Review: GingerDead Man


GingerDead Man
GingerDead Man by Logan Zachary

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When a former lover is a policeman, there is always more crime cases to be around. For Paavo Wolfe, it seems to be the other way around. Paavo is still separated from his lover, Joe DeCarlo. Joe still cares for him and does everything he can to win Paavo back. In this second story in the series, Paavo comes across as a complete moron bent on getting his ass killed.

Paavo is still trying to be an amateur sleuth with his little Scooby Gang. Unfortunately for Paavo, he is completely inept at it and Joe needs to save him time and time again. This story is just confusing and a bit of a letdown after the previous one. From a character perspective, Paavo changed since the first book. Instead of the supportive friend and neglected lover, he's become more of a whiny brat getting into all sorts of mischief. I can't say that I liked Paavo in this story. Instead, I'm feeling really sorry for Joe. Joe comes across as the stable and sane one. He's the one doing his best to love and support Paavo. Joe is reasonable and the one who is being hurt by Paavo.

There are also a couple of odd threads in this story which don't make sense to me. Joe's sister and her thug boyfriend felt like a contrived plot device. The resolution for Joe and Paavo as a couple also felt forced and too easy a solution. The mystery part is okay by keeping my interesting and keeping me guessing. The overall writing is not as smooth as the first book. I felt as if some of the scenes were rushed or cut off. At the end of this story, I'm not sure if this is the end or if there is going to be another murder mystery a la "Murder She Wrote" style. Paavo is no Mrs. Fletcher. He's not quite a Maxwell Smart in Get Smart, but he's close. I am still a fan of Mr. Zachary and hope if he does continue this series, he works on his mystery writing. Hopefully the Paavo comes back again as a strong and compassionate friend with some common sense. This story is recommended for m/m suspense lovers.

*provided by NetGalley



View all my reviews

Comments

Popular Posts