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Burns-Fitzgerald Mystery #1
Burns Too Deep
The story of an Irish detective and a mysterious Scot. Two men meet on a stretch of highway between nowhere and Dundee, Scotland. What secret does each man hold? And what will happen if those truths are ever revealed? Both men have much to lose. And something crucial to gain, if only they can stop running.
~
Close-mouthed CID Detective Thomas Fitzgerald has just finished a harrowing case. He’s traveling the highway between Arbroath and Dundee, Scotland. Now all he wants to do is go to his flat, strip down and soak before catching a good night’s sleep. But a stranger on the side of the road changes everything.
The quiet man named Burns is a puzzle—a dark-haired, sensuous enigma whose harmless invitation to a drink he decides to accept.
Before the next twelve-hour phase of the moon has come and gone, the lives of both these men will change profoundly.
Can they stop running long enough to find each other?
~
Close-mouthed CID Detective Thomas Fitzgerald has just finished a harrowing case. He’s traveling the highway between Arbroath and Dundee, Scotland. Now all he wants to do is go to his flat, strip down and soak before catching a good night’s sleep. But a stranger on the side of the road changes everything.
The quiet man named Burns is a puzzle—a dark-haired, sensuous enigma whose harmless invitation to a drink he decides to accept.
Before the next twelve-hour phase of the moon has come and gone, the lives of both these men will change profoundly.
Can they stop running long enough to find each other?
- GenresM M RomanceMystery
72 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2015
6 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Erin O'Quinn
65 books72 followersErin O’Quinn earned a BA (English) and MA (Comparative Literature) from the University of Southern California. Her life has been a pastiche of fascinating vocations—newspaper marketing manager, university teacher, car salesperson, landscape gardener—until now, in relative retirement, she lives and writes in a small town in central Texas.
Erin has published six M/M novels and three novellas with AmberQuillPress and two independent M/M novels.
Her series titled “The Gaslight Mysteries” includes Heart to Hart, Sparring with Shadows, To the Bone. and Thin as Smoke.
Erin's indie books are NEVADA HIGHLANDER and THE KILT COMPLEX, both very well received.
In addition to these Amber Quill Press and indie books, Erin has thirteen other published novels. Of those, two are M/M historicals published by Siren Bookstrand, set in the Ireland of badass clansmen, cattle drovers, druids, Saxon mercenaries and St. Patrick himself.
Erin has published six M/M novels and three novellas with AmberQuillPress and two independent M/M novels.
Her series titled “The Gaslight Mysteries” includes Heart to Hart, Sparring with Shadows, To the Bone. and Thin as Smoke.
Erin's indie books are NEVADA HIGHLANDER and THE KILT COMPLEX, both very well received.
In addition to these Amber Quill Press and indie books, Erin has thirteen other published novels. Of those, two are M/M historicals published by Siren Bookstrand, set in the Ireland of badass clansmen, cattle drovers, druids, Saxon mercenaries and St. Patrick himself.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 16, 2020
3.5 stars.
September 13, 2015
72. Seventy-two could possibly be the number of times I sighed in pleasure. Or the number of paces in this delicate dance of love. Or the number of verses in this breathtaking and lyrical sonnet of reclamation and healing. Seventy-two could be the number of times my eyelids crinkled in delight or the number of times they widened in astonishment. Or perhaps seventy-two was the weight of my heart before I unlocked the devilishly clever riddle of this enchanting and sensuous tale. But no, that figure is small to express the number of ethereal butterflies that fluttered in my belly, my heart, and my soul only to escape in squirms, smiles, and tiny “OMG” murmurs from my gaping mouth. I’m certain seventy-two tears welled. Perhaps one tear for each page of this astonishingly lovely “Hallelujah” to love… and yes, I mean that in a Jeff Buckley way.
Those who follow the author’s Nevada Highlander series will be pleased to find this is a tale of Detective Thomas Fitzgerald, one of the charming but lonely supporting constables from the previous novels. I rubbed my hands in glee upon hearing this, for Fitz is one of my favorite characters and I so wanted him to find a lover. But I was in no way prepared for the wealth of stimulation, delight, and wonder I experienced as this strange and bewitching tale unfolded. I don’t know how quite to express its beauty; it stirred me. Lingering remnants of classic tales appeared, swam, and dissolved in my psyche. Poe, Dickens, Wilde, and darker ghostly tales all teased the peripheral of my mind as I devoured this succulent and haunting tale of two men meeting on a dark lonely stretch of road.
I know I’m not really saying what the story is about, but I refuse to spoil a truly not-to-be-missed experience. The tease of it, the twist of it—the gentle give-and-take between two cautious strangers—is fascinating and fulfilling like splashes of sunlight dappling on the surface of crystalline water. Lovely and sparkling, even as dark unknowables dart beneath the water’s edge. There is food and ale and tender clumsy advances. There is the trembling, heart-thudding sex of those who have been without for too long. There is the fear of what could be, what might be, and what might not have been at all.
‘Burns too Deep’ is definitely an apt title for this “phoenix rising from the ashes” tale. Is it hot, yes, for damn sure. But more than that, the story is a marvelous multilayered riddle powered by the mystery of love and an author with a knack for language. My heart raced and pounded and mourned…only to beat louder still. How poignant and deep does this story burn? At the book’s end, I stared blankly at my Kindle like I had been shot in the heart. Perhaps it was Cupid, for I then hugged it to my chest like a lover… and grinned…totally in love.
Thank you, Erin O’Quinn, if your books were candy I would have no teeth, but fortunately they are like ambrosia wine and I am again drunk on the beauty and originality of your words.
“Haunting, Exhilarating, Not-to-be-Missed”
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Those who follow the author’s Nevada Highlander series will be pleased to find this is a tale of Detective Thomas Fitzgerald, one of the charming but lonely supporting constables from the previous novels. I rubbed my hands in glee upon hearing this, for Fitz is one of my favorite characters and I so wanted him to find a lover. But I was in no way prepared for the wealth of stimulation, delight, and wonder I experienced as this strange and bewitching tale unfolded. I don’t know how quite to express its beauty; it stirred me. Lingering remnants of classic tales appeared, swam, and dissolved in my psyche. Poe, Dickens, Wilde, and darker ghostly tales all teased the peripheral of my mind as I devoured this succulent and haunting tale of two men meeting on a dark lonely stretch of road.
I know I’m not really saying what the story is about, but I refuse to spoil a truly not-to-be-missed experience. The tease of it, the twist of it—the gentle give-and-take between two cautious strangers—is fascinating and fulfilling like splashes of sunlight dappling on the surface of crystalline water. Lovely and sparkling, even as dark unknowables dart beneath the water’s edge. There is food and ale and tender clumsy advances. There is the trembling, heart-thudding sex of those who have been without for too long. There is the fear of what could be, what might be, and what might not have been at all.
‘Burns too Deep’ is definitely an apt title for this “phoenix rising from the ashes” tale. Is it hot, yes, for damn sure. But more than that, the story is a marvelous multilayered riddle powered by the mystery of love and an author with a knack for language. My heart raced and pounded and mourned…only to beat louder still. How poignant and deep does this story burn? At the book’s end, I stared blankly at my Kindle like I had been shot in the heart. Perhaps it was Cupid, for I then hugged it to my chest like a lover… and grinned…totally in love.
Thank you, Erin O’Quinn, if your books were candy I would have no teeth, but fortunately they are like ambrosia wine and I am again drunk on the beauty and originality of your words.
“Haunting, Exhilarating, Not-to-be-Missed”
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
September 7, 2015
Brilliant and Scorching
After your jaw has dropped to your navel when you get to the last sentence of this brilliantly devised and scorchingly written novella, you will have one of two other reactions:
1) OMG how perfect!, or
2) When's the sequel?
Erin O'Quinn tucked a Police Scotland Irishman, of all things, one Thomas Fitzgerald, into two of the Nevada Highlander books and under demands from her fiercely loyal readers pluck him out, put him on the cover, and slipped him into a plot of his own.
In this case, Thomas is thrown into a serendipitous traffic mishap with a real Scot, man named Burns, which has all the appearances of a bit of a nasty to-do, but in reality turns into an exciting, believable adventure and heart-thumping love story that you cannot get out of your head.
If you were not too inclined to take the "insta-love" part of this book seriously (O'Quinn's words), you would have to throw five or more stars at her simply because of her way with words. There are at least a dozen instances when you will simply look at her sentences and look up from your Kindle and wonder how in the world she found the lyrics to that beautiful line.
What crystalizes that feeling more is the savvy way she deals with the narrative--third person when she is telling it from Thomas' POV, and a brief one-page first-person from Burns (no first names, please, yet) that split you in half.
Now, little bit of disclosure here: I opened this book and saw the dedication--Erin O'Quinn dedicated it to me and another rabid dog of a fan of hers, and my jaw dropped to my knees. That does not and would not alter my feeling about this seriously besotted after-dinner-read: One of her shortest, and in turn, one of her best. Get it now.
After your jaw has dropped to your navel when you get to the last sentence of this brilliantly devised and scorchingly written novella, you will have one of two other reactions:
1) OMG how perfect!, or
2) When's the sequel?
Erin O'Quinn tucked a Police Scotland Irishman, of all things, one Thomas Fitzgerald, into two of the Nevada Highlander books and under demands from her fiercely loyal readers pluck him out, put him on the cover, and slipped him into a plot of his own.
In this case, Thomas is thrown into a serendipitous traffic mishap with a real Scot, man named Burns, which has all the appearances of a bit of a nasty to-do, but in reality turns into an exciting, believable adventure and heart-thumping love story that you cannot get out of your head.
If you were not too inclined to take the "insta-love" part of this book seriously (O'Quinn's words), you would have to throw five or more stars at her simply because of her way with words. There are at least a dozen instances when you will simply look at her sentences and look up from your Kindle and wonder how in the world she found the lyrics to that beautiful line.
What crystalizes that feeling more is the savvy way she deals with the narrative--third person when she is telling it from Thomas' POV, and a brief one-page first-person from Burns (no first names, please, yet) that split you in half.
Now, little bit of disclosure here: I opened this book and saw the dedication--Erin O'Quinn dedicated it to me and another rabid dog of a fan of hers, and my jaw dropped to my knees. That does not and would not alter my feeling about this seriously besotted after-dinner-read: One of her shortest, and in turn, one of her best. Get it now.
September 4, 2015
“He had measured this man for wings and could not stop now.” It is lines such as that which makes this a writer worth further study. If you are lucky, somewhere between literature and erotica you find a wonderful author like Erin O'Quinn. With her passionate embrace of the Irish, or the Scotsman, with their roguish nature and decidedly colorful vernacular, you find yourself carried along her journey as much a good mate as those lovers in her tale. It is clear that Erin falls in love with the characters she creates. And to our joy; the reader falls just as deeply. It is a short read but no less entertaining and it is in the very least, writing worth sharing with friends. I was titillated and amused and it left me eager for more. Miss O’Quinn is not cut from the same cookie cutter mold of some writers, and for that I am thankful. Kudo’s to the author for an excellent and enjoyable ride.
September 29, 2019
Erin O’Quinn. What to do about this formidable, contemporary, consistent author who just never seems to tire of her own brilliance? The short answer is – absolutely nothing. Ms O’Quinn is just too good a writer to put down. The long answer: If there is one book you should be reading right now, it’s Burns Too Deep. (Burns-Fitzgerald Mystery #1). What a magnificent play of words regarding the title. The plot is simple enough. Yet this eloquent damsel of words turns it into something extraordinary.
Detective Thomas Fitzgerald, a Glock wielding, blue-eyed cop, is travelling between towns when he is called upon to assist a stranger on the side of the road. Burns is NOT your iconical stranger-on-the-side-of-the-road-lost-soul, he is much much more as Thomas will come to realise over the next few hours.
The sexual cabling is tense and convincing, add the ingredient that Burns holds a disturbing secret (don’t we just love secrets?) and a mission to accomplish, you have a perfect blend for a damned good read.
Burn’s communication borders on the poetic, which I found refreshing. However, the author has a talent that is beyond writing. She creates a deepening that is beyond explanation (and if only I could write like this I would). I would compare Ms O'Quinn's descriptive style to the queen of description, Arhundati Roy - she who wrote The God of Small Things. Ms O'Quinn's words too, are thick with intelligence and that is what I mean by deepening.
At one point Fitzgerald remarks: “Aye, damn it. A poet. Even if your name is not Robert, you are my Bobbie Burns.”
Bobbie Burns is a lonely man. So too, is Thomas Fitzgerald and as the hours sweep on, they realise they needn’t be alone any longer.
This line is the carriage of the book: “Just walk alongside me, Thomas. In case I stumble and fall.”
t is at this point that the novel rang like a thousand million harps playing together. It is here where one must read between the lines. Humans have all the ability to mess up. Mess up without having someone to relieve the pain. We fall and fall again. We lose our minds and go half crazy. We lose the game and can’t get lower. We all Stumble and Fall, and without anyone to catch us, we hurt ourselves.
Miss O’Quinn is in a league of her own.
I could read the characters from their head to their butt. From their fingers to their nervous hell.
This is a romance where both characters lean on each other’s surface to right the wrongs of those who had made them nervous in the past.
I fell in love with Fitzgerald.
His journey has a wide berth. An identifiable journey that overwhelmed me.
I tried to compare this book with some other. I almost drowned in my own brain fluids. There is none. This is a book I will reread and read again even when the lights go out because its fire burns through (excuse the pun).
Highly recommended.
And an absolute 5 star read for me.
Detective Thomas Fitzgerald, a Glock wielding, blue-eyed cop, is travelling between towns when he is called upon to assist a stranger on the side of the road. Burns is NOT your iconical stranger-on-the-side-of-the-road-lost-soul, he is much much more as Thomas will come to realise over the next few hours.
The sexual cabling is tense and convincing, add the ingredient that Burns holds a disturbing secret (don’t we just love secrets?) and a mission to accomplish, you have a perfect blend for a damned good read.
Burn’s communication borders on the poetic, which I found refreshing. However, the author has a talent that is beyond writing. She creates a deepening that is beyond explanation (and if only I could write like this I would). I would compare Ms O'Quinn's descriptive style to the queen of description, Arhundati Roy - she who wrote The God of Small Things. Ms O'Quinn's words too, are thick with intelligence and that is what I mean by deepening.
At one point Fitzgerald remarks: “Aye, damn it. A poet. Even if your name is not Robert, you are my Bobbie Burns.”
Bobbie Burns is a lonely man. So too, is Thomas Fitzgerald and as the hours sweep on, they realise they needn’t be alone any longer.
This line is the carriage of the book: “Just walk alongside me, Thomas. In case I stumble and fall.”
t is at this point that the novel rang like a thousand million harps playing together. It is here where one must read between the lines. Humans have all the ability to mess up. Mess up without having someone to relieve the pain. We fall and fall again. We lose our minds and go half crazy. We lose the game and can’t get lower. We all Stumble and Fall, and without anyone to catch us, we hurt ourselves.
Miss O’Quinn is in a league of her own.
I could read the characters from their head to their butt. From their fingers to their nervous hell.
This is a romance where both characters lean on each other’s surface to right the wrongs of those who had made them nervous in the past.
I fell in love with Fitzgerald.
His journey has a wide berth. An identifiable journey that overwhelmed me.
I tried to compare this book with some other. I almost drowned in my own brain fluids. There is none. This is a book I will reread and read again even when the lights go out because its fire burns through (excuse the pun).
Highly recommended.
And an absolute 5 star read for me.
September 29, 2016
My name is Alp Mortal and I'm an Erin O'Quinnoholic.
Having read the first three Gaslights Mysteries (there are 2 more but I'm saving them), I figured I would give Burns a shot - or rather, let Burns give me a shot. I had pretty high expectations of this story - I was not disappointed at all. In fact, the story had me wrapped around its little finger from page one, and I suspect that the series as a whole will have me crawling to the chiropractor.
And the strangest thing happened as I was reading part one; these words from Little Gidding by T S Eliot just flooded my mind -
... For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
But, as the passage now presents no hindrance
To the spirit unappeased and peregrine
Between two worlds become much like each other,
So I find words I never thought to speak
In streets I never thought I should revisit
When I left my body on a distant shore ...
Something unlocked them. I have a theory that all art, and therefore artists, are connected, throughout the whole of history. I think sometimes we see or hear the 'intersection' of warp and weft - I definitely felt a resonance. Part one is lyrical, if not poetic, and a little dark. A blend of Robert Burns and Edgar Allan Poe (imagine if they'd had the chance to sit down to dinner together).
All very interesting, I hear you say, but get back to the fucking story!!
The story combines all my favourite elements - intrigue, two starkly different main characters, a story to keep me turning the pages, tension, heat, lust, and a satisfying resolution (I don't want to see the end coming - and I didn't - but when I get there, I want to experience those Oh! and Ah! moments - and I did).
I like to summarise a story in one word - engrossing.
Needless to say, I ploughed straight into part 2 ...
Alp
Having read the first three Gaslights Mysteries (there are 2 more but I'm saving them), I figured I would give Burns a shot - or rather, let Burns give me a shot. I had pretty high expectations of this story - I was not disappointed at all. In fact, the story had me wrapped around its little finger from page one, and I suspect that the series as a whole will have me crawling to the chiropractor.
And the strangest thing happened as I was reading part one; these words from Little Gidding by T S Eliot just flooded my mind -
... For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
But, as the passage now presents no hindrance
To the spirit unappeased and peregrine
Between two worlds become much like each other,
So I find words I never thought to speak
In streets I never thought I should revisit
When I left my body on a distant shore ...
Something unlocked them. I have a theory that all art, and therefore artists, are connected, throughout the whole of history. I think sometimes we see or hear the 'intersection' of warp and weft - I definitely felt a resonance. Part one is lyrical, if not poetic, and a little dark. A blend of Robert Burns and Edgar Allan Poe (imagine if they'd had the chance to sit down to dinner together).
All very interesting, I hear you say, but get back to the fucking story!!
The story combines all my favourite elements - intrigue, two starkly different main characters, a story to keep me turning the pages, tension, heat, lust, and a satisfying resolution (I don't want to see the end coming - and I didn't - but when I get there, I want to experience those Oh! and Ah! moments - and I did).
I like to summarise a story in one word - engrossing.
Needless to say, I ploughed straight into part 2 ...
Alp
February 3, 2018
Well, the author does have a disclaimer at the start about not having been to Scotland despite being a huge fan and for me (British, but not Scottish) it was obvious. The dialogue felt a bit twee at times for two men in their 20’s and at times too descriptive/flowery for me.
We then spent quite a while dancing around their mutual attraction and their secrets, considering it probably only took an elapsed overnight.
This is book 1 and definitely a scene setter - looking forward to more meat in book 2.
We then spent quite a while dancing around their mutual attraction and their secrets, considering it probably only took an elapsed overnight.
This is book 1 and definitely a scene setter - looking forward to more meat in book 2.
May 12, 2024
Thomas is on his way home after concluding a case when he's tasked with picking up a stranded motorists. Burns' car has had an electrical failure and died at the side of the road. Burns comes across as an enigma to Thomas as he sits in the car communicating little. A stop for coffee and a meal sees Burns pull more out of Thomas and they sense their mutual attraction. Will the elusive scott be able to resist the enticing Irish cop. Will the Irish cop be able to overlook the questionable activities of the scott?
February 23, 2018
Rating 3.5-3.75
November 17, 2015
Very intriguing sexy novella. Perfect for a bedtime read....
September 20, 2015
My first book by this author and I absolutely loved it. I just found there is going to be a sequel!!! I can not wait!!
October 1, 2015
Erotic, poetic and a wonderful story with lovely engaging main characters. I am looking forward to the second novella.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews