Spin Out

August 16, 2011 32 Comments / 1,061 views

Title: Spin Out (Deputy Joe,#2)
Author: James Buchanan
Publisher: MLR Press
Cover Artist: Winterheart Design
Buy Link: Spin Out (Hard Fall)
Genre: Contemporary m/m, mystery
Length: Novel (284 pages,  94 k words)
Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

A Guest Review by Feliz

Summary review: This is a solid murder mystery and  a conflicted yet super-hot romance between ex-con Kabe and Deputy Joe, told in Joe’s most appealing, distinctive narrative voice.

The Blurb:  Right guy.  Wrong time.  Deputy Joe Peterson understood the risks when he got involved with ex-con Kabe Varghese. He didn’t, however, see fit to warn Kabe. Now, in the middle of searching for the killer of a local boy, he has to contend with his career and his relationship spinning out of control. Solving the case may be easier than repairing broken trust.

The Review:

Spin Out is the sequel to Hard Fall, reviewed by Wave here. If you haven’t read Hard Fall yet, I’d recommend you do so first before you pick up Spin Out.  For one, the fondations to the main conflict in Spin Out were laid in Hard Fall;  with the knowledge of the former it’s certainly easier to follow.  Secondly, not knowing Hard Fall a reader might miss out on some of the finer nuances in the relationship between Kabe and Joe as well as in their respective relationships with the secondary cast.

Spin Out starts several weeks after the end of Hard Fall. Kabe and Joe are still in the tentative phase of their relationship, the recent events of Joe’s falling out with the Mormon community still raw in his memory even though he’s coming to terms with it — it got him Kabe, after all, a man Joe intends to keep for good.

The Utah equivalent of Internal Affairs, the Disciplinary Review Council,  calls both of them in for a hearing about their relationship, or rather about the fact that Joe as a deputy sheriff  has an affair with a convict on probation.  Kabe worries, but Joe reassures him appearing in front of the Counsel is no big deal.  Joe not only plays it down for Kabe — he deceives himself about the possible impact and consequences  of this hearing – which might be very well result in Joe losing his job.  It’s only when Joe has to witness Kabe being put through the mill by the board  that Joe realizes what he’s done — that by leaving Kabe in the dark, Joe has set him up for public humiliation. Still, Joe is surprised by Kabe’s reaction afterward. Convinced he has acted in good faith, only intending to keep Kabe from unnecessary worries, Joe can’t understand why Kabe is so thoroughly pissed at him that he won’t even listen to apologies. It takes Joe a while — and a figurative knock on the head from his old friend Devon — to see his mistake. But once he realizes how much he must have hurt Kabe by shutting him out, how overbearing he was, he decides to do everything he possibly can to reconciliate with Kabe. It’s just his bad luck Kabe happens to see him leave Dev’s hotel room at the crack of dawn. They only had a night of pep talk, but Kabe readily jumps to the wrong conclusions. The relationship Joe took so much upon him for seems damaged almost beyond repair. It will take serious efforts on both Joe’s and Kabe’s sides — and a gentle nudge from their mutual friends — to straighten out things between them.

Interwoven with the goings-on and problems of  Joe’s and Kabe’s relationship is the case of a youngster found dead in the woods that Joe has to solve.  Investigating the young man’s dead Joe stirs a hornet’s nest of lies, fear induced silences and false loyalties, revealing ugly truths that some of the good citizens of Panguitch, Utah would’ve rather kept hidden.

It’s Joe’s voice which tells this story, and what a voice that is — I already loved it in Hard Fall, and it kept ringing true through this book as well. Of course, since I never talked to an actual Utah native, others be better judges of its authenticity, but Joe’s drawl, his speech pattern and the sayings and mannerisms strewn into the narrative made me feel as if I was actually listening to him. He came alive on the page and in my mind. Kabe was a little harder to get to, since I only saw him through Joe’s eyes, but  I could relate to his reactions  easily enough. By the end Kabe had grown on me just as much as Joe had.

Another plus: Other than in Hard Fall, the rock-climbing slang was kept to a bearable level. ;-)

There wasn’t overly much on-page sex in this book, the more to make every single scene count. Joe and Kabe have some kind of D/s relationship, although Joe wouldn’t call it that way. He doesn’t even seem to be fully aware that others might put this label on Kabe and him. It’s just something they both are and both need from each other, and yet it’s also part of their relationship issue. Joe needs to show Kabe that he sees him as his equal even though he might like to take the lead in bed, and Kabe has to overcome his own insecurities — not as a sexually submissive man, but as an ex-con who tries to build a relationship with a law enforcer — before he can trust Joe enough to give him his full submission.

As for the secondary cast, they were just as skillfully drawn as the heroes. Dev, Joe’s friend and former partner on the hunt for pretty boys;  Nadia, the motherly kickass BFF to both of them; Myron Simple, Joe’s boss, even the youngsters Joe questions in his murder case, they were all persons in their own rights.The actual murder mystery felt realistic down to the point that fortunate coincidences played a major role in solving it, together with Joe’s investigative achievements.

My only niggle with this book was the fact that it dragged a bit in the middle part. Kabe’s anger, understandable as it was, turned him into a bit of a sorehead which, together with Joe’s thickheadedness,  brought the story precariously close to “The Big Misunderstanding” — a pitfall which was gloriously avoided only a few pages later, fortunately.

This was a beautiful, masterfully written love story and a gripping mystery I can only warmly recommend.

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32 Responses to “Spin Out”

  1. 1
    Raine Reply August 16, 2011 at 7:27 am

    Thanks Feliz, I’ve been waiting for the review on this one. I enjoyed Hard Fall so much, was worried sequel might not match it…..yes I’m a coward.

    I’m now nicely reassured by your great review and can enjoy catching up with one of my favourite couples.

  2. 2
    Wave Reply August 16, 2011 at 8:29 am

    Feliz
    I’m really happy there is no Big Misunderstanding in Spin Out because that would have disappointed me. I trust James’s writing and I’m so pleased that this book worked for you as much as Hard Fall.

    Thanks for this wonderful review.

    • 2.1
      Feliz Reply August 16, 2011 at 1:32 pm

      Hi Wave,
      it did work indeed. It was good to watch those two guys get back to talking to each other – they had to work, both of them, to make it work for them. I love it when this happens, particularly when it’s so well done as here.

  3. 3
    Allie2 Reply August 16, 2011 at 9:44 am

    I have read this book and I certify this review as accurate.

  4. 4
    Daanquai Reply August 16, 2011 at 11:00 am

    James Buchanan is definitely one of my most favorite authors. And I really loved Hard Fall and I feel like I have been waiting forever for the sequel. This is my second favorite series from this author (after Nicky and Brandon, of course! :grin: )

    Can’t wait to read this one. Thank you for the great review, Feliz!

  5. 5
    LadyM Reply August 16, 2011 at 11:11 am

    Joe is such a wonderful character that he became a serious competition to Nicky from Taking the Odds series in my eyes. It’s rare for the character to come this alive. I think that everyone who loved Hard Fall will be very pleased with the sequel.

    I also liked how subtle the author was in showing the shunning Joe experienced, which, IMO, had much greater impact. When he said his doctor suddenly didn’t have any free appointments for him, the implications literally stopped my heart. I hope some of the things we’ve read in the novel (Kabe’s plans to become an EMT, Joe’s recovery and job, arrival of his family) mean that James will write another novel with these characters.

    • 5.1
      Feliz Reply August 16, 2011 at 1:36 pm

      I fully agree. Another sequel would be a real treat!

    • 5.2
      rdafan7 Reply August 17, 2011 at 12:17 pm

      I also liked the theme of Joe and his worry over losing his job…you could tell that was such a big part of who he is (being a deputy) that it was hard to see him being put thru the LDS heartache along with the “maybe losing his job”.
      He was desperate to keep that part of his life on track to hold onto something…

  6. 6
    kkm Reply August 16, 2011 at 11:17 am

    THIS BOOK RAWKS! as someone who lived in washington and wyoming – this voice and perspective rings very very true. and the story – niiiice! here, joe and kabe (realistically) need to work for their happily ever after. a triumph…
    :0)
    -kkm

  7. 7
    James Buchanan Reply August 16, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    Thank you, Feliz.

  8. 8
    Val Kovalin Reply August 16, 2011 at 12:19 pm

    Great review, Feliz! I thought Hard Fall was so good that it ended up being one of those books I’m still procrastinating on reviewing because I just don’t think I can do it justice. I have Spin Out and am very much looking forward to reading it.

    • 8.1
      Feliz Reply August 16, 2011 at 1:40 pm

      :yes: :yes: :yes: I had Hard Fall sitting on my reader for ages, never getting around to read it, and I’m so glad I finally did. Both books are so good!

  9. 9
    rdafan7 Reply August 16, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    I read “Hard Fall” and really enjoyed it so I had to buy “Spin Out” to find out what happens to Joe & Kabe.
    I agree with you Feliz, the stories combined the romance and mystery into a great read and I hope we will soon get another story with these two characters.

  10. 10
    Helena Reply August 16, 2011 at 12:48 pm

    Another “must” I need to catch up with soon :grin:
    Thank you for your review :cool:

  11. 11
    Denni Reply August 16, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    I thoroughly enjoyed Hard Fall and was surprised to see a sequel, maybe because it seemed rather finished and complete in itself. I worried that Spin Out might be a disappointment (but I stalked it anyway and purchased the day it became available).

    Ha…James Buchanan always delivers! A fun read, now I’m looking forward to more Joe & Kabe :loveyou:

    As a reader, I have very limited patience with ‘The Big Misunderstanding’ as a plot device, and luckily James didn’t go there :grin: I didn’t re-read Hard Fall before jumping into Spin Out, but remembered Joe as rather isolated from family and friends so I was surprised when the author dropped a BF into the mix. But there’s a reason James is one of my favorite authors, and the new character an excellent edition to the story.

    Thanks for stopping by James :smile: What’cha working on now, and are you planning any further adventures for Nick & Brandon? :wink:

  12. 12
    Denni Reply August 16, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    Can I learn to spell now? :blush:

  13. 13
    Hellga Reply August 16, 2011 at 11:14 pm

    OMG! I was sooo waiting for this one. And totally missed the release! *off to buy*

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