If you like book lover humor, grammar humor & introvert humor, this is it. Like the preceding books, it's seriously funny, snarky & witty. Like I said, there is mystery & there is suspense & life or death situations, but it is mostly Christopher figuring out his present & future while having dead bodies & stalker clowns making that difficult (and in turns perplexing, annoying & terrifying for him). So if you're looking for a serious, high intensity thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, breath held in fear & trepidation - this ain't it. There's not a whole ton of dangerous suspense, though there are some definite moments of mortal peril for Christopher.

There's a lot going on & a lot of it isn't about mystery, so much as Christopher's life in general, with multiple mysteries interrupting his life. He doesn't miss a beat as he brings each line of Lanyon's fantastic dialogue alive. Free, who turns in another bravura performance, as he seamlessly switches between the distinct voices of Kit, J.X., and Rachel (as well as the entire cast of characters).

I found the book to be eminently satisfying. However, the real revelation is Kit’s newfound self-awareness and restraint. Lanyon (as usual) is at the top of her game with punchy dialogue, most notably Kit’s withering self-assessments and witty asides. We’re treated to the hilarous insanity that is Rachel Ving and we also see the return of an old frenemy. The book is well-plotted and well-paced and there are some surprising (and pleasing) twists and turns in the relationship between Kit and J.X. The difference here, is this isn’t his first rodeo and he’s actually been paying attention. The cops soon appear and Christopher, once again, finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation. To make matters worse, David suggests the body is Christopher’s former assistant (who David ran off with) and accuses him of killing him. Of course, that comes to a screeching halt when Christopher gets a call from his ex David informing him that a body has been discovered in the backyard of his former home in Los Angeles. The story takes place four months after the events of ‘The Boy With the Painful Tattoo’ and we find Christopher Holmes and J.X.

And that’s the nice thing about a series: the author has the time and luxury to let the characters mature and learn and just be. This is the fourth book in the series and, much like a fine wine, the series has improved with age. In Other Words, The One Where Christopher Holmes Grows Up. A perfect marriage of narrator and story.

In Other Words...Murder by Josh Lanyon