dreamerfreak's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really good suspense novel. Although it becomes clear quickly enough who the bad guy is, the enjoyment is in watching the murderer draw closer as the heroes struggle to figure out what's happening and deal with their own more mundane worries. Dale and Matt are lovely characters, and even though they declare their feelings quickly, it doesn't feel rushed at all. My one issue with this book was the occasional unnecessary info-dump, especially at the beginning. Overall, a wonderful thriller with just a few flaws.
the_novel_approach's review
5.0
Closer by Morning is a debut murder mystery for author Thom Collins. This is excellently written and one of the most intense murder mysteries that I’ve read in a while. To give fair warning, there’s a heart stopping scene where you know abuse and rape are going to take place, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.
Matt Blyth is a well put together character. He’s out, he has a great job, and at times has to deal with irate clients. He seems to have his life in firm order.
Dale Zachary is an up and coming actor. He’s not out and keeps his sexual preference hidden as best he can so he doesn’t lose that big chance at becoming a star. Dale also has a twelve year old son. Dale, at some point, will have to make decisions about who he wants in his life.
The city of Durham, London is seeing a rash of murders of young gay men. Detective Constable Jamie Dench is given a chance to work in the secondary unit of MIT to investigate the murders. Not that the other characters weren’t interesting, but Jamie Dench really stood out for me. At first I thought he was going to try and create problems for Matt, but he learned to do the right thing. He faced all his emotions: jealousy, heartbreak, and anger, and then put them aside and used his skill to figure out who the murderer was. But, when the case is solved, he’s still looking for resolution. He carries guilt with him in that knowledge that maybe he could have prevented a lot of the horror that the murderer caused.
Thom Collins is an author I will definitely seek out. I’m really curious to see what he will come up with next. The only irritation I had with this ebook, which I purchased as an early release, was the editing. There were some normal editing issues which I could overlook, but there were two issue that, in my opinion, should not have been missed in editing. I don’t want to discourage anyone from purchasing this book, but I felt I needed to mention this.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach Reviews
Matt Blyth is a well put together character. He’s out, he has a great job, and at times has to deal with irate clients. He seems to have his life in firm order.
Dale Zachary is an up and coming actor. He’s not out and keeps his sexual preference hidden as best he can so he doesn’t lose that big chance at becoming a star. Dale also has a twelve year old son. Dale, at some point, will have to make decisions about who he wants in his life.
The city of Durham, London is seeing a rash of murders of young gay men. Detective Constable Jamie Dench is given a chance to work in the secondary unit of MIT to investigate the murders. Not that the other characters weren’t interesting, but Jamie Dench really stood out for me. At first I thought he was going to try and create problems for Matt, but he learned to do the right thing. He faced all his emotions: jealousy, heartbreak, and anger, and then put them aside and used his skill to figure out who the murderer was. But, when the case is solved, he’s still looking for resolution. He carries guilt with him in that knowledge that maybe he could have prevented a lot of the horror that the murderer caused.
Thom Collins is an author I will definitely seek out. I’m really curious to see what he will come up with next. The only irritation I had with this ebook, which I purchased as an early release, was the editing. There were some normal editing issues which I could overlook, but there were two issue that, in my opinion, should not have been missed in editing. I don’t want to discourage anyone from purchasing this book, but I felt I needed to mention this.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach Reviews
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