Don't Look Back

by Josh Lanyon

LGBT SuspenseHe was chuckling, a deep, sexy sound as he pushed Peter back on the satiny cushions. Was this for real? Was he going to go through with it? Peter blinked up as his tie was unfastened, tossed aside, his shirt unbuttoned, laid wide. The evening breeze -- scented of smog and jasmine -- felt cool against his overheated skin, like the lightest breath…Peter Killian, curator at Constantine House in Los Angeles, wakes in the hospital to find himself accused of stealing a tenth century Chinese sculpture. Peter knows he’s not a thief -- but that’s all he knows. Why is hot and handsome Detective Mike Griffin so sure he’s guilty -- and so hell-bent on seeing Peter arrested?And why is Peter having these weird dreams about an unseen lover who somehow reminds him uncomfortably of Michael Griffin?Publisher's This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find Anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices, violence.

Genres: M M Romance, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary, Crime, Audiobook, Suspense

113 pages, ebook

First published June 29, 2009

About the author

Author of 100+ titles of Gay Mystery and M/M Romance, Josh Lanyon has built her literary legacy on twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance.

Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.

She’s an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.

Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.


Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com
Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Reviews

[Snjez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun. I like the amnesia trope and I think it was nicely done here.

I found Mike's behaviour frustrating at first and there were more intimate scenes than I expected by this author and for a story this short, but overall I enjoyed it.

Great writing and great narrator, as usual.

[drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

it’s amazing how fully realized the characters are in this short novella. i have read 400+ pages novels where i felt like characters weren’t as well developed as Peter and Mike and, hell, even the supporting characters, and as someone who prefers character-driven stories, i really appreciate that aspect of Josh’s writing.

i pretty much figured out the whole ~mystery~ right away, but that didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the book. this was genuinely a very fun and very satisfying story.

[mwana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Constantine House curator, Peter, is suffering from amnesia. He appears to have gotten attacked when the theft of a very valuable tenth century mural occurred in his museum. He also appears to be having erotic dreams with a faceless lover- who may be long time crush, and very married best friend, Cole- chairman of the Constantine board of trustees. On top of it all, SFPD robbery and homicide, Detective Griffin seems to have him pegged as the primary suspect in the theft. And more importantly, also appears to have some kind of a "beef" with him.

What follows is a fluidly paced game of cat and canary. Who stole the mural? Who is the man in Peter's dreams? Who is trying to kill him? And why? What does Peter know that these killers don't want him to remember?

I enjoyed this book and re-read it to purge myself of the dual POV madness of Murder Between the Pages



Happy 2017 everyone.

Josh Lanyon- cure for all book slump ailments. Even her own.


Edit
Reread March 2020
Lanyon really is a balm for reading slumps. I miss this noir-lite Lanyon.

[fleurette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh Lanyon is great when it comes to his short stories. I usually prefer full-length books. But Lanyon can contain everything you need in his short forms. Complicated and fully developed characters to which you quickly become attached. And a complex and interesting plotline that draws you in immediately.

And this story is no exception. Not only is Peter a great main character, but the story is also really interesting. Even if certain things are exactly as they appear from the beginning. From the very beginning, you sympathize with Peter and together with him you try to solve the mystery of the theft of the mural. You basically know as much as he knows.

Besides, Lanyon can even make me like themes that I usually hate. Amnesia in this case. Oh, how I hate this motive. But it all feels so cute in this story, and it really adds to the drama of the whole situation.

And as always in Lanyon's stories, we have a bit of a romance that doesn't end with the traditional HEA, but rather a happy-for-now. Which I always appreciate in his short forms because it makes his relationships look more believable. Confessions of undying love and great romantic gestures after just few days together would seem a strong exaggeration. It also helps that the main characters of Lanyon's stories, as in this case, knew each other before. All this makes his relationships very reliable despite the short form.

Oddly, this story did not leave me with the feeling of dissatisfaction that often accompanies me after finishing one of Lanyon’s very short stories. Would I like more of Peter and Mike? Sure! But what I got also satisfied me.

[Ingie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written February 2, 2015

3.3 Stars - A nice "whodunit" with a splash of romance

Once again I felt for a book by my favorite M/M writer Mr Josh Lanyon. This time was it an novella as an 4 hrs audiobook narrated by Graham Halstead. A new, good enough, narrator for me.

★★★☆☆

Pleased ...as most times
A rather short and thrilling mystery. I was not overwhelmed or hugely impressed but it's well done and good for the moment.

Our two heroes are up to scratch. - It's quite cute actually, with a slightly insecure male character that is far from the smart strong men we often meet in the M/M crime genre. The mystery was also solved in a nice way.

***********************************************************

From the book-blurb:

“Peter Killian, the curator at Constantine House, Los Angeles, wakes in the hospital to find himself accused of stealing a Tenth Century Chinese sculpture. Peter knows he's not a thief - but that's all he knows.

Why is hot and handsome Detective Mike Griffin so sure he's guilty - and so bent on seeing Peter arrested?”

***********************************************************

I LIKE - nice and quite thrilling

[LenaRibka · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a book hangover you should read Josh Lanyon.

Though the risk is too high that you won't read anything else up until you have reached the end of Josh Lanyon's list.

Don't Look Back is a perfect mystery a là Josh Lanyon with a sexy very male detective Michael Griffin and Peter Killian, a museum curator, who is, OF COURSE, a prime suspect in a theft case in his museum.

Though with a little benefit for the readers: The first sex scene happens almost on the very first page. I would say in consideration of the length of the story, it has a bit more of a healthy eroticism comparing to his other books. Yeah!

I had EVERYTHING I need: A great mystery, very engaging and lovely characters, a wonderful writing with loving attention to details and my HEA. Do I wish to be it longer? I don't think so.

It is PERFECT how it is.

Then you can ask WHY not a full rating?
I liked it a lot, but I won't keep the MCs too long in my mind, they will be probably replaced by other lovely characters of the next involving mystery of Josh Lanyon.

It was a great book for a RIGHT NOW moment but not for an eternity.

P.S I liked the half naked men on the cover, but I don't know what kind of relationship they have with the plot.

[Preeti · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the usual Josh Lanyon's style, a short mystery novella (113 pages) is served with romance on the side.

Peter Killian is a curator. He met with an accident and woke up in the hospital with no memory and was shocked to learn that he was the prime suspect in a high profile robbery case in the museum.

Peter's memory keeps coming back in bits and pieces so he is not able to draw a complete picture of his life. He can't even distinguish between friends and foes. However, once he starts using his intuition, he gets to see his past life in a whole new light.

The pace of the story was good and the mystery was well woven too. Knowing Lanyon's fascination with the exes in the past, I was dreading an ex-factor. But thankfully, we didn't get any of it to distract our focus from mystery.

And, for a novella, the story was well-crafted. Plus, the audiobook narration by Graham Halstead is quite impressive too.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️

It was bizarre to feel like a stranger in his own life. Yet he did.

I say this every time I find myself reading a novella — too. damn. short.
Don’t Look Back has a great mystery premise, amnesia, a light romance, and pretty great writing. But I wanted more. More tension, more time before the mystery unfolds, more of Peter struggling with his lost memories.

“It’s not that I don’t remember. It’s that everything is sort of jumbled.”
Plus he didn’t remember.

Something about that line made me laugh so hard, and was probably when I thought to myself I really like this writing style.
This was still a really fun time and packed a lot of substance in such a short read. It sucks you in immediately from page one.
I’m instantly curious to read more by this author, maybe some of her longer works.

Mike held him close and kissed him like Peter was the one he’d been waiting for all his life.

CW and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Amnesia
- Injury
- Mention of past depression
- Top/bottom (one scene)
- Frotting

[Marte - Thunderella · Rating 4 out of 5]

...I'm so easy... One drool look at the cover and halfway through reading the blurb I clicked "Want to read" ;P Sue me. After I read the whole blurb though, I found that it checked a lot of my boxes. LOL! Mystery, suspense, Detective..


****4 mysterious stars****

This was my pre-review of this book. As I said I'm easy. :P But when I bought the book at Amazon there was a totally different cover
.
Boring, I thought. But, you know what? After finish reading, I think that cover was much better than the droolworthy one! It's way more fitting.


Sometimes the first paragraph of a book just sets you in the mood, you know, makes you dive right in and grips a hold of you. This was very much the cast with this book! Have a look at the beginning:




"Chapter One
The moon was enormous — ripe, red-gold, hanging low in the sky. From the flowering jacaranda, the mockingbird was scolding.
Chjjjj…chjjjj…chewk.
Peter stumbled up the brick path. His foot caught and he went down, on his knees, breathing hard. His hands were white blurs on the warm stone. He tried to focus, and he could see the ink splotches of blood — his blood — running down his face and dripping onto the bricks."


Thrilling, right! I can really see that scene in my mind!

So, Peter wakes up in the hospital, recovering from his injuries, and he is visited by the very pissy detective Michael Griffin. He questions Peter, but Peter doesn't remember anything and is generally confused.

As the story contiues and the mystery evolves and unfolds, Peter discovers a lot about himself and about how his life has been up until this point. Those discoveries makes him want to "Don't look back".

The mystery was a bit predictable, but I didn't mind it at all. Lanyon weaves a great tale of mystery.

A recommended read of about hundred pages. :)

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is good. If you know Josh Lanyon’s work, particularly The Adrien English series, you’ll recognise the likenesses here. Peter Killian is the well-ordered intelligent and conservative type, slim, neat and appealing in appearance.
Detective Griffin is the big, sexy, mysterious alpha in charge. The atmosphere is comparable and Peter’s voice also bares a strong resemblance to Adrien English. Luckily for me, I’m a big fan.

Even with these similarities, Don’t Look Back stands out on its own just because of the situation our MC Peter Killian finds himself in when he wakes in a hospital room with no memory; accused of a crime he’s sure he didn’t commit and faced with a surly detective Mike Griffin who needs convincing otherwise. Okay, those parts are not so different but the loss of memory and how Peter copes is what sets this book very much apart.

Peter can remember everything, as long as it’s not personal. His job as curator of a museum is clear, as are the recurring thefts of small valuable artefacts for the past year. Any personal relationships he may have had are a blank, and the only clue is the recurring dreams of a faceless lover, who is yet to step forward – or has he?

As Peter slowly starts to recall his life bit by bit, he discovers himself with a new found clarity - unhindered by old emotional connections he gains a clear perspective of what his life was like. With every new recollection the threat surrounding him escalates and the plot thrives. The angst is tangible when Peter’s panic intensifies and things really do fall apart for him. Who does he trust or believe? And who’s setting him up? It’s a case of having to prove his innocence when he’s the only suspect and tension between Peter and the sexy detective develops into something … more?

It’s all classic Lanyon as I know him, and very well done – especially how Peter deals with his injured memory. It definitely provided me with a certain amount of food for thought. What would I do if I lost the memory of people who have been in my life forever? How would I recognise their influence over me? How would I judge my own image? Would I identify the power of a narcissistic personality?

I enjoyed this aspect and really, this is what lifts the book from being a likable 3.5 Stars to a thoroughly enjoyable 4 Stars. My only annoyance is that Mr Lanyon’s novellas are too short, and this one in particular would have benefited from more page time between Peter and Mike. I always want more of everything with a Lanyon novella.

Read more of this review on The Blog Of Sid Love

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was fun! I’m kind of hit or miss with Josh Lanyon. Some of his/her (I’m still not sure which pronoun to use) are too focused on the mystery, with not enough romance for my taste (i.e., Adrien English). But I didn’t find that to be the case with this one.

The two MCs have great chemistry. Peter, a museum curator, wakes up in the hospital with amnesia and finds himself the main suspect in the disappearance of a priceless mural. Detective Mike Griffin is convinced he’s lying. I enjoyed watching Peter get his memory back, bit by bit, and discover that he’s not the same person now that he was before the accident. Great suspense, lots of twists and turns, and more sex than a typical Lanyon novel. A very enjoyable read!!

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short novella with amnesia (one of my favorites tropes), a bit of a mystery and a heckuva love triangle. 4 stars.

Reread in 2023: Talk about amnesia .... I started reading this book and had forgotten that I'd read it before! So it was all new (again) to me, and I loved it. 5 stars.

[Karés · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another mystery,thrilling story that I ENJOYED...

[Vanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story: 4 Stars
Audio: 4 Stars

Interesting plot with the amnesia trope, which is usually not my favorite; but it was written very well from the POV of the protagonist. Both MCs were likable and I loved the slow burn with hot flashbacks 😉😍. Overall, really enjoyed this story.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one especially once the story began to develop. There were two aspects that really had me hooked: Peter's amnesia and what had happened to him in the past, and then the thefts from the museum and who was actually behind them.

Of course I had a suspect and I wasn't wrong in my guessing but this didn't detract from the story.

Once again Josh Lanyon has delivered a great mystery with good characters, great pace and an enjoyable story. He is one author that I really like and I know that I will always enjoy whatever he writes.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual the writing was wonderful, the storyline was interesting enough with the thefts and the amnesia, but at first I just wasn't sold on the relationship, or the actions of Detective Michael Griffin. He was unwilling to even consider that Peter was telling the truth, and that seemed strange. I didn't care for all the ultimatums either or the way that the museum committee treated Peter who had been nothing but faithful as museum curator. When I stopped and looked at certain facts I began to understand and be more tolerant of both Peter and Michael's side of not only the museum thefts but also their relationship. As we learn more and more about Peter's life, even that that he doesn't remember, you realize he was hurting and frustrated by all that was happening to him. Big chunks of his memory was completely gone...and this cop didn't believe him even a little bit. At the same time, you begin to understand Michael's reluctance to believe the amnesia angle. Everything I have ever read by Josh Lanyon has had a happy and satisfying ending and this one is no exception. It's good mystery/romance story, although it could have had a bit more on the romance side.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Museum curator Peter Killian wakes up in a hospital to find that a blow to the head is the least of his problems. He suffers from amnesia and the very hot Police Detective Michael Griffin sitting by his bed seems convinced Peter is a burglar, who has stolen an expensive mural.

Peter has to figure out who is stealing from the museum before he winds up in jail or the real thief decides to silence him. But first he must try to put together the pieces of his fragmented memory. On top of that he sees flashbacks of a blonde man who he was deeply intimate with but can't remember who he was...

---

An apparently single-minded detective, an amnesiac witness, mystery, drama and a palpable sexual tension is well mixed into a thrilling story.

The book is entertaining and the suspense part is well done. Another 5 stars novella for my Josh Lanyon collection. :)

[Ninni · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you wake up at the hospital. With a detective by your side. Accused of stealing an antique sculpture. And you don't remember anything about it. That feeling. This is a classic JL with an amnesia trope. Of course I like it. 3.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Meep · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice quick read, fits in nicely amongst other things.

Usual Lanyon characteristics; formula mystery, a tough cop character and a weak smart main character who of course is the main suspect. Nice comfortable reading.

Amnesia allows Peter the chance to see his potential better. Life and friendship has held him back, so he's become buttoned-up, a claustrophobic and depressing reality he gets to see with new eyes having forgotten everyone/thing personal to him. Mike lurks, big, muscular, disapproving and hiding secrets, and the hot dreams keep coming.

The sex dreams/memories start on the second page. Hot and a little mysterious.

That the mystery is completely un-mysterious doesn't bother me, Lanyon's writing makes it worth reading. I'd have liked perhaps a little more between Mike and Peter; their chemistry seems mostly from memories, and the chancing of carpet burns ;) but it suits the length of the story.

Not memorable enough to be a favourite, but a nice little story, good for lunch-time reading.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this. I know I've read this... but I don't remember how many stars I liked it, so it gets my default Lanyon star rating.

[Skye Blue ☆*~ﾟლ(´ڡ`ლ)~*☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this might be one of my favorite Josh Lanyon books. It's not the best one he has, but I still favor it.
Why? Because for once, I actually got into the romance portion.

I usually go into any Josh Lanyon book, for the mystery. Some are predictable, some not are not...but the story is still good, and usually fun to read. I do not go in, looking for some epic romance. Josh's romance portions seem to be usually be tacked in there...not the focus, and not a high priority. And that is FINE, because the stories are good enough, that they don't need the strong romance element.

This time...I don't want to say I felt the love...not quite. But I did feel great fondness. And I was cheering them on. Also...the sex, was better. Not quite burning up the sheets...but some heat to them.

This time, the mystery was obvious. But I don't think it was supposed to read in a way to keep you guessing.
I think it read like it was mysterious to Peter...with the amnesia and all. Watching him figure it out was entertaining.


I loved Michael.
Very fond of clueless Peter.
And wanted to punch Cole in the face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
re-read 11/29/17

While no longer one of my favorite Josh Lanyon books, I still really enjoyed it.
Michael is still my favorite in the story. I wonder why Peter could never see Cole for a user before his amnesia.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story with amnesia theme can be exhaustive and cheesy if an author is not careful on how to treat it. Josh Lanyon never disappoints me before and this one is no different. Using a mystery-suspense with a main hero who suffers from psychosomatic memory loss after being hit on a head, Josh writes about finding back love and uncover the bad guys. It is romantic and beautiful. Short (it IS a novella after all) but satisfying.

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, I know, fan girl. No doubt. OMG!! I loved this and I loved Peter and Mike!!

[Aeren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente, me encanta esta autora

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started reading this when I was awake with a stomach ache at five in the morning. It's very readable, and kept my attention, even in that state -- and I finished it in one go today. It's pretty standard fare for Josh Lanyon, in the sense that there were no surprises, but he always manages to make it readable, and I enjoyed the character growth these particular characters had to go through, particularly that surrounding Peter and his friend Cole.

The sex scenes were pretty numerous, given the dream sequences, but there was one in particular that was really effective. The others I could've taken or left, but there was one in the middle that I thought was really well done and revealed things about both characters and their relationship.

I also liked the background friendships with Roma and Jessica. It'd be nice if there'd been more of their involvement, rather than the rather expositiony way they were handled.

For lazy, quick reading, I really have to learn that there's none better than Josh Lanyon. I'd been a bit reading-blocked, if that's possible, just working away on The Decameron and course books, but hopefully this unstoppered it a bit.

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

This is exactly the kind of story I expect from JL: A sexy, hot, intriguing whodunit. And while the beginning was slow going, to build the suspense and weave the story it was a necessary evil. I think my absolute terror at the prospect of personal memory loss kept me hanging on tighter than I would have since I absolutely HAD to know it would resolve itself, too. Also, the true thief was kind of easy to figure out, but I did wonder off and on whether my guess was accurate given some of the MC's actions.

I wish there'd been more interaction/romance between Mike & Peter; being entirely from Peter's POV kept that from developing more due to his injury...but I did so very much love the sex scenes. Very hot.

Still, a great way to spend an afternoon! (Oh, plus I think that was my first audio book listen for narrator Graham Halstead; he did a good job - if a little "narrator-y" rather than "voice acted" but I'd definitely listen to him again, though.)

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

from the audio book
Male/Male Mystery and Suspense Box Set: 6 Novellas

That was excellent, a very creative mystery.

[Vanessa North · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good Lanyon.
Audio narration was good--suited the character voice.
All around solid.

Thats all i got.

[Trix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, this book didn't rate as well as the others I've read by Josh Lanyon. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to start a marathon of his books. Should have taken a break after finishing the "Adrien English Mystery" series. This book rated a meager 2.5 stars.

I am still impressed by Adrien English that I found Peter Killian very much similar. The setting and details were different, of course, but there was the same atmosphere, same civilian involved with a cop. I spent half the book comparing Peter to Adrien and the other half having this crazy notion that there was going to be a reversal of the situation in the last pages, showing Michael as being the bad guy as well... leaving Peter alone, depressed, unable to trust anyone and committing suicide. Luckily, the author wasn't quite shrewd in the plot line giving us the HEA for both men.

I would have definitely enjoyed this more, had it not been the shadow of Adrien and Jake hovering above it. As it is, I could only find the story passable.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. Amnesia is always a good plot device, IMO. I was really impressed when the story slowly unfolded in front of me. It was an excellent crime novel. My only problem was, it was a bit short to convey both the romance AND the crime theme. I wouldn't have complained, if Peter's love life didn't fall back into place as quickly as it did, but other than that the book was really well done. I am starting to become a real Josh Lanyon fan after this, my third Lanyon book.