolved). I look forward to the next installment.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was fast paced and real. Enough sexual tension and romance coupled with the page turning momentum of a good "who done it". I'm always sensitive to the protrayal of man 2 man relationships, and I feel that Craft does a honorable job in this regard. It will bring out all the emotions, arousal, curiousity, humor, and passion.

Another wonderful work from Michael Craft! I read it in less than 48 hours, not because I wanted to quickly finish it, but because I found it so damned intriguing. Once again I was drawn into Mannning's character and psyche. Craft has portrayed a serious, intelligent, charming - and yes - flawed human being anyone would want to have as a friend.

A great find for anyone who enjoys a fast-paced mystery replete with shady characters, big city power brokers and everyday people.

This is really the perfect set-up for an gay amateur sleuth series. Mark Manning is a prize-winning journalist who has recently come to terms with his sexuality (right before his mid-life crisis). Book two is a stronger novel in many ways from the first book of the series. It's less arty-farty and more focused on the mystery. All to the good. I'm getting tired of the perennial Roxanne (in real life this woman would be a pest), and I would like to see her the victim in the next novel (no such luck). I thought the final wrap up was a little too fast and too sketchy: and-we-all-lived-happily-ever-after was the feeling I got. I expected some explantion, some fallout for Manning's behavior. It would have provided depth to what feels like a symbolic relationship (instead of a real one). Not bad though--and with a little editorial direction, this could be a great series.

It has been two years since Chicago Tribune reporter Mark Manning came out of the closet to admit in print that he is gay and living with his lover, architect Neil Waite. The pair is committed to each other and their careers. Mark is working with David Bach, a cub reporter, on a potentially prize winning story. However, David hero worships wants Mark and wants him as his lover. This situation places Mark's personal relationship with Neil at risk.

Although their relationship becomes strained and severely tested, Mark expects his lover to understand that he is not perfect. Meanwhile, the story that Mark and David are covering centered on a conspiracy involving the Millennium 2000 celebration turns deadly. In some manner, a phony astrophysicist, a dead reporter, and a Christian fundamentalist are tied together. It is up to Mark to learn what binds these people together before the country is dramatically changed.

EYE CONTACT picks up where FLIGHT DREAMS left off by focusing on the mystery and the growth of the man coming to terms with his sexual preference. The who-done-it is well plotted and interesting, but the beauty of this novel lies in Mark's struggles to understand what makes a relationship work. Michael Craft demonstrates he is an artist as he crafts a beautiful relationship drama that is superior to most on the market today. Harriet Klausner

I quite enjoyed Craft's first Mark Manning novel, "Flight Dreams," but "Eye Contact" is howlingly bad in many places. While the relationship stuff between Manning and lover Neil Waite is still solid and often touching, the author has surrounded these engaging characters with a ludicrous storyline that reveals a stunning ignorance of how newspapers work (just for starters, he has Manning plant an intentionally misleading story on the front page of his major Chicago daily to lay a trap for a bad guy -- and it gets far worse after that). The cartoonish and glaringly obvious villains would have been deemed too over-the-top on the old "Batman" series, and the painfully contrived plot is so mind-bleedingly preposterous that I found myself wondering whether Craft actually was sending up the political thriller genre. Are there two Michael Crafts? I simply can't believe this laughable tripe is from the same guy who craft-ed "Flight Dreams." (Poorly edited, too: On page 36, one character addresses another character by the first character's name.)

The second book of the Mark Manning series establishes Mark and Neil in Chicago and also brings Mark head to head wih temptation. The mystery may require you to "suspend belief" on occasion, but it does not disappoint in being action-packed, suspenseful, and a thoroughly satisfying - even if your ashamed to admit - call to justice for someone.

This is a departure, to some degree, from the first novel. The series takes another turn down the line when Mark & Neil move to Wisconsin.

The cast of characters continues to evolve; they are likeable, relatable, human and you can't help but care about them. This is a thoroughly enjoyable series.

I have read everything he has written that is published and available. Love the books and very well written. It's nice to read a "family" book every so often and these are great!!

In the second novel in this series, Mark Manning, ace reporter, is back with a vengence. This time he's hot on the trail of one Dr. Pavo Zarnick, alleged to have discovered a tenth planet in the earth's solar system. Are there holes in his story, for instance, is he a fraud, and if so, why? As Manning becomes more involved, he gets all caught up in a plot by the religious right-- a group called Christian Family Network-- to do bad things, i.e., the murder of the President of the United States, along with a stadium-full of other people. Manning, himself, finds his own life in danger.

There's never a dull paragraph in this thriller. The action moves quickly and the plot builds to a suspenseful climax. Mr. Manning is as handsome, muscular and as dapper as ever, drinking his Kirs, wearing his button-down shirts and driving his beloved fine automobile. His architect lover Neil is back, along with Roxanne, Manning's attorney friend.

Mr. Craft does not write mysteries where the detective does dry, rather dull problem solving to catch the bad guys. He totally engages the reader, appealing to our sense of justice and fair play, in this instance, in his attack on religious homophobic bigots. Finally, he takes a great risk here in killing off a most sympathetic character. That's gutsy and the mark of a really skilled writer.

The second in the Mark Manning series, Craft tells a tale of political intrigue mixed with religious and sexual overtures. The reader becomes totally engrossed as the story centers around a most sinister plot involving the religious right, the President of the United States, and the cut-throat world of journalism. The story also delves into the main character as he struggles with his sexuality and his relationship with his lover, Neil. This is a must read for all who enjoy vivid storytelling populated with intriguing characters. It is a perfect follow-up the author's first in the series, "Flight Dreams."