The Backlot Gay Book Forum discussion
This topic is about
Scandal at the Salty Dog
Book Series Discussions
>
Scandal at the Salty Dog, by Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble 4)
date
newest »
newest »
By Josh Lanyon
Published by the author, 2021
Four stars
What strikes me about this charming, well-crafted series is that the timeline is very short. Ellery Page starts his (mis)adventures in Pirate’s Cove on Buck Island with a day or two of the end of the last book. The continuity is nice, but boy, does this guy get into trouble fast!
In this mystery, Ellery has a double-barreled puzzle to solve. First, he’s asked to look into peculiar occurrences happening at the local pub—the Salty Dog of the title. At the same time, he gets involved with yet another eccentric local denizen—the elderly and self-isolating descendant of notorious pirate Rufus Blackwell.
Ellery seems to get into trouble without even trying—and certainly without wanting to. There a nice slice of this book that focuses on his evolving relationship with Jack Carson, Pirate’s Cove’s chief of police. What I like about these two—and this fits in with Lanyon’s couples generally—is that neither is highly judgmental of the other. Jack is understandably impatient with Ellery’s penchant for trouble; but Ellery also seems to grasp Jack’s loneliness and desperate need for someone in his life. It’s lovely to watch them together when Jack isn’t rolling his eyes and Ellery isn’t apologizing.
And we’re promised at some time in the future (how long will a month from now be in terms of books?) a visit from Ellery’s parents. I’ll be staying tuned.