Customer Reviews

The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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A wonderful "Haunted House" mystery from Josh Lanyon. It has all the best ingredients: a reputedly haunted old mansion turned into apartments and populated by as colorful an assortment of weird and suspicious characters as you could wish for (except for the two leads, of course: one is a cute artist, the other is a studly ex-Navy SEAL).

The opening is classic: the hero finds a dead body in his bathtub, runs to raise the alarm and when the cluless cops and everyone go to look, it's gone. No one believes him, naturally.There are creaking, dragging noises in the walls at night; a crazy old lady wandering through the house at all hours; a missing stash of stolen jewels; a climactic gun battle, you name it.

The book is also a M/M romance, for those who need to know, one way or the other. Ringing yet another change on the ancient erastes/eromenos theme (both parties are adults, btw), Mr. Lanyon generates as much, if not more, suspense here as he does with the murder mystery. There's also a relevant, cautionary plot element about the risks of pursuing that modern chimera, the internet `"relationship."

Written in Mr. Lanyon's usual master craftsman style, with razor sharp dialog and fun cultural references, the book is a delight to read - and you won't want to put it down until the last body has tumbled out of the closet.

Returning home unexpectedly after being dumped by a man that he met online whom he thought was his forever love, our shy librarian Perry Foster was in no mood for what awaited him in his room, a body in his tub. The dead man disappeared just as quickly when Perry rushed downstairs to get help, and no one believed his story. Since there was no body the Police think he's either a nutcase or drunk. But mild mannered, asthmatic Perry was determined to prove the doubters wrong and find the body as well as the perpetrator of this dastardly deed. He found an ally in an unlikely person, Nick Reno, a former Navy SEAL who, like everyone else, had difficulty believing Perry's story, at first.

The first thing that struck me about this book was its atmosphere. It reminded me of a 1940s film noir with all of the elements that a film buff would expect of the era and the genre - dark, mysterious, shadows everywhere with dubious characters that are sometimes ominous and threatening. The house where everyone lived was the former mansion of a Hollywood celebrity and her husband decades ago, now it is reduced to being a seedy boarding house with a big secret but also poor lighting, bad heating and ventilation, and the landlady from hell. The story is full of quirky characters down on their luck (why else would someone live in a boarding house) all of whom have muddy pasts, their own secrets and possible motives to commit a murder or two. Inside the house where the temperature was almost as frigid as the outdoors, this friendly mob try to stay warm and remain alive as other motives emerge that might tempt their neighbours to commit more dastardly crimes. Greed is such a compelling motivation.

Perry's and Nick's relationship was unique and at times one sided. Nick was moving to another state in a couple of weeks and he did not want to give Perry any hope of a possible future for them, but Perry, the little charmer, had his own plans and I loved the way his character became dominant and manipulative at times and Nick could only go along for the ride. Nick was quite willing to help with the murder investigation but that was as far as he was prepared to go.

Whenever I read a Josh Lanyon murder mystery I pay attention because I want to solve the crime before the end of the book. This author always introduces many characters in his mysteries, any one of whom could be the killer, and false clues abound as he tries to confound his readers and outwit them as they encounter many phony trails that lead nowhere. Usually I'm pretty good at solving mysteries having done so for decades in books, but this time I have to admit that I was almost stumped as I got closer to the end of the story, with few suspects left, when I eventually solved the crime. I could tell you whodunit but I would have to kill you. If possible it is my humble opinion that the author is getting better at constructing his mysteries, and he sucks the readers in by letting them think they have the perpetrator nailed, before he makes fools of us all yet again.

What did I love best about The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks? Always the characters which is where Josh Lanyon excels and he seems to outdo himself with every new story. Perry reminded me of Clark Kent with his mild mannered persona that's smart, clever and stubborn and he seemed to have certain similarities to another famous amateur sleuth in Mr. Lanyon's books, but when he's in full Superman mode he's totally unstoppable. Nick Reno who is his foil in this story and ultimately his love interest, is no match for Perry intellectually or in street smarts, even though he is physically stronger and has the usual attributes of a former Navy SEAL - brave, intrepid and great investigative skills

This book proves once again what a master craftsman this author is in character and plot development. None of the characters was "over the top" although each one was quite distinctive; the flow of the story was beautifully done as the tension mounted and the personalities morphed before my eyes when the stress became too much for their fragile psyches. Reading a murder mystery is always a journey for me rather than a destination and The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks provided a wonderfully crafted map to the final goal of solving the crime. I think readers will find that the best part of this book is not the satisfaction of unraveling the clues and identifying the perpetrator (if you do get there) but the wonderful prose of this skillful and talented author who has given me hours of enjoyment as I journey through his world.

The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks is definitely a 'keeper" and I highly recommend it, even if you're not a fan of murder mysteries.

And to think that I nearly missed this @_@ The new gay mystery of Josh Lanyon was a wonderful read - I was so stricken with it I finished it in one night. And I mean that literally, I read from 8 in the afternoon til I finished it at 3 in the morning (The next day at work was not-so-good ^^;;).
It has a really unique setting in that remote old Vermont estate, a cast full of weird characters, a fascinating mystery plot and a totally adorable pairing in Perry and Nick. At one time in the book Nick thinks Perry is someone who grows on you - well he didn't have with me, he had me from page one ^_^
The sort of their relationship was like the one between Adrien and Jake in Josh Lanyons Adrien English mystery series. But here the seme character Nick was much more likable than the Jake character in this other series.
And what was very important for me was this is a gay mysteries with some nice romance in it but not, as so often these days, erotica with some small mystery somewhere. And not only for that I would love to read more about those two and I am hoping for a sequel. I strongly recommend this for fans of romantic gay mysteries and for mysteries in general too.

Josh Lanyon has a gift for penning an interesting mystery full of quirky and original characters that keeps the reader guessing as they race along to the end of the story and The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks is no exception.

Perry Foster is a young artist who's just had his heart broken over an internet relationship gone bad. He comes home early after taking a vacation to risk his heart and his money on a trip to see the man he thought would be his future and - dejected and a little broken - he lets himself into his apartment only to stumble across a dead body in his bathtub. Panicked and horrified, he races out and down to the main floor of the boarding house he lives in and slams, gasping and struggling for breath, into the rough ex-military body of Nick Reno.

When Perry finally manages to gasp out that there's a body in his tub, Reno goes to check it out...reluctantly and feeling much put upon...only to find no body. There's only a smudge of something that looks and smells like blood in the tub, and a shoe that wouldn't have come close to fitting the small-bodied Perry. Still, Reno's not convinced. Not until the police are called anyway, and by the time THEY check out Perry's room, even the smallest traces of anyone being dead there have been washed clean...from the top floor apartment...with no one seeing anyone come and go.

When the gruff and stand-offish Nick and the almost timid yet insistent Perry team up to try to figure out what's going on in their boarding house, the mystery really takes off, and so does the slow development of a wonderfully deep friendship and relationship. The plot is mostly centered strictly on the mystery - what romance there is is subtly and realistically woven into the plot instead of guiding it. As it's been said, the romance is M/M, so if that's not your cuppa, you probably shouldn't read Lanyon.

The book isn't a totally flawless endeavor, though my issues were relatively minor. There were a couple of spots where I thought the mystery got a bit predictable and the action a bit staid, and I would've liked to have seen a bit more romance (that's strictly personal preference, not a critique, what was there was very well done) but all in all, I very much enjoyed The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks and can recommend it to those who like mysteries with a lot of odd duck characters and a couple of strong leading men.

"The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks" works well as murder mystery, but even better as an offbeat romance. A dead body in a rooming house bathtub brings together struggling young artist Perry Foster and hunky ex-SEAL, Nick Reno. Not good candidates for an eHarmony hookup, but eventually a great fit as they work together to solve the murders that are happening around them in their small Vermont community.

Author Josh Layton has done a great job of developing the principal characters (and others) in this story and they pass the ultimate reader litmus test --do we care about them in any real way?--with flying colors. Also well handled here is the evolving relationship between Perry and Nick. It starts with the basic decency in the older, ex-military guy shown toward Perry, seemingly vulnerable and in some trouble as he is connected to the first murder. Nick's protective instinct evolves into something more as he comes to respect the younger man for his own inner strength and talents.

Strange to call a murder mystery "sweet," but sweet it is. A good read. Recommended.

Perry Foster's return from a disappointing trip is made even worse when he finds a badly dressed dead body in the bathtub of his apartment. Horrified, he flees the room, but the only help he finds is his surly neighbor, Nick Reno. Then the body disappears, and the police don't believe it ever existed. At least Nick grudgingly invites Perry to stay with him, so Perry doesn't have to go back to his place.

Nick Reno is not happy to be dragged into Perry's problems. The kid gets on his nerves and he has his own problems. Unfortunately, he doesn't believe Perry made the whole story up. Against his will, he finds himself helping Perry find out what's going on in their apartment building.

Can Perry and Nick figure out what's happening before it's too late?

I absolutely loved The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks. Josh Lanyon has such a knack for creating flawed yet fascinating characters, and Perry and Nick are great examples. Perry seems so fragile at the beginning, yet he has a core of stubbornness and strength that keeps him going no matter how tough things get. Nick starts out surly, cold, and even mean at times, but he too has hidden depths. As they attempt to find out who killed the man in Perry's tub--and where the body went--they learn a lot about the odd inhabitants of the apartment building, and about each other. The interaction between Perry and Nick kept me on the edge of my seat just as much as the mystery did, and the ending is even more satisfying because of that. The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks has everything you could ask for in a romantic suspense story: mystery, action, romance, and emotion. In my opinion, The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks is required reading for anyone who likes a good mystery with a satisfying romance.

Cassie
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Once again I was immediately sucked into Josh Lanyon's gay mystery as he builds up the characters and story. You start the story thinking, oh yeah, I've read this storyline before -- the mysterious missing body and nobody believes the poor little gay naive twink with his big puppy eyes who of course lusts after the big, sexy, straight ex-Navy SEAL. You know the hunk will realize that he's always been gay and will fall in love with the gay artist, and someone you don't suspect will be the villian, but you know what? So what if it's starts out that way! Josh has a terrific way of telling stories and brings his own twists to the mystery, and he is such a good writer that I end up loving all his stories no matter what. And I was surprised at the ending, which is always fun. So put away all your stereotypes and jaded view of mystery themes, and just sit back and enjoy the story, the interplay with the characters, the ending and hope that Josh comes up with some sequels!

This is probably one of my all-time favorite reads. I took me less than a week to read it. I was totally addicted to this book. The characters were well drawn and interesting. The plot was exciting and mysterious. I can not recommend this book more. I would love to read a sequel with the two leads falling into a new mystery.

I have been a fan of Josh Lanyon for many years now, and this newest novel exceeds all my expectations. Josh just keeps getting better with each story and novel. Thanks Josh for many hours of enjoyment!

For me, the writer Josh could do no wrong!
This one sucks you in right from page 1, as I finished it in one sitting. Josh writes such marvelous, taut, tightly paced mysteries, packed with tension, intrigues and excitement and his latest is no exception. And this one has the extra elements of a bunch of quirky characters, a haunted house with secret passages and scary pasts, stolen loot and last but not least a pair of heroes who are complete opposites but just as appealing.

The story really starts off with a bang. Imagine coming home and finding a dead man with yellow socks in your own bathtub. This is what happened to poor Perry, a very endearing character, vulnerable but tough and resourceful when needed. Noone believes Perry when the corpse conveniently disappeared except Nick, an ex-SEAL marine, who lives just in the opposite room of this huge house which has been compartmentalized for rental. Nick is the complete opposite. Just divorced from his wife, this "no nonsense" hunk has an almost sardonic view of life, cool, tough and have the least patience for so called queer wimps, like the artistically talented Perry who comes with asthma attacks and "Bambi" eyes.

I love the sinister setting in this old mansion-like house, and Josh has really done a wonderful job scaring you with his vivid descriptions as this creepy house "comes to life" at night. Josh's cast of quirky supporting characters (the rest of the tenants) is a fun crazy lot as they interact with the 2 heroes struggling to solve the murders. There is the ex-cop, a blind tarot card reader into séances, a crazy old woman who prowls the house and gardens at night, an old perverted peeping tom, a most nasty landlady with her fat dogs, a sympathetic almost normal female, but with her own mysterious past.

From page 1, there is no let-up in the plot at all, whether it focuses on the murders, the mysteries or the delightful yet bitter sweet romance between Perry and Nick. I never guessed the villain but then I did not wish to take the time to ponder. All I wanted was to know what happens next. The suspenseful mystery ends with an exciting climax and the romance ends with me craving for more stories on the endearing artist with a determined streak and his "ex-marine to-be PI" hunk. I hope Josh will not just stop here with Perry and Nick! But I am requesting him to do the same for all the appealing pair of sleuths he has created :)