Fatal Shadows

Fatal Shadows (2000/2012) Josh Lanyon

Adrien English’s morning is not off to a good start–the police at his door, informing him of the death of his employee and friend Robert Hersey.

“What makes you think he wasn’t mugged?” “Fourteen stab wounds to his upper body and face.” I felt the blood drain out of my brain again. “Those kinds of wounds generally indicate prior acquaintance…”

And it’s likely they suspect him of the murder.

It doesn’t help when someone breaks into his bookstore, The Cloak and Dagger, and trash the store.

This story was originally written in 2000 and revised in 2012, which is why I think parts of it feel a little bit off, since American culture has changed a fair amount in the ensuing decade.

Like me, he’d realized he was gay his last year of high school. Unlike me, his family had disowned him the minute he came out of the closet.

Yes, kinds are still thrown out of their homes for being gay, but it IS less common than it was. So Adrien’s mother’s acceptance of him–and the hostility of so many around them–does feel a little off for 2012, as does Rick’s fear of losing his job if he’s outed. There are also small issues around cell phones, which were rare in 2000, but ubiquitous by 2012.

It’s not a huge problem, but it did lead to the story being a little uneven in places. Which is I suppose the problem with revising a story a decade after it was written.

Publisher: JustJoshin Publishing, Inc
Rating: 6.5/10

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