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Dan Sharp Mystery #6
Shadow Puppet
Private investigator Dan Sharp investigates the disappearance of three closeted gay men.
When a serial killer stalks downtown Toronto, private investigator Dan Sharp finds an unexpected link between the missing men that even the police are reluctant to investigate. A meeting with the chief of police confirms his suspicions, but does nothing to resolve the problem. Obsessed with uncovering the truth, Dan enlists a small group of friends to delve into illicit goings-on in the local sex industry. It’s only when the next man disappears, however, that Dan finds himself in a race against time to track down an elusive, manipulative killer who is a master of disguise.
When a serial killer stalks downtown Toronto, private investigator Dan Sharp finds an unexpected link between the missing men that even the police are reluctant to investigate. A meeting with the chief of police confirms his suspicions, but does nothing to resolve the problem. Obsessed with uncovering the truth, Dan enlists a small group of friends to delve into illicit goings-on in the local sex industry. It’s only when the next man disappears, however, that Dan finds himself in a race against time to track down an elusive, manipulative killer who is a master of disguise.
245 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 2, 2019
7 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Round
30 books99 followersJeffrey Round is best known as the Lambda Award-winning author of two mystery series, the gritty DAN SHARP books, and the comic BRADFORD FAIRFAX books. He is also an award-winning filmmaker, television producer and song-writer.
SHADOW PUPPET, sixth in the Dan Sharp series, was published in 2019. Margaret Cannon of the Globe and Mail said, "...this is as good a whodunit as we will see this year." (26/4/19)
BON TON ROULET, fourth in the Bradford Fairfax mystery series, was published in 2017. In 2018, Jeffrey was invited by the William Faulkner Society to read from this book, along with mayor Mitch Landrieu and others, at the 300th anniversary of the founding of New Orleans.
His first novel, A CAGE OF BONES, was published by GMP (UK), topping bestseller lists around the world. The P-TOWN MURDERS, first in the Bradford Fairfax series, was published by the Haworth Press (US). Both titles were listed on AfterElton’s 50 Greatest Gay Books in 2008.
Jeffrey's ENDGAME was called a "brilliant recreation" of Agatha Christie's best-selling mystery AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, giving the original what one critic called a "punk-rock reboot." It was a best-selling e-book in the US in 2016.
SHADOW PUPPET, sixth in the Dan Sharp series, was published in 2019. Margaret Cannon of the Globe and Mail said, "...this is as good a whodunit as we will see this year." (26/4/19)
BON TON ROULET, fourth in the Bradford Fairfax mystery series, was published in 2017. In 2018, Jeffrey was invited by the William Faulkner Society to read from this book, along with mayor Mitch Landrieu and others, at the 300th anniversary of the founding of New Orleans.
His first novel, A CAGE OF BONES, was published by GMP (UK), topping bestseller lists around the world. The P-TOWN MURDERS, first in the Bradford Fairfax series, was published by the Haworth Press (US). Both titles were listed on AfterElton’s 50 Greatest Gay Books in 2008.
Jeffrey's ENDGAME was called a "brilliant recreation" of Agatha Christie's best-selling mystery AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, giving the original what one critic called a "punk-rock reboot." It was a best-selling e-book in the US in 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 11, 2019
Dan Sharpe is a Private Investigator who is hired by a missing man's brothers. The police don't seem to be taking it seriously ... the missing man is foreign-born, Muslim, and gay. He also may have had a private life that his brothers were not aware of.
As he investigates, he finds there are several missing men. Their only connection he can find is that they are all gay. Dan and his closest friends join together to see what they can find. They question family, friends, acquaintances leading to a very dangerous place.
They find themselves embroiled in the underbelly of Toronto finding gangsters, drugs, torture, violent movies and assorted criminal types.
Soon Dan himself is in mortal danger in a shocking, terrifying scene where the serial killer reveals himself.
Dan is more than competent in his chosen profession, compassionate, and is like a dog with a bone refusing to let go. He and his friends are cleverly drawn. I loved the dynamics among them all ... more family than anything else. The suspense at times is almost tangible and I found myself holding my breath here and there.
Many thanks to the author / Dundurn / Netgalley / Edelweiss for the advanced digital copy of this crime fiction featuring a unique main character. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
As he investigates, he finds there are several missing men. Their only connection he can find is that they are all gay. Dan and his closest friends join together to see what they can find. They question family, friends, acquaintances leading to a very dangerous place.
They find themselves embroiled in the underbelly of Toronto finding gangsters, drugs, torture, violent movies and assorted criminal types.
Soon Dan himself is in mortal danger in a shocking, terrifying scene where the serial killer reveals himself.
Dan is more than competent in his chosen profession, compassionate, and is like a dog with a bone refusing to let go. He and his friends are cleverly drawn. I loved the dynamics among them all ... more family than anything else. The suspense at times is almost tangible and I found myself holding my breath here and there.
Many thanks to the author / Dundurn / Netgalley / Edelweiss for the advanced digital copy of this crime fiction featuring a unique main character. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
November 22, 2018
4,5 stars
Another excellent addition to the Dan Sharp Mystery series by Jeffrey Round, another one that kept me awake through the night.
An interesting fact that author shares with his readers at in the foreword of the book:
Story:
There are rumors going around in the LGBT’s community of Toronto about the ongoing disappearances of gay men. At least three cases are known by now, but probably there are more of them. The missing men live alone and as a rule don’t have any close connection to their families. At least it is the only known thing the missing gay men have in common. Is there more to that? In spite of the growing concern of the community members about their safety, the Toronto police doesn’t show any interests to tackle as a priority the issue of the disappeared gay persons. Until one day a famous openly gay cancer researcher has been found knifed to dead in the same neighborhood where all missing gay men were reported. While the police investigates the possibility of a simple robbery gone wrong and considers a homophobic hate crime as a second choice, Dan Sharper, a missing persons investigator, gets a job to do: two Moslem men hire Dan to find their missing brother Nabil, who has vanished some days ago. The truth about Nabil’s sexuality has been detected by his brothers by chance when they searched through his private things trying to find any information considering his disappearance. Islam versus homosexuality. Pornography, Islam AND homosexuality is even more complicated. Dan’s investigation leads him in the local sex industry. The case turns out to be not only very problematic, but also very mysterious and very dangerous. How far can Dan go without risking his own life and the lives of his loved ones?
Jeffrey Round delivers not only a solid mystery with multiple layers and complex and compelling characters, but simply an excitingly entertaining and gripping read up till the end. The last parts were pure torture! The suspense was excruciating!
What I really like in Jeffrey Round stories – they feel soooo real and authentic. I pretty much appreciate the cultural aspects in them and the settings in Toronto. All in all I think that the author deserves much more attention for his series. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I highly recommend to start the series from the book 1. You’ll better understand and much more enjoy the company of Dan and his friends. The book 6 doesn’t have any boy-friend. There are some private encounters but they have rather an importance for a mystery background, less for Dan’s relationship with another person. But it leaves only more to hope for a future plot’s development.
The series is getting better and better with every installment.
I can’t already wait for the next one!
***ARC provided kindly by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.***
Another excellent addition to the Dan Sharp Mystery series by Jeffrey Round, another one that kept me awake through the night.
An interesting fact that author shares with his readers at in the foreword of the book:
My story is not the real-life story of Toronto’s search for a serial
killer, though it parallels certain facts, including the fact that the
Toronto police force didn’t take the cries for help from community
members seriously. More than anything, it is a chilling reminder that
some suspected disappearances are deemed worth investigating,
while others are not.
Story:
There are rumors going around in the LGBT’s community of Toronto about the ongoing disappearances of gay men. At least three cases are known by now, but probably there are more of them. The missing men live alone and as a rule don’t have any close connection to their families. At least it is the only known thing the missing gay men have in common. Is there more to that? In spite of the growing concern of the community members about their safety, the Toronto police doesn’t show any interests to tackle as a priority the issue of the disappeared gay persons. Until one day a famous openly gay cancer researcher has been found knifed to dead in the same neighborhood where all missing gay men were reported. While the police investigates the possibility of a simple robbery gone wrong and considers a homophobic hate crime as a second choice, Dan Sharper, a missing persons investigator, gets a job to do: two Moslem men hire Dan to find their missing brother Nabil, who has vanished some days ago. The truth about Nabil’s sexuality has been detected by his brothers by chance when they searched through his private things trying to find any information considering his disappearance. Islam versus homosexuality. Pornography, Islam AND homosexuality is even more complicated. Dan’s investigation leads him in the local sex industry. The case turns out to be not only very problematic, but also very mysterious and very dangerous. How far can Dan go without risking his own life and the lives of his loved ones?
Jeffrey Round delivers not only a solid mystery with multiple layers and complex and compelling characters, but simply an excitingly entertaining and gripping read up till the end. The last parts were pure torture! The suspense was excruciating!
What I really like in Jeffrey Round stories – they feel soooo real and authentic. I pretty much appreciate the cultural aspects in them and the settings in Toronto. All in all I think that the author deserves much more attention for his series. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I highly recommend to start the series from the book 1. You’ll better understand and much more enjoy the company of Dan and his friends. The book 6 doesn’t have any boy-friend. There are some private encounters but they have rather an importance for a mystery background, less for Dan’s relationship with another person. But it leaves only more to hope for a future plot’s development.
The series is getting better and better with every installment.
I can’t already wait for the next one!
***ARC provided kindly by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.***
September 8, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Publishing for an advance copy of this complex, well plotted detective novel. This is the first book I have read in the Dan Sharp series. After this introduction I am interested in reading more about his family and circle of friends.
The book was inspired when the author spotted posters of a couple missing men in downtown Toronto in the section frequented by the gay community. At the time he noticed the men were not only gay but non-Caucasian. Several years later he spotted two more posters of missing men, one being Caucasian. The fact that the police did take the early concerns of the community seriously parallels Jeffrey Round’s crime novel. It was not until after Shadow Puppet was written and at the publisher that a more prolific serial killer was arrested and charged with 8 murders.
Dan is a relentless, competent and compassionate private detective determined to discover the truth. He becomes aware that a couple of men have been reported missing in the downtown area of Toronto popular with gay men. He is hired by two Moslem men to find their brother, Nabil, who has recently vanished. Dan suspects that the two previously reported missing men; Joe, a Leatherman contestant, Adam, an exotic dancer and Nabil may be all linked as victims as they seem to be gay Moslems. The police are reluctant to investigate, suspecting they probably changed their names, moved out of the city, or died of an illegal drug overdose.
Dan, being gay himself, fears a serial killer may be targeting members of his community. He is assisted by his friends in looking for the missing men. After interviewing Nabil’s brothers and acquaintances and searching his computer, Dan learns that Nabil was scheduled to enter a Leatherman contest but never showed up. He also finds some leads and clues on the computer. The search leads them to a gritty, dangerous places of criminals, a pornographer filming and probably torturing would-be porn stars,a woman who performs violent S&M shows, as well as other disreputable sites (as well as some helpful individuals).
Dan is worried that a friend, Pravin, who insisted on acting as a decoy to attract a killer, has put himself in a perilous situation. Soon Dan himself is in mortal danger in a shocking, terrifying scene where the serial killer reveals himself.
Recommended to anyone who likes a gritty, densely plotted crime novel with interesting characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Publishing for an advance copy of this complex, well plotted detective novel. This is the first book I have read in the Dan Sharp series. After this introduction I am interested in reading more about his family and circle of friends.
The book was inspired when the author spotted posters of a couple missing men in downtown Toronto in the section frequented by the gay community. At the time he noticed the men were not only gay but non-Caucasian. Several years later he spotted two more posters of missing men, one being Caucasian. The fact that the police did take the early concerns of the community seriously parallels Jeffrey Round’s crime novel. It was not until after Shadow Puppet was written and at the publisher that a more prolific serial killer was arrested and charged with 8 murders.
Dan is a relentless, competent and compassionate private detective determined to discover the truth. He becomes aware that a couple of men have been reported missing in the downtown area of Toronto popular with gay men. He is hired by two Moslem men to find their brother, Nabil, who has recently vanished. Dan suspects that the two previously reported missing men; Joe, a Leatherman contestant, Adam, an exotic dancer and Nabil may be all linked as victims as they seem to be gay Moslems. The police are reluctant to investigate, suspecting they probably changed their names, moved out of the city, or died of an illegal drug overdose.
Dan, being gay himself, fears a serial killer may be targeting members of his community. He is assisted by his friends in looking for the missing men. After interviewing Nabil’s brothers and acquaintances and searching his computer, Dan learns that Nabil was scheduled to enter a Leatherman contest but never showed up. He also finds some leads and clues on the computer. The search leads them to a gritty, dangerous places of criminals, a pornographer filming and probably torturing would-be porn stars,a woman who performs violent S&M shows, as well as other disreputable sites (as well as some helpful individuals).
Dan is worried that a friend, Pravin, who insisted on acting as a decoy to attract a killer, has put himself in a perilous situation. Soon Dan himself is in mortal danger in a shocking, terrifying scene where the serial killer reveals himself.
Recommended to anyone who likes a gritty, densely plotted crime novel with interesting characters.
May 25, 2019
Author Jeffrey Round has written another great mystery featuring gay private investigator Dan Sharp. I found the latest in the series to be deftly-plotted, well-paced and very engaging, hitting close to home for both Sharp and his friends in the gay community as he takes on a case to investigate the suspicious disappearances of seemingly random gay men in the city of Toronto.
It’s (almost) difficult to read the fictional story without harkening back to the terror that besieged Toronto’s Gay Village and community wrought forth by a serial killer from 2010 to 2017 with disappearances that received little attention by police who appeared to lack the interest in pursuing the missing gay men. However, Round makes it very clear via an Author’s Note at the beginning of his fictional account that although the story shares similar parallels with the real-life story -- perhaps even influencing parts of the story – he’d submitted his manuscript prior to the arrest of a suspect in the disappearances and subsequent murders of eight gay men in Toronto.
What makes this novel stand out is the connection Sharp has with the local gay community, the camaraderie, and the relationships that abound. Working with his closest friends, Dan follows the leads that send him down a twisty road with Sharp himself is put in grave danger before ultimately coming to a climatic and satisfactory ending.
Highly recommended!
It’s (almost) difficult to read the fictional story without harkening back to the terror that besieged Toronto’s Gay Village and community wrought forth by a serial killer from 2010 to 2017 with disappearances that received little attention by police who appeared to lack the interest in pursuing the missing gay men. However, Round makes it very clear via an Author’s Note at the beginning of his fictional account that although the story shares similar parallels with the real-life story -- perhaps even influencing parts of the story – he’d submitted his manuscript prior to the arrest of a suspect in the disappearances and subsequent murders of eight gay men in Toronto.
What makes this novel stand out is the connection Sharp has with the local gay community, the camaraderie, and the relationships that abound. Working with his closest friends, Dan follows the leads that send him down a twisty road with Sharp himself is put in grave danger before ultimately coming to a climatic and satisfactory ending.
Highly recommended!
September 5, 2018
4 stars
I read the Kindle edition.
Dan Sharpe is a private investigator. Nabil, a gay man, has gone missing. His brothers Amir and Mustafa are urged by Prabin to contact Dan for help in finding him. Joe, a Leatherman and Adam, an exotic dancer, are also missing. Dan interviews family, friends and acquaintances of Nabil’s. He searches Nabil’s room in the home that he shares with his two brothers. Nabil also was interested in Leatherman and was competing in some contests. He picks up a few leads for his efforts.
Prabin, Domingo and Donny, Dan’s closest friends, assist him in his search. They’re seeking Nabil leads them on a twisty road. Interviews lead to more interviews and clues are gleaned. They lead Dan to a sleazy pornographer who specializes in torture of his drugged victims, gangsters, a woman who does (near) violent S & M shows and other unsavory types.
In a tense conclusion, Dan realizes that he met the killer before.
This book is very well written and plotted. I liked Dan and his friends. I appreciated their relationships and how they got along with one another. Dan was competent and confident in this book. It’s just what a PI needs to be. While this was my first Jeffrey Round novel, it won’t be my last. I immediately went to Amazon to look for other books of his.
This timely and contemporary novel is a great read. Well done, Mr. Round.
I want to thank NetGalley and Dundurn for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read, enjoy and review.
I read the Kindle edition.
Dan Sharpe is a private investigator. Nabil, a gay man, has gone missing. His brothers Amir and Mustafa are urged by Prabin to contact Dan for help in finding him. Joe, a Leatherman and Adam, an exotic dancer, are also missing. Dan interviews family, friends and acquaintances of Nabil’s. He searches Nabil’s room in the home that he shares with his two brothers. Nabil also was interested in Leatherman and was competing in some contests. He picks up a few leads for his efforts.
Prabin, Domingo and Donny, Dan’s closest friends, assist him in his search. They’re seeking Nabil leads them on a twisty road. Interviews lead to more interviews and clues are gleaned. They lead Dan to a sleazy pornographer who specializes in torture of his drugged victims, gangsters, a woman who does (near) violent S & M shows and other unsavory types.
In a tense conclusion, Dan realizes that he met the killer before.
This book is very well written and plotted. I liked Dan and his friends. I appreciated their relationships and how they got along with one another. Dan was competent and confident in this book. It’s just what a PI needs to be. While this was my first Jeffrey Round novel, it won’t be my last. I immediately went to Amazon to look for other books of his.
This timely and contemporary novel is a great read. Well done, Mr. Round.
I want to thank NetGalley and Dundurn for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read, enjoy and review.
January 8, 2020
Wow! This mystery turned me on my head in the first chapter! Although I enjoyed THE GOF GAME, reading it just prior to SHADOW PUPPET, and found it intriguing--especially so for the villain-who-hides-in-plain-sight and said villain's eventual justification--I find SHADOW PUPPET more engrossing: not politics here, but Toronto's Gay Community: the missing, the questionable, the murdered. Author Jeffrey Round is very aware of his community, his characters, and his city, gently drawing in readers so that we feel at hime--or at least, as up close observers and witnesses. I admire protagonist's Dan Sharp's sense of justice, his striving to be self-aware despite not always achieving that, his dedication to fatherhood, the friendships he values so highly. I'd like to give this book about 10 Stars!
The author states that although SHADOW PUPPET is Book 6, following THE GOD GAME, it's time frame is between THE JADE BUTTERFLY and AFTER THE HORSES [Book 3 and Book 4].
The author states that although SHADOW PUPPET is Book 6, following THE GOD GAME, it's time frame is between THE JADE BUTTERFLY and AFTER THE HORSES [Book 3 and Book 4].
October 3, 2018
This is a dark story set in Toronto's gay community from which several gay men have disappeared. Dan Sharp, a gay private investigator who specializes in locating missing persons, is hired by a pair of Muslim brothers to find their third brother. This search takes Dan through some sordid parts of the gay community, for example the gay porn business run by some unsavoury characters. Working through his broad range of contacts Dan discovers a pattern to the disappearances: most of the men are closeted Muslim men who engage in anonymous sexual hook ups often involving bondage. Dan's clients did not know their brother was gay until they went through his belongings after he disappeared. Their ethnic and religious homophobia plays a big part in the story. Dan pursues several leads and eventually he finds a serial killer on the loose, despite being misled by some of his close friends.
There's a sombre theme of alienation running through the story as Dan's inquiries take him through the gay community and the marginalized members of it. In describing a mid-week visit to a gay bar, Dan the narrator captures this view:
"The patrons were mostly men, with here and there a woman, all of whom shared one quality: loneliness. Young, old, and in-between, these were the ones who couldn't bear their empty rooms and empty beds.....people who went out mid-week were likelier targets, more desperate for company and less likely to be accompanied by friends. A predator's dream, in other words."
As Dan discovers, pure evil does exist, waiting often in plain sight to trap the unwary.
There's a graphic description of an autopsy that may upset some sensitive readers. It is somewhat gratuitous, except to mark the pathologist as an eccentric character. Perhaps he will re-appear in future Dan Sharp stories.
In this story, Dan is not distracted by personal issues as he has been in some of the other books in the series. The result is that this is plain and simple a good detective story, with a suspenseful and dramatic conclusion. Dan has come into his own as a detective. Recommended
Thanks to Dundurn and Netgalley for providing me an advance reading copy of the eBook for this novel. The comments are my own.
There's a sombre theme of alienation running through the story as Dan's inquiries take him through the gay community and the marginalized members of it. In describing a mid-week visit to a gay bar, Dan the narrator captures this view:
"The patrons were mostly men, with here and there a woman, all of whom shared one quality: loneliness. Young, old, and in-between, these were the ones who couldn't bear their empty rooms and empty beds.....people who went out mid-week were likelier targets, more desperate for company and less likely to be accompanied by friends. A predator's dream, in other words."
As Dan discovers, pure evil does exist, waiting often in plain sight to trap the unwary.
There's a graphic description of an autopsy that may upset some sensitive readers. It is somewhat gratuitous, except to mark the pathologist as an eccentric character. Perhaps he will re-appear in future Dan Sharp stories.
In this story, Dan is not distracted by personal issues as he has been in some of the other books in the series. The result is that this is plain and simple a good detective story, with a suspenseful and dramatic conclusion. Dan has come into his own as a detective. Recommended
Thanks to Dundurn and Netgalley for providing me an advance reading copy of the eBook for this novel. The comments are my own.
December 19, 2018
Dan Sharp is a gay PI in Toronto. Sharp is hired by 2 Muslims to find their brother Nabil who has not been seen for a week. Dan suspects that Nabil's disappearance is linked with the two previously reported missing gay men in the Wellesley-Church area: Joe, a Leatherman contestant, and exotic dancer Adam. Dan begins to suspect a serial killer may be targeting Muslim gay members of his community. Dan's search for Nabil follows a trail involving a pornography filming company that maybe torturing would-be porn stars for real and some web sites that Nabil participated in. A relationship with a mysterious puppet maker who has also vanished is another potential trail. Dan's friends help in his investigation but he gets worried when his friend Pravin wants to act as a decoy to attract the killer.
This was a well-written mystery and eerily mirrored a real-life case of serial killer Bruce McArthur who is currently being investigated for killing several gay men in Toronto. Although this is book #6 in the series, this is the first book I have read in the Dan Sharp series.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Dundurn with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
This was a well-written mystery and eerily mirrored a real-life case of serial killer Bruce McArthur who is currently being investigated for killing several gay men in Toronto. Although this is book #6 in the series, this is the first book I have read in the Dan Sharp series.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Dundurn with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
February 20, 2019
It's impossible to read this without thinking about the real case in Toronto but that's not why you should. Dan Sharp is a gay man, yes, and he's also a whiz private investigator. Hired to find Nabil, a gay Muslim immigrant who has gone missing, he realizes that there's something bigger going on. This is in many ways a procedural but it's also a good portrait of a neighborhood and of a group of people determined to get to the truth. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I read the last book in the series but not those that preceded it- and this works well as a standalone. Round gives you enough info on each of the characters who you can tell are recurrent to understand their quirks etc. The plot is terrific and it's a very good read.
February 7, 2019
Despite being in the middle of a busy week, I kept picking up "Shadow Puppet" whenever I had a break and finished it in a couple of days. It's a very good read, the best of Jeffrey Round's books so far. His writing style is quite beautiful and he paints a vivid picture of Toronto. The plot is well constructed and I'm always happy if I can't figure out "whodunnit." (The author foiled me once again.) I now greet not only Dan Sharp but also his pal Donny and his son Ked as old friends. And Dan only becomes more appealing over time. It's a pleasure to read this book and I'm looking forward to the next one.
October 5, 2019
This was my first exposure to a series that will merit further attention from me! The plot was complex & addressed challenging societal issues in a way that wasn’t “preachy” or overblown. Instead these issues provided a backdrop for the mystery that worked well & helped to create multiple twists & turns in the plot. An especially good read for fans of LBGTQ characters & settings...
August 24, 2019
An engaging read. It was good to catch up with Round's PI MC and his supporting cast of friends and family ... been a while since I read the previous title in the series. It was interesting to see how internalized homophobia outworked itself in immigrant minority transplant communities.
February 24, 2019
The words kept my interest peaked from the beginning to the end.
June 18, 2019
Plan to read more of this series
February 29, 2020
I thought this was a good mystery but not one of my favourites in the series.
A number of gay men have gone missing in Toronto but the police don't seem to recognise this or even care. Dan is approached by two brothers who are concerned for their other brother who has gone missing. As Dan starts to investigate he is led into the murky world of porn movies and people living in the shadows and others who hide their sexuality due to fear of persecution.
I do like this series but this particular story wasn't as gripping for me as the earlier ones in the series. Towards the end the tension in the story increased but by then it was too late. It made a good ending but the rest of the story felt a bit ordinary and staid.
Dan also finds that he has to investigate within the muslim community and it is interesting to see his own prejudice towards religion and they way he thinks ..."most believers had a habit of cherry-picking their way through books of faith to bolster their prejudices, disregarding anything that didn’t fit their ideology, all the while turning religion into a hating machine.”
and
“There were no hijabs or thobes, just plain Western dress. Jeans and slacks, T-shirts and blouses. Thoroughly modern Muslims.”
I don't know if that portrays the prejudice of the author or the character because to use "most people" to describe the complexity of religious belief and culture is kind of lazy and to think that wearing a hijab is not modern just goes to show that the author or Dan are just lazy in their thinking, and are encountering another culture and religion but not really understanding it or even taking the time to understand it outside their own life.
So I wasn't impressed by Dan in this story. He came across as maudlin and resigned to life alone. Nothing wrong with that but it does cast a shadow over the story a bit like the shadow in the title.
In any case the writing is solid and the mystery was sufficiently complex and kept me guessing right to the end.
Copy provided by Dundurn Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
December 8, 2020
I think I may be at a disadvantage here, since I have not read the first five books in the series. But the reviews were mostly stellar and the niche is one of my favourite ones - gay Toronto murder mystery. Round does a pretty good job at the setting in Toronto's 'gay village' and environs, although our sleuth does seem to travel pretty far in very short order from time to time. But that's nit-picking, based entirely on my personal familiarity with the area from the 1980s on. My problem lies with the over-earnest social commentary that seems to be the real point of this book. Sure, Round has hung his commentary on the hero's investigation into a string of disappearances and deaths, but the investigation itself always seems to take place in the context of the fraught existence of the LGBTQ cast of characters. As diatribes go, it's very timely and well-articulated, and I suspect something the author needed to get off his chest. So I will give it three stars, and try one of the other books to see if it is more satisfying as a mystery.
July 13, 2021
We get off to a ‘didn’t see that one’ start.
Dan and his usual group of friends return, Dan still hoping for love - we will have to see if Domingo’s prediction comes true.
This time Prabin is keen to get involved as bait after an acquaintance is one of the missing gay men. Whilst Dan urges caution he then has his own TSTL moment when tracking down a missing Prabin.
The murderer is a character with airtime in the book and I did find myself urging caution just in case at one point.
Skirts the edge of a dark underground world.
Another grand installment
Dan and his usual group of friends return, Dan still hoping for love - we will have to see if Domingo’s prediction comes true.
This time Prabin is keen to get involved as bait after an acquaintance is one of the missing gay men. Whilst Dan urges caution he then has his own TSTL moment when tracking down a missing Prabin.
The murderer is a character with airtime in the book and I did find myself urging caution just in case at one point.
Skirts the edge of a dark underground world.
Another grand installment
September 18, 2019
A spectacular read. This was my first, but not last, book that I have read from Mr. Round. His Dan Sharp character is vastly entertaining and never dull. It would make for a successful, in my opinion, TV Series. I also came away more knowledgeable of the mountaineer George Mallory and his nude portrait.
February 4, 2022
This fictional mystery's release overlaps with the real life investigation of a Toronto serial killer that gruesomely disappeared gay men and eluded capture for far to long. This is a purely fictional story but the premise of modern life allowing gay men to fall through the cracks undetected is eerily still true. I enjoyed seeing urban Toronto mentioned in the text as the story wound along.
February 19, 2019
A little too hard boiled for me. Names were hard to pronounce and keep track of. I kind of didn't like that it was based on the actual case, but it is very loosely based.
It wasn't too long, some good scenes of Toronto.
It wasn't too long, some good scenes of Toronto.
March 15, 2019
I have enjoyed these book put I always find the endings rushed and unsatisfying and this one has to be the worst. The ending was such a let down.
December 9, 2018
I like a good mystery and this was exactly that, Dan Sharpe, a private investigator is hired to look into the disappearance of Nabil, muslim gay man by his brothers Mustafa and Amir. Whilst in the course of investigating, Dan realises Nabil is not the only gay man to disappear, can Sharpe get to the bottom of it before any more men go missing?
Recommended to those that love a good mystery crime novel with a solid plot and some twists to spice it up!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Dundurn for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Recommended to those that love a good mystery crime novel with a solid plot and some twists to spice it up!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Dundurn for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
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