Fool's Errand by Chris Quinton

Title: Fool's Errand
Author: Chris Quinton
Purchase through Manifold Press (publisher's online shop ceased for now; all purchase links on the site though)
Purchase at Allromanceebooks
Genre: Mystery/ Fantasy/ futuristic
Length: 40.000 words/ 142 pages
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First in the Fool’s Odyssey Trilogy - Xavi is a sometime hooker, sometime gigolo, working the rich pickings of wealthy tourists and bored socialites of Barcelona in 2042. His current meal ticket is Sophia Matas, the wife of a prominent politician. Then Sophia is assassinated and he’s the only witness. Within hours, Xavi finds himself in protective custody and in a safe house. His guardian is Andreas, a vampire liaising with the Barcelona police.

Andreas needs to exert control - of himself, his abilities, and his relationships. Now he must keep Xavi safe. If he can keep Xavi in one place long enough. They embark on an affair that will define who and what they are, played out in an deadly dance of kill-or-be-killed danger.

 The Fool’s Odyssey trilogy: Book One

When Xavi becomes an accidental witness to the murder of a wealthy woman he knows exactly what to do – get the hell out of there, fast! Xavi lives on the edge of the law; he and the police don’t exactly mix. Unfortunately the cop who is sent after him turns out to have some rather unusual abilities, so it isn’t long before their paths cross – which is roughly when Xavi begins to realise that getting caught may be the very least of his troubles.

This book was published as early as 2010; I've had it sitting on my TBR forever. Now that I've read this I'm kicking myself why I didn't so sooner...

This book is marked futuristic, but since it's set in a not-so distant future the socio-cultural rules, everyday happenings and character's mindsets still felt familiar to me. Only difference: Vampires aren't a mere legend anymore; about a decade ago, they pleaded successfully before the UN to be recognized as a nation. Now a largely autonomous commune of vampires peacefully farms a stretch of land near Barcelona. This is about the extent of Vampiric worldbuilding we get in this book, aside from the fact that the Vampire society created some kind of police force for themselves, the Wardens; one of which, Andreas Rousakis, serves as a liaison to the Barcelona Police

I often find vampire books off-putting for the elaborate vampiric worlds and societies described; sometimes I feel like I've read similar things over and over with only the slightest varieties ever since I picked up my first Anne Rice book. But nothing of that sort occurs in here. The vampire lore in this book is interesting, but only hinted at; the story is more character-driven, focusing on how Andreas and Xavi find their way together. And yet, Andreas's vampiric nature is an intricate part of both the underlying crime/ thriller plot and the budding relationship between him and Xavi.
 

I really really liked street-smart, no-pushover Xavi. Andreas, on the other hand, remained a bit more inaccessible to me; maybe because he's meant to be a bit of a mystery while yet fulfilling most Vamp clichés in line with expectations (and additionally shows some interesting Werewolf traits...)
 

I loved the writing, it pulled me in from the first sentence onward and never let go. A totally engrossing book that makes me curious about the rest of the series. Five marbles

PS: As of today, 1/23/2015, this book is available for FREE through all purchase links!

 

The Valley of the Shadow of Death by Julie Bozza

Title: The Valley of the Shadow of Death
Author: Julie Bozza
Cover Artist: Nelson Mejia
Publisher: Manifold Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 218 pages

Joshua Delaney and Carmine Angelo Trezini, cop and low-level mobster, should have absolutely nothing in common; yet, accidentally brought together, they rapidly became both lovers and allies against important crime figure Matthew Picano. Of course, taking down a man like that was never going to be easy – but Josh has no idea of the scale of the sacrifice he will eventually be called upon to make.

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Give it to Cryssy: she'll read anything. This is another not-HEA story.

Chicago police officer Joshua Delaney is dangerously naïve, showing no awareness of his surroundings, having no eye for the cronky, for what doesn't fit and may be dangerous. Someone less suited for police work is hard to imagine, and the wonder is not that he survives two attempts on his life in the first forty pages, it's that some earlier, more casual attempt wasn't successful.


Delany considers that if the way things ought to be differ from the way they are, they must be brought into alignment by the most direct way. This comes across as a nearly religious certainty, and like other religious revelations, it is infectious. Otherwise sensible cops and district attorneys are converted, with one lone skeptic in the FBI agent. He converts high-level (yes, the blurb says low level, but he runs one of the boss's prize properties and is described as the smartest of the inner circle) mobster Angelo Trezini to the side of the angels with his uncomplicated suggestion of redemption, and is converted with one kiss to being gay.

I would like to say it was more complex than that, that Trezini reconsidered his life and that Delaney was bowled over by Trezini's strength of personality, with latent desires surging out to overwhelm and confuse him, but it really was nearly that simple. By page 44 and less than 24 hours acquaintance, Trezini has taken the 'always thought he was straight' Delaney home to mama, announced his love and intention to commit slow suicide by going against his mafia boss/childhood friend, and they adjourn upstairs for Delaney's first ever experience of sex with another man.

The first ninety pages are full of this sort of simplistic plotting. Delaney comes across as a holy fool: much like the monk who started the Crusades but left the actual details to the kings and knights, he has this fab idea about taking down the local mob kingpin with Trezini's cooperation but leaves it to others to accomplish it. His contribution is having sex with Trezini three times a week, and he doesn't take Trezini's prediction of a greatly shortened lifespan seriously. The realist of the pair, Trezini is quite aware of the consequences of turning on his boss, but is prepared to pay that price as the cost of achieving redemption.

The second half picks up considerably, with the first signs of deep thought about what they are attempting, and about the relationship they've embarked on. It doesn't help that the first half is all distant third person; we never get close enough to either man to really experience what he's thinking or feeling. The distance is so great that they are still using last names even in middle of sex, and while the POV gets close enough to see some depth to both of them in the second half, all the truly contemplative scenes belong to third parties.

The set up demands that certain questions be asked, about loyalty, friendship, redemption. What are they? What does one owe others? Achieving redemption is not as simple as attempting a do over of the initial wrong turn, as this book implies; the one time Trezini shows his understanding of this is when he kills a young man who trusts him. Then he leaves the body and the matter disappears, even though this young man is one of their own. The questions go mostly unasked, and mostly unanswered.

The relationship is pretty much in the background; while the men form a strong bond, it goes unexamined, and serves primarily to support Trezini in his suicide mission. There is one very interesting take on the sex. When they do arrive at the moment of attempting anal sex, Delaney isn't thrilled down to his socks and yearns for it to be over, but he wants Trezini to be happy. Not sexy, but unique, and one of the few moments we see the relationship growing.

The ending is as tragic as the title promises, the last line the most moving in the entire work. The entire story improves as it goes on; had I not been reading for review, I would have bailed before page 60 for insta-love and implausibility, and would have missed the best parts. But I'm not entirely convinced the end was worth the beginning. 3 marbles