angelwrites's review
5.0
The curl of cigar smoke, the seedy bars, the town filled with corruption and veiled intent...
1940's noir? No, it's KevaD's Whistle Pass, which takes place in the 1950's but still retains a very gritty noir feel which I love. In Charlie, you have a classic noir hero - bitter, knocked about by life, carrying demons on his back. He's not a nice man; he's dangerous and sarcastic. But this doesn't diminish him as a hero in any sense of the word.
The historic setting (and yes, I hate to say it, but 57 years later, 1955 is now historic) is painted so fully and so convincingly, I smelled the pall of cigarette smoke and tasted the grit of coal and diesel fumes in the settings. The bigoted attitudes, the social structures and strictures are all there to make life more dangerous and difficult for our MC's. There are most likely some romance readers who expected more "romance" out of the plot, but I do think, if that's the case, that they came in with preconceived expectations and didn't pick up on the obvious cues.
If I had any objections at all, it might be in the final reveals, where motives became a bit muddy. But that scene had a very Chinatown feel to it, and real motivations aren't always crystal clear. ("Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.")
Before I go, I have to say I adored the dapper, generous hearted Gabe. He is in many ways an archetype for the small town gay man of the era, and yet, he is his own person with a brand of courage all his own. I hear rumors of sequel...I hope not too far in the future, please, KevaD.
1940's noir? No, it's KevaD's Whistle Pass, which takes place in the 1950's but still retains a very gritty noir feel which I love. In Charlie, you have a classic noir hero - bitter, knocked about by life, carrying demons on his back. He's not a nice man; he's dangerous and sarcastic. But this doesn't diminish him as a hero in any sense of the word.
The historic setting (and yes, I hate to say it, but 57 years later, 1955 is now historic) is painted so fully and so convincingly, I smelled the pall of cigarette smoke and tasted the grit of coal and diesel fumes in the settings. The bigoted attitudes, the social structures and strictures are all there to make life more dangerous and difficult for our MC's. There are most likely some romance readers who expected more "romance" out of the plot, but I do think, if that's the case, that they came in with preconceived expectations and didn't pick up on the obvious cues.
If I had any objections at all, it might be in the final reveals, where motives became a bit muddy. But that scene had a very Chinatown feel to it, and real motivations aren't always crystal clear. ("Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.")
Before I go, I have to say I adored the dapper, generous hearted Gabe. He is in many ways an archetype for the small town gay man of the era, and yet, he is his own person with a brand of courage all his own. I hear rumors of sequel...I hope not too far in the future, please, KevaD.
ladyhighwayman's review
4.0
Whistle Pass was a gripping mystery set in 1955.
10 years after coming home from WWII, Charlie gets a letter from his former lover Roger, and Charlie drops everything to head to Roger's hometown Whistle Pass.
Upon arriving, Charlie is greeted with a rude welcoming by some punks trying to beat him up. Charlie soon realizes that perhaps Roger didn't send that note, and that there's something dark and shady going on.
At the hotel he's staying at, Charlie comes across something else he wasn't prepared for: Gabe, the hotel's manager. Charlie turns to Gabe for help and the two work together to find out who has it out for Charlie all the while trying to figure out the growing feelings developing between them.
Whistle Pass had me on the edge of my seat, especially towards the end, and some parts had me guessing. The story had great characters, great action, and some really great twists.
I was provided a galley of this from NetGalley. This didn't affect my opinions.
10 years after coming home from WWII, Charlie gets a letter from his former lover Roger, and Charlie drops everything to head to Roger's hometown Whistle Pass.
Upon arriving, Charlie is greeted with a rude welcoming by some punks trying to beat him up. Charlie soon realizes that perhaps Roger didn't send that note, and that there's something dark and shady going on.
At the hotel he's staying at, Charlie comes across something else he wasn't prepared for: Gabe, the hotel's manager. Charlie turns to Gabe for help and the two work together to find out who has it out for Charlie all the while trying to figure out the growing feelings developing between them.
Whistle Pass had me on the edge of my seat, especially towards the end, and some parts had me guessing. The story had great characters, great action, and some really great twists.
I was provided a galley of this from NetGalley. This didn't affect my opinions.
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