by Lorie Lewis Ham

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of A Cold Death. We also have a link to order it from Amazon, and from an indie bookstore where a portion goes to help support KRL.

Idyll Fears by Stephanie Gayle is the second book in her mystery series featuring gay Chief of Police Thomas Lynch. The books are set in the small town of Idyll, Connecticut in the late 1990s.

In Idyll Fears Lynch finds himself searching for a missing six-year-old boy just before Christmas with a snowstorm in its way. To make matters worse, the boy has a life threatening medical condition. Many of his officers are out with the flu so he has to deal with this situation short handed. As if that wasn’t hard enough, he also has to deal with anonymous, homophobic phone calls and vandalism to his car.

Lynch came out in the last book, which was a huge deal in 1997, especially in a small town. He is still dealing with the fallout from that, with many people in town not liking the idea of having a gay police chief, and unfortunately, even some of his own men are having problems with it. There is a large part of Lynch that would like to leave Idyll, but he really has nowhere else to go. Media problems that come up during the search for the missing boy don’t help the situation. On top of all of that, the PD also get a call that the local candy shop has been broken into and anti-gay slurs are written on the store’s walls. The shop is owned by a gay couple.

Something I found unusual about this book is that there is no murder, and yet it is a very engaging and interesting mystery. However, what I love most about this story is that it’s cop at that time. You feel for Lynch as he struggles to do his job amongst so much bigotry, and as he deals with feeling so alone. It is nice to see him gradually win the respect of his men, and start to build a real life for himself–though he isn’t having much luck in the relationship department. All of the characters are so well written and real and I just love his secretary!

Another part of the story that was very interesting was the insight into what it is like for a family to have a child with a rare, life threatening disease, and how it affects all of them, including the other child in the family.

This is a great book! The characters are interesting and I enjoy seeing them change and grow. The mystery is well done, and you are left wanting more! I can’t wait for the next book in this series. Do keep in mind that this is not a cozy even though is doesn’t include a murder, as there is a fairly graphic sex scene at one point.

To enter to win a copy of Idyll Fears, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “idyll,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 16, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

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Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Idyll Fears: A Thomas Lynch Novel

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Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and an enthusiastic contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie’s mystery writing at Mysteryrat’s Closet.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.