Genre: Mystery, Crime Thriller
LGBTQ+ Category: Bi, Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
Get It On Amazon
About The Book
Alex is framed by his ex best friend, fired for illegal drug use, dumped by his girlfriend, and mugged all in the same day.
When an editor takes a chance and gives him a new job as a crime reporter, he is thrilled. Dell, his counterpart at the rival newspaper, isn’t.
Everything is going great for Alex until he receives death threats. The suspects are Dell, Lou, and Domino, the hit man.
Alex leaves the city, assumes a new identity, and gets a job in a small town. Lou ends up at the same place and they start to rebuild their friendship.
Alex thinks he is safe until he is kidnapped by Domino at a costume party.
Who wrote the death threats? Will Domino’s true identity be revealed?
Content warnings:
- Mugging
- Death threats
- Murder crime scenes
- Kidnapping
- Off page suicide attempt
- Drinking
- Drugs
The Review
Alex Westlake has worked for the Observer Sentinel for four years for the newspaper. He isn’t a bad guy, but he kissed his boss’s wife during the New Years Eve party when he was drunk and made a fool of himself. The little incident gave Fred Benton, Editor in Chief, a legitimate excuse to get rid of him.
Alex failed a drug test and was not offered a retest, and then he was fired. He will never be able to find a job at another newspaper again. Before he leaves the office, he seeks out Louis Rice, someone he considers his best friend, hoping Lou could get him a retest. He overhears a phone conversation Lou is having, and it dawns on him that he was set-up for a fall. When he enters the office to talk with Lou, Alex has a plan.
The day has been a complete disaster for Alex. He’s been fired, his girlfriend is leaving him, and his rent iss increasing. Wanting a drink, he heads to the pub and gets mugged on the way. There’s no hope left for him in the city, so he packs his bags, and with a flip of a coin, he decides to head south. Everywhere he tries to apply, he gets rejected because of the smear article in the Sentinel.
Then his luck changes. He gets an interview with Ben Price, Editor in Chief of the Tribune, in the small town of Tantala. It’s even in his own field – crime reporting. On the very first day, Alex meets Lt. Det. Carl Henderson. He and Henderson have a mutual respect for each other. Henderson also warns him about Dell Farron, a reporter for the competition – the Herald.
Then things get chaotic for Alex. He changes his name and moves on again after he starts death threats. Carl remains a good friend, and tries to help him every time he goes on the run. Then he meets the most unlikely person. Who can he trust, and will he ever be able to stop running?
A. Williams has crafted a quick, fast paced, suspenseful tale. While this short story doesn’t go deep into the characters’ backgrounds, there’s enough here to keep the story intriguing. Alex was frustrating at times. but the story was fun.
I recommend Desired Quarry, especially if you like a rollercoaster ride of a mystery. It’s got some really good characters, lots of surprises, a little drama, and it gets steamy too. It’s the first time I have read a story by A. Williams, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
