Genre: Romance, Mystery, Adventure
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewers: Maryann, Tony
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About The Book
A mystery. A romance. An ocular adventure.
Tom’s a data analyst. It’s not a passionate affair. Neither is his relationship with Mario, although Mario thinks it is. That’s Tom’s way. He makes things work, whether they work for him or not. With anyone else it would be called low expectations. Not Tom. His passion lies elsewhere. He’s a secret writer.
The commitment is unusual and he keeps it to himself. Life has already dealt a few blows and he’s reluctant to test its limits. Undemanding relationships. Unpublished books. A job that requires little thought. A bad attitude. These are the markers that keep him in place.
But when an accident leads him to discover he’s losing his sight, life screeches to a halt. His writing, his career, his very independence are at stake. Time, once the future, is turning into the past.
Then a man appears. Beautiful yet damaged, Hanif brings light to Tom’s darkness. The irony isn’t lost on him, if it’s irony at all. Just when he’s about to give up on life, he finds a new reason to live. But things may not be as they seem. Lies can be told. Accidents can be arranged. Identities can be assumed.
Tom’s story is a trip down a nebulous road. From an easy life to an erotic adventure, from a modest employee to a man on the run, he must see the truth while he still can. Ophthalmologists. Optometrists. Lovers. Friends. Some wish him well. Some don’t.
Played out against a backdrop of political intrigue and haunted by ghosts from the past, is this story of love at first sight no more than a game of blind man’s bluff?
The Reviews
Maryann
Thomas “Tom” Pryszlak, at thrithy-three, has been writing stories for a long time. Writing gives meaning to his life. He has authored seventeen books and completed three and sent them on to publishers, but he hasn’t had much success. To be safe, he already has a pen name, which would be more interesting than his real name.
Just to find some peace and to fix a story-line, he goes to the park. He finds a spot to close his eyes and relax but he is disturbed by someone jumping over him. He discovers his glasses that he had set on the ground have been damaged, and makes an optometrist appointment to get his glasses replaced, but it leads to bad news.
His deceased father, Martin, had gotten Tom a job at the Marathon Institute, a think tank for policy development, advocacy, social policy and more. Tom worked on spread sheets, and has found it difficult lately and had to make the font a few sizes bigger. Now he’s facing his worst fear – glaucoma, eye surgery and going blind.
As he struggles to get into the hospital for his appointment, he notices a man with an eye patch. It’s shocking and disturbing to Tom, as this man is checking him out. By the time Tom gets into the building the man is already gone. Tom is overwhelmed with questions still unanswered. He still worries about insurance, his job and the amount of prescriptions he will need.
He has an pushy boyfriend, Mario, who calls Tom. Tom’s not in the mood, and doesn’t want to be a burden. He just needs some time to himself. He goes to the bench to wait for the bus, and dozes off. He is awakened by a voice, and there stands “eye-patch.” They talk, and “eye patch” tries to give Tom positive feedback. Just before they go their separate ways, Tom introduces himself to the man – Hanif.
Tom feels Mario is just filling a void, and when they sit down to eat, the discussion of Tom’s appointments and meeting Hanif become an issue that Mario won’t drop.
Eventually, Tom and Hanif meet up again, and Tom invites Hanif over to his apartment. Mario walks in on them and throws a tantrum, and Tom finally tells Mario it’s over.
Tom hasn’t seen or heard from Hanif in two months, but he walks by the hospital daily in hopes that he will see him. Then one day he is approached by two men, who identify themselves as detectives, asking about Hanif Tavassoli. Two days later, in the park, Tom is lured by a whistle, and finds a disheveled Hanif. They sneak back to Tom’s, where Hanif reveals much information. But it’s still not safe for Hanif or Tom. More secrets remain to be revealed.
Doyle’s novel is full of secrets, danger and espionage. The one thing Tom cares about is his writing, and maybe one day getting a book published. But he feels as though he is invisible to others. And Hanif is a man filled with secrets, with a dangerous life, especially if he’s ever found to be gay. His father want’s him to return to Teheran and be a banker, but that’s not what Hanif wants.
Since 2020, I’ve read at least seven books written by Patrick Doyle, and I have to say Catching Hanif’s Eye is outstanding. His writing and imagination has just kept improving, and it’s been wonderful to see his stories grow. The intimate scenes between Tom and Hanif are written perfectly with emotion and an insatiable love that’s unforgettable. I am a big fan, and I would love to see more by him. But it was a pleasure to read Catching Hanif’s Eye, and I’ll wait patiently for his next great story.
I highly recommend this fast paced novel that’s filled with danger, suspense, intrigue, heartbreak and doubt.
Tony
Tom is a data analyst for a secretive organisation, the Marathon Institute – usually just referred to as the Institute. He is tricked into getting his eyes checked after an incident in a park. That puts him in danger from another secret organisation, if he is to believe the eye patch wearing Hanif who he first meets at the eye hospital.
Catching Hanif’s Eye is like a cross between Hitchcock and Kafka, with a convoluted plot, a mysterious death, a spurned lover, dangerous / fake ‘policemen,’ and an eye operation that may not be all it’s made out to be.
It starts with Tom turning up for his appointment at the eye hospital to get very bad news about his eyesight. Tom is in a quandary. Does he believe the doctors, or does he listen to Hanif? He has to deal with contradictory information, and the medication he is put on is not helping his state of mind. He is not sure who to trust. He is very attracted to Hanif, but what if that is not enough? The more he finds out about Hanif, the more divided he is.
Tom has to make a choice and stick to it. The journey he goes on is both an emotional one and a physical one to his father’s sanctuary, where more secrets are revealed.
This is a great read with wonderfully ‘damaged’ characters, their associated ups and downs, and all manner of threats realised along the way, but don’t worry – there’s a happy ending that is both realistic and romantic.
The Reviewers
Maryann
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.
Tony
Tony is an Englishman living amongst the Welsh and the Other Folk in the mountains of Wales. He lives with his partner of thirty-six years, four dogs, two ponies, various birds, and his bees. He is a retired lecturer and a writer of no renown but that doesn’t stop him enjoying what he used to think of as ‘sensible’ fantasy and sf. He’s surprised to find that if the story is well written and has likeable characters undergoing the trails of life, i.e. falling in love, falling out of love, having a bit of nooky (but not all the time), fending off foes, aliens and monsters, etc., he’ll be happy as a sandperson who has just offloaded a wagon of sand at the going market price. As long as there’s a story, he’s in. He aims to write fair and honest reviews. If he finds he is not the target reader he’ll move on.
