Synopsis:Ten years ago Cosmo Bari vanished, and with him, his legendary masterpiece, Virgin in Pastel. Since that day no one in the seaside art colony of Steeple Hill has heard from the eccentric painter.Surrounded by an extended family of Cosmo’s colorful compatriots, mystery writer Kyle Bari believes he has come to terms with being abandoned by his famous father, until the day Adam MacKinnon arrives with his new lover, the beautiful but poisonous, Brett.Brett has an unerring instinct for other people’s weak spots; soon the quiet colony is seething with hostility and suspicion as Brett hints he knows something about the missing artist... My Thoughts:This was definitely a classic Josh Lanyon tale. I had no idea it was being released and was surprised when I got to the end of the book that he had previously released it years ago under a different name. Even had I read it back then, I would have recognized it for one of Josh's books because his style is pretty distinctive. Josh says he wrote this at the same time that he was writing Fatal Shadows and it shows. Murder in Pastel was very reminiscent of Fatal Shadows, but still managed to be its own story. I didn't feel like the characters in the two books were copies of each other or that the story was a copy. They have similarities, but I feel that each can stand on its own.I really liked Kyle. He was so dry witted. I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and shake him a few times, but I enjoyed being in his head. He's a better person than I am, though. Despite everything Brett put everyone through, Kyle still liked him. How the fuck did that happen? Just because Adam basically forced them to befriend each other?I couldn't stand Brett. His life sucked. I'm sorry for him. It doesn't excuse any of the things he did, though. Or any of the things he said. Once a certain revelation came to light (I had already suspected this, though), his asking so many questions about Kyle when he was younger made a lot of sense. So did his hostility toward Kyle. Likely, he felt Kyle got everything that Brett himself should have had. It didn't turn out that way and I'm sad for him because no one should have grown up like that, but he was still a douchetastic asshole and I kept wanting to kill him my damn self.I liked Adam, but sometimes I want to smack him. Yeah, so he knows what Brett went through growing up. He didn't want to be another person who abandoned the guy. That does not mean he had to let Brett get away with everything that he did. He should have read him the riot act. At least once. I would have liked him to explain to Brett at least once that he can't treat people the way he does. I was also pissed at him that he talked Kyle into making friends with Brett. Adam was well aware of how Brett constantly picked at Kyle when it came to Adam and he was well aware of how Kyle felt about him. I just thought that was insensitive.The other characters were pretty good as well. I thought they were a bit stupid for letting Brett screw with their community so damned much, though. Seriously. These were grown ass people and Brett was a douche out to punish the world and he fucked all of them up. *smh*The mystery kept me intrigued because I never saw the killer coming. I had some idea about what Brett was doing in Steeple Hill and I guessed his connection early on, but I wasn't expecting all of the revelations that came out. That damn painting was the blame for all of it. Also, Cosmo not keeping it in his pants didn't help any.I was glad that Kyle at least gets some confirmation that Cosmo wasn't as ambivalent towards him that he thought he was. He never doubted that his father would just walk away from him. Cosmo did pretty much create a pattern. Still, he cared about Kyle, he just wasn't all that great at making sure that Kyle knew that. I do think that Kyle alienated a lot of friends during his investigation, though. I understand why he thought each of them may have been the killer, but he pretty much dredged up all of their dirt even though Brett was the one that started all of that. I wouldn't mind seeing Kyle, Adam and the other Steeple Hill residents just to see if they were able to get their camaraderie back.As with pretty much all of Josh's stories, I enjoyed reading this quite a bit and I'm pretty damned glad that he re-released it so that I got a chance to read it.
How do you feel when your father walked away from you ten years ago and never came back? What must it feel like when the village of colorful eccentrics who more or less raised you all suddenly become suspects in a vicious murder? How does it feel when the man you had a secret crush on as a teenager suddenly returns – with his gorgeous new boyfriend? For Kyle Bari it feels like nothing more or less than a broken heart. Again.First written back in the 1990s, “Murder in Pastel” already shows Josh Lanyon’s mature voice as a writer, even before she became Josh Lanyon. In Kyle Bari, we witness the birth of the smart, sardonic, fragile man who would eventually become Adrien English. We enjoy evidence of Lanyon’s gifts as a storyteller and creator of richly developed characters from the beginning of her long, illustrious career as the doyenne of m/m fiction. With its intentional Miss-Marple-like small-town claustrophobia and lushly detailed sense of place, “Murder in Pastel” sucks us into this tight-knit band of artists, gradually peeling away the affectionate surface to find the conflicts and anguish within. For Kyle Bari, who has all but sealed himself off from any hope of love, it is the reopening of old wounds to watch his makeshift family begin to fall apart around him as jealousy and suspicion start to corrode the bonds that have held them all together for decades.When Josh Lanyon started her career as the master of this genre, there were few who could rival her skill at tale-spinning and her talent at writing. These days, she’s far from alone, but the voice she has made her own over the past years still shines out. She is still the one to beat.
What do You think about Murder In Pastel (2015)?
As many reviews have already stated, this is classic Lanyon and that my reader friends, is always a good thing. The authors note at the end made me grin like a fool and yeah, this belongs in the Lanyon catalog and I'm thankful and giddy it was properly shared. Though this does have a bit of the Adrien Englishy feel etc., I read this as a separate story of a very lonely boy, or boys, simply searching for the place they belong. Brett, ugh, you were a douche but now, I'm kinda sorry I felt that way. Not totally sorry, but yeah. You know? Kyle, I feel you my brother in the land of malfunctioning hearts and unrequited love. You told a wonderful story and you need a shit ton of daily hugs for the rest of your life. Adam, you pissed me off and I am not sure I am over that yet but... yeah. You were kinda confused by your feelings and yet you ultimately did the right thing and how hard was that for you? So... this was good. This was like a warm Lanyon hug with a teasing ass grope. Totally worth it.
—Sara
Murder and secrets!I really, really enjoyed this and I don't have much to say beyond that. I loved the setting of the story in the artists colony and small seaside town. I enjoyed the mystery that surrounded the disappearance of the painting, and the disappearance of the artist Cosmo Bari. I loved the different relationships in the story: the obvious support all the artists had for one another, the underlying professional jealousy, the unrequited love between Kyle and Adam, the mystery and hurt between Kyle's father and grandfather, the irritating small town sheriff, the way in which the towns people regarded the artist colony and so on.And Brett. I enjoyed this obnoxious and irritating character who had a way of offending everyone and manipulating them, and yet at the same time amusing and befriending people. I thought his character was just so deliciously complex and the kind of character that makes a mystery come alive.And I enjoyed the mystery and the dark, slightly gothic feel to the story with it's beach setting and nearby cemetery, dark woods and past secrets.I really enjoy a good murder mystery and particularly those with a romance and this had both. Of course I enjoy Josh Lanyon's writing and this is another one to add to my pile of great JL reads.
—Ije the Devourer of Books
3.5 stars. Review posted September 17, 2015.Murder in Pastel is a good and quick read in vintage Lanyon style. It's actually not a brand-new story because Lanyon mentioned in the Author's Note that he wrote it around the time Fatal Shadows was born. It revealed undeniable similarities to AE but I can honestly say that I didn't mind. I just enjoy Lanyon's voice and writing. Well, I guess he's my comfort zone and my chocolate box all at once because he manages effortlessly to put me back on the right track after having read some not so good books, to put it mildly. "This is a regular murder epidemic you've got going. You think the sheriff is going to buy it?"Fast paced, focused on the mystery and totally light on the "romance", Lanyon incorporated an eclectic cast of characters who served equally as suspects and an extra flavor. Kyle's sleuthing started off a bit maladroit, though he managed to ramp up his performance over the course of time. I questioned a couple of his moves, but enjoyed the mystery and, as per usual, Lanyon's wit and his black humor put quite a few smiles on my face. The way Lanyon creates atmosphere through the weather (esp. rain) or the setting in general is very appealing to me. It feels like meeting another character and those little important details make his stories richer. "How bad's your heart anyway?" After an astonished moment I said, "Well, I washed out of NASA. I'm okay for normal living."Murder in Pastel is on the shorter side of the spectrum and that probably didn't help to develop the (lacking) romance. Likewise, it didn't really detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.Bold, pretentious, obnoxious and somewhat malicious Brett, who didn't forfeit a chance to point out that he was Adam's lover, served his purpose as the unlikable fifth wheel. Despite all those negative attributes, I couldn't shake off the impression that he was also very insecure and probably afraid that Adam would abandon him eventually. To me, he seemed to be very much concerned about Kyle and Adam's mutual attraction. It goes without saying that I didn't like Brett's attention-whore attitude in general and his character in particular. However, looking at the way he grew up (he was abused in foster care), I should have cut him some slack, but his background didn't give him carte blanche to act so selfishly and disdainfully.Again, Murder in Pastel was extremely light on the romance and didn't really wow me in that department. Thus I can't say anything about Adam and Kyle as a couple. I sure would have liked much more relationship development.Bottom lineA famous painting, murder and a very generous helping hand of mayhem and very good writing made for a diverting reading experience.#11 can be added as a satisfying and solid read to my book shelves because, as hoped for, Lanyon delivered.Recommended read.***********************Pre-reading Murder in Pastel:I just checked out the last ten books I'd been reading. Seven were crap, one was good and two were great. Let's see if I can add another great one. Lanyon usually delivers.
—Baba ♥♥♥ Tyler, Marcus, Archer, Dean, Adrian, Dan & Hunter
