Come Unto These Yellow Sands

Come Unto These Yellow Sands (2017) Josh Lanyon

Professor Sebastian Swift was raised to be a poet–and it almost destroyed him. Now he is content teaching.

But when a students shows up at his office, beaten and desperate, Swift makes a choice that may well cause him his job–and his lover, the chief of police.

This is a study in contrasts, because each chapter begins with a blurb from a Choose Your Own Adventure book, and then generally has a discussion of poetry at some point.

Wilfred J. Funk’s 1932 list of “most beautiful words”. It was his mantra on restless nights like these. Ten words that generally knocked him unconscious if he concentrated on them hard enough.

Melody.
Golden.
Chimes.
Luminous.
Mist.
Tranquil.
Murmuring.
Lullaby.
Hush.
Dawn…

But what makes the story so compelling is Swift’s slow spiral as he comes unmoored from his routines and all the habits that kept him clean.

He knew better than anyone how weak he was, how… untrustworthy.

Chapter by chapter those supports are kicked out from under him, either from his own unwitting actions for by an unseen hand that seemingly has it out for him. And the more you read the more you fear he is going to fall from his straight and narrow path with a huge crash.

Drug addiction was not technically insanity, even if it felt like it to everyone concerned.

And you really don’t want him to, because you can see how hard he was worked to get to the point he has reached.

Beyond the importance of routine, it was vital to stay healthy in times of stress. Swift had badly abused his body for most of his life. His current state of health required consciousness and commitment.

It’s a good mystery, and a good romance, and a very good story.

Publisher : JustJoshin Publishing, Inc
Rating: 8.5/10

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