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Have Body, Will Guard #9
The Same Page
Aidan Greene and Liam McCullough feel like they’ve aged out of the bodyguard business—but a desperate call from former client Slava Vishinev draws them back. In a story ripped from the headlines, Slava’s gay son Arseny has vanished in Chechnya, where homosexuals are persecuted and imprisoned.
What was Arseny doing in Chechnya, and who is the enigmatic Italian who ends up in police custody with him? Answering these questions will take Aidan and Liam on their most deadly adventure yet, deep into the heart of a war-torn former Soviet state where danger lurks around every corner.
The stakes are high – innocent men depend on them for rescue from imprisonment and death. Will Aidan and Liam be able to rescue Arseny and help him carry out his plans—and make it back to Nice for their wedding?
What was Arseny doing in Chechnya, and who is the enigmatic Italian who ends up in police custody with him? Answering these questions will take Aidan and Liam on their most deadly adventure yet, deep into the heart of a war-torn former Soviet state where danger lurks around every corner.
The stakes are high – innocent men depend on them for rescue from imprisonment and death. Will Aidan and Liam be able to rescue Arseny and help him carry out his plans—and make it back to Nice for their wedding?
- GenresM M RomanceGay
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2018
About the author
Neil S. Plakcy
518 books681 followersI’m Neil S. Plakcy, and I write mysteries and romances filled with humor, heart, loyalty, found family, complicated heroes, and, very often, dogs.
Readers may know me from the Golden Retriever Mysteries, featuring Steve Levitan and his clue-sniffing golden retriever Rochester; the Mahu Investigations, featuring Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa‘aka; the Have Body, Will Guard adventure-romance series with Aidan and Liam; the Angus Green FBI thrillers; and the Smiling Dog Café healing fiction.
I began writing seriously in high school after an inspiring assignment on A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I didn’t yet have the words for being gay, but I knew I was longing for deep emotional connection, friendship, and love. That longing still runs through my work, whether I’m writing mystery, romance, adventure, or suspense.
An MFA in creative writing helped me hone my technical skills and understand what kind of storyteller I am. Since then, I’ve written dozens of books, won a couple of treasured awards, and been lucky enough to find readers who care about my characters as much as I do.
I’ve also always believed that dogs make excellent detectives. They notice what humans miss: a faint scent, a subtle shift in body language, the hidden treat in your pocket. That belief helped inspire my Golden Retriever Mysteries, where Rochester helps Steve Levitan nose out the truth.
Every place I’ve lived has made its way into my fiction: the rolling hills of Bucks County, the neon heat of Miami, the beaches of Hawaii, and the cobbled streets of Europe. I love exploring how communities work, from a café where dogs help people heal to a police unit in Honolulu to a romance unfolding under the Mediterranean sun.
I write because stories helped me feel less alone growing up. Now I hope to give readers that same feeling: a companion, a puzzle, a sense of place, and maybe a laugh.
When I’m not writing, I’m probably walking one of my golden retrievers, teaching writing, reading, or daydreaming about my next story.
For free stories, bonus scenes, and new-release news, visit my website or join my newsletter at plakcy.substack.com. You can also follow my author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neil.plakcy.
Readers may know me from the Golden Retriever Mysteries, featuring Steve Levitan and his clue-sniffing golden retriever Rochester; the Mahu Investigations, featuring Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa‘aka; the Have Body, Will Guard adventure-romance series with Aidan and Liam; the Angus Green FBI thrillers; and the Smiling Dog Café healing fiction.
I began writing seriously in high school after an inspiring assignment on A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I didn’t yet have the words for being gay, but I knew I was longing for deep emotional connection, friendship, and love. That longing still runs through my work, whether I’m writing mystery, romance, adventure, or suspense.
An MFA in creative writing helped me hone my technical skills and understand what kind of storyteller I am. Since then, I’ve written dozens of books, won a couple of treasured awards, and been lucky enough to find readers who care about my characters as much as I do.
I’ve also always believed that dogs make excellent detectives. They notice what humans miss: a faint scent, a subtle shift in body language, the hidden treat in your pocket. That belief helped inspire my Golden Retriever Mysteries, where Rochester helps Steve Levitan nose out the truth.
Every place I’ve lived has made its way into my fiction: the rolling hills of Bucks County, the neon heat of Miami, the beaches of Hawaii, and the cobbled streets of Europe. I love exploring how communities work, from a café where dogs help people heal to a police unit in Honolulu to a romance unfolding under the Mediterranean sun.
I write because stories helped me feel less alone growing up. Now I hope to give readers that same feeling: a companion, a puzzle, a sense of place, and maybe a laugh.
When I’m not writing, I’m probably walking one of my golden retrievers, teaching writing, reading, or daydreaming about my next story.
For free stories, bonus scenes, and new-release news, visit my website or join my newsletter at plakcy.substack.com. You can also follow my author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neil.plakcy.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 20, 2018
Last year, when I read about gay men being imprisoned and tortured in the former Soviet state of Chechnya, I was horrified and moved, and worried that the world wasn’t paying enough attention to the problem.
A March 2018 article in the EU Observer highlights the continuing situation. “Despite a strong international response initially, including from the EU, Council of Europe and UN, an official investigation into the situation has not been conducted (despite an investigative committee being formed last spring). Those responsible have not been brought to justice, and victims continue to flee the republic.
But what could I do?
The Aidan and Liam books were inspired by John Preston’s series of books about Alex Kane, a Vietnam vet who lost his lover to friendly fire there. The lover’s wealthy father funds Alex’s series of adventures rescuing gay men in trouble.
I was fortunate to discover Preston when his paperbacks were still available easily; today they are sadly out of print. I loved the idea of a strong gay man who wanted to protect those who are vulnerable, and I’ve tried to do that in the Have Body, Will Guard series.
So it seemed like a great idea for a book – send Aidan and Liam to Chechnya to rescue gay men who are imprisoned there. It was a tough book to write for a couple of reasons, the most meaningful being the exploration of how these men were being abused and tortured. I’ve tried to tone that down in the book, though there are a few difficult passages.
It was also tough because Chechnya isn’t the most open society, and it was difficult to find information about the prison and the country’s culture. But to me, it was worth all the work if I can shine a light on this terrible situation.
A March 2018 article in the EU Observer highlights the continuing situation. “Despite a strong international response initially, including from the EU, Council of Europe and UN, an official investigation into the situation has not been conducted (despite an investigative committee being formed last spring). Those responsible have not been brought to justice, and victims continue to flee the republic.
But what could I do?
The Aidan and Liam books were inspired by John Preston’s series of books about Alex Kane, a Vietnam vet who lost his lover to friendly fire there. The lover’s wealthy father funds Alex’s series of adventures rescuing gay men in trouble.
I was fortunate to discover Preston when his paperbacks were still available easily; today they are sadly out of print. I loved the idea of a strong gay man who wanted to protect those who are vulnerable, and I’ve tried to do that in the Have Body, Will Guard series.
So it seemed like a great idea for a book – send Aidan and Liam to Chechnya to rescue gay men who are imprisoned there. It was a tough book to write for a couple of reasons, the most meaningful being the exploration of how these men were being abused and tortured. I’ve tried to tone that down in the book, though there are a few difficult passages.
It was also tough because Chechnya isn’t the most open society, and it was difficult to find information about the prison and the country’s culture. But to me, it was worth all the work if I can shine a light on this terrible situation.
December 21, 2018
The Same Page (Have Body, Will Guard, 9)
By Neil Plakcy
Published by Samwise Books, 2018
Four stars
I’ve known Aiden Greene and Liam McCullough for a long time, it seems. Reading this latest adventure, I realized that somehow I missed the 8th book in this series, which focused on a character who appears again in this book. Oops. No matter, these books always stand alone, and I will simply go back and read the one I missed. The character, a former Russian oligarch named Slava Vishinev, is fascinating, and it’ll be fun to read his story.
Meantime, back in book 9, creeping middle age has both Liam and Aiden fretting about the potential (though not, apparently, actual) loss of their good looks and hot bodies. As they settle in to cozy domesticity on the Cote d’Azur, with gay friends all around them, they also have moved into a more corporate business mode, hoping to spare each other the dangers of active fieldwork in close protection (the technical word for body-guarding).
Well, that doesn’t last long, because their Russian friend Slava’s gay son has gone missing – in Chechnya of all places (about as hostile to LGBTQ folk as is possible outside of Saudi Arabia). Where is Arseney, and what has happened to him? Why would he be so stupid as to go into such hostile territory, where the locals mistrust Russians to begin with?
Liam and Aiden reluctantly agree to do something to help their friend – because that’s the kind of stand-up guys they are. Slava’s son is young enough to be their son, and their protective instincts about each other are overruled by their need to do what’s right for one of their own. Plus, they sort of miss the hijinks of their more active business ventures protecting rich people in danger.
What Plakcy offers us in this book is a rather philosophical look at long-term relationships. As always, we get to know what Aiden and Liam are thinking, individually and together, about who they are as a couple and as individuals. This is not the heat of young romance, but a mature vision of a future shared with a person you love – even when you disagree.
Alongside that, is a more standard, if somewhat unexpected coupling forged between two young European men caught in the wrong place at the wrong time for the right reasons. Arseney and Giovanni would never have met in the course of their normal lives – one in Moscow, the other in Rome; but a Chechnian prison cell makes for a rather dark meet-cute, and these two lovelorn guys must ally one with the other to get out of trouble. Of course, the solution to their problem seems to be to get into even deeper trouble, dragging Liam and Aiden all the way from Monaco to both help them and to pull their chestnuts out of the fire.
It’s rather a lot of fun. Oddly, there’s more sex than I would have wanted. I think I’m jaded, but the characters are so good that I didn’t need the hot-and-heavy to validate both pairings in my romantic little heart. The cherry on top is at the end, about which I will say nothing more than that it brought tears to my eyes.
By Neil Plakcy
Published by Samwise Books, 2018
Four stars
I’ve known Aiden Greene and Liam McCullough for a long time, it seems. Reading this latest adventure, I realized that somehow I missed the 8th book in this series, which focused on a character who appears again in this book. Oops. No matter, these books always stand alone, and I will simply go back and read the one I missed. The character, a former Russian oligarch named Slava Vishinev, is fascinating, and it’ll be fun to read his story.
Meantime, back in book 9, creeping middle age has both Liam and Aiden fretting about the potential (though not, apparently, actual) loss of their good looks and hot bodies. As they settle in to cozy domesticity on the Cote d’Azur, with gay friends all around them, they also have moved into a more corporate business mode, hoping to spare each other the dangers of active fieldwork in close protection (the technical word for body-guarding).
Well, that doesn’t last long, because their Russian friend Slava’s gay son has gone missing – in Chechnya of all places (about as hostile to LGBTQ folk as is possible outside of Saudi Arabia). Where is Arseney, and what has happened to him? Why would he be so stupid as to go into such hostile territory, where the locals mistrust Russians to begin with?
Liam and Aiden reluctantly agree to do something to help their friend – because that’s the kind of stand-up guys they are. Slava’s son is young enough to be their son, and their protective instincts about each other are overruled by their need to do what’s right for one of their own. Plus, they sort of miss the hijinks of their more active business ventures protecting rich people in danger.
What Plakcy offers us in this book is a rather philosophical look at long-term relationships. As always, we get to know what Aiden and Liam are thinking, individually and together, about who they are as a couple and as individuals. This is not the heat of young romance, but a mature vision of a future shared with a person you love – even when you disagree.
Alongside that, is a more standard, if somewhat unexpected coupling forged between two young European men caught in the wrong place at the wrong time for the right reasons. Arseney and Giovanni would never have met in the course of their normal lives – one in Moscow, the other in Rome; but a Chechnian prison cell makes for a rather dark meet-cute, and these two lovelorn guys must ally one with the other to get out of trouble. Of course, the solution to their problem seems to be to get into even deeper trouble, dragging Liam and Aiden all the way from Monaco to both help them and to pull their chestnuts out of the fire.
It’s rather a lot of fun. Oddly, there’s more sex than I would have wanted. I think I’m jaded, but the characters are so good that I didn’t need the hot-and-heavy to validate both pairings in my romantic little heart. The cherry on top is at the end, about which I will say nothing more than that it brought tears to my eyes.
December 9, 2018
Welcome Back Liam & Aidan
You could search high and low and inside and outside among all the M/M series with hot, hunky, crime solving MCs, but you would rarely find a combination like Liam and Aidan. Indeed, if I could tap your memories for one second to recall the main characters in Mary Renault's "Fire From Heaven" (and sequel, "The Persian Boy"), then you'll get my drift when I refer to them as the Alexander and Hephaiston of modern M/M lovers.
After a hiatus of several years, author Neil Plakcy has brought them back, now in their early 40s and retired from the bodyguard (but not snooping) business. They fall into a potential tragic, and heartbreaking, situation involving their Russian ex-oligarch friend Slava whose son Arseny has gone off on a mission of mercy to rescue imprisoned gay men in Chechnya.
That Arseny has stumbled across an Italian archeological expert named Giovanni in that war-torn country is not known to Slava, Liam and Aidan when Arseny goes off the radar--which is where the journey to find him is engaged and the plot is set afoot.
However. As much as I had fun with the plot of rescuing these poor men, I found that the real story here was love everlasting. That's because Plakcy has chosen to titillate us with a budding romance between Arseny and Giovanni (a bit far fetched but eventually believable), but more importantly by focusing sharply on the love between Liam and Aidan, which suffuses virtually every page that they are on in numerous ways.
I was surprised at how this part of the book stood in the forefront because it's not what I expected from the somewhat stoic and occasionally reticent Liam or from the hyper organized and extremely romantic Aidan. There's a scene in the middle where Liam sort of turns it all around (no spoiler) and when it came to the end of the book, I was supremely blown away.
This is apparently not the end, however, as Plakcy has indicated he is already working on another in the series in which I expect we'd find more of Arseny and Giovanni--perhaps being welcomed into the army of Alex and Heph.
You could search high and low and inside and outside among all the M/M series with hot, hunky, crime solving MCs, but you would rarely find a combination like Liam and Aidan. Indeed, if I could tap your memories for one second to recall the main characters in Mary Renault's "Fire From Heaven" (and sequel, "The Persian Boy"), then you'll get my drift when I refer to them as the Alexander and Hephaiston of modern M/M lovers.
After a hiatus of several years, author Neil Plakcy has brought them back, now in their early 40s and retired from the bodyguard (but not snooping) business. They fall into a potential tragic, and heartbreaking, situation involving their Russian ex-oligarch friend Slava whose son Arseny has gone off on a mission of mercy to rescue imprisoned gay men in Chechnya.
That Arseny has stumbled across an Italian archeological expert named Giovanni in that war-torn country is not known to Slava, Liam and Aidan when Arseny goes off the radar--which is where the journey to find him is engaged and the plot is set afoot.
However. As much as I had fun with the plot of rescuing these poor men, I found that the real story here was love everlasting. That's because Plakcy has chosen to titillate us with a budding romance between Arseny and Giovanni (a bit far fetched but eventually believable), but more importantly by focusing sharply on the love between Liam and Aidan, which suffuses virtually every page that they are on in numerous ways.
I was surprised at how this part of the book stood in the forefront because it's not what I expected from the somewhat stoic and occasionally reticent Liam or from the hyper organized and extremely romantic Aidan. There's a scene in the middle where Liam sort of turns it all around (no spoiler) and when it came to the end of the book, I was supremely blown away.
This is apparently not the end, however, as Plakcy has indicated he is already working on another in the series in which I expect we'd find more of Arseny and Giovanni--perhaps being welcomed into the army of Alex and Heph.
June 23, 2019
Great!
Thank you for bringing back Liam and Aidan. A terrific read. Nice to see what they're up to. More coming I hope. How about Kimo and Mike from Mahu? Love to see another book a out them...... I loved both series and have read them all a couple of times.......
Thank you for bringing back Liam and Aidan. A terrific read. Nice to see what they're up to. More coming I hope. How about Kimo and Mike from Mahu? Love to see another book a out them...... I loved both series and have read them all a couple of times.......
May 24, 2020
I guess I missed Liam and Aidan more than I thought - this book was not good for my usual sleep and bedtime routines last night. Loved it.
Want to Read
October 4, 2018preordered
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews