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The Wyandot County Mysteries #1
The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch
A new mystery series from the award-winning author of the Boystown and Pinx Mystery series.
Things have not been going well for Henry Milch. After a Saturday night clubbing in his beloved West Hollywood, he took one pill too many and ended up banished to northern lower Michigan to live on a farm with his ultra-conservative grandmother. It was that or rehab.
While working a part-time job for the local land conservancy he stumbles across a dead body in the snow—as if things couldn’t get worse. But then things take a turn for the better, there’s a reward for information leading the man’s killer. All Henry has to do is find the murderer, claim the reward and he can go back to his real life in L.A.
Things have not been going well for Henry Milch. After a Saturday night clubbing in his beloved West Hollywood, he took one pill too many and ended up banished to northern lower Michigan to live on a farm with his ultra-conservative grandmother. It was that or rehab.
While working a part-time job for the local land conservancy he stumbles across a dead body in the snow—as if things couldn’t get worse. But then things take a turn for the better, there’s a reward for information leading the man’s killer. All Henry has to do is find the murderer, claim the reward and he can go back to his real life in L.A.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2020
121 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
Marshall Thornton
56 books628 followersThree-time Lambda Award-winning author, Marshall Thornton is best known for the Boystown and Pinx Video mystery series. Other novels include the erotic comedy The Perils of Praline, or the Amorous Adventures of a Southern Gentleman in Hollywood, Desert Run and Full Release. Marshall has an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA, where he received the Carl David Memorial Fellowship and was recognized in the Samuel Goldwyn Writing awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
February 20, 2021
life should come with a manualIt definitely should for Henry "Mooch" Milch. Or at the very least, it should give him a how to get people to call you by your ridiculous nickname.
Mooch is exiled to Wyandot County after he finds himself in a rather precarious position. See, Mooch insists it was an accident but everyone else, including his neglectful mother thinks he has a death wish. And so Mooch is sentenced to a few months to Wyandot County where nearly everyone worships George Dubya. The place gave me the creeps to be honest. Especially his mild animal cruelty enthusiast of a grandmother.
The story is set in the early 2000s. The Iraq war, apple bottom jeans, Britney Spears and K Fed times. It felt like a time capsule before the advent of Facebook and my favourite online hellhole, Twitter. There is a lot of social political commentary from that era. I appreciated the nuanced discussions of HIV. And the way the author trusts you to infer things. None of that wink wink nudge nudge preachiness modern media feels the need to shove down our throats. I'm already woke Hollywood I don't need you to convince me. This book reminded me of Knives Out in that sense which too had a dynamic cast of characters who are flawed as it gets and the subtle commentary on immigration.
I won't lie, I enjoyed Knives Out a lot more than this book. Primarily because, while it is darkly humorous, there is not one likeable character except the murder victim and perhaps Mooch's dog. And a side character named Bev who makes the briefest of cameos as an obvious red herring. Mooch himself... grows on you? He's one of the most frustrating characters I've read this year. He makes you want to be a cheerleader for him. Figure it out Mooch, we're rooting for ya!
When Mooch discovers a body, he wants to investigate the murder himself for interesting reasons. He makes a horrible sleuth. I love an amateur sleuth as much as the next girl but you shouldn't take the amateur part a little too seriously.
This book is a neat little mystery that is often times hilarious with fleshed out characters and a Mooch in denial. There is no romance in it whatsoever. Perhaps one will pop up in the next books. I don't know if I am enthused to read the next books in the series but I'd be remiss if I didn't say that I'm curious to see Mooch's next misadventure.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 20, 2020
A cozy mystery with a fun factor guarantee.
I would say that The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch in the first place makes happy the fans of A Pinx Video Mystery Series than the devotees of Boystown Series. To tell the truth, I wasn't sure what to expect from the new series of Marshall Thornton but I had a certain presentiment that it would be something quirky, eccentric and funny. I am proved right: the most time I had a grin on my face while reading it, and I highlighted a lot. The novel thrives from Marshall Thornton's dry sense of humor that expresses itself through Henry's first person perspective.
But Henry is also a character that is not supposed to be fond of. His moving to his granny in Wyandot County was not by choice but a result of a drug's accident. And he is not a charming book hero to fall in love with. He is a passionate consumer of prescription drugs who doesn't think about himself as an addict at all. He hates his temporary exile to a sleepy hick town and wishes nothing more than just to come back to his adopted home LA. The only problem here is money. And money he can get as a financial reward for solving a mysterious murder case that he accidentally gets right in the middle of.
So, as also in A Pinx Video Mystery Series we have to deal with a amateur. And as I've already mentioned many time in my reviews, I am not a fan of a sleuth genre (a mystery with a amateur detective as a MC). But I JUST make an exception for Marshall Thornton. Because his writing makes me smile. And it is really what we all need in time of Corona mostly.
4 stars rounded up
***ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for a honest review.***
I would say that The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch in the first place makes happy the fans of A Pinx Video Mystery Series than the devotees of Boystown Series. To tell the truth, I wasn't sure what to expect from the new series of Marshall Thornton but I had a certain presentiment that it would be something quirky, eccentric and funny. I am proved right: the most time I had a grin on my face while reading it, and I highlighted a lot. The novel thrives from Marshall Thornton's dry sense of humor that expresses itself through Henry's first person perspective.
"Do you remember what she looked like?""Dark. Very dark.""Hair? Skin? Clothes?" "Aura." I was afraid of that. Not a description I could give to Detective Lehmann.
But Henry is also a character that is not supposed to be fond of. His moving to his granny in Wyandot County was not by choice but a result of a drug's accident. And he is not a charming book hero to fall in love with. He is a passionate consumer of prescription drugs who doesn't think about himself as an addict at all. He hates his temporary exile to a sleepy hick town and wishes nothing more than just to come back to his adopted home LA. The only problem here is money. And money he can get as a financial reward for solving a mysterious murder case that he accidentally gets right in the middle of.
So, as also in A Pinx Video Mystery Series we have to deal with a amateur. And as I've already mentioned many time in my reviews, I am not a fan of a sleuth genre (a mystery with a amateur detective as a MC). But I JUST make an exception for Marshall Thornton. Because his writing makes me smile. And it is really what we all need in time of Corona mostly.
4 stars rounded up
***ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for a honest review.***
August 14, 2020
Warning: No romance. Not even a boyfriend in the picture.
Fun (despite the murder) read, with a gay protagonist and a bi side-kick.
Looking forward to book two.
Fun (despite the murder) read, with a gay protagonist and a bi side-kick.
Looking forward to book two.
September 16, 2021
My attempt at an objective rating of the book: 4 stars
My actual enjoyment of the book: 3-ish? Maybe 2.5
Henry Milch is a 24 year old who accidentally overdosed at a party in L.A. one night. Now he has to endure living with his grandmother in a small town in Michigan because his family is convinced it was a botched attempt at suicide. When a man is murdered and a reward is offered for any information that leads to an arrest, Henry sees it as his way to return to his life in L.A.
This was a tough book to rate for me. It is really well written and the mystery wasn't half-bad either, but I was really annoyed at the main character - so much that it took me a half a month to read it. I kept putting it down and doing other things. I'm not really sure what it is that bothered me about Henry that much, only that it did. If it weren't for , I doubt I would have read it even this fast.
My actual enjoyment of the book: 3-ish? Maybe 2.5
Henry Milch is a 24 year old who accidentally overdosed at a party in L.A. one night. Now he has to endure living with his grandmother in a small town in Michigan because his family is convinced it was a botched attempt at suicide. When a man is murdered and a reward is offered for any information that leads to an arrest, Henry sees it as his way to return to his life in L.A.
This was a tough book to rate for me. It is really well written and the mystery wasn't half-bad either, but I was really annoyed at the main character - so much that it took me a half a month to read it. I kept putting it down and doing other things. I'm not really sure what it is that bothered me about Henry that much, only that it did. If it weren't for , I doubt I would have read it even this fast.
April 26, 2020
Twenty-four-year-old druggie-in-denial Henry “Mooch” Milch finds himself whisked from a life he loved as an out gay man in West Hollywood to the insular Wyandot County just south of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. His Rush Limbaugh-loving granny (herself in denial over her grandson’s sexuality) arranges for a part-time gig with the local nature conservancy. Needless today, all that Mooch can think about is how to get back to Cali as quickly as possible.
A corpse found in the snow gives Mooch his chance. If he can just come up with some information that leads to an arrest, he’ll have a whopping $15,000 in reward money to use to make his escape. And so the sleuthing begins.
Marshall Thornton has developed a humorous novel that’s a great window back into 2003, when the crazies were just beginning to lose their minds, and the middle of the country was 20 years — or more — behind the Coasts. I loved the mystery, I loved Thornton’s deft touch, and I love, love, love Mooch Milch. I can’t wait for the next book!
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.
A corpse found in the snow gives Mooch his chance. If he can just come up with some information that leads to an arrest, he’ll have a whopping $15,000 in reward money to use to make his escape. And so the sleuthing begins.
Marshall Thornton has developed a humorous novel that’s a great window back into 2003, when the crazies were just beginning to lose their minds, and the middle of the country was 20 years — or more — behind the Coasts. I loved the mystery, I loved Thornton’s deft touch, and I love, love, love Mooch Milch. I can’t wait for the next book!
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.
April 5, 2021
It's a Marshall Thornton book so it's decently entertaining. I have no problems with the editing. The MC is not always the most pleasant person in the world but I like them anyway. There are some cute one-liners and some insightful phrases.
Having said that - on the MT scale this one here doesn't rank really high.
So, that's 3.5 stars rounded up.
Having said that - on the MT scale this one here doesn't rank really high.
So, that's 3.5 stars rounded up.
April 6, 2024
A solid 4.5 stars for the first book in Henry Milch’s series. Ah man, Henry is in a bind that has nothing and everything to do with his surroundings. He feels banished to Michigan after an overdose his mother felt was intentional and Henry says was accidental. The truth probably lies someplace in the middle. Henry has a major drug problem but doesn’t see it that way. Until he’s honest about that, I’m not sure I can believe his overdose was accidental. He’s hard to like at times, but then you see sparks of potential in Henry.
I do love a Marshall Thornton mystery. I always enjoy the way he weaves the mystery plot into everyday life. We can count on him to give us an interesting supporting cast. Opal is a hoot, and the dynamics between Henry and Nana Cole are interesting for sure. Looking forward to more from this series.
I do love a Marshall Thornton mystery. I always enjoy the way he weaves the mystery plot into everyday life. We can count on him to give us an interesting supporting cast. Opal is a hoot, and the dynamics between Henry and Nana Cole are interesting for sure. Looking forward to more from this series.
July 22, 2024
Marshall Thornton is the award-winning author of the Boystown (Chicago in the early 1980's) and Pinx Mystery (L.A. in the 1990's) series and his newest series is set in small-town Michigan in 2003.
20-something Henry Milch was working as a barista and partying nightly with his best friend Vinnie in West Hollywood, when his overdose (and subsequent 5150 initiated by his mother) results in Henry being banished to Wyandot County in the care of his fesity gun-toting conservative grandmother Nana Cole, who prays he will settle down with a nice girl (which is definitely not going to happen.)
Henry has a part-time job with the Wyandot County Land Conservancy (something to do with easements - he's not quite sure) and when he finds a dead body and learns there is a $15,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the killer, Henry decides to solve the murder, collect the money and get back to California.
There is an interesting cast of characters here as Henry works to solve the mystery and the plot will hold your interest as Henry delves into clues and examines relationships that might lead to the solution. But the best part of this book, IMHO, is getting to know Henry in all his early 20's irresponsibility.
Henry coasts along partying with Vinnie, secure in the knowledge that he is hot stuff in West Hollywood on a Saturday night, not really tuned into the fact that yeah, he does have a bit of a drug problem, and not quite getting it that his nickname ("Yeah, People call me Mooch") is never going to happen .... ever. His credo for dealing with his grandmother and all parental types is:
I received an ARC from the author, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
20-something Henry Milch was working as a barista and partying nightly with his best friend Vinnie in West Hollywood, when his overdose (and subsequent 5150 initiated by his mother) results in Henry being banished to Wyandot County in the care of his fesity gun-toting conservative grandmother Nana Cole, who prays he will settle down with a nice girl (which is definitely not going to happen.)
Henry has a part-time job with the Wyandot County Land Conservancy (something to do with easements - he's not quite sure) and when he finds a dead body and learns there is a $15,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the killer, Henry decides to solve the murder, collect the money and get back to California.
There is an interesting cast of characters here as Henry works to solve the mystery and the plot will hold your interest as Henry delves into clues and examines relationships that might lead to the solution. But the best part of this book, IMHO, is getting to know Henry in all his early 20's irresponsibility.
Henry coasts along partying with Vinnie, secure in the knowledge that he is hot stuff in West Hollywood on a Saturday night, not really tuned into the fact that yeah, he does have a bit of a drug problem, and not quite getting it that his nickname ("Yeah, People call me Mooch") is never going to happen .... ever. His credo for dealing with his grandmother and all parental types is:
The thing about parents - or in this case grandparents - is that if you don't make their controlling your life as agonizing as humanly possible they'll just do it more and more. [...] The wisest court of action is terrorizing them to the point where they barely want to speak to you.Thornton gives us an abundantly screwed up MC who is finally growing up, without making his slow awakening seems like an afterschool special. Henry has still got a lot of work to do, but I find myself cheering for him and hoping that we'll have many more books in this series to watch his progress. 4 stars.
I received an ARC from the author, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
October 21, 2020
Marshall Thornton boasts a brand-new cozy mystery series: The Wyandot County Mysteries #1 featuring unlikely sleuth Henry Milch fresh from L.A., but currently stewing in Michigan with his grandmother and scheming to figure out a way back home to the West Coast. And then there's a murder. Henry's a 24 year-old work in progress. He's a mess to put it mildly. But he's a smart mess. Thornton ends this inaugural episode with hope Henry will come into his own with a smidge more responsibility. Lots of fun. Hoping the Opal character sticks around for #2.
I love Marshall Thornton's Night Drop Pinx Video Mystery series. There are 4 books out so far.
I love Marshall Thornton's Night Drop Pinx Video Mystery series. There are 4 books out so far.
November 30, 2020
I just finished reading The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch. It tipped the scales in a more favourable direction after a nightmarish first half of the day doing my fortnightly grocery shopping for two households.
Henry Milch is a hot mess, and I love him. He do quite nicely to fill the void Nick left behind with the completion of Boystown.
I really enjoyed the characters, the plot and the pink headers for the chapters.
I'm bummed that I finished this already, since that means the wait for the second book will be just that much longer. I'm really looking forward to where Henry takes us!
Henry Milch is a hot mess, and I love him. He do quite nicely to fill the void Nick left behind with the completion of Boystown.
I really enjoyed the characters, the plot and the pink headers for the chapters.
I'm bummed that I finished this already, since that means the wait for the second book will be just that much longer. I'm really looking forward to where Henry takes us!
March 26, 2022
TL;DR: Fun cozy mystery featuring a gay fish out of water in Michigan 2006.
This is the second Thornton series I've started, the first being the Pinx mysteries.
The atmosphere in this book is very different from the Pinx series. Not only in the setting: 1992 Los Angeles for Pinx vs 2006 small town Michigan in this case, but also with the main character: Noah, grieving quiet late 20s guy, vs Henry, 24 year old party boy, head empty.
And that's really where this book is getting a 4 instead of a 5 for me. I just didn't click with Henry as well as Noah. Part of that may be somewhat natural as I was in my 20s in the 90s, and definitely not a party person, so it makes sense I can slide into Noah's head more easily than Henry's. There's also not much indication here Henry's ever had a thought in his head that wasn't drugs and clubs and sex before deciding he'd attempt to solve this mystery, which, to be clear, he's only doing in hopes the reward money will let him escape Michigan and get back to drugs and clubs and sex. Moreover, while I don't have a problem with recreational drug use, I definitely do have a problem with Henry's stealing drugs from every unattended purse and medicine cabinet he encounters. Perhaps I'm supposed to be questioning his claims he's "not an addict" and just likes to party, but I'm too busy disapproving of his stealing from people who may not be able to afford it.
That said, in the Pinx books Thornton did a very gradual reveal / development with Noah's secrets and personality, so perhaps we'll learn Henry isn't as vapid as he seems in the next one.
Another difference here is the importance of the secondary characters. Whereas in the Pinx books Noah's regular discussions with his circle of friends is part of the process, in this case Henry is deliberately not sharing information because he's trying to get the reward money. In Pinx, Noah feels emotionally distant, keeping his emotions and health concerns to himself, despite being surrounded by a circle of friends. Here, Henry feels more unguarded with most of the people he interacts with yet he holds them at a distance in a more mercenary fashion, in order to claim the reward. Only really asking for assistance when he has no other option.
I will likely read the next one fairly soon.
This is the second Thornton series I've started, the first being the Pinx mysteries.
The atmosphere in this book is very different from the Pinx series. Not only in the setting: 1992 Los Angeles for Pinx vs 2006 small town Michigan in this case, but also with the main character: Noah, grieving quiet late 20s guy, vs Henry, 24 year old party boy, head empty.
And that's really where this book is getting a 4 instead of a 5 for me. I just didn't click with Henry as well as Noah. Part of that may be somewhat natural as I was in my 20s in the 90s, and definitely not a party person, so it makes sense I can slide into Noah's head more easily than Henry's. There's also not much indication here Henry's ever had a thought in his head that wasn't drugs and clubs and sex before deciding he'd attempt to solve this mystery, which, to be clear, he's only doing in hopes the reward money will let him escape Michigan and get back to drugs and clubs and sex. Moreover, while I don't have a problem with recreational drug use, I definitely do have a problem with Henry's stealing drugs from every unattended purse and medicine cabinet he encounters. Perhaps I'm supposed to be questioning his claims he's "not an addict" and just likes to party, but I'm too busy disapproving of his stealing from people who may not be able to afford it.
That said, in the Pinx books Thornton did a very gradual reveal / development with Noah's secrets and personality, so perhaps we'll learn Henry isn't as vapid as he seems in the next one.
Another difference here is the importance of the secondary characters. Whereas in the Pinx books Noah's regular discussions with his circle of friends is part of the process, in this case Henry is deliberately not sharing information because he's trying to get the reward money. In Pinx, Noah feels emotionally distant, keeping his emotions and health concerns to himself, despite being surrounded by a circle of friends. Here, Henry feels more unguarded with most of the people he interacts with yet he holds them at a distance in a more mercenary fashion, in order to claim the reward. Only really asking for assistance when he has no other option.
I will likely read the next one fairly soon.
May 7, 2020
The author is slowly moving forward in time with his mysteries, his new Wyandot County series set in the new century by mentioning the US invasion of Iraq. Henry, the new sleuthing protagonist is a bit of an anti-hero type ... he is prickly, has impulse control issues, full of cutting asides and observations, has very few friends and no close family ties. Due to his "I don't have a drug addiction" issues - he finds himself relegated to a very rural backwater town in Michigan, complete with quaint and picturesque names like Duck Pond road and Goose Lake! And somehow of course he has to come across a frozen body in the middle nowhere.
Given the locale, readers could assume Henry would have few members of the LGBTIQ community to call upon for assistance and support (Nick Nowak in Chicago and Noah Valentine in L.A. had oodles of gay friends and connections in the author's other series), but yes - the gays are present! (if not loud and proud). And since Henry is clearly unaware of how to make friends and influence people, he gets no help from the queer community, nor from his grandmother or the local law enforcement. The author does provide a usual wide range of suspects for the killer role - some of these being drawn from the aforementioned groups. I was quite amused with Henry's realization that if he traced everyone's family trees back far enough that he would find they are all distant blood relations!
I had to adjust a little to plot pacing (dragged a bit in places), but this is a new series after all, even if from a trusted and beloved author. So 3.5 stars for now but am looking forward to seeing if Henry Milch's life and times become more spectacular with the next few titles.
Given the locale, readers could assume Henry would have few members of the LGBTIQ community to call upon for assistance and support (Nick Nowak in Chicago and Noah Valentine in L.A. had oodles of gay friends and connections in the author's other series), but yes - the gays are present! (if not loud and proud). And since Henry is clearly unaware of how to make friends and influence people, he gets no help from the queer community, nor from his grandmother or the local law enforcement. The author does provide a usual wide range of suspects for the killer role - some of these being drawn from the aforementioned groups. I was quite amused with Henry's realization that if he traced everyone's family trees back far enough that he would find they are all distant blood relations!
I had to adjust a little to plot pacing (dragged a bit in places), but this is a new series after all, even if from a trusted and beloved author. So 3.5 stars for now but am looking forward to seeing if Henry Milch's life and times become more spectacular with the next few titles.
September 10, 2022
Reread - audio 5 *
August 19, 2020
What I really enjoyed about this story was the characters. Sometimes in murder mysteries the person solving the crime is very virtuous. Not so with Henry Milch (Mooch) the main character here.
Henry has difficulties with his mother, his grandmother is homophobic and he is stuck in a 'back of beyond' small town on her farm because he overdosed on prescription pills. As far as he is concerned he doesn't have a drug problem. It was all just a mistake. When he discovers a dead body he decides that he will solve the crime so that he can get the reward money and return to LA. Obviously this is easier said than done.
The supporting characters are a complex group of people. They have secrets, resentments, and a range of personal issues. I have to say that they really made the story great. When Henry starts to investigate he eventually realises that that life in this small town is as stressful and unpredictable as life in LA, just with less traffic.
The actual murder and the reasons for it didnt really grab me, but Henry and his sleuthing certainly did!
Henry has difficulties with his mother, his grandmother is homophobic and he is stuck in a 'back of beyond' small town on her farm because he overdosed on prescription pills. As far as he is concerned he doesn't have a drug problem. It was all just a mistake. When he discovers a dead body he decides that he will solve the crime so that he can get the reward money and return to LA. Obviously this is easier said than done.
The supporting characters are a complex group of people. They have secrets, resentments, and a range of personal issues. I have to say that they really made the story great. When Henry starts to investigate he eventually realises that that life in this small town is as stressful and unpredictable as life in LA, just with less traffic.
The actual murder and the reasons for it didnt really grab me, but Henry and his sleuthing certainly did!
May 8, 2020
Henry Milch gets sent to live with his grandmother out in nowhere Michigan after an overdose scare. He's not happy about it either.
This wasn't quite the book I thought it would be, but it's not bad either. It could've used more humor, but the subject is serious enough that humor might have undermined the story. Henry has some bad habits, like stealing drugs out of his boss's purse and looking for ways to score Oxy so he can just float through life. He resents both his mother and grandmother and finds Wyandot County dull, and when he stumbles over a body, the county sheriff less than competent or interested.
This wasn't quite the book I thought it would be, but it's not bad either. It could've used more humor, but the subject is serious enough that humor might have undermined the story. Henry has some bad habits, like stealing drugs out of his boss's purse and looking for ways to score Oxy so he can just float through life. He resents both his mother and grandmother and finds Wyandot County dull, and when he stumbles over a body, the county sheriff less than competent or interested.
September 7, 2020
This is my second book from this author and I will be reading more of his works. It was a very different genre compared to my first book Femme as this was about mystery and crime-solving. If I compare this book to other crime-solving MM novels, it grays in comparison in terms of vivid crime scenes and gruesome actions. But I don't think that was what the author intended. This book doesn't have steamy hot romance as well. This book is about Henry who was in denial of his drug addiction and was living with unconscious self-loathing. Basically, he was just trying to run away from everything in his life which kinds of fueled his addiction further. One day, he stumbled upon a corpse and decided to find the killer due to the high reward money.
September 13, 2022
I really enjoyed this book; because its a murder mystery won't put too much in the review - this is the perfect book for a rainy afternoon, go buy a copy.
November 9, 2020
The Less than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch (Wyandot County Mystery 1)
by Marshall Thornton
Kenmore Books, 2020
Five stars
I’m giving this quiet, wry little book five stars, because it’s an amusing, masterfully observed piece of writing that stands on its own, while being the introductory volume of a series that promises to be even more rewarding.
What’s the set up? The year is 2003, and Henry Milch, known to his friends as Mooch (Mooch Milch? Seriously, nobody will call him this during the book), has been banished to outer Mongolia—which is to say, Wyandot County, in northern lower Michigan. His irresponsible-yet-interfering mother in California has sent Henry to live with his grandmother, Emma Cole, in the small town where she grew up, in the wake of what she sees as a suicide attempt, and what Henry sees as simply “accidentally taking one pill too many.”
Stuck in America’s rural northern Midwest, Henry enjoys hating his grandmother as much as he hates his mother (who also seem to hate each other). This is the land of conservative talk radio, evangelical churches, and Fox News. Henry does love his grandmother’s dog, Reilly, driving his grandmother crazy by treating the dog like a friend, and not an animal. He does not love his low-paying job as an assistant to Bev, who manages the local Land Conservancy. It is in the course of doing his job, ineptly and carelessly, that he manages to discover a body buried under a mound of snow in a remote piece of land under the Conservancy’s purview.
Then Henry gets ambitious, thinking that if he gets the reward for figuring out who the killer is, he’ll be able to ditch his grandmother and get back to his slutty, clubbing, pill-popping gay life in Los Angeles. If I sound judgmental, I am, because Henry is the living definition of the term feckless jerk. And that’s not an accident. Henry is emblematic of the stereotypical gay millennial, with no gay consciousness and no sense of his nation’s political spectrum except insofar as it annoys him directly. He is selfish and self-pitying, and his total lack of introspection or awareness is hilarious and painful at the same time.
What makes this such a fun read is the way Marshall manages the narrative’s single point of view (Henry’s). Although (we are told) he is cute, he is graceless in his interactions with other people, and never once gives a thought as to how his predicament might reveal something meaningful about him, his choices, and his values.
This is a story about a transformative moment in Henry Milch’s life; but we don’t get to see the results of that moment, only the potential it reveals. Oddly enough, it’s a point in the story that I found very powerful in spite of the lack of a payoff—and then I realized that this is the first of a series. In Thornton’s best-known series, the “Boystown” mysteries, we didn’t like Nick Nowak much at the beginning either. It was Nick’s evolution as a human being over the course of that dozen books that made for powerful reading.
Thus, I’m guessing that Mooch Milch will follow some kind of interesting humanizing arc as the rest of this series unfolds. Maybe he’ll even stop insisting that his friends call him Mooch. I, for one, am already hooked by the mere promise of Henry’s progress. I couldn’t like him much less, and I somehow find myself wanting to like him more—because I know what he’s been through.
I’d also point out that the fictional Wyandot County is not far from Traverse City, Michigan—where Chasten Buttigieg, husband of presidential also-ran (and my personal hero) Pete, grew up. Because of Chasten Buttigieg’s memoir, I know this part of America, and can appreciate Thornton’s decision to set his story there. The author has opened up a new world for his readers in this book, and I think it’s going to be a compelling journey.
by Marshall Thornton
Kenmore Books, 2020
Five stars
I’m giving this quiet, wry little book five stars, because it’s an amusing, masterfully observed piece of writing that stands on its own, while being the introductory volume of a series that promises to be even more rewarding.
What’s the set up? The year is 2003, and Henry Milch, known to his friends as Mooch (Mooch Milch? Seriously, nobody will call him this during the book), has been banished to outer Mongolia—which is to say, Wyandot County, in northern lower Michigan. His irresponsible-yet-interfering mother in California has sent Henry to live with his grandmother, Emma Cole, in the small town where she grew up, in the wake of what she sees as a suicide attempt, and what Henry sees as simply “accidentally taking one pill too many.”
Stuck in America’s rural northern Midwest, Henry enjoys hating his grandmother as much as he hates his mother (who also seem to hate each other). This is the land of conservative talk radio, evangelical churches, and Fox News. Henry does love his grandmother’s dog, Reilly, driving his grandmother crazy by treating the dog like a friend, and not an animal. He does not love his low-paying job as an assistant to Bev, who manages the local Land Conservancy. It is in the course of doing his job, ineptly and carelessly, that he manages to discover a body buried under a mound of snow in a remote piece of land under the Conservancy’s purview.
Then Henry gets ambitious, thinking that if he gets the reward for figuring out who the killer is, he’ll be able to ditch his grandmother and get back to his slutty, clubbing, pill-popping gay life in Los Angeles. If I sound judgmental, I am, because Henry is the living definition of the term feckless jerk. And that’s not an accident. Henry is emblematic of the stereotypical gay millennial, with no gay consciousness and no sense of his nation’s political spectrum except insofar as it annoys him directly. He is selfish and self-pitying, and his total lack of introspection or awareness is hilarious and painful at the same time.
What makes this such a fun read is the way Marshall manages the narrative’s single point of view (Henry’s). Although (we are told) he is cute, he is graceless in his interactions with other people, and never once gives a thought as to how his predicament might reveal something meaningful about him, his choices, and his values.
This is a story about a transformative moment in Henry Milch’s life; but we don’t get to see the results of that moment, only the potential it reveals. Oddly enough, it’s a point in the story that I found very powerful in spite of the lack of a payoff—and then I realized that this is the first of a series. In Thornton’s best-known series, the “Boystown” mysteries, we didn’t like Nick Nowak much at the beginning either. It was Nick’s evolution as a human being over the course of that dozen books that made for powerful reading.
Thus, I’m guessing that Mooch Milch will follow some kind of interesting humanizing arc as the rest of this series unfolds. Maybe he’ll even stop insisting that his friends call him Mooch. I, for one, am already hooked by the mere promise of Henry’s progress. I couldn’t like him much less, and I somehow find myself wanting to like him more—because I know what he’s been through.
I’d also point out that the fictional Wyandot County is not far from Traverse City, Michigan—where Chasten Buttigieg, husband of presidential also-ran (and my personal hero) Pete, grew up. Because of Chasten Buttigieg’s memoir, I know this part of America, and can appreciate Thornton’s decision to set his story there. The author has opened up a new world for his readers in this book, and I think it’s going to be a compelling journey.
April 29, 2020
Marshall Thornton's The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch is the first in a new amateur sleuth/cozy-ish series starring Henry Milch, a 24 year old man who after taking too many pills in L.A. and ending up in hospital is "forced" to go to live with his grandmother, Nana Cole, in countryside Michigan, in an area called Wyandot County. The pace of life is quite different to what he is used to, and all he wants is to get back to L.A. However, he has no money. Luckily for him, he finds a dead body, and the friends of the deceased, Sammy Hart, offer money prize for leads to solve his murder. So Henry Milch starts investigating. That investigation helps him to get to know other gay people, like bisexual Opal, and get more acquainted to the life in the countryside. And of course gets him pills and danger.
I've read Thornton's other series, 1980s Chicago set PI series Boystown, and 1990s L.A. set amateur sleuth/cozy -series Pinx Video, and was excited about this new early 2000s Wyandot County set series. And this first one did no disappoint. The change from depicting city life to depicting country life works, and Henry Milch is a familiar yet unique enough Thornton protagonist. He is somewhat shallow and naive, and he has a problem he is not admitting he has, namely addiction to pills, but he is at heart decent, and like one character says to him "a student of life", and I'm interpreting that as willing to learn and evolve and confront challenges. And SPOILER the end of this book offers him one.
So, I like the fact that the book is set in the countryside and that the protagonist is a recent transplant from LA. I also like how it's established that the book takes place in 2003; there's pop culture references, news and discussion about the Iraq war, and TV set on Fox News. Also the mystery works and introduces well Henry Milch and the other potential series regulars. Overall, I like Henry and I like the potential of Wyandot County and its people to offer many enjoyable yet thoughtful mysteries.
NOTE: Even though Henry Milch was in L.A. out, he has not revealed to Nana Cole that he is gay. So, he is in closet for Nana and her friends, and he might as well be, since they are clearly homophobic.
I've read Thornton's other series, 1980s Chicago set PI series Boystown, and 1990s L.A. set amateur sleuth/cozy -series Pinx Video, and was excited about this new early 2000s Wyandot County set series. And this first one did no disappoint. The change from depicting city life to depicting country life works, and Henry Milch is a familiar yet unique enough Thornton protagonist. He is somewhat shallow and naive, and he has a problem he is not admitting he has, namely addiction to pills, but he is at heart decent, and like one character says to him "a student of life", and I'm interpreting that as willing to learn and evolve and confront challenges. And SPOILER the end of this book offers him one.
So, I like the fact that the book is set in the countryside and that the protagonist is a recent transplant from LA. I also like how it's established that the book takes place in 2003; there's pop culture references, news and discussion about the Iraq war, and TV set on Fox News. Also the mystery works and introduces well Henry Milch and the other potential series regulars. Overall, I like Henry and I like the potential of Wyandot County and its people to offer many enjoyable yet thoughtful mysteries.
NOTE: Even though Henry Milch was in L.A. out, he has not revealed to Nana Cole that he is gay. So, he is in closet for Nana and her friends, and he might as well be, since they are clearly homophobic.
March 15, 2020
While I am a huge fan of lgbt romances, I longed for genre books that had lgbt characters but little to no romance subplots, just queers living their lives. This book delivers in spades.
Henry Milch is a 20 something that acts like a teenager, and doesn't really believe in things like personal responsibilities. He also likes the pills. After an unfortunate accident, he is sent to live with his very conservative grandmother. When he uncovers a dead body, and the dead body comes with a reward attached, he realises he's got a way out of this sleepy little, judgemental town. In the search for the killer, Henry finds himself drawn into the town's history, gay community, and churches.
Henry is not the most likable of protagonists, and I liked that just fine. You don't always need to have a likable protagonist to root for them. And despite Henry being exasperatingly naive and in denial, I found myself hoping that by the end of the book he's progressed as a character. And he does.
The mystery was solid, the side characters fascinating, and Thornton has that claustrophobic small town feel down pat.
Henry Milch is a 20 something that acts like a teenager, and doesn't really believe in things like personal responsibilities. He also likes the pills. After an unfortunate accident, he is sent to live with his very conservative grandmother. When he uncovers a dead body, and the dead body comes with a reward attached, he realises he's got a way out of this sleepy little, judgemental town. In the search for the killer, Henry finds himself drawn into the town's history, gay community, and churches.
Henry is not the most likable of protagonists, and I liked that just fine. You don't always need to have a likable protagonist to root for them. And despite Henry being exasperatingly naive and in denial, I found myself hoping that by the end of the book he's progressed as a character. And he does.
The mystery was solid, the side characters fascinating, and Thornton has that claustrophobic small town feel down pat.
June 16, 2020
Reviewed on June 16, 2020
I loved reading The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch .
Marshall Thornton well constructed plotline is tight , beguiling and entertaining. His characters are three-dimensional , believable and engaging.
Re-read: Probably not
Recommend: Yes
I just reviewed The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch by Marshall Thornton. #TheLessThanSpectacularTimesofHenryMilch #NetGalley
I loved reading The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch .
Marshall Thornton well constructed plotline is tight , beguiling and entertaining. His characters are three-dimensional , believable and engaging.
Re-read: Probably not
Recommend: Yes
I just reviewed The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch by Marshall Thornton. #TheLessThanSpectacularTimesofHenryMilch #NetGalley
July 8, 2020
3/5
Henry never really grew on me (not sure if he was supposed to) but I stuck with it for the mystery. Henry spent the whole story bitching about Michigan and looking for the easiest way to score more pills (he even stole his boss's epilepsy medication).
This story wasn't a romance, maybe he gets a love interest in the sequels. Not sure I'll continue with the series, but I'll watch out for it. Maybe Henry improves.
Henry never really grew on me (not sure if he was supposed to) but I stuck with it for the mystery. Henry spent the whole story bitching about Michigan and looking for the easiest way to score more pills (he even stole his boss's epilepsy medication).
This story wasn't a romance, maybe he gets a love interest in the sequels. Not sure I'll continue with the series, but I'll watch out for it. Maybe Henry improves.
July 12, 2020
I loved this book.
Henry, a southern Ca native is transplanted to Michigan because his mom thinks he tried to commit suicice by overdosing. With his job, he finds a dead body and sets about trying to find out who killed Sammy and to claim the reward so he can het out of Michigan and go home.
A grat mysterry and a nice set of secondary characters.
I can't wait for the next book.
Henry, a southern Ca native is transplanted to Michigan because his mom thinks he tried to commit suicice by overdosing. With his job, he finds a dead body and sets about trying to find out who killed Sammy and to claim the reward so he can het out of Michigan and go home.
A grat mysterry and a nice set of secondary characters.
I can't wait for the next book.
April 30, 2020
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
This story begins Marshall Thornton’s new Wyandot County Mystery series, a story that feels more along the lines of his Pinx Video mystery series than the Boystown series. The first book, The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch, introduces us to the strangest little town where homophobia runs rampant, everyone is related in some way, and murder is most unusual. Henry is a sarcastic twenty-two-year old who is used to partying, casual drug use (oxycontin being his favorite choice), and sex whenever he wants it. What he’s not familiar with is answering to anyone for his actions or labeling his pill use as an addiction—both of which are pushed down his throat on a regular basis by his less than warm-hearted grandmother. They have an uneasy relationship to say the least.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
This story begins Marshall Thornton’s new Wyandot County Mystery series, a story that feels more along the lines of his Pinx Video mystery series than the Boystown series. The first book, The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch, introduces us to the strangest little town where homophobia runs rampant, everyone is related in some way, and murder is most unusual. Henry is a sarcastic twenty-two-year old who is used to partying, casual drug use (oxycontin being his favorite choice), and sex whenever he wants it. What he’s not familiar with is answering to anyone for his actions or labeling his pill use as an addiction—both of which are pushed down his throat on a regular basis by his less than warm-hearted grandmother. They have an uneasy relationship to say the least.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
March 4, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. Henry Milch is a joy for me to read about. A young guy, self-absorbed but with very little self-knowledge. I really enjoy characters like him. He’s stuck in rural Michigan after overdosing on OxyContin, which he is not addicted to but just enjoys taking… He is also totally dismissive of anyone over 30, and has no ability to plan a viable path for his future. This rang really true for me, especially as a parent of a preteen. When a reward for information leading to arrest for a murder is posted, he thinks it could solve all his problems, so sets to trying to figure it out.
This was a light and fun read that touches on a lot of more serious issues without getting bogged down. I like the way Marshall Thornton does due diligence for details that tie the book to the time period, like historical fiction but it’s set in 2003. No romance at all. Can’t wait for more in this series.
This was a light and fun read that touches on a lot of more serious issues without getting bogged down. I like the way Marshall Thornton does due diligence for details that tie the book to the time period, like historical fiction but it’s set in 2003. No romance at all. Can’t wait for more in this series.
August 30, 2020
Wonderful quick read!
Want to read
February 19, 20212/19/2021 - on sale for 99¢
dnf
May 4, 2022dnf @ 30%
August 11, 2020
Mr. Thornton can really create interesting characters. Not always perfect but very interesting. It took a while for me to get into it (through all the american references) but in the end I found I really liked it. Hopefully there will be more and soon!
March 18, 2024
Fun murder mystery with some laugh-out-loud moments. Lead character is not very likable but may get better in the future books.
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