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Josh Lanyon
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Jefferson Blythe, Esquire Kindle Edition

by Josh Lanyon (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 531 ratings
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In this sexy male/male, new adult romance, a twenty-something man on the run from the mob in Europe finds adventure and love with a friend turned lover.

After his first relationship goes disastrously awry, Jeff Blythe uses his savings to tour Europe—the old-fashioned way. Armed with his grandfather’s 1960 copy of Esquire’s Europe in Style, Jeff sets off looking for adventure but finds much, much more than he bargained for . . .

In London, dodging questions from shady criminals about a mysterious package he most certainly does not have is simple. Losing the gunmen who are convinced he’s someone else is not. And when George, an old friend, offers him help—and a place to stay, and perhaps something more—things become complicated.

Is George really who he seems? And is Jeff finally ready to act on his attraction?

From Paris to Rome and back again, Jeff and George fall for each other, hard, while quite literally running for their lives. But trusting George at his word may leave Jeff vulnerable—in more ways than one.
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  1. Print length
    266 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Carina Press
  4. Publication date
    November 16, 2015
  5. File size
    3.5 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Will awaken your inner wanderlust and take you on an adventure featuring an international chase, mistaken identity, tons of humor, heartbreak, and a couple steamy rolls in the sheets. While you won't see too much romance between Jefferson and George, you'll fall in love with Jefferson as he takes you on his journey towards self-discovery and comes to grips with his identity.

-- "RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars, Top Pick!)"

About the Author

Aaron Landon began acting in Portland, Oregon, as a child, where he studied the Meisner technique and acted in local theater, film, and commercials. He narrated his first audiobook at the age of nine. After booking roles in NBC's Grimm and the feature film Gone with Amanda Seyfried, Aaron moved to Los Angeles in 2012 to pursue acting and full-time voiceover work. You have likely heard him voicing promos for Jimmy Kimmel Live and NBC Sports Net, as well as national commercials for Bing, CenturyLink, Warrior Dash, and Fanvision.



Josh Lanyon has been writing gay mystery and romance for over a decade. In addition to numerous short stories, novellas, and novels, Lanyon is the author of the critically acclaimed Adrien English series-including The Hell You Say, winner of the 2006 USA Best Book Award for LGBT fiction and a Lambda Literary Award finalist for Gay Mystery. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00Z726LZ4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Carina Press (November 16, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 16, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 531 ratings

About the author

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Josh Lanyon

Josh Lanyon

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Author of 100+ titles of Gay Mystery and M/M Romance, Josh Lanyon has built a literary legacy on twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance.

Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.

Josh is an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.

Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.

Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com

Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram and Tumblr.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
531 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the story's thrilling adventure and mystery. They find the book an enjoyable, fun read that would make a great summer beach read. The characters are relatable and likable. Readers praise the author as an adept writer. However, opinions differ on whether the plot is believable or not.

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Story qualityReadabilityCharacter developmentWriter qualityBelievable
30 customers mention "Story quality"25 positive5 negative

Customers enjoyed the story. They found the adventure thrilling, with interesting characters and an historical setting. The mystery, humor, and romance were enjoyable. While some felt it was implausible, they found it entertaining with lots of action and comic relief.

"...The mystery is well done, the characters are lovable, and the situations -- while fantastical -- are believable...." Read more

"...and while the whole caper was mildly unbelievable, it was interesting and fun and I wasn't too bothered...." Read more

"...there are a number of quirky secondary characters that provide a lot of comic relief, in between murders. Jefferson Blythe is a standard Lanyon hero...." Read more

"...I am utterly delighted by this story." Read more

20 customers mention "Readability"20 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it a fun, romantic adventure that makes a nice summer beach read. Many praise the book as brilliant and brilliantly written, saying it's a good ride for the small fare.

"One of my top picks for 2015. I loved this book from cover to cover...." Read more

"...Fun settings, great side characters, and while the whole caper was mildly unbelievable, it was interesting and fun and I wasn't too bothered...." Read more

"...It’s a pleasant read that will divert you for a little while." Read more

"I really like this book. I could have read double the pages in this story. I want to know more about Colin...." Read more

10 customers mention "Character development"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters. They find the characters relatable and likable, especially Jefferson.

"...The mystery is well done, the characters are lovable, and the situations -- while fantastical -- are believable...." Read more

"...Fun settings, great side characters, and while the whole caper was mildly unbelievable, it was interesting and fun and I wasn't too bothered...." Read more

"...In addition there are a number of quirky secondary characters that provide a lot of comic relief, in between murders...." Read more

"...a great thriller with Russian mobsters, stolen artifacts, mad and deluded actors...." Read more

5 customers mention "Writer quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writer's skill. They find the book enjoyable to read.

"...Sure, but here it is rendered in Lanyon's masterful prose and seamless dialogue. Don't skip this one." Read more

"Lanyon is a adept writer and this was a fun read...." Read more

"...I will continue to watch for new books because Laynon is an incredibly gifted writer..... But this latest goes in the trash pile for me." Read more

"Anything by this author is well written and hard to put down." Read more

5 customers mention "Believable"3 positive2 negative

Customers have different views on the book's realism. Some found it authentic and believable, while others felt the plot was convoluted and not believable.

"...are lovable, and the situations -- while fantastical -- are believable...." Read more

"...Believable and exciting and foreign all at the same time." Read more

"...Fun settings, great side characters, and while the whole caper was mildly unbelievable, it was interesting and fun and I wasn't too bothered...." Read more

"...his confusion, and his ultimate acceptance was really great and felt very authentic. I just really loved him!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • David D. Warner
    5.0 out of 5 stars As Brilliant As I've Come to Expect from Josh Lanyon
    Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    One of my top picks for 2015. I loved this book from cover to cover. It reminded me what it was like the first time I traveled abroad on my own and how thrilling it was to experience my first adult love. The mystery is well done, the characters are lovable, and the situations -- while fantastical -- are believable. AND, of course, when it comes to m/m romance, no one does it better than Josh Lanyon.
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  • Nicole
    4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
    Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I actually really enjoyed this book! I'd heard somewhat mixed reviews, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I thought it was a fun read.

    I really liked Jefferson. I thought his journey, his confusion, and his ultimate acceptance was really great and felt very authentic. I just really loved him!

    I liked George fine, though he did come off as frustratingly cryptic and distant. I get why, but he went a little overboard with it, I think...

    Fun settings, great side characters, and while the whole caper was mildly unbelievable, it was interesting and fun and I wasn't too bothered.

    I will say that I thought the artist cameo was a little random, given that nothing really happened at all there. And, while the ending wasn't quite as abrupt as usual, I was a little disappointed by the lack of clear resolution we got with the romance.
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  • Michael Holland
    3.0 out of 5 stars Classic Lanyon
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Can you ever truly make up for hurting someone you love? That’s what Jefferson Blythe is about to find out, although he doesn’t know it when he lands in London for a modern version of the grand tour. The trip is ostensibly to help Jefferson get over being dumped by his girlfriend, and the plan is to retrace the steps of his grandfather, right down to using an outdated copy of Esquire’s Europe in Style as a guide.

    Things don’t at all as planned for Jefferson. Right from the moment he lands, he’s dogged by a woman who seems to have mistaken him for someone else. When things start to unravel, Jefferson calls George, his neighbor from childhood who was like a big brother, until Jefferson screwed things up. George comes to Jefferson’s rescue, more than once, but rekindling their friendship, or more, proves elusive for the harried young man.

    “Jefferson Blythe, Esquire” is fairly classic Lanyon. At its center is a mystery that isn’t easily unraveled, by the characters or the reader. In addition there are a number of quirky secondary characters that provide a lot of comic relief, in between murders. Jefferson Blythe is a standard Lanyon hero. He’s no super-sleuth. He stumbles into the mystery and spends most of the book bumbling his way through it. George seems like an unlikely, and sometimes unlikeable, love interest, but that’s also a common Lanyon touch.

    Having so many familiar archetypes doesn’t necessarily detract from the story. It’s probably why the story seems so complete at less than 200 print pages. It’s a pleasant read that will divert you for a little while.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Tony Squared
    5.0 out of 5 stars THRILLS, SUSPENSE AND ROMANCE ON THE MYSTERIOUS STREETS OF PARIS!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Josh Lanyon returns to the wonderful city of Paris (see "The French Have a Word for it") this time for a suspenseful "mistaken identity" thriller. It's a classic genre that Hitchcock was also fond of ("The Wrong Man," "The Man Who Knew Too Much," and unforgettably, "North by Northwest") Just as in NbNW, the protagonist at one stage is whisked off the street into a waiting limousine and taken to see a very sinister character.
    It's supposedly all about a legendary, lost Faberge egg worth millions, which the bad guys think Jefferson Blythe has.
    But it's also about Jefferson finding his own identity; the more the bad guys mess with him, paradoxically the more confident he becomes about himself and what he wants in life. And the bad guys do mess with him. Lanyon's talent for slam-bang action scenes is on full display in this story. Jefferson Blythe's changing levels of self-confidence are a major ingredient in the intertwined romance, which has its own suspenseful ups and downs. An old Hollywood movie trailer would shout "THRILLS, SUSPENSE AND ROMANCE ON THE MYSTERIOUS STREETS OF PARIS!"
    Sure, but here it is rendered in Lanyon's masterful prose and seamless dialogue. Don't skip this one.
    One person found this helpful
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  • DS Family
    4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful is the only descriptor I can think of
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I really like this book. I could have read double the pages in this story. I want to know more about Colin. I want to learn about Jane, Amy, the parents, everything.

    I am utterly delighted by this story.
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  • padme35
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another great mystery and Jefferson Blythe
    Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2015
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    Josh Lanyon has done it again. Another great mystery and Jefferson Blythe, Esquire is an amazing adventure too. You can't help but love Jefferson and his innocence and naivete. George isn't hard to love either with all his apparent confidence and he definitely brings his own air of mystery to the equation. Together, the adventure is heartwarming, breathtaking, fun, and humorous all in one. I believe this is meant to be a standalone/one off story but I know I wouldn't mind seeing Jefferson and George in another adventure down the road. Packed to the brim with all the Lanyon yumminess I've come to love that has made her a guarantee "1-click" must have.
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  • Rick X. Widdicomb
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rollicking travel adventure
    Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Two boyhood friends, one openly out, the other afraid to acknowledge not only that he is gay but truly in love with his friend uncover this truth amongst murder and madness. This is a great thriller with Russian mobsters, stolen artifacts, mad and deluded actors. This story moves between London, Paris, Rome and back and forth many times as our protagonist stumbles into one life threatening fix to another. Also it is s fine story of love and discovery. Great read.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Chris
    4.0 out of 5 stars An Entertaining Read.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this story. Jefferson is really likable and relatable character. The plot is a ;little implausible, but it was really entertaining and I enjoyed it a great deal. As always with Josh there is an excellent mystery at the core of the book.Unfortunately I didn't like the love interest nearly as much as the rest of the novel. I understand the reasons why George behaved the way he did but for me his reasons didn't justify some of his behavior. He was down right mean at times and it really put me off. He does redeem himself a lot by the end of the book and I would love to read a sequel.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Dela
    3.0 out of 5 stars Süße Geschichte, aber unsympathisches love interest
    Reviewed in Germany on November 13, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Die Grundidee ist charmant: Der junge Amerikaner Jefferson Blythe bereist Europa und zieht dafür den Reiseführer seines Großvaters aus den 1960er Jahren zurate. Bereits am ersten Tag seiner Ankunft in London wird er unverschuldet in eine verrückt-absurde Räubergeschichte hineingezogen und gerät ab da regelmäßig in bedrohliche Situationen. Dieser Handlungsstrang ist völlig überzogen und kann nur ironisch gelesen werden (die Gangster sind selten dumm und unfähig), jedoch verleiht er der Geschichte eine gewisse Geschwindigkeit und Spannung.
    Die Autorin wartet mit interessanten, sympathischen Nebencharakteren auf. Wie die Gruppe junger Kalifornier, denen sich Jefferson in Paris anschließt oder Colin, der ihm das Leben rettet und andere, die nicht auftauchen, aber thematisiert werden, wie die Ex-Verlobte Amy. Von diesen Figuren hätte ich gerne mehr gelesen.
    Das Thema Reise in der Literatur geht mit persönlicher Entwicklung und Veränderung einher. Dies ist auch bei Jefferson der Fall. Er ist Anfang zwanzig und befindet sich an einem Scheidepunkt seines Lebens. Seine innere Zerrissenheit zwischen einerseits seinem verständlichen Wunsch, sein Umfeld nicht zu enttäuschen und andererseits seinem legitimen Bedürfnis, sein Leben nach seinen eigenen, vermutlich unpopulären Vorstellungen zu leben, ist nachvollziehbar.
    Dies sind die positiven Aspekte dieser Geschichte, die leider nicht aufwiegen können, dass George, der vermeintliche Freund, der „Super“-Spion, der angeblich Reifere von den beiden, ein absolut unsympathischer Charakter ist. Er ist grummelig, er ist muffelig, er wechselt andauernd zwischen heiß und kalt, nahbar und distanziert. Er ist gemein und verletzend zu Jefferson und hat jedes Mal eine faule Ausrede für sein fieses Verhalten parat. Der Grund für seinen Groll ist lächerlich. Er trägt Jefferson nach, dass dieser ihm vor vielen Jahren als Heranwachsender einen Korb gegeben hat und dass Jefferson sich nicht zu seiner Homosexualität bekannt, sondern dagegen angekämpft hat. Laut George kann er deshalb Jefferson nicht mehr vertrauen und kämpft nun vehement gegen seine Gefühle für Jefferson an und stößt ihn jedes Mal eiskalt und brutal zurück, nachdem er ihn kurz (meist sexuell) an sich rangelassen hat.

    Vielleicht wollte die Autorin damit die Spannung in die Länge ziehen und die Leser in der süßen Schwebe der Sehnsucht und Ungewissheit halten. Vielleicht funktioniert das für andere Leser. Ich mag es eigentlich auch, wenn sich eine Beziehung nicht zu schnell entwickelt und Spannung entsteht, aber hier passte es überhaupt nicht und fühlte sich nicht gesund an. Den guten George konnte ich jedenfalls nach wenigen Seiten nicht ausstehen und hatte gar kein Interesse mehr daran, zu lesen, wie Jefferson sich regelmäßig vor ihm in den Staub wirft und um seine Liebe ringt.
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  • Black Archangel
    5.0 out of 5 stars As always...
    Reviewed in Canada on November 23, 2015
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    Excellent. Josh Lanyon does it again. And once more, I'm disappointed it's over. A good story with great, loveable characters.
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  • Simon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lanyon mystery
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2016
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    I loved this story, it's a great story and Lanyon at her best IMHO.
    So very well written with just the right quantities of mystery, adventure, humour and romance.
    When I read that the protagonists Jefferson and George, were 22 and 25 respectively, I started to worry. I'm not usually a fan of..... is it "New" adult or "Young" adult literature? Regardless of their ages the dialogue between the two reads maturely. I'm wondering if this is an American trait, maturity of speech/language in those so young, or is this a mature(r) author who writes as an older adult? I don't believe there are many 22 or 25 year old Brits that could compose dialogue quite as well as Jefferson and George.
    This novel is packed solidly with Laugh-out-loud moments but, if you like your M/M literature packed with lots of man-on-man sex, you will be disappointed. For me personally, that's just fine as I like my protagonists to be gay, I'm not so bothered about the internal workings of their sex lives. However, the romance was a tadge stilted. I realise George had been emotionally hurt by Jefferson prior to this story, but the eventual revelations and declarations didn't seem as heartfelt as they probably would have been had a 25 year old just been handed everything he's wanted from a person he's cared so long for, on a proverbial plate.
    Loved it, really liked it
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  • TRIMONTIUM
    4.0 out of 5 stars EGG AND SPOON RACE?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2016
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    Just gets a four. I was a bit disappointed with the plot. I thought it petered out a bit and the romance was inconclusive. Not the best but still a reasonable read.
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  • sequelguerrier
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Lanyon
    Reviewed in Germany on March 4, 2016
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    Light hearted romp through Europe, art mysteries, mafia stories and a little James Bond. Of course there is a little love mixed in with the usual complications. This one is great for your summer holidays.
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