Genre: Gaylit, Contemporary
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
Giovanni Russo has forged a very particular life. Working in the world of rare books, he’s independent, self-sufficient, and alone. Withdrawn but combative, he engages in personal relations only to do business and, on occasion, have sex. His aloofness draws people in. Good for business, he says to himself. Good for sex. Of course, someone so enigmatic is asking for trouble.
Following his father’s sudden death, he inherits the family home, a modest place with no redeeming features other than the roomfuls of memorabilia left by his grandfather. Seeing the house as a chance to further consolidate his very private life, Van moves in. But there’s a catch. The will stipulates that neither the house nor anything in it can be sold, displaced, or otherwise moved for twenty-five years. There’s a notarized list.
One evening while moving his books out of the building where he works to his new home there’s a power failure and, from the darkness, Maurice appears. Claiming to be the janitor, he offers to help Van navigate his way. While slinking through the dark together their encounter develops into something so intense that Van finds himself obsessed. Used to living his sexuality as a series of hit-and-runs, he’s destabilized. Meeting Maurice, however, is only the first in a series of events that will disrupt his ordered existence.
He’s burglarized at both home and work, but nothing’s missing. Given Maurice’s nebulous past, Van suspects him but reconsiders when Maurice saves him from an apparent kidnapping. As he becomes increasingly attached to this mysterious man, Van’s defenses crumble and troubling events from his own past resurface. As Maurice asks him — “Why are you alone all the time? Why doesn’t somebody as amazing as you have a life?”
But Van has no time for therapy. Somebody wants something he has and they’re willing to do anything to get it. And he doesn’t even know what it is. Suddenly, he’s very popular. A woman claims to be his dead father’s fiancé. A colleague takes an interest in his movements. Another is intrigued by his family history. A neighbor is always in his face. And then there’s the thugs, sometimes masked, sometimes not, but always violent.
With Maurice by his side, Van searches not only for the answer but for the question. What does he have that everyone wants? His search leads him to a very unusual book, a hidden letter, an unresolved childhood trauma, and a fabled story of lost treasure that may be more than fiction.
The Review
Giovanni “Van” Russo is a loner – he’s only social when it benefits him. He’s made mistakes in his life, especially with gambling. He works with clients who deal in valuable books or collections.
Van lives in and runs his business at “The Olga,” a building right out of the Gilded Age that is slowly declining. Van uses the setting to impress his clientele, those who want to remain discrete. The rent’s cheap and he can able to make transactions there unnoticed. As time goes on, other galleries start to occupy the 5th floor, and it becomes open to the wrong kind of clientele. Van’s a very private man and is not looking for notoriety, and neither are his clients. So he decides to move.
To recover his last box of books, Van sneaks back into The Olga with his pirated key. Already paranoid, Van finds himself in darkness with a man who claims to be the maintenance chief, Maurice. He becomes very suspicious about the man as they make the difficult journey to Van’s door. They find it unlocked, which is strange, but all Van cares about is making sure his special book is still in its place. Suspicion – and seduction – become the focus for Maurice and Van, but it doesn’t go well, as they are rudely interrupted by the building manager.
Van doesn’t realize what’s to come as he makes his way to his new home – his Grandfather Donato’s bungalow. His grandfather was the most important person in his lifehe loved Van, and gave him a very special book – “The Three Musketeers,” by Alexandre Dumas. One more book will soon become a big part of Van’s world – “The Queens Necklace”.
For Van, there’s danger at every turn, and everyone is suspect. Will he be able to discover what everyone is after?
Patrick Doyle has a very extensive blurb, so I dare not go any further because I don’t wan’t to reveal any spoilers. Van’s story is psychological, dealing with a dysfunctional and abusive upbringing, self guilt, and the fear of trusting. But I really liked Van, and understood why he was so paranoid, especially as the story progresses. There are also many emotional flashbacks, as he remembers his grandfather and father.
I was suspicious of Maurice, a man with his own personal issues: low self esteem, guilt and a fatal accident.
I absolutely loved Henry. He is a beautiful soul who comes to Van’s aid. He is so knowledgeable, and his own story is heartbreaking.
Van Alone is an extraordinary tale that is informed by Dumas’ The Queens Necklace. The plot is complex and well written, and the variety of characters bring suspicion, danger and plot twists to this tale. I’ve read many of Doyle’s novels and I highly recommend Van Alone – one of the best so far!
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.
