Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Kenny Long is living a new life. Blinded in an accident, he has taken control of his unexpected reality the best way he can, and it’s working out better than he hoped.

 

Of course Larry Boots doesn’t know any of that. All he sees is a beautiful man sitting on a park bench. 

 

Larry has a few problems of his own: his mother. His job. The lack of romance in his life. 

 

His job. In the course of that job, Larry strikes up a friendship with Kenny. The next thing he knows, he’s so head-over-heels in love, even his mother doesn’t seem so bad. Of course his career is still a problem, but he’s working on that. Hopefully he’ll have the problem resolved before the man he’s being paid to murder succeeds in murdering him first. 

 

And before the man he loves finds out he’s a cold-blooded killer.

 

Book Review

It is no secret that I love stories about fictional assassins – as long as they have a “code” and only kill the bad guys, so Larry Boots and his adventures are right up my alley. He tells the story in first person, and to have him talk about his somewhat sordid life with such irreverence is a true treat. The slow reveal of how Larry sees the world and why he does what he does is really well done, his relationship with Kenny is very touching, and the suspense at the end almost killed me. Fair warning – the mix of humor and contract killing may not be to everyone's taste, but much like most of John Inman's work, I believe it is best taken with a proverbial grain of salt.

Larry is an intriguing man. On the surface he is a very funny character, and the way he sees himself and his life is tinged with humor. He is also an assassin who kills perverts and those who have escaped the justice system, so there is a more serious side to him. The rationale for what he does emerges slowly, although hints about what it is linked to start early on. The tragedy driving Larry makes this novel a character study as much as a love story. What Larry actually does vanishes into the background as he talks about his observations and the events that happen. I also found it very entertaining to watch him struggle with his “softer” side when he begins to fall for Kenny.

Kenny was blinded four years prior to Larry meeting him, but he has mastered his life pretty well and has an irrepressible optimism and joy of life. I only got to know him through Larry's eyes, but it was a fascinating process. And Kenny turns out to be an amazing man – no wonder Larry falls for him! The development of Larry and Kenny's relationship is slow, has lots of potential deal breakers, and had me on the edge of my seat as to what would happen once Kenny finds out what Larry does. I was very invested in the men making it. The sex is hot, emotional, and occasionally filled with humor.

Larry's mother deserves a mention – she definitely upsets Larry (as she would if she were my mother), but she also made me laugh. The plot is intriguing with the need for revenge driving Larry, Kenny changing his life, and the slow growth of trust between the two men while Kenny has no idea what Larry does for a living adds significant suspense.

If you like the idea of an assassin falling in love, if two men from opposite ends of the moral spectrum are your thing, and if you are looking for an entertaining read that tends toward the hilarious, is very warm and fuzzy in some places, and is filled with suspense when it all almost goes wrong, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It might just make you reconsider your view of assassins!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 191 pages/66712 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	04-June-2019
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/larry-boots-exterminator-by-john-inman-10514-b