Customer Reviews

L.A. Heat: A Novel

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like murder mysteries, but my tastes run more towards the "cozy" variety, you know the kind of who-done-it that Agatha Christie and Lillian Jackson Braun are famous for. I tend to avoid novels I perceive to be sadistic or gratuitously violent, where the murderer is a psychotic serial killer. I was going to pass on L.A. HEAT for this reason, but it came highly recommended by a friend and fellow reader whose opinion I greatly respect, so reluctantly I gave it a go. I am really glad I did.

LA's gay community is being stalked by one of the above mentioned monsters. Young, horribly mutilated male corpses are piling up, and it's the job of Police Detective David Laine and his partner, Martinez, to solve the case and stop the killer before any more murders occur.

David is a tall muscular bear of a man with a ruddy complexion and a big mustache, kind of an extra-large Tommy Lee Jones. He's gay, and not surprisingly, firmly buried in the closet.

Through the course of the investigation, David's attention becomes focused on Chris Bellamere. Chris is a sharp, expensively dressed, California golden boy, and absolutely the most beautiful man David has ever seen, but Chris's familiarity with more than one of the victims also makes him David's prime suspect. David's enamored of Chris, even though Chris might be a vicious killer, but he doesn't think he'd stand a romantic chance with the built blonde head-turner. Chris, however, finds David extremely sexy in an unexplainable way, and decides to make a move, igniting a passion that leaves both men weak in the knees.

P.A. Brown delivers a chilling, focused and incredibly satisfying thriller. Her fast pacing is top-notch, and her characters are well developed and believable. She provides enough red-herrings to keep even the most seasoned mystery reader guessing.

I'm not going to rush right out and buy every gay murder/thriller available. As good as this novel is my tastes are still pretty much in tact. But, I will be first in line to buy any sequels Ms. Brown cares to offer, because L.A. HEAT is one terrific book.

LAPD detective David Laine and his partner Martinez Diego are chasing a serial killer, known as the Carpet Killer, through the gay community of Los Angeles. Several men have been brutally killed and their bodies dumped.

All leads are pointing to Chris Bellamere, an openly gay playboy who knew the victims. In the eyes of the homophobic members of the LAPD, that means he must be their killer, and they look for evidence to prove it. Fortunately for Chris, David is also gay, though closeted, and will not allow Chris to be railroaded. But when David falls for Chris, he is determined to do whatever it takes to prove Chris' innocence.

Brown brings a new spin to the "cop falls for prime suspect" story. A high level of personal danger, a light dose of humor, and a respected cop coming out of the closet provide the emotional ties to well-defined characters that you can't help but care about. The ending will leave you breathless.

I can't wait to see more of this duo.

Armchair Interviews says: New and unique "character" twists for a mystery.

L.A. Heat is the kind of book that makes you wonder how this could be a debut novel. This suspenseful, carefully-plotted mystery has all the earmarks of some of the best (and more seasoned) mystery pros in the business. Its setting is realistic and at times seamy, its characters sympathetic and real, its attention to detail (especially police procedure) astonishing, and its pacing deft...definitely in the category of "can't put down." I look forward to more from P.A. Brown. She's a winner.

This is by no means one of the "best written" books I've read but it's been a long time since I read one I had such a difficult time putting down. Highly recommended.

I love gay couple playing sleuth. This crime mystery about David, a closeted LAPD cop, and Chris, a hot party goer computer whiz, in hot pursue of a psycopath serial killer is one gripping and suspenseful thriller. The plot pulls you in from page one with never a dull moment The writer's description is vivid and one has to appreciate her effort on the details of the crime investigation.
Interweaved into the suspense is of course the budding romance between David and Chris, two very credible and likable characters. Their love story is believable and one could not help but cheer them on.
The last few chapters are heart pounding scenes as I find myself wincing at a few terrifying moments.
Definitely one of the best gay mystery & suspense I have read in a while and I hope P.A. Brown will give us more on this couple.

A tough repressed gay detective, David Lane, solves the case of the carpet killer, involving his chief suspect, and ultimately, accomplice, the handsome playboy computer wizard, Chris Bellamere. The suspense and tension is maintained throughout as the plot, and characters' relationships, take one turn after another, and one's hopes increasingly long for the outcome that our two heroes themselves, David and Chris, daren't even hope for. But will they both survive all the dangers to reach the end to achieve it?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is well written, and the characters are real and likeable, even David Lane's detective partner, the homophobic Martinez proves to have redeeming qualities.

When the bodies of two young, pregnant women are found in shallow graves in Grifith Park, Los Angeles homicide detective David Laine is understandably preoccupied by the facts of the case, which causes him to be less attentive than usual to Chris Bellamere, his lifepartner of the past four years. When a third victim is thrown off a freeway bridge, causing Chris to get in a serious car wreck, David takes the case even more to heart, and uncovers a complicated plot involving prostitution, white slavery, kidnapping and sale of illegal automatic weapons to street gangs. An added distraction is David's new patrol partner, a young, sexy Latino, who makes it clear he is interested in David as more than just a mentor on the job. With Chris often working on a big work project during the odd times David has free from his duties, David finds himself tempted by the capable, young bisexual, who spends part of his off-hours with David, going running with their dogs and having a few beers to discuss their case. But David knows that he is also flirting with losing the best thing that every happened to him, his relationship with Chris.

We were introduced to Detective Laine, and his computer specialist younger boyfriend Chris Bellamere, in two excellent earlier mystery novels by Ms. Brown, and this is absolutely the best so far. The interaction between the couple has evolved, after four years together, and David, who was closeted in the first novel, is resigned to the fact that his co-workers think of him more as "that gay detective" than for his excellent record on the force, The author depicts realistic and relatable confrontations and emotions between the two, wrapped around one of the most riveting and well-written crime mystery novels I have seen in years. This is a "must read" for every gay mystery fan. Some erotic content, but just adding some complimentary spice to an already robust, completely engrossing story. Bravo! An exciting five bright stars out of five.

- Bob Lind, Echo Magazine

Sometime author and readers wonder what could happen "after" an happily ever after, when the passion maybe becomes routine, or when maybe you realize that what probably you thought was something without future, could well be your forever and ever, and well, it scares you.

David and Chris are 4 years old partners and really, everything seems perfect: they love each other, they desire each other, they even commit privately and David is wearing Chris's ring, even if it's not legal, it's binding for them. So, no trouble in Paradise? Apparently, but then Jairo enters David's life.

Jairo is a young detective and David will have to train him. Jairo is not only beautiful, but also someone who shares way more with David than Chris. I don't know but I feel like David shelters Chris from his ugly life, and in doing so he is cutting him out. Instead with Jairo he can talk of everything, he can share everything. And when Jairo makes a move on him, at first David is tempted, who will not be? David is stronger than temptation, but he feels guilty all the same, even for a "mental" cheat.

On the other side there is Chris and his clear love for David, a love that pushes him maybe to have an irrational behaviour, like a magnet he attracts and drives back David according to his mood. He has all the right to be angry, and has all the right to question David, but after that, I don't know, probably he should have been more willing to understand David's reason, and not maybe the words of a jealous man.

Last Jairo, the third man, the villain in the old romances formula. At first I didn't like him, but then I started to think, maybe he is really interested in David, it's not only a question of sex. True Jairo is married and with sons, he is not exactly behaving like a good man, but maybe he had no choice, maybe he is only a former young boy who did what his family, all people around him, expected from him. For sure he can't be the hero of this novel, and I didn't expect for Chris to like him, but maybe I understood and comprehended why David likes him.

I like the intake of the author in this story, I like her courage to put in question her pair of heroes, to give us a glimpse of what reality and routing can do to a perfect romance, it made the romance more real. Even in the previous book David and Chris were not an ordinary couple, and their was not a whirlwind romance, au contraire, I think David put on stake a lot for being with Chris, and so it would have been not realistic if everything went smooth like oil between them.

A last note on the cops themed set: it's not a big boom bam type of story, the crimes David is involved with are dirty and awful, but the author didn't linger on the awfulness, she just gave you enough details to understand that these are not some unlikely fictional crimes, these are the day-to-day horror of metropolis chronicles.

David Laine is a 37 year old veteran Los Angeles police detective, who first meets Chris Bellamere, a gay partyboy in his early 20's with a good job as a computer systems professional, as an investigative lead (and possible suspect) in an ongoing series of rapes, maiming and subsequent murders of young gay men. While David's instincts tell him that Chris isn't the killer (much to the frustration of David's detective partner, Martinez, who didn't hide his resentment of gays), Chris' "gaydar" tells him that David's interest in him isn't entirely professional. Yet, there seems to be some connection, as most of the victims frequented the same gay cruise bar that Chris did, and he had been seen with them by the bartender.

A fast-paced, action-packed impressive first novel by an author who intends to pair David and Chris in future installments as well. If done with the same skill, attention to detail and realistic characterizations and situations as this one, I may have a new favorite mystery series!

L.A. Boneyard by P.A. Brown is absolutely astounding! If you're a murder and mystery fan you are surely going to love this book! Captivating from start to finish, it's a must read!

David Eric Laine is a homicide detective of the Northeast Community Police Department in Los Angeles. When two bodies turn up in a local park, Detective Laine begins his pursuit to find the killer, with his new homicide partner Jairo Hernandez.

With no clues as to who these women are, and a new partner, this case proves to bring chaos into David's life. As the investigation pursues, his partner shows increased interest, more than in just the case at hand.

When a third murder almost kills David's life partner, Chris, Chris is sent away on business. In the days of Chris's absence, Jairo becomes more persistent in his advances. David struggles with his morality and desires, trying to maintain professional boundaries while trying to solve these murders.

Trying to keep the investigation the main focus, the only clue into these deaths are dental work and tattoos all the deceased possess. When they narrow down there search to claim identities, they uncover a smuggling and prostitution ring with a surprising twist.

L.A. Boneyard is phenomenal! Full of suspense, murder, mystery and even explicit sex, Brown left nothing out! What more could you ask for in one book? I strongly recommend this book and I believe Brown could possibly be the next J.D. Robb. I think we can expect to see much more from P.A. Brown. I loved this read and I give L.A. Boneyard *****1/2 (5.5) Stars~BK Walker from BK Walker Books, Author of "Near Suicide" and "Dares And Dreams". [...]