Fair Game

Fair Game (2010) Josh Lanyon

Elliot Mills loved being in the FBI–until a shootout left him unfit for anything but a desk job.

The pain after his knee replacement had been excruciating, beyond anything he’d imagined or previously experienced, barring the original experience of getting kneecapped.

Yes, I did shudder when I read that.

Now he’s a professor at the same college from which his father retired–living in the shadow of a famous 60s radical.

It’s not what you want for your child, you know?” He had no idea.

He neither had, nor wanted, children, and his own parents had been completely accepting of his sexuality. Choosing a career in law enforcement was the thing that had driven his father to threaten disowning him.

The disappearance of the son of one of his father’s friends–a wealthy and powerful lawyer–puts Elliot back in contact with the man he left behind, and neither Elliot nor Tucker Lance are comfortable with the situation.

What do I like best about Elliot? His acceptance of everything he is.

The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly. Elliot graded papers and did his lesson plans for the following week. In the evening he worked on his Civil War diorama of Pickett’s Charge, which currently dominated the long window-lined sunroom on the west side of the cabin. He had received a hand-painted 15mm miniature of JEB Stuart to replace the former one lost during the move from Seattle to Goose Island. He placed the dashing Stuart with his two cavalry brigades and stepped back to admire. The game table was 4×8 feet and, according to Roland who had helped him construct it, irrefutable proof that Elliot was destined for long and dull bachelorhood.

Why do I love that so much?

Oh, no reason.

I also like that the story makes clear the sheer amount of drudgery that’s part of being in law enforcement.

In addition to the initial responding officers, Tucker’s debriefing team would consist of local investigators and the evidence collection technicians: the photographers, latent print personnel and other specialized personnel. It would be Tucker’s job to determine what evidence was collected, discuss preliminary scene findings with team members, discuss potential technical forensic testing and the sequence of tests to be performed, and finally initiate any actions required to complete the crime scene investigation.

I also liked that Elliot and Tucker start to work out their problems relatively quickly. I really was not in the mood for a whole book of anger and hostility and sniping interspersed with boinking.

I liked this, and am reading the next.

Publisher: Carina Press
Rating: 7/10

• Browse the archives:
  
• Fair Play » »
• « « So This is Christmas