Kept

by Jim Arnold

Palm Springs: Jorge Gomez leaves his poor family behind and remakes himself as ambitious George Gomes.

Soon young gay George is picked up by Connor Hurst, who takes him to an empty mansion for a night of lust. Connor convinces George to work alongside him in a scam targeting gullible retirees with classic desert homes.

George appears to be on a strange path to the American Dream, until his help covering up a violent death propels him toward bigger risks—perhaps even murder, one that seems justified, one promising a sizable payday.

George doesn't know his role is to take the fall.

Yet he isn’t as stupid as everyone thinks. Left alone, literally hanging on a wire with a corpse, George must fight enemies real and imagined if he has any hope of finding his dream—or even staying alive long enough to enjoy it.

Genres: M M Romance

177 pages, Paperback

Published March 20, 2016

About the author

Jim is the author of the award-winning novels Benediction (2009). The Forest Dark (2013), Kept (2016) and Benefits (2019).

Jim also directed the critically-acclaimed documentary short Our Brothers, Our Sons, about generational differences around HIV/AIDS in gay men, (nominated for Best Documentary at the 2002 Turin International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival).

Jim has worked extensively as a free-lance journalist and has published in Frontiers, Variety, Prime Health & Fitness, Age Appropriate and other periodicals, online and in fiction anthologies. He began his career in musical theatre and holds a BA in journalism and film from Marquette University, and has studied film production/writing in the MFA program for Cinema/TV at the University of Southern California, the Writers Program at UCLA, and at Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco.

He blogs at www.jimarnoldblog.com/blog

Jim is a veteran entertainment and non-profits PR executive, having held communications management positions at Paramount Pictures, Dolby Laboratories and the American Lung Association in California.

Other Useful Information:

Jim’s a 4th Generation California Native whose ancestors came for the Gold Rush and stayed despite not finding any! He’s also a cancer survivor who has run a marathon and can literally do cartwheels. An unusual talent is that he can rollerblade backwards so don’t be shy about asking for a demo. A former teenage church organist, Jim now tries not to irritate his neighbors when playing standards from the American songbook on the piano.

Reviews

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Kept is a crime / murder / mystery / con / scam-fest set in Palm Springs. The story has a real noir feel to it, and in this sense, it reminds me of Marshall Thornton's Coyote Bluff, also set in Palm Springs. This is not the Palm Springs of the Rich & Famous. It's a gritty, hot, dirty world where shady real estate companies target retirees, murders for hire go wrong big time, reporters are much too nosy for their own good, double- and triple- crosses are commonplace, and "who do you trust" is only a rhetoric question.

Describing the plot is an exercise in futility- it is delightfully convoluted. Suffice to say there is a large cast of characters - Jorge / George, Connor, Jimbo and Timbo (twin marines stationed at Twenty-Nine Palms), Pilar and Sy Greco, Locker, Duane and Vi, Inez, Jace - and no good (or bad) deed goes unpunished.

While I can't claim to have loved (or especially enjoyed) the book, there was just something about it that keeps me intrigued and reading. I'm going to put this one on my re-read list and see how it "feels" the second time around.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lelyana's Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I've struggled to finish this one. It was good in the beginning, but too may characters made me dizzy, and the mystery wasn't quite interesting, and it was easy to solve.
Jorge/George and Connor, were too fast, too soon having a relationship/ I mean, one look, one wild night of sex, and they're together already?
Call me an old fashion, but their relationship seemed fake for me. Was it for a survival for George only, or was it love?
I think this was an average read, easily forgotten.
I'm actually, a little disappointed. I don't know if I can recommend this to my friends. Maybe for those who likes mystery... Maybe.

[books are love · Rating 3 out of 5]

So not sure how to feel. Not a bad thing. I felt for connor. His mother was selfish and George in a way was there for him but wasn’t and than he betrayed him. George thought it was connor betraying him but he didn’t he actually loved him. The book has confusing moments because we get so many different people telling aspects of what is happening. We get SY the man of schemes who gets duped by everyone, Pilar who is really selfish and conniving, Nancy who I am not sure what to make of her, Connor who you don’t want to like but do and is a enigma in and of itself, Connor’s brother who you feel bad for, Connor’s mother who you don’t like, George who you like but don’t like and aren’t sure in the end where you stand with him although you are happy he found happiness with one of the twins, the twins who scare you with the violent one and the other you are glad see gain confidence to walk away and find love and happiness with George and the native American aspect that I am still trying to figure completely out.

So we have all these points of views in the story and sometimes the idea stops just stops so what is to happen is only inferred. Sometimes you wonder huh what is happening and you are left reeling. That is why I am not sure how to feel. I mean the context is interesting and keeps you reading-we have two young men who want more from life. They find each other and one falls in love the other I wonder about. You think George loves Connor but when Connor has a tragic accident George suddenly is with one of the twins and thinking Connor had betrayed him when it was him who betrayed connor. He had more control than ever expected and he was scheming and no one knew. So his love wasn’t love I don’t believe towards Connor whereas Connor despite not wanting to fell for George and was hoping for a life with him. This didn’t work as planned for they were trying to scheme the schemers. One finds out and all heck breaks loose.

The story follows the story of Pilar and Sy and what they do for money. How they feel for each other and their greed. they both are enjoying Connor and scheming against each other. Than we have the casino angle and how they play into Pilar and Sy’s schemes. We also follow connor. He you like despite it all. You know he is scheming but seeing him with George and how he falls in love is sweet. But his story with George and what happens for him to be without George and where he is in the end is told. The events of George and how he met Connor and ended up with one of the twins is told as well. So we have many stories that intertwine but not all the parts are told some are inferred. We aren’t really told all of how George got the money and how he got it where he did. We are given snippets. Sometimes snippets are good and sometimes confusing. Like Connor and ending up in the trailer and than suddenly at the car after the accident but now suddenly he is able to track Pilar down and confront her how how did he know where???

I think Connor was the story I enjoyed the most because it had some passion but was more narrative for his. We see him fall for George and be betrayed. We see him want to find happiness and peace in the end and let go of his need to get back at George. He grew the most to me.

George I am not so sure he did. He became more scheming but than again maybe he was always this way and we didn’t know it. Looks are deceiving. He ends up with bliss with one of the twins and it was a twin I rooted for. I was glad he got away and found happiness but wasn’t happy with how he hurt Connor or how he just didn’t confront Connor.

the story is about the diverging lives of George and Connor. How they met and the others who influenced their outcome. Intertwined was the others lives and what they we doing to find happiness and peace. Each tale is interesting and unique and how they all figure in the others tales is fascinating. The story is written in many views and this at times is confusing because the thoughts sometimes stop abruptly and we are onto someone else and what they are doing and scheming. Overall the tale of George and Connor is sad at times and sweet as well. We see them come together and fall apart form each other. One feeling betrayed and wasn’t while the other was . They find a way to find happiness and peace after all they went through and this is all that the reader hopes for. A intriguing tale of revenge, scheming and double crossing with a romance thrown in that has you happy sad and surprised at who ends up with who in the end and why.

[Ann Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the very beginning of this taut, stylized novel, author James Arnold sets us up for what we can tell immediately will be quite a tale. As the prologue opens, Connor Hurst has made his getaway and is furious. He realizes he doesn’t have all the money he theoretically should, given the deal that went down back in Palm Springs, and he’d like nothing better than to do a number on the person who took what’s missing. But who was that? Connor knows and can’t believe he got taken. Author Arnold then takes us back to the weeks leading to that fateful day: Connor works for the Grecos, a married couple who run a home remodeling business in the Coachella Valley, which is not entirely legit. Let’s just say, things usually do not go well for the homeowners the Grecos”work” for, while mixed up in the Grecos’ business are all sorts of fascinating and often self-serving individuals we get to know. At some point people—reporters, various other motley characters-- start to notice, which is when Connor decides to capitalize before the operation gets shut down. But Connor’s family isn’t going to make that entirely easy for him either. His mother has plans for all that money Connor is making—plans having to do with Connor’s brothers. Connor isn’t a bad man, really. But he finds himself in a bad way. He’s into men, women, and pretty much anything else he needs to be into to get ahead and to get the job done, even if it means kissing up to dangerous-looking Rottweilers. Then he meets someone who we know is going to mean something more to him. George is into Connor too, or so Connor thinks. But George is also on the make, trying to escape a life he thinks is beneath him, and out for everything he can get. What we don’t know is how everything is going to play out, but most readers will assume—correctly--that there is going to be fireworks and danger along the way. Arnold delivers on all counts and to say much more about the plot would wreck the reader’s experience.

Of late we’ve had lots of books published in the genre known as Nordic Noir. KEPT fits nicely into the Desert Noir genre, if such a thing exists. Arnold captures so well the heat and desolation of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio and the “Other Desert Cities” including Morongo and its casino. To anyone who has spent time in any of these desert oases, Arnold’s descriptions are right on and I found myself feeling oppressed by the heat while reading my advanced readers copy of this book in February.

KEPT's structure, and particularly its style need to be noted as well. Though the story unfolds via multiple points of view, the tone is clear, consistent and unique—perfect for noir. KEPT doesn’t doesn’t disappoint. Arnold keeps the action and questions going until the end.

[Reader Views · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (09/16)

I love the whole Palm Springs area. An adventurous day for me is having a star sighting or being able to park my RAV4 between a Bentley and a Maserati at Costco. In “Kept” by Jim Arnold, the adventures are a bit more extreme, and not all are to be enjoyed. For a young illegal immigrant named Jorge Gomez aka George Gomes, he will do what it takes to achieve his view of the American dream. Deciding to move out of his mother’s decrepit trailer in Mecca, Jorge goes to Palm Springs to find his fortune. He is quickly spotted by Connor Hurst, who pulls him into a huge scam involving a corrupt real estate business and using Native Americans to swindle old people out of their homes.

Jorge and Connor immediately find they are attracted to each other, but Connor already has a lot on his plate, including having an affair with his boss and his boss’s wife. When an aspiring news reporter begins investigating the claims of the elderly, things start heating up. Loyalties are tested, and often fail. Relationships between men and men, men and women, and family members are all on trial. As a body count starts accruing, it is obvious that no one should be trusted.

Readers will find that “Kept” by Jim Arnold will keep them on the edge of their seats, because just when you think the story is going one way, the author leads you in the opposite direction. The cast of characters also makes for a lively read. Each one has their own motivation for their behavior, and 99% of the time, it is all based upon greed. The deviousness of their actions makes for a very fun plot. Living nearby, even made it more fun for me because the author’s description of the area was right on target and I enjoyed the familiar desert setting. This is highly recommended reading for people who enjoy a lively mystery.

[Mary Cerutti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Kept is like taking a ride on the bullet train: It’s sleek, fast, and dangerous. Jim Arnold’s story grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let up until the desert was littered with bodies, human and otherwise. The twists and turns of the intricate plot lead to a satisfying conclusion, even though it turns out that crime does, after all, pay. And pretty well, too.

The novel is peopled with recognizable denizens of the Palm Springs scene, from hot young men to tribal casino employees, seedy meth dealers to scammy real-estate moguls, down-on-their-luck reporters to hunky Marines from nearby Twentynine Palms, and just about everyone in-between. The author brings Palm Springs to life; those who know the town will recognize dozens of locales, those who don’t may want to pay a visit—or perhaps not.

The desert, its monumental and oppressive presence, looms over the story in a way that reminded me of a sentence from the opening paragraph of Raymond Chandler’s “Red Wind” when he writes of the hot, dry Santa Anas: Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen.

Arnold is a talented writer, and though many of his characters are--let’s face it--despicable, he manages to keep them recognizably human, and I found myself rooting for more than one of them to escape unscathed. In truth, no one comes out of the maelstrom of events without scars, but some survive and maybe, in their way, even flourish.

Make no mistake, though: These are bad people who bring to mind the phrase “the banality of evil.” Nobody here is a criminal mastermind, and they’re far too bumbling and inept to be Don Corleone or even Jerry Lundegaard.

I am really glad to have gotten an advance copy of Kept for review. It’s terrific!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a promotional copy of Jim Arnold’s “Kept���. Toward the end of the book I was hoping that Mr. Arnold might make a series out of this one. It’s a fine book to sit down and just have a good read with. If you like crime novels peppered with some oooo-la-la to maintain interest, this is a good book for you. Power struggles are a central theme as men and women use their bodies in the hope of climbing one more rung of the ladder to success. Centered in Palm Springs, it is written well enough and the characters developed well enough that I had no problem keeping the many characters straight (including who was sleeping with whom). Arnold describes the desert in such a way that I could feel its dryness and the scent of sage. All of this is wrapped up in a feasible plot that includes a despicable contractor stealing from his elderly clients. You will have no problem picking up where you left off and, without saying so, come to understand why the book is called “Kept”. There are many underlying themes which makes this book no light weight. If I had a little box of chocolates and each chocolate was a crime novel, this would certainly be among them. Recommended.
Nancy M. Rosow

[Carlos Mock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kept by Jim Arnold

Sly and Pilar Greco are the owners of Greco and Greco. They oversell renovations to older families in Palm Springs, charge them exorbitant interest and when the owners can't pay, Greco and Greco repossesses the properties at a hefty profit.

Connor Hurst is an opportunist bisexual who's having sex with both the Greco's. Connor falls for Jorge (George) López (Lopes), an illegal Mexican immigrant. After a quick night of sex, George goes to work for Connor and Greco and Greco.

The plot attempts to create some suspense and thee are multiple scenarios happening: Connor and Pilar plan to kill Sly and take his money. George is used as a pawn in this murder attempt. Newspaperwoman Nancy Argento finds out about the scheme and needs to be eliminated. Sly falls for George. George falls for one of the Greco and Greco employees, Jimbo McLaughlin.

The book is narrated from the third person point of view, although it sometimes gives confusing pronouns. The plot is boring - almost predictable. There is no climax and the suspense level is minimal. There are to many secondary characters - which makes a joke of character development.

I did not enjoy the book and do not recommend it.

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2016 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Kept by Jim Arnold
This was an unusual book, not easy to read, but the author did a great job by sticking by his guns and not yielding to arbitrary genre “conventions.” It took me a two or three chapters to get past the literary feel of it. I had to slow down, and when I did I began to marvel at the craft of it, and the characters began to grow close to my heart. I’d recommend this read to anyone interested in a more literary, less formulaic piece of gay fiction.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why this book doesn't have a higher rating, because I loved it! It was a great story, with many interesting characters. I have a bad memory, so sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with who is who when there are quite a few characters, but I had no trouble at all. For me, that's always a sign of a good writer. I look forward to reading more books by Jim Arnold!

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Jodi N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for choosing me as a Goodreads winner. The description of this book is really only a tiny bit of the story. There is something I found really sad in this book. Sad that none of the characters had really any trust in each other. Sad that it seemed so easy for each character to remove someone from their life.

[Bradley Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plots within plots within plots! Great book with lots of surprise twists and turns to keep you guessing.

[Zeoanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to say, I struggled finishing this story. Too much going on and confusing at times. I couldn't force myself to like any of the characters.