Genre: Mystery
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
Get It On Amazon
About The Book
Three middle-aged, gay men, each with their reasons for starting over, share a house in a small, rural town in Andalucia.
Learning to adjust and adapt to new housemates is a hard trick for these old dogs to learn, and things do not go smoothly. But a sensational murder in their adopted town soon brings the men together.
The death of a migrant worker in the olive fields has the whole town on tenterhooks, and our three heroes become consumed with the desire to solve the mystery.
“Death Among the Olives,” is a comic and colourful book set in a picturesque region of Southern Spain, renowned for its undulating olive groves and medieval castles.
It’s like “The Golden Girls” meets “Murder, She Wrote”, but with men; and set in Spain.
The Review
“Death Among the Olives” is very different from Olivier Bosman’s “D.S. Billings Victorian Mysteries.” Bosman hits the nail on the head here with his description, “It’s like “The Golden Girls” meets “Murder, She Wrote.” But gay. This story is bound to put a smile on your face, and you may even find yourself laughing!
Jack Amberson is fifty, and he lives in Alcatrava, Spain where the atmosphere and people are still living like its 1950. Jack seems rude and cold. All he needs are housemates, nothing else. He doesn’t want all the questions and conversation. He leads a very solitary life – he likes privacy, and does what he wants without having to answer or worry about someone else. He makes a big mistake of taking on two dreaded roommates.
Colin is fifty-two, and left England behind after a devastating break-up of a twenty-five-year-long relationship. He’s a homebody, always cooking something new, a mother hen, and always talking. He’s lost some of his self-confidence, and thinks no one cares about him.
Victor De Souza is sixty-five, also from England. He’s a flamboyant, retired not-so-famous actor who self-medicates with both liquor and prescription pills for his ADHD. And he smokes and has an opinion about everything.
The annual olive harvest brings many migrant workers from Senegal, Africa. Of course, when a murder crops up, it becomes the battle of the spreadsheet for Jack and Victor, as they compete to solve the murder, considering all the likely suspects. Even though Colin protests their competition, he gets sucked in to try and solve the murder too.
Bosman creates an engrossing tale of three mature, (and sometimes wildly immature) men, that will have to bend (or not) to accommodate their new lives together. I loved all the banter, fussing, nagging and conversations! Bosman also spins colorful descriptions of area, with enchanting castles and mysterious olive groves. The setting feels just like the 1950’s, where women wear pajamas, house slippers and curlers in their hair to gossip at the corner store.
On a serious note, there is a racial slur that some may think offensive, but Bosman handles it perfectly. Through his characters, he makes it very clear how that particular word is no longer appropriate in certain cultures.
I was throughly and delightfully entertained with this new novel. Being an avid reader of murder mysteries, I’m used to serious, investigative tales filled with gore, shock factors, suspense and evil murderer(s). But with “Death Among the Olives,” you can leave all the heaviness behind and just have fun.
“Death Among the Olives” is funny, entertaining, delightful, wonderful with a little bit of drama and suspense. I loved it!
I got a sneak peak at the start of this novel a few months ago and was so excited that Bosman allowed me to review it in its entirety. I sincerely hope the author brings this unlikely trio back with a new crime to solve!
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
