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The Full Nelson #2
Glitter
When Detective Chris Nelson catches a police call at a gay bar, he finds a murdered drag queen in the alley behind the building. Andrew Brooks, the victim's co-worker at Bambi's, claims he found her. Because she is sprinkled in the same red glitter Andrew uses in his act, Nelson takes him in for questioning.
Forensics clear Andrew but reveal the victim was into hardcore kink. Following a trail of evidence, Nelson arrives at his next suspect: Andrew's brother. Todd Brooks is an avowed neo-Nazi racist homophobe, but Andrew is still devastated. After the near-mistake with Andrew, Nelson isn't ready to rush to judgment again. Taking his time, he digs deeper, intent on apprehending the actual murderer.
Forensics clear Andrew but reveal the victim was into hardcore kink. Following a trail of evidence, Nelson arrives at his next suspect: Andrew's brother. Todd Brooks is an avowed neo-Nazi racist homophobe, but Andrew is still devastated. After the near-mistake with Andrew, Nelson isn't ready to rush to judgment again. Taking his time, he digs deeper, intent on apprehending the actual murderer.
114 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 19, 2014
3 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Erno
71 books643 followersJeff Erno currently lives in southern Michigan. He holds a bachelor's degree in business management and human resources. Jeff began writing stories in the late 1990's and initially posted them to a free online amateur website. The positive feedback he received from readers encouraged him to continue, and this eventually led to the publication of his first novel, Dumb Jock. Erno has subsequently published several other novels.
His greatest passion in life is writing, and he hopes to be able to continue sharing his work with readers worldwide.
His greatest passion in life is writing, and he hopes to be able to continue sharing his work with readers worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 14, 2016
"Glitter" was for me the best book of the 3 that I read in Jeff Erno's 'Full Nelson' series. I enjoyed the character of Glitter and the club where she worked was filled with some interesting personalities that showed strong potential for their own stories, however, my biggest problem with this series is I just don't care for the main character.
Chris Nelson is the main character in this series, hence the title and he's a total disconnect for me. I think he's suppose to be a hot headed cop with a heart of gold who's passionate about his work or at least that's the impression I think the author wants us to have most of the time I feel like he's a bit of a self centred jerk who stumbles onto the solutions by accident and I don't get Ethan at all but he really doesn't have much page time. Ethan is suppose to be a school teacher who doesn't seem to be smart enough to figure out that he can't cook...sorry Ethan, you need to just give it up, this shtick of cooking when you can't just doesn't work for me, it's boring and it makes Ethan at times came off as being a real dumb bunny and a total piece of fluff.
The other big issue I had with these stories is the time line book one starts with Chris & Ethan going away to celebrate their anniversary after nearly 4 years together. Also according to book 1 they are married, I believe somewhere it says this is their 3rd anniversary, however, in book 2 Chris says that he and Ethan have been married 'almost 2 years' and book 3 has a comment about how they plan on getting married when the state they live in legalizes marriage for same sex partners...so yes, confusing. Are they married or aren't they? and for how long? This kind of timeline confusion for me is just not cool.
Sadly the only thing about Chris & Ethan that I know for sure is that they like to role play. This was made very clear throughout the course of these stories and even more sadly there was rarely, if ever any relevance to the role playing nor did it in any way enhance the story at times I also found it more than a little bit annoying as it was almost like an infomercial...we interrupt this story to bring you further details on the role playing activities of Chris & Ethan? Really? who cares...not I said the reader as she started skimming the pages to get back to the story at hand.
So the question remains why 3 stars? Mostly because I really liked the character of Andrew Brooks a young man who works as a drag queen at Bambi's, the club where most of this story takes place. I also liked his younger brother Todd, who appears to be something that he's not. Then there's Andrew's mother. Not the perfect mother, but a mother who loves her sons enough to be willing to re-evaluate her own beliefs and values when she realizes that they don't coincide with the unconditional love her son deserves. To me these characters showed the potential to create a strong and interesting story with people that I could relate to and want to know more about rather than a cop who seems to like spending a lot of time on his soapbox telling others how they should think and feel as he stumbles from one crime to the next and and then goes home to role play with his partner who should be a fun loving, teacher who cares passionately about the world around him and the impact he has on the young minds that he has chosen to be help educate and yet he comes across as little more than eye candy and fluff.
Chris Nelson is the main character in this series, hence the title and he's a total disconnect for me. I think he's suppose to be a hot headed cop with a heart of gold who's passionate about his work or at least that's the impression I think the author wants us to have most of the time I feel like he's a bit of a self centred jerk who stumbles onto the solutions by accident and I don't get Ethan at all but he really doesn't have much page time. Ethan is suppose to be a school teacher who doesn't seem to be smart enough to figure out that he can't cook...sorry Ethan, you need to just give it up, this shtick of cooking when you can't just doesn't work for me, it's boring and it makes Ethan at times came off as being a real dumb bunny and a total piece of fluff.
The other big issue I had with these stories is the time line book one starts with Chris & Ethan going away to celebrate their anniversary after nearly 4 years together. Also according to book 1 they are married, I believe somewhere it says this is their 3rd anniversary, however, in book 2 Chris says that he and Ethan have been married 'almost 2 years' and book 3 has a comment about how they plan on getting married when the state they live in legalizes marriage for same sex partners...so yes, confusing. Are they married or aren't they? and for how long? This kind of timeline confusion for me is just not cool.
Sadly the only thing about Chris & Ethan that I know for sure is that they like to role play. This was made very clear throughout the course of these stories and even more sadly there was rarely, if ever any relevance to the role playing nor did it in any way enhance the story at times I also found it more than a little bit annoying as it was almost like an infomercial...we interrupt this story to bring you further details on the role playing activities of Chris & Ethan? Really? who cares...not I said the reader as she started skimming the pages to get back to the story at hand.
So the question remains why 3 stars? Mostly because I really liked the character of Andrew Brooks a young man who works as a drag queen at Bambi's, the club where most of this story takes place. I also liked his younger brother Todd, who appears to be something that he's not. Then there's Andrew's mother. Not the perfect mother, but a mother who loves her sons enough to be willing to re-evaluate her own beliefs and values when she realizes that they don't coincide with the unconditional love her son deserves. To me these characters showed the potential to create a strong and interesting story with people that I could relate to and want to know more about rather than a cop who seems to like spending a lot of time on his soapbox telling others how they should think and feel as he stumbles from one crime to the next and and then goes home to role play with his partner who should be a fun loving, teacher who cares passionately about the world around him and the impact he has on the young minds that he has chosen to be help educate and yet he comes across as little more than eye candy and fluff.
November 6, 2019
The writing just doesn't work for me. Didn't finish
November 30, 2014
Glitter is the second part of Jeff Erno's Full Nelson mystery/suspense series. I picked up the first part "Secrets" a short while back and was nicely surprised both by the characters populating the story and by the mystery plot itself. I have read quite some of Erno's earlier books, but they have all been focused on romance and love and relationships. The Full Nelson series is not a romance. Chris Nelson, the main character is already in an established relationship, in fact he's a happily married man and both in "Glitter" and in the previous book we get to see shorter glimpses of that relationship. Now I occasionally long to read about established relationships, but they are scarce in romance, so I really enjoy this part on the story.
I am also a long time reader of mysteries - since long before I turned to m/m romance - so I am more than happy to see two of my favorite genres blend together. "Glitter", as "Secrets" earlier, is a cozy sort of mystery, much along the lines with the old puzzle mystery. You have a specific set of characters presented to you and you know it has to be one of them who committed the crime and you keep guessing while you're reading. Despite the shortness of "Glitter" I made my assumptions as to who the murder is, then I changed my mind, and then changed it again.
The theme for "Glitter" is drag, since the murder victim is a drag queen and takes place just outside of the club where she performed, and sado- and masochism and abuse and use (and no, the author does not in any way equal the latter with the former). Considering some of Erno's early work (Puppy Love Series) it is interesting to see how Erno has developed this side of his writing.
Another reason I've come to like this new series is the recurring supporting characters. There's Ethan, Chris' husband, who is a total mess in the kitchen. And there's the young men/teenagers that Chris helped save in the first book. They make a couple of revisits here. And finally there's Chris female police partner and a few more work colleagues. I had so much fun when reading the first book about Chris' premature assumptions regarding his then newly appointed partner. It is nice to see their work relation developing.
"Glitter" is a really quick, light and short read and despite the horrific crime and the serious subjects approached it will leave you feeling a little more happy than when you began. I would have liked a longer story - I rarely pick up a novella unless I am certain I'll like the story that awaits, because I prefer the more long-term investment I can give characters in a full length novel - but I view this as a 40-50 minute episode of one of those TV mystery series I watched when I was a kid in the 80's. In order to fully get to know the characters I'll have to watch the whole season. And I am already looking forward to the third part, "Teacher's Pet".
I am also a long time reader of mysteries - since long before I turned to m/m romance - so I am more than happy to see two of my favorite genres blend together. "Glitter", as "Secrets" earlier, is a cozy sort of mystery, much along the lines with the old puzzle mystery. You have a specific set of characters presented to you and you know it has to be one of them who committed the crime and you keep guessing while you're reading. Despite the shortness of "Glitter" I made my assumptions as to who the murder is, then I changed my mind, and then changed it again.
The theme for "Glitter" is drag, since the murder victim is a drag queen and takes place just outside of the club where she performed, and sado- and masochism and abuse and use (and no, the author does not in any way equal the latter with the former). Considering some of Erno's early work (Puppy Love Series) it is interesting to see how Erno has developed this side of his writing.
Another reason I've come to like this new series is the recurring supporting characters. There's Ethan, Chris' husband, who is a total mess in the kitchen. And there's the young men/teenagers that Chris helped save in the first book. They make a couple of revisits here. And finally there's Chris female police partner and a few more work colleagues. I had so much fun when reading the first book about Chris' premature assumptions regarding his then newly appointed partner. It is nice to see their work relation developing.
"Glitter" is a really quick, light and short read and despite the horrific crime and the serious subjects approached it will leave you feeling a little more happy than when you began. I would have liked a longer story - I rarely pick up a novella unless I am certain I'll like the story that awaits, because I prefer the more long-term investment I can give characters in a full length novel - but I view this as a 40-50 minute episode of one of those TV mystery series I watched when I was a kid in the 80's. In order to fully get to know the characters I'll have to watch the whole season. And I am already looking forward to the third part, "Teacher's Pet".
March 28, 2015
Mr. Erno has once again delivered a well-crafted police drama featuring Detective Chris Nelson. A year has passed since the previous novel and Chris and his work partner, Geri, have become quite the cohesive team. At home, his marriage to Ethan continues to thrive and their sex life seems to have heated up since the last novel – or maybe I’m more accustomed to the cutaway nature of the sex scenes this time around. I should note that while this is the second book in the series, you do not have to read book one to enjoy it. Glitter is a stand-alone book, but readers of Secrets will likely enjoy seeing Alex and Shane again.
As the homicide detective on call, Chris catches a case investigating the brutal murder of a drag queen. While the initial evidence at the scene would seem to make Andrew/Glitter the prime suspect, Chris is able to determine almost immediately that Andrew is not the killer. Much like an investigation in real life, the clues lead Chris and Geri in several directions, thus making it difficult to figure out “who done it” before Mr. Erno reveals who the guilty party actually is. The author does such a good job of laying false leads and creating plausible suspects that just like in Secrets, I didn’t see it coming. This made for a both frustrating and exciting experience for me as in essence, I accompanied Chris as he investigated and solved Roxie’s murder.
Aside from the criminal investigation aspect of Glitter, one of the things I really enjoyed was the look into the world of drag. Living in Key West, I have attended several drag shows and hung out with a few drag queens in the decade I’ve been here. Despite that, learning how Andrew saw himself and the dichotomy of his/her personality was fascinating. Whereas Andrew was shy, reserved and insecure in who he was, Glitter was outgoing, confident, and, as Andrew admitted to himself, she had bigger balls than he did. Donning his Glitter persona enabled Andrew to nurture his feminine side and do so in a way that built his confidence. His romantic dilemma of finding a man who understood his need to be masculine at times and feminine at other times surprised me, yet made a lot of sense when I considered the gay men I’ve befriended over the years; their tendency to be either a top or a bottom would seem to increase the difficulty of finding someone who was open to switching roles. As such, I was so happy that Andrew found someone by the end of the book – even if I never saw that someone coming either. The resolution between Andrew and his family was better than I hoped for. Yet again, Mr. Erno has managed to keep me on my toes with another wonderful read. I’m looking forward to starting Teacher’s Pet next.
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!
As the homicide detective on call, Chris catches a case investigating the brutal murder of a drag queen. While the initial evidence at the scene would seem to make Andrew/Glitter the prime suspect, Chris is able to determine almost immediately that Andrew is not the killer. Much like an investigation in real life, the clues lead Chris and Geri in several directions, thus making it difficult to figure out “who done it” before Mr. Erno reveals who the guilty party actually is. The author does such a good job of laying false leads and creating plausible suspects that just like in Secrets, I didn’t see it coming. This made for a both frustrating and exciting experience for me as in essence, I accompanied Chris as he investigated and solved Roxie’s murder.
Aside from the criminal investigation aspect of Glitter, one of the things I really enjoyed was the look into the world of drag. Living in Key West, I have attended several drag shows and hung out with a few drag queens in the decade I’ve been here. Despite that, learning how Andrew saw himself and the dichotomy of his/her personality was fascinating. Whereas Andrew was shy, reserved and insecure in who he was, Glitter was outgoing, confident, and, as Andrew admitted to himself, she had bigger balls than he did. Donning his Glitter persona enabled Andrew to nurture his feminine side and do so in a way that built his confidence. His romantic dilemma of finding a man who understood his need to be masculine at times and feminine at other times surprised me, yet made a lot of sense when I considered the gay men I’ve befriended over the years; their tendency to be either a top or a bottom would seem to increase the difficulty of finding someone who was open to switching roles. As such, I was so happy that Andrew found someone by the end of the book – even if I never saw that someone coming either. The resolution between Andrew and his family was better than I hoped for. Yet again, Mr. Erno has managed to keep me on my toes with another wonderful read. I’m looking forward to starting Teacher’s Pet next.
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!
July 24, 2015
Reviewed by Brandilyn for Prism Book Alliance. After I read Secrets by Jeff Erno, I was not blown away, but I was intrigued just enough to wish to continue the series. As I sit here trying to come up with my review of the latest in the Full Nelson series, Glitter, my mind is brought back to some of the comments I made in my first review. Find the whole review at http://www.prismbookalliance.com/?pos...
May 27, 2016
Chris is back, this time investigating murder in the Drag club.
Some lessons for us in the text, a good delve into the psyche of those Drag and a murder investigation that took a bit of a swerve at the end - the obvious murderer becoming obviously not the murderer!
And Chris and Ethan are still funny with their games!
Enjoyed it. Quick read.
Some lessons for us in the text, a good delve into the psyche of those Drag and a murder investigation that took a bit of a swerve at the end - the obvious murderer becoming obviously not the murderer!
And Chris and Ethan are still funny with their games!
Enjoyed it. Quick read.
December 7, 2014
Omg I love Chris and Ethan .. They are so funny and cute together.
This is a good read and interesting story ... Andrew finds his friend murdered in the alley where they worked.
Chris investigates and needs to find if their suspect is the real killer.
Good book ...
This is a good read and interesting story ... Andrew finds his friend murdered in the alley where they worked.
Chris investigates and needs to find if their suspect is the real killer.
Good book ...
March 25, 2015
3.5 stars
I'm enjoying this series.
I'm enjoying this series.
February 14, 2015
Easy to read investigation cop story, with some hot scenes thrown in along the way
March 5, 2015
As a murder mystery it isn't a bad story.
March 26, 2016
3.5 stars
August 3, 2016
2.5 stars. The mystery was just fine but the two sex scenes were just weird. They felt like they were just 'plonked' down in the middle of the story with no context or continuity or anything.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews