The Deadly Lies (The Delingpole Mysteries 2) by David C. Dawson
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Romance / Mystery/Suspense/Thriller |
Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 13-November-2019 |
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Romance / Mystery/Suspense/Thriller |
Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 13-November-2019 |
A man is murdered, and takes a deadly secret to his grave.
Is it true the murdered man is Dominic Delingpole’s former lover?
And were they still seeing each other just before his recent wedding to husband Jonathan?
Or are these simply lies?
This is the sequel to the award-winning The Necessary Deaths. It's more than a story of deceit between husbands. A man’s death plunges Dominic and Jonathan into a world of international espionage, which puts their lives at risk.
What is the ruthless Charter Ninety-Nine group, and why is it pursuing them across Europe and the United States?
Dominic and Jonathan are forced to test their relationship to its limit. What deadly lies must they both confront? And if they stay alive, will their relationship remain intact?
First edition published by DSP Publications, December 2017.
This is the second adventure of Dominic, a lawyer who is as good at solving mysteries as any PI, and Jonathan, his quirky lover and new husband. After the harrowing events they had to deal with in ‘The Necessary Lies’, and how close they became while dealing with all the political and international business conspiracies they uncovered, it was a relief to see them decide they were meant to stay together. Now that they are on their honeymoon, you might think that things would be more quiet – but nothing could be further from the truth. As the blurb alludes to, Dominic has kept a rather explosive secret from him and when it comes out, Jonathan is rather shocked – as was I. But this is not the worst of it, and before they know what hit them, both men are neck-deep in lies, internet crime, and a mysterious group out to destroy the world as we know it.
This book is fascinating on two levels. First, there is the personal side that focuses on the developing relationship between Dominic and Jonathan. Both men are committed enough to have gotten married and they know they work well together when solving mysteries and fighting crime, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect between them. Communication, as ever, is a challenge for Dominic, and while his decisions may be acceptable on a purely rational level, he fails to account for the effect his silence has on Jonathan on an emotional level. And while these issues are not the central focus of the story, they definitely add an interesting flavor to the proceedings.
The second level is, of course, all about the international conspiracy Dominic discovers – in a mysterious text message sent to him by his ex-lover, Bernhardt, just before his suspicious death. Solving the riddle of what Bernhardt meant keeps Dominic up at night, but answering one question leads to three more new ones every time he thinks he is getting somewhere. Jonathan is initially shocked and disappointed that Dominic never told him about wanting to meet Bernhardt – during their honeymoon! But being the man he is, he can’t resist a good secret either, and soon joins Dominic in the quest for answers. As cleverly put together as the mystery case in the first volume of the series, and with even higher stakes, the discoveries Dominic and Jonathan made held me spellbound.
If you like ingenious mysteries with international implications, unpredictable effects, and credible threats, if internet crime and secret organizations up to no good pique your interest, and if you’re looking for an action-packed read with determined characters who follow the facts no matter where they lead, a hair-raising story with more than a few twists and turns, and spine-chilling suspense up until the last page, then you will probably like this novel. I certainly hope there will be more stories about Dominic and Jonathan!
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.
Format | ebook |
Length | Novel, 274 pages |
Heat Level | |
Publication Date | 17-October-2019 |
Price | $2.99 ebook |
Buy Link | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y6J9PZ1 |