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Mitch Mitchell Mystery #1
The Back Passage
Agatha Christie, move over! Hard-core sex and scandal meet in this brilliantly funny whodunit.
A seaside village, an English country house, a family of wealthy eccentrics and their equally peculiar servants, a determined detective — all the ingredients are here for a cozy Agatha Christie-style whodunit. But wait — Edward “Mitch” Mitchell is no Hercule Poirot, and The Back Passage is no Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Mitch is a handsome, insatiable 22-year-old hunk who never lets a clue stand in the way of a steamy encounter, whether it’s with the local constabulary, the house secretary, or his school chum and fellow athlete Boy Morgan, who becomes his Watson when they’re not busy boffing each other. When Reg Walworth is found dead in a cabinet, Sir James Eagle has his servant Weeks immediately arrested as the killer. But Mitch’s observant eye pegs more plausible possibilities: polysexual chauffeur Hibbert, queenly pervert Leonard Eagle, missing scion Rex, sadistic copper Kennington, even Sir James Eagle himself. Blackmail, police corruption, a dizzying network of spyholes and secret passages, watersports, and a nonstop queer orgy backstairs and everyplace else mark this hilariously hard-core mystery by a major new talent.
A seaside village, an English country house, a family of wealthy eccentrics and their equally peculiar servants, a determined detective — all the ingredients are here for a cozy Agatha Christie-style whodunit. But wait — Edward “Mitch” Mitchell is no Hercule Poirot, and The Back Passage is no Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Mitch is a handsome, insatiable 22-year-old hunk who never lets a clue stand in the way of a steamy encounter, whether it’s with the local constabulary, the house secretary, or his school chum and fellow athlete Boy Morgan, who becomes his Watson when they’re not busy boffing each other. When Reg Walworth is found dead in a cabinet, Sir James Eagle has his servant Weeks immediately arrested as the killer. But Mitch’s observant eye pegs more plausible possibilities: polysexual chauffeur Hibbert, queenly pervert Leonard Eagle, missing scion Rex, sadistic copper Kennington, even Sir James Eagle himself. Blackmail, police corruption, a dizzying network of spyholes and secret passages, watersports, and a nonstop queer orgy backstairs and everyplace else mark this hilariously hard-core mystery by a major new talent.
199 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2006
About the author
James Lear
13 books374 followersJames Lear is the nom de plume of prolific and acclaimed novelist, Rupert Smith. He lives in London and is the 2008 Winner of Erotic Awards "Best Writer".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
October 11, 2014
I say 3 stars. My penis says 5. We will compromise at 4.
Big Nick: This was a very fun, very silly book.
Little Nick: This was the best book ever written! Smoking hot!
Big Nick: Well... It was hot, yes... but some of it was hard to believe.
Little Nick: Don't be a douche, man. What didn't you believe?
Big Nick: For starters, everyone in the book was gay or bi. That doesn't happen in real life.
Little Nick: Of course it does. I've never met a man who didn't love the cock.
Big Nick: No, but you're very sheltered. You do live in my pants, after all. One might say you exist in ignorant bliss.
Little Nick: You think you're so smart. Don't talk down to me and don't talk above my head!
Big Nick: How can I avoid it? I'm just saying that I don't introduce you to straight men.
Little Nick: Why not?
Big Nick: They wouldn't like you.
Little Nick: You're crazy; everybody likes me.
Big Nick: Trust me, there are people out there who wouldn't like you. Isn't it enough that I like you?
Little Nick: We need to talk about that... sometimes I think you might be obsessed with me. To be honest, you can be a little stalkerish.
Big Nick: Why don't I fill everyone in on the book?
Little Nick: Fire away. I'm taking a nap. I've never stayed awake for a whole book before.
The Back Passage is a very funny, very sexy mystery spoof. Think Agatha Christie meets The Cocky Boys with British accents and you'll know what you're in for. Go in with low expectations and you'll enjoy the show.
Big Nick: This was a very fun, very silly book.
Little Nick: This was the best book ever written! Smoking hot!
Big Nick: Well... It was hot, yes... but some of it was hard to believe.
Little Nick: Don't be a douche, man. What didn't you believe?
Big Nick: For starters, everyone in the book was gay or bi. That doesn't happen in real life.
Little Nick: Of course it does. I've never met a man who didn't love the cock.
Big Nick: No, but you're very sheltered. You do live in my pants, after all. One might say you exist in ignorant bliss.
Little Nick: You think you're so smart. Don't talk down to me and don't talk above my head!
Big Nick: How can I avoid it? I'm just saying that I don't introduce you to straight men.
Little Nick: Why not?
Big Nick: They wouldn't like you.
Little Nick: You're crazy; everybody likes me.
Big Nick: Trust me, there are people out there who wouldn't like you. Isn't it enough that I like you?
Little Nick: We need to talk about that... sometimes I think you might be obsessed with me. To be honest, you can be a little stalkerish.
Big Nick: Why don't I fill everyone in on the book?
Little Nick: Fire away. I'm taking a nap. I've never stayed awake for a whole book before.
The Back Passage is a very funny, very sexy mystery spoof. Think Agatha Christie meets The Cocky Boys with British accents and you'll know what you're in for. Go in with low expectations and you'll enjoy the show.
June 10, 2020
A pleasant country manor murder mystery married to gay pornography, slick and easy going down. This was written by a talented author under a pseudonym, and the clever, funny dialogue openly displays a prodigious talent. The murder mystery itself is certainly the bottom in this relationship, as the amount of explicit sex scenes tops the page count when compared to anything having to do with murder or mysteries. Dick dick, mouth mouth, ass ass, fluids raining everywhere like a downpour of thick salty milk, plus there's a body in the cupboard, oh and an innocent man in jail.
It's amusing reading porn written by literary authors because my focus is usually less *cough* self-involved and more interested in what the erotic scenes are saying about the author's sexual predilections. And so I learned that Rupert Smith likes hairy men, he likes balding men, he likes masculine men, and he also likes what is known as versatility. Certainly can't knock a man for his tastes.
Although the book was a cheerful excursion, 1 star removed, with irritation, for some surprising transphobia and the unfortunately less surprising decision to make the most villainous queer also be the most effeminate. For some reason, this sort of weird internalized homophobia (rooted in misogyny) is found frequently in older gay men, like say men Rupert Smith's age, and often displayed by gay men who are not exactly butch icons, like say the dandy named Rupert Smith. Cheerio, Rupert darling!
It's amusing reading porn written by literary authors because my focus is usually less *cough* self-involved and more interested in what the erotic scenes are saying about the author's sexual predilections. And so I learned that Rupert Smith likes hairy men, he likes balding men, he likes masculine men, and he also likes what is known as versatility. Certainly can't knock a man for his tastes.
Although the book was a cheerful excursion, 1 star removed, with irritation, for some surprising transphobia and the unfortunately less surprising decision to make the most villainous queer also be the most effeminate. For some reason, this sort of weird internalized homophobia (rooted in misogyny) is found frequently in older gay men, like say men Rupert Smith's age, and often displayed by gay men who are not exactly butch icons, like say the dandy named Rupert Smith. Cheerio, Rupert darling!
June 7, 2014
WHHHHYYYYYYYY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS?!?!?!
I mean, look at that cover! I'll wait. I can only point to it anything else and GR might put me in the penalty box.
I digress.
What's behind (hehe) that cover is a story that had me in stitches and left me with a bit of shine for its delightful MC, Mitch Mitchell or as I like to call him MIIIIITCHYYYYYY! That, however, is definitely not Mitchy on the cover. Mitchy is decidedly in the otter category, though I believe he thinks himself a jock. I don't think jocks get winded after running for 5 mins, but I don't want Mitchy getting butt hurt so jock it is. Annnnnnd he's also my new BFF!
I recognized Mitchy as my spirit animal early on BECAUSE HE'S AWESOME! Mitchy is arrogant and vain. He always has time to assess and critique other's sexual prowess. He's slightly pompous and wholly unobservant. He fancies himself a Sherlock Holmes type. Now, if Sherlock were a libidinous cad easily distracted by cock then I... nah. Mitch is closer to another famous sleuther...
He does stumble into some clues usually in route to getting pounded or doing some pounding of his own in some often disgusting but always handy and furtive locales. His trysts usually involve an inordinate amount of piss, body hair, mansweat and cum. Mitchy knows what he likes and he's not judge-y about his playmate's kinks. I like all these traits. Mitchy is often hoodwinked by any halfway appealing physique and doubly so if a "man-eating anus" is in the mix. He also has a marvelous ability to find something attractive about virtually any man. This was the source of much chuckling on my part as were his insights into various traits such as male pattern baldness.
Suffice to say, Mitchy is VERY popular with the menz. He's young, fit, attractive, possesses "superior deductive powers" and is a veritable SEX MACHINE. Just ask him. He'll be happy to tell you. However, his skillz oftentimes get him out of and in to and out of many a pickle along the way. Not just a pretty face or a hairy ass, as it were.
It ain't easy being a hot otter but he takes on the responsibility like a champ in this English country manor that's been termed Sodom-by-the-Sea , the flapper version.
Mitchy and his pal from Cambridge, Boy Morgan, find themselves in a broom closet ostensibly to escape a dreadfully boring game of sardines. Shortly thereafter they find themselves in flagrante by Mitchy's design, of course. Seems Mitchy's been waiting to make his move... in a broom closet for quite some time. However a murder occurs prior to completion much to their mutual chagrin. Inconvenient boner or no, nothing is coming between Mitch Mitchell and an opportunity to utilize his immense crime solving abilities. Aside from the obvious.
I mean, someone's got to pump these guys for information and Mitchy's always good to go, so work smarter not harder, right. Erm...moving on. I say it's nothing short of serendipity that puts Mitchy in the right place at the right time. To not solve the mystery.
Of course he finds time to bang the bejesus out of Boy with regularity as well as numerous others both upstairs and downstairs. Because Mitchy's dedicated and an egalitarian.
I believe I've unearthed the origins of Mitchy's delusions of jockdom.
The ensuing events are nothing short of hilarious. EVERYONE is fucking everyone, usually in an adulterous fashion. There are crooked cops and Peeping Toms and hysterics and and abundance of not so secret secrets . I had a blast. It was exactly what I needed. It reminded me of Murder by Death only with way more sex.
Double entendres abounded in this farcical mystery. The only thing I can think of that it lacked was a chase. Lear's writing is witty, cheeky and campy. He pokes fun at both genres with aplomb and most of what occurs is ridiculously farfetched. Mitchy mostly engages in sexual escapade after sexual escapade while Boy does all the grunt work, though Mitchy did find time to sunbathe in there too. It's important to maintain one's appearance when one's so highly sought after especially in the midst of a case. Can't let the stress fade the pretty.
I LOVED that he delegates the things he'd rather not do like actually solving the case. Lazy sleuthing FTW!!!!
If you're looking for a laugh with tongue in cheek humor and A HOT COVER!! give The Back Passage a spin. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
Oh, let's not be hasty, Mitchy.
I mean, look at that cover! I'll wait. I can only point to it anything else and GR might put me in the penalty box.
I digress.
What's behind (hehe) that cover is a story that had me in stitches and left me with a bit of shine for its delightful MC, Mitch Mitchell or as I like to call him MIIIIITCHYYYYYY! That, however, is definitely not Mitchy on the cover. Mitchy is decidedly in the otter category, though I believe he thinks himself a jock. I don't think jocks get winded after running for 5 mins, but I don't want Mitchy getting butt hurt so jock it is. Annnnnnd he's also my new BFF!
I recognized Mitchy as my spirit animal early on BECAUSE HE'S AWESOME! Mitchy is arrogant and vain. He always has time to assess and critique other's sexual prowess. He's slightly pompous and wholly unobservant. He fancies himself a Sherlock Holmes type. Now, if Sherlock were a libidinous cad easily distracted by cock then I... nah. Mitch is closer to another famous sleuther...
He does stumble into some clues usually in route to getting pounded or doing some pounding of his own in some often disgusting but always handy and furtive locales. His trysts usually involve an inordinate amount of piss, body hair, mansweat and cum. Mitchy knows what he likes and he's not judge-y about his playmate's kinks. I like all these traits. Mitchy is often hoodwinked by any halfway appealing physique and doubly so if a "man-eating anus" is in the mix. He also has a marvelous ability to find something attractive about virtually any man. This was the source of much chuckling on my part as were his insights into various traits such as male pattern baldness.
Suffice to say, Mitchy is VERY popular with the menz. He's young, fit, attractive, possesses "superior deductive powers" and is a veritable SEX MACHINE. Just ask him. He'll be happy to tell you. However, his skillz oftentimes get him out of and in to and out of many a pickle along the way. Not just a pretty face or a hairy ass, as it were.
"I did, as a matter of fact."I knew what he wanted, and it was staying firmly inside my trousers. If anyone was going to get it, it would be Morgan, or West, or my friend Bill at the police station, or Simon, the hall boy, or even the fat kitchen maid with the wonderful tits-but Leonard Eagle was never getting it again.
It ain't easy being a hot otter but he takes on the responsibility like a champ in this English country manor that's been termed Sodom-by-the-Sea , the flapper version.
Mitchy and his pal from Cambridge, Boy Morgan, find themselves in a broom closet ostensibly to escape a dreadfully boring game of sardines. Shortly thereafter they find themselves in flagrante by Mitchy's design, of course. Seems Mitchy's been waiting to make his move... in a broom closet for quite some time. However a murder occurs prior to completion much to their mutual chagrin. Inconvenient boner or no, nothing is coming between Mitch Mitchell and an opportunity to utilize his immense crime solving abilities. Aside from the obvious.
I mean, someone's got to pump these guys for information and Mitchy's always good to go, so work smarter not harder, right. Erm...moving on. I say it's nothing short of serendipity that puts Mitchy in the right place at the right time. To not solve the mystery.
Of course he finds time to bang the bejesus out of Boy with regularity as well as numerous others both upstairs and downstairs. Because Mitchy's dedicated and an egalitarian.
"Okay, Mitch," he said, with a businesslike tone that almost made me laugh, "you can fuck me now." And I did. I fucked him rotten. I fucked him on his back, with his legs over my shoulders, staring down into his eyes. I turned him over and pulled him onto all fours, and fucked him from behind, pounding into him as hard as I have into anyone. I fucked him on his side, one leg held in the air as his cock drizzled the carpet with juice. Finally I dragged him to the bed, lay him down, placed a couple of cushions under his ass and began the long ride to my goal.
I believe I've unearthed the origins of Mitchy's delusions of jockdom.
The ensuing events are nothing short of hilarious. EVERYONE is fucking everyone, usually in an adulterous fashion. There are crooked cops and Peeping Toms and hysterics and and abundance of not so secret secrets . I had a blast. It was exactly what I needed. It reminded me of Murder by Death only with way more sex.
Double entendres abounded in this farcical mystery. The only thing I can think of that it lacked was a chase. Lear's writing is witty, cheeky and campy. He pokes fun at both genres with aplomb and most of what occurs is ridiculously farfetched. Mitchy mostly engages in sexual escapade after sexual escapade while Boy does all the grunt work, though Mitchy did find time to sunbathe in there too. It's important to maintain one's appearance when one's so highly sought after especially in the midst of a case. Can't let the stress fade the pretty.
I LOVED that he delegates the things he'd rather not do like actually solving the case. Lazy sleuthing FTW!!!!
If you're looking for a laugh with tongue in cheek humor and A HOT COVER!! give The Back Passage a spin. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
If I was going to become a great detective, I would have to learn to master my own libido.
Oh, let's not be hasty, Mitchy.
April 2, 2017
I first tried to read this book in 2017 when I tended to take erotic literature WAY too seriously.
I hated how this plot is a string of extremely unlikely sex scenes in a Victorian setting.
Two years later I'm back (barely remembering how the book started, I gotta admit) and I am ready to let logic fly out the window and just enjoy the hilarious plot twists Mr Lear throws at us.
PLEASE someone tell me: Will Boy Morgan return in the subsequent books or is this the end of his story? The epilogue sounded a bit final to me...
Because I LOVED him!
What mystery hero doesn't want a sidekick who's constantly fingering you, even during the most inappropriate moments?
And I loved how some subjects were just slightly touched and barely there, but still had an effect, like the 'rhododendron moment'.
I also love how Lear uses balding and really hairy guys in his stories. I totally appreciate that.
Anyway, the plot. Oh God, I wish I could say much about the plot. A young guy is murdered in the mansion of the wealthy Eagle family where Mitch and Boy Morgan are currently visiting because Boy is engaged to a daughter of the house.
Trying to find the murderer while the police conveniently imprison the first (but possibly innocent) suspect, Mitch and Boy interrogate the entire household, *penetrating* this mystery in their amateurish sleuthing ways.
God, it was so cheesy, but deliciously entertaining.
And that ending!!
I loved it!
Still, lots of gay sex that happened for no other reason than horniness in Victorian England? I'm not completely sold on that.
4 stars!
I hated how this plot is a string of extremely unlikely sex scenes in a Victorian setting.
Two years later I'm back (barely remembering how the book started, I gotta admit) and I am ready to let logic fly out the window and just enjoy the hilarious plot twists Mr Lear throws at us.
PLEASE someone tell me: Will Boy Morgan return in the subsequent books or is this the end of his story? The epilogue sounded a bit final to me...
Because I LOVED him!
What mystery hero doesn't want a sidekick who's constantly fingering you, even during the most inappropriate moments?
And I loved how some subjects were just slightly touched and barely there, but still had an effect, like the 'rhododendron moment'.
I also love how Lear uses balding and really hairy guys in his stories. I totally appreciate that.
Anyway, the plot. Oh God, I wish I could say much about the plot. A young guy is murdered in the mansion of the wealthy Eagle family where Mitch and Boy Morgan are currently visiting because Boy is engaged to a daughter of the house.
Trying to find the murderer while the police conveniently imprison the first (but possibly innocent) suspect, Mitch and Boy interrogate the entire household, *penetrating* this mystery in their amateurish sleuthing ways.
God, it was so cheesy, but deliciously entertaining.
And that ending!!
I loved it!
Still, lots of gay sex that happened for no other reason than horniness in Victorian England? I'm not completely sold on that.
4 stars!
April 5, 2014
I really wanted to love this book. I read (listened to, really) it mainly for the following reasons:
A. The naked dude on the cover
B. Marshall Thornton gave it 5 stars.
C. Mary Calmes also gave it 5 stars, but somehow I take that less seriously.
D. If that guy on the cover moves his leg...just a smidge...I could totally see his peen.
Also, though I love any type of novel that involves a cop or a PI,the slew of uber-staight-detectives whose overwhelming pheromones cause women to roll back on their heels, offering up the flower of their womanhood with little to no thought, exhausts me. (Yes, I too, would have that reaction -- show me a damaged man & I'll show him a good time, oh baby! -- but I find it massively annoying in my fictional sisterhood.)
I picked this book up because I felt it only fair to read about a gay amateur sleuth (Mitch) who inspires the same reaction in men. And holy shit did this guy get a lot of ass (I mean that literally). I really wish I had kept track of all his conquests in ONLY 2 days. It would be impressive. If you read this book, please keep a tally, cause I'd like to know.
Speaking of which, I think a sociological/mathematical study should be done of this (fictional) small British hamlet. I mean, how likely is it that so many men in such a small area are either gay or looking for Mitch to come along to show them the joy of their own anus? Not that this book should be read for its true to life qualities -- oh, no -- but I would like to see some research in this area.
I'd also like to know more about lube in 1920s England. My extensive internet research (Google) tells me that Vaseline was first mentioned in 1876. What about olive oil? And wasn't castor oil popular then? My point is that everybody was using spittle in this book.
Um, ow.
James Lear does know how turn a phrase, though:
They would not trick me so easily again, not even with slim white bodies and man-eating anuses.
Premature baldness combined with heavy beard growth always seems to me to indicate a prodigious, unfussy sexual appetite.
How many more times would I have to thrust my way up & down that dark, dank tunnel...
Very funny stuff, but, and I never thought I'd say this, I was completely bored with the sex scenes about 50% through. They were extremely hot, but it was enough already.
5 stars for the fap material.
2 stars for the rest of the book (which I can't even remember).
April 16, 2014
THAT WAS FUN! 
Witty, hot, clever and quite enjoyable for all parts of me.
For my part bellow the belt as well as for the upper regions of my body.
Crimes and cocks.The best combination!
Downton Abbey meets Sherlock Holmes meets Agatha Christie!
An English country estate mystery with a hard-core sex!
Eagles family and their peculiar servants. Add an American Cambridge student as a amateur detective with an uncontrolled libido, a web of intrigues, dark family secrets, hot sex scenes, a lot of HOT sex scenes, a well done mystery and a captivating writing and you have an imagination what this book is about.
For all fans of a gayporn erotica with a plot!
Witty, hot, clever and quite enjoyable for all parts of me.
For my part bellow the belt as well as for the upper regions of my body.
Crimes and cocks.The best combination!
Downton Abbey meets Sherlock Holmes meets Agatha Christie!
An English country estate mystery with a hard-core sex!
Eagles family and their peculiar servants. Add an American Cambridge student as a amateur detective with an uncontrolled libido, a web of intrigues, dark family secrets, hot sex scenes, a lot of HOT sex scenes, a well done mystery and a captivating writing and you have an imagination what this book is about.
For all fans of a gay
May 7, 2014
Downton Abbey with gay orgies. A sex laced cozy whodunit. Take it for the alternate universe that it is, but don’t take it seriously. The main character Mitch is an American student of medicine at Cambridge who fancies himself as an amateur Sherlock Holmes. Mitch is also highly sexed and he masterfully combines sex and crime solving into one highly productive weekend. It's campy and fun and I totally recommend it.
ETA - in thinking about my favorite reads for 2014, I have decided to up this to 5 stars. I have read this book and listened to the audiobook twice. It has become my naughty comfort read.
ETA - in thinking about my favorite reads for 2014, I have decided to up this to 5 stars. I have read this book and listened to the audiobook twice. It has become my naughty comfort read.
April 12, 2018
So great!
It was a clever mystery and I loved how well paced it was throughout the story... but the best part was the sex. I don't think anyone can come up with more creative or as wide a variety of sexual scenarios as James Lear. It's never gets old.
Loved the ending (esp. the roll of film).
It was a clever mystery and I loved how well paced it was throughout the story... but the best part was the sex. I don't think anyone can come up with more creative or as wide a variety of sexual scenarios as James Lear. It's never gets old.
Loved the ending (esp. the roll of film).
Want to Read
April 3, 2014Everyone rejoice! The ebook just price dropped 86% to $1.99 today at Amazon US!!! 4/3/14!
April 3, 2014
Written with tongue firmly in cheek and sometimes elsewhere as well. Lear and Mitch take advantage of each and every opportunity that arises and create more as need be. Set a la Christie in the English countryside dotted with men waiting in line to show off their prowess.
This was my first Lear, I should have read this sooner and am happy that there are more to look forward to.
Read
October 12, 2014DNF
So, yes, the reporter was the last straw...
I actually enjoyed the mystery and Mitch with Boy, but the everyone-in-the-world-is-gay was definitely not my thing.
I would recommend it to my male friends or my female friends with iron balls!
And now I have to start a BR with Lena... If she is still on speaking terms with me.
So, yes, the reporter was the last straw...
I actually enjoyed the mystery and Mitch with Boy, but the everyone-in-the-world-is-gay was definitely not my thing.
I would recommend it to my male friends or my female friends with iron balls!
And now I have to start a BR with Lena... If she is still on speaking terms with me.
April 16, 2014
If only there were more James Lear writers in the m/m world to go around. Of course then I really would not be fit for society communication. As it is I'm at a dangerously-low antisocial level thanks to my homoerotic fictional tendencies. There really is no comparison to the real-deal..testosterone-deal when it comes to writing about cock.
May 28, 2008
Okay, I picked this up knowing it wouldn't be great literature, and mostly because I'm twelve and the title amused me.
My first mistake was not checking the author's name. I learned long ago I like my m/m porn written by women, not men, and if this didn't just scream "written by a dude!" I don't know what would. (A little bit of time spent on The Google tells me this is the pen name of BBC columnist Rupert Smith.)
In addition to the dude-written sex scenes, this book also suffers from one of the famous fan fiction tropes known as "Everyone's Gay."
And everyone in this book really is gay. Not just everyone in the family, and all their friends, and all their employees, and all the local police, but any guy who happens to wander within 10 feet of the house. And each guy's penis is, predictably, even bigger than the one before! And our protagonist manages to get his hands (or other body part) on nearly every single one of them.
I guess if you look at it in terms of some wacky sex farce, that's all easy to laugh about and take in stride. Except...rape isn't funny. Sexual assault isn't funny. Beating and raping a disabled boy isn't funny.
Bad book, no biscuit.
My first mistake was not checking the author's name. I learned long ago I like my m/m porn written by women, not men, and if this didn't just scream "written by a dude!" I don't know what would. (A little bit of time spent on The Google tells me this is the pen name of BBC columnist Rupert Smith.)
In addition to the dude-written sex scenes, this book also suffers from one of the famous fan fiction tropes known as "Everyone's Gay."
And everyone in this book really is gay. Not just everyone in the family, and all their friends, and all their employees, and all the local police, but any guy who happens to wander within 10 feet of the house. And each guy's penis is, predictably, even bigger than the one before! And our protagonist manages to get his hands (or other body part) on nearly every single one of them.
I guess if you look at it in terms of some wacky sex farce, that's all easy to laugh about and take in stride. Except...rape isn't funny. Sexual assault isn't funny. Beating and raping a disabled boy isn't funny.
Bad book, no biscuit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2010
James Lear's writing style is unique and addicting. His tongue-in-cheek humor worked well with the combination highbrow English mystery/ down-and-dirty erotica. I can't wait to read more from this author.
October 11, 2014
Wonderfully narrated by Daniel Carter this is absolutely ridiculous, amusing and entertaining.
Is this deliciously porny? Yes. Yes, it is. It is filled with sex. Everyone in the story is gay or bi and everyone is having sex with everyone else, or watching, or...It's completely ridiculous. Ask me if I care. Nope, I assuredly don't care - because it was funny and campy and fun.
There a whole murder mystery with Mitch Mitchell believing he's a younger, gayer, more dapper version of Sherlock Holmes, when the reality is he's closer to the idiotic Inspector Clouseau, bumbling his way through the mystery and managing, in between bouts of sometimes really acrobatic sex, to find a clue.
And wow. The sex - there is enough sex in this to make a porn star blush. It's awesome and tiresome at the same time!
Bottom Line: Leave your expectations at the door and just sit back and enjoy this entertaining whodunit romp.
This review has been cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.
ETA: Because I was asked, I will clarify. The story is ridiculous and completely unbelievable. For me, it was the narration that got this it's rating for me.
January 11, 2010
Delightfully raunchy m/m mystery in the best 1920s English country house style. Protagonist Edward "Mitch" Mitchell manages to be endearing as he attempts to solve the mystery... when he's not distracted by sex.
October 11, 2014
4 Stars
I enjoyed this story for exactly what it was: a humorous, erotically indiscriminate, murder mystery!
I almost gave it 5 stars, simply for the sheer number of times I burst out laughing, often uncontrollably, over the outrageousness of Mitch’s dialogue and inner monologues. Case in point:
Not even a sudden murder can quell the storm in a young man’s flannels.
-----
Leonard adjusted his position with the precision of a seasoned fuckee.
-----
I was ruled by two passions: cock and crime.
-----
I had an infallible trick for allaying the fears of any young man about to discover his anus for the first time.
I could go on and on.
In the end, I took that last star away because everyone in this book was gay! Ok, I'm being dramatic. Say there were roughly 20 characters: 4 of them were straight women (presumably), and of all the male characters, about.... no wait! ALL the male characters were shagging other male characters!! So, yeah, EVERYONE in this book was gay!!
Realistic? Nope. Brilliantly hilarious? Sure was - which was exactly the point. Well played.
I’m eagerly looking forward to spending more time with Mitch Mitchell and Boy Morgan in the sequels!
*bounces around, squealing in filthy anticipation*
I enjoyed this story for exactly what it was: a humorous, erotically indiscriminate, murder mystery!
I almost gave it 5 stars, simply for the sheer number of times I burst out laughing, often uncontrollably, over the outrageousness of Mitch’s dialogue and inner monologues. Case in point:
Not even a sudden murder can quell the storm in a young man’s flannels.
-----
Leonard adjusted his position with the precision of a seasoned fuckee.
-----
I was ruled by two passions: cock and crime.
-----
I had an infallible trick for allaying the fears of any young man about to discover his anus for the first time.
I could go on and on.
In the end, I took that last star away because everyone in this book was gay! Ok, I'm being dramatic. Say there were roughly 20 characters: 4 of them were straight women (presumably), and of all the male characters, about.... no wait! ALL the male characters were shagging other male characters!! So, yeah, EVERYONE in this book was gay!!
Realistic? Nope. Brilliantly hilarious? Sure was - which was exactly the point. Well played.
I’m eagerly looking forward to spending more time with Mitch Mitchell and Boy Morgan in the sequels!
*bounces around, squealing in filthy anticipation*
October 22, 2008
So this is a little different from what I have been reading. Firstly, it’s not a romance. There is no hero/heroine, there’s no declarations of everlasting love, no hidden pregnancies or big misunderstandings. What there is in this book, is plenty of freakin hot sex and a good old-fashioned British farce hidden within the folds of a mystery.
Edward ‘Mitch’ Mitchell and Harry ‘Boy’ Morgan have been invited to the country house of Sir James Eagle for the weekend. Harry is engaged to Belinda, Sir James’ daughter. While there Mitch intends to seduce his chum before it’s too late and Boy Morgan marries Belinda.
However, when another houseguest, Reg Walworth, turns up dead, Mitch decides to combine his two favourite passions ‘cock and crime’ and investigate the murder in his own way.
Never have I enjoyed a character as much as Mitch. The book is written in the first person and Mitch’s voice was witty, wry and lusty. Really, I shouldn’t have liked him. Yes, he had plans to seduce his straight engaged friend. Yes, he was a promiscuous little tart. Yes, he was really quite shallow at times but he was just so charming and unrepentant about being gay and loving sex that he completely charmed me. He’s my new BFF.
Many people would say that is completely unrealistic for the time period. Men would be afraid of capture. (Homosexuality was still illegal back then.) They wouldn’t flout their sexuality, but Mitch is a rare thing, a gay man, in the closet, who was completely comfortable with his sexuality. James Lear managed to create a world where Mitch and his attitudes were wholly believable and it fit in the world that had been presented to me. This book was like being on a fairground ride. I just strapped myself in, let go and enjoyed the hell out of it.
You had to suspend disbelief a little because Mitch did get his end away with every man he questioned bar one and that wasn’t because he wasn’t interested but rather because of a lack of opportunity.
However, his sexual escapades weren’t wholly gratuitous. He used his sexuality as a bargaining tool in a lot of ways, bartering sex for information. Although his ‘suspects’ didn’t realise it at the time. He even used sex to escape a life-threatening situation. See, I should be disgusted but I can’t be because he was never selfish or nasty. Mitch liked to make sure his men got as much pleasure out of it as he did. Plus, there was a little character growth at the end of it for him. He's not completely irredeemable.
In between all the loving there was some detecting going on and the balance between the mystery and the shenanigans was well balanced (if resolved somewhat quickly at the end.)
There were many weird and wonderful characters in the book. Although I don’t want to go into to much details for fear of spoiling the book. Some of their quirks etc were integral to the mystery.
It’s what I loved most about James Lear’s book. He took the norm and flipped it on it’s head. There was Mitch the hero. Normally authors want their heroes to be moral, upstanding and well, heroic. Mitch was a flighty man tart and while he fancies himself as the new Sherlock Holmes, he wasn’t all that great at it. Meanwhile ‘Boy’ Morgan was the sidekick, who was presented as pretty but dumb and who ended up being the brains behind the operation. I also loved how James Lear flipped the purple prose. The sex was all described in frank terms but describing surroundings etc. the purple prose slipped out. One of my favourite passages is just after Mitch has found the existence of the ‘Back Passage’ in the house.
‘My head still spinning from the violent events of the last hour, I raced up the stone steps and regained the back passage. How many more times would I have to thrust my way up and down that dark, dank tunnel before my weekend at Drekeham Hall was over?
I didn’t have to go all the way this time……………’
The book was also wonderfully tongue-in-cheek and didn’t take itself seriously at all. There were so many times where I just laughed out loud. Like the time when the murder was discovered and suddenly seven policeman ran into the house as if waiting in the wings of a play. Or when Mitch has an encounter in a public loo with a policeman. Or the game of ‘Strip Interrogation’ he played with a nosy journalist. Or his sheer delight at finally seducing ‘Boy’. Or where he hid an important roll of film.
The whole book was just crazy/awesome. And I would recommend it to anyone who likes m/m romance/erotica.
I loved it so much I went and purchased all of James Lear's back cat.
A note on the cover as I am a well known certified cover snob. *g* I loved it. It fit the whole decedent aura and tone of the book perfectly. But man, was it embarrassing taking it out in public. But then I thought, 'Fuck it, he's hot, the book is hot and it's a great read. Anyone has problems with that can just kiss my ass!'
Edward ‘Mitch’ Mitchell and Harry ‘Boy’ Morgan have been invited to the country house of Sir James Eagle for the weekend. Harry is engaged to Belinda, Sir James’ daughter. While there Mitch intends to seduce his chum before it’s too late and Boy Morgan marries Belinda.
However, when another houseguest, Reg Walworth, turns up dead, Mitch decides to combine his two favourite passions ‘cock and crime’ and investigate the murder in his own way.
Never have I enjoyed a character as much as Mitch. The book is written in the first person and Mitch’s voice was witty, wry and lusty. Really, I shouldn’t have liked him. Yes, he had plans to seduce his straight engaged friend. Yes, he was a promiscuous little tart. Yes, he was really quite shallow at times but he was just so charming and unrepentant about being gay and loving sex that he completely charmed me. He’s my new BFF.
Many people would say that is completely unrealistic for the time period. Men would be afraid of capture. (Homosexuality was still illegal back then.) They wouldn’t flout their sexuality, but Mitch is a rare thing, a gay man, in the closet, who was completely comfortable with his sexuality. James Lear managed to create a world where Mitch and his attitudes were wholly believable and it fit in the world that had been presented to me. This book was like being on a fairground ride. I just strapped myself in, let go and enjoyed the hell out of it.
You had to suspend disbelief a little because Mitch did get his end away with every man he questioned bar one and that wasn’t because he wasn’t interested but rather because of a lack of opportunity.
However, his sexual escapades weren’t wholly gratuitous. He used his sexuality as a bargaining tool in a lot of ways, bartering sex for information. Although his ‘suspects’ didn’t realise it at the time. He even used sex to escape a life-threatening situation. See, I should be disgusted but I can’t be because he was never selfish or nasty. Mitch liked to make sure his men got as much pleasure out of it as he did. Plus, there was a little character growth at the end of it for him. He's not completely irredeemable.
In between all the loving there was some detecting going on and the balance between the mystery and the shenanigans was well balanced (if resolved somewhat quickly at the end.)
There were many weird and wonderful characters in the book. Although I don’t want to go into to much details for fear of spoiling the book. Some of their quirks etc were integral to the mystery.
It’s what I loved most about James Lear’s book. He took the norm and flipped it on it’s head. There was Mitch the hero. Normally authors want their heroes to be moral, upstanding and well, heroic. Mitch was a flighty man tart and while he fancies himself as the new Sherlock Holmes, he wasn’t all that great at it. Meanwhile ‘Boy’ Morgan was the sidekick, who was presented as pretty but dumb and who ended up being the brains behind the operation. I also loved how James Lear flipped the purple prose. The sex was all described in frank terms but describing surroundings etc. the purple prose slipped out. One of my favourite passages is just after Mitch has found the existence of the ‘Back Passage’ in the house.
‘My head still spinning from the violent events of the last hour, I raced up the stone steps and regained the back passage. How many more times would I have to thrust my way up and down that dark, dank tunnel before my weekend at Drekeham Hall was over?
I didn’t have to go all the way this time……………’
The book was also wonderfully tongue-in-cheek and didn’t take itself seriously at all. There were so many times where I just laughed out loud. Like the time when the murder was discovered and suddenly seven policeman ran into the house as if waiting in the wings of a play. Or when Mitch has an encounter in a public loo with a policeman. Or the game of ‘Strip Interrogation’ he played with a nosy journalist. Or his sheer delight at finally seducing ‘Boy’. Or where he hid an important roll of film.
The whole book was just crazy/awesome. And I would recommend it to anyone who likes m/m romance/erotica.
I loved it so much I went and purchased all of James Lear's back cat.
A note on the cover as I am a well known certified cover snob. *g* I loved it. It fit the whole decedent aura and tone of the book perfectly. But man, was it embarrassing taking it out in public. But then I thought, 'Fuck it, he's hot, the book is hot and it's a great read. Anyone has problems with that can just kiss my ass!'
June 10, 2007
M/M porn. First, let's debunk the blurb on the back of the book. This isn't a mystery. There is a murder, and some mystery, but let's be clear, this book is about sex -- random, unrelenting, meaningless -- sex.
This reads like a Choose Your Own Sex Adventure novel. Not that you get to choose, more like someone ahead of you figured out the path with the maximum amount of sex and then tore out all the other pages. Also, it's written about as well as a CYOA book; that same kind of careless attention to logic. SURPRISE: there's a killer robot in the alley! Like that, but with sex. SURPRISE: the butler fucks you!
What this book does well: Kink, presented free of judgment. The male gaze, gazing at other males. Some of the sex is even hot, though it does get boring due to sheer volume and the utter dearth of personality in the protagonist and his many, many sex partners.
Warning: Does include several non-consensual acts.
Two stars because, book jacket aside, it doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is, and it does an okay job at being absurd and filled with kinky sex.
This reads like a Choose Your Own Sex Adventure novel. Not that you get to choose, more like someone ahead of you figured out the path with the maximum amount of sex and then tore out all the other pages. Also, it's written about as well as a CYOA book; that same kind of careless attention to logic. SURPRISE: there's a killer robot in the alley! Like that, but with sex. SURPRISE: the butler fucks you!
What this book does well: Kink, presented free of judgment. The male gaze, gazing at other males. Some of the sex is even hot, though it does get boring due to sheer volume and the utter dearth of personality in the protagonist and his many, many sex partners.
Warning: Does include several non-consensual acts.
Two stars because, book jacket aside, it doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is, and it does an okay job at being absurd and filled with kinky sex.
November 4, 2021
A country house murder mystery and gay erotica, a combination I didn't know I needed in my life. The prose is pretty good, the pacing amazing, and the narrator's voice is delightfully wry and tongue-in-cheek. Turns out that James Lear is the pen name of a literary author and journalist, hence the excellent craft. It's not a book to take seriously, set in some alternate universe where every man who meets our young hero/amateur sleuth can't wait to be buggered by him, but it's oodles of fun and I was pleased to see there are more in this series.
September 5, 2014
Wicked sense of humor and well written. Nicely twisted, another classic James Lear!
August 5, 2009
It's the summer of 1925 and 22 year old Edward "Mitch" Mitchell and his fellow Cambridge student and friend Harry "Boy" Morgan are visiting the English countryside home of Sir James and Lady Caroline Eagle. Boy is engaged to the Eagle's daughter Belinda so they've been invited for a weekend party. While playing a game of Sardines (Hide and Seek) another guest, Reg Walworth, is murdered. Mitch, who has always fancied being a detective, immediately decides to investigate.
Mitch and Boy, as 'Holmes and Watson', have a rollicking good time in this fast paced historical mystery. With an estate full of witnesses and potential suspects Mitch starts off interviewing and generally ends up having sex with most of the men he comes into contact with.
The story is told in first person through Mitch's POV and so he is the most well developed of the characters. His sense of humor, joy of life and easy going personality shine through in the author's words and make Mitch a very real, multi-faceted and quite likable hero. The secondary characters are wonderful additions to the story and are also very well written. Boy Morgan especially is adorable, more looks than brains but with a kind and loving heart.
As Mitch continues his investigations, and his varied sexual relations, the mystery deepens. Just who out of all the possible suspects actually killed poor Reg? Why is Charlie Meeks being framed for his murder? And why did the Eagle family son, Rex, run off to the city so suddenly? These are questions that keep Mitch, and the reader, guessing until the surprising and climactic final scenes.
This is a wonderfully witty and entertaining story. The writing is excellent including the sex scenes. The characters are well developed, they are amusing and interesting and come alive on the page. The story is fast paced yet flows very well. I really loved this story and highly recommend it.
Mitch and Boy, as 'Holmes and Watson', have a rollicking good time in this fast paced historical mystery. With an estate full of witnesses and potential suspects Mitch starts off interviewing and generally ends up having sex with most of the men he comes into contact with.
The story is told in first person through Mitch's POV and so he is the most well developed of the characters. His sense of humor, joy of life and easy going personality shine through in the author's words and make Mitch a very real, multi-faceted and quite likable hero. The secondary characters are wonderful additions to the story and are also very well written. Boy Morgan especially is adorable, more looks than brains but with a kind and loving heart.
As Mitch continues his investigations, and his varied sexual relations, the mystery deepens. Just who out of all the possible suspects actually killed poor Reg? Why is Charlie Meeks being framed for his murder? And why did the Eagle family son, Rex, run off to the city so suddenly? These are questions that keep Mitch, and the reader, guessing until the surprising and climactic final scenes.
This is a wonderfully witty and entertaining story. The writing is excellent including the sex scenes. The characters are well developed, they are amusing and interesting and come alive on the page. The story is fast paced yet flows very well. I really loved this story and highly recommend it.
January 3, 2009
The Back Passage is a fab read. It is like Agatha Christie (which I love) with astonishingly frequent sex, some seriously funny moments and a murder mystery to boot.
Our hero Mitch is on holiday at an English country side home with his friend, and soon to be lover, Boy Morgan. While not terribly altruistic, Mitch is a likable rouge and has been dying to get into Morgan’s pants since the first time he met him at Cambridge. He’s set about it in a deliberate manner and has high hopes that the weekend away will be the culmination of months of subtle seduction. Morgan is engaged to be married after all, but not altogether reluctant.
While hiding in a closet with Boy, and doing some rather furious fooling around, a dead body is discovered. Coitus interruptus! Unable to leave well enough alone, Mitch takes it upon himself to investigate the murder when it looks like an innocent man may be jailed. With Boy as his trusty sidekick and a whenever, whoever and wherever attitude (srsly WHENEVER) Mitch looks deeper into the crime and finds all is not as it seems in Drekeham Hall.
There is a little something there for the die hard romantics but I would not class it as a romance as such. But, there are bad cops, voyeuristic house staff, hot groundsmen on horseback, opportunistic chauffeurs and a secret back passage so I think there is a little something for everyone. My one caution, don’t read it in public. Because when you do get snapped by someone who has read it you’re more than likely be up to smex and there is nothing worse than trying to get coffee with a red face! They just know what you’re reading… heh.
Our hero Mitch is on holiday at an English country side home with his friend, and soon to be lover, Boy Morgan. While not terribly altruistic, Mitch is a likable rouge and has been dying to get into Morgan’s pants since the first time he met him at Cambridge. He’s set about it in a deliberate manner and has high hopes that the weekend away will be the culmination of months of subtle seduction. Morgan is engaged to be married after all, but not altogether reluctant.
While hiding in a closet with Boy, and doing some rather furious fooling around, a dead body is discovered. Coitus interruptus! Unable to leave well enough alone, Mitch takes it upon himself to investigate the murder when it looks like an innocent man may be jailed. With Boy as his trusty sidekick and a whenever, whoever and wherever attitude (srsly WHENEVER) Mitch looks deeper into the crime and finds all is not as it seems in Drekeham Hall.
There is a little something there for the die hard romantics but I would not class it as a romance as such. But, there are bad cops, voyeuristic house staff, hot groundsmen on horseback, opportunistic chauffeurs and a secret back passage so I think there is a little something for everyone. My one caution, don’t read it in public. Because when you do get snapped by someone who has read it you’re more than likely be up to smex and there is nothing worse than trying to get coffee with a red face! They just know what you’re reading… heh.
July 10, 2019
Well, I feel like the odd man out. Most of my friends on Goodreads loved this book. Not me. It just seemed dated and boring and stupid. I kept trying to think of it as a sex farce.
I can deal with fantasy and I’ve fussed about people not accepting whatever happens when it’s just a fantasy. I know I’m ranting, but the fact that he had sex with everyone he met, just the males, was ludicrous.
I don’t know, different things work for different people. This didn’t work for me. The ending was a major disappointment.
Oh well. I don’t think I’ll read anymore James Lear.
I can deal with fantasy and I’ve fussed about people not accepting whatever happens when it’s just a fantasy. I know I’m ranting, but the fact that he had sex with everyone he met, just the males, was ludicrous.
I don’t know, different things work for different people. This didn’t work for me. The ending was a major disappointment.
Oh well. I don’t think I’ll read anymore James Lear.
November 11, 2012
This is not a romance novel, it is a mystery. Set in 1925, it was like Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes, but the Porn versions. It is not enough to say there was sex...it was over the top sex. Everybody fucked somebody, most people fucked Mitch(the main character), oh and everybody was gay or at least having gay sex! The absurdity of it all was quite hilarious!
That being said, the mystery was very good, the writing excellent, and the humor, well hilarious!
4 stars
That being said, the mystery was very good, the writing excellent, and the humor, well hilarious!
4 stars
January 23, 2014
Oh my, what a pile of rubbish.
Mystery? Crime? Thriller? You wish! *ignore my shelving*
Sex? A lot of it. Was it well written? Nope.
Is it historical? It says yes, but it isn't. Just like author isn't next Christie.
As if all mentioned above, wasn't bad enough, we've rape culture poop going on too. Whoopee!
Mystery? Crime? Thriller? You wish! *ignore my shelving*
Sex? A lot of it. Was it well written? Nope.
Is it historical? It says yes, but it isn't. Just like author isn't next Christie.
As if all mentioned above, wasn't bad enough, we've rape culture poop going on too. Whoopee!
February 28, 2010
one of my favorite erotica writers.
January 3, 2018
While I certainly was not looking for great literature (OK, I needed a diversion in the day so was simply looking for a quick mindless read that was heavy on plot and mm sex) I thought I would get more than just a totally ridiculous and improbable plot that was there just to tie together sex scenes. I thought I might at least like some of the characters, thought that the sex scenes would be hot, but no, I just ended up ready to reach the end.
October 2, 2014
Now here is a script that would do well on PBS. OK maybe not PBS but 'HERETV' should think about a series like this and call it, 'MASTERPIECE MYSTERY, James Lear's Way.'
This was fun. A 'who done it' with lots of twists and turns a murder plot with some very sexy characters. Chauffeur , Gardener, Footmen and Butler. Lots of hot sex thrown in.
You bet I'll be reading the rest of this series.
This was fun. A 'who done it' with lots of twists and turns a murder plot with some very sexy characters. Chauffeur , Gardener, Footmen and Butler. Lots of hot sex thrown in.
You bet I'll be reading the rest of this series.
Want to Read
May 10, 2014... because Rosa, really said so in her review :)
And because I liked A and D.
And because I liked A and D.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews