Recommend reading the earlier books first.

I knew that jumping into a mystery series multiple books in meant that I'd be reading primarily for the mystery itself, and I'd get spoilers for earlier events in the MC's personal life. I decided I was okay with that, because the synopsis intrigued me, and it was an LGBTQ hero who lives and works in Canada. Sign me up!

The mystery itself was interesting, but I found that having not read the previous books, Dan Sharpe's personal baggage and struggles with his relationships weren't really connecting with me-to a bigger degree than I anticipated. I had expected that I would be curious to go back and read the previous stories to see how everyone ended up where they were in Lion's Head Revisited. Instead, a disclaimer at the beginning of the eARC mentions that this story- 7th in the series- takes place between two of the previous titles, and that multiple instalments were written out of sequence. (Fortunately, a suggested reading order list was included in the finished copies.)

Having not read the earlier titles, I felt lost. This is weird for me since I'm usually good at jumping into a world and just taking it and the characters for what they are. As I said, the mystery was a solid one, but I'm curious how readers who have been with Dan Sharp since 2012 feel about the later titles being out of sequence? I wonder if the author has stated a reason for this? Has anyone else followed the suggested reading order, and if so, was it helpful?

Since the mystery itself was good and I still like the premise, I'm going to compromise and give this 3 stars, even if I'm not clear on the author's goals with the series progression.

A well-written mystery set in the Canadian wilderness

A four-year-old autistic boy goes missing whilst on a camping trip. Shortly afterwards, his mother Janice receives a ransom demand. For unknown reasons, she decides not to get the police involved, and instead contacts Private Investigator Dan Sharp, who after a bit of research discovers that there are many people who might be responsible – the child’s drug addict surrogate mother, Janice’s ex-husband who thought the boy was his son and Janice’s wealthy mother who has been denied access to her grandson. The search for the boy takes Dan into the Northern Ontario countryside, a place where he has his own troubled memories of a difficult childhood. He will have to use his wits and the help of his partner Nick to find the missing boy before it’s too late.

This was a well-written mystery novel which took a rather basic premise (missing child, kidnapper demanding ransom) and added some interesting variations. The plot was unpredictable and kept a good pace, with the ending twist coming quite unexpectedly, and the descriptions of the scenery, especially the Canadian wilderness, were vivid and well-rendered. Despite being the seventh novel in the Dan Sharp series, it was easy to follow as a standalone.

Unfortunately, despite being an enjoyable read, there was nothing about this story that made it stick in my head after I had finished it. I didn’t really feel a connection to Dan or any of the other characters, and as a result didn’t feel that invested in his personal relationships with his partner, son or deceased parents. This could be due to not having read any of the previous instalments of the series. My enjoyment of the book was also slightly tarnished by an offhand thought that the lead character has about the self-absorption of millennials, which is clearly a reflection of the author’s own thoughts. Although it was only a small thing, it did irritate me and put me off Dan Sharp as a person a bit. Maybe I am as self-absorbed as they say?

In conclusion, this was a suitably tense mystery with some great descriptive writing but lacked any stand-out features to make it particularly memorable. I feel I may have enjoyed it more had I read any of the previous books in the series.

Daenerys

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

When Jeremy, a four-year-old autistic boy disappears on a camping trip in the Georgian Bay area, his mother Janice is reluctant to involve the police. But Janice, her partner Ashley and Jeremy's biological father Eli call in gay PI Dan Sharp after a ransom demand arrives. Dan quickly learns there are plenty of people who might be responsible for the kidnapping: Janice's ex-husband Dennis who wrongly believed the boy was his son; the boy’s surrogate mother Sarah who is now a drug addict; Jeremy's wealthy grandmother who has been estranged from Janice and has never met Jeremy and a mysterious woman who unnerves the family with her unexpected appearances.

Dan also deals with painful childhood memories of his summer vacation in a cottage near Lion's Head. With Dan's help, the ransom is paid and Jeremy is safely returned but that is not the end of the problems for Janice. Eli dies in a car accident, and the mysterious woman later ID as a retired school teacher is found strangled to death in her house.

Dan cannot stop investigating Janice and her family and ends up making an almost fatal error when confronting them back at Lion's Head.

This was another thrilling and entertaining read in the Dan Sharp PI series.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and Dundurn Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Lion's Head Revisited is a good, solid, well-paced mystery. When a four-year-old autistic boy is kidnapped during a camping trip, his mothers and his biological father hire Dan Sharp to investigate the disappearance. Dan's investigation reveals a lot of potential suspects: a former housekeeper who was fired by the family; the ex-husband of one of the mothers, who was previously deceived into believing he was the biological father of the boy; the wealthy but estranged mother of one of the mothers; the drug addict surrogate with a history of extorting money from the family; and the ex-business partner of the biological father. 

The reveal was far more complicated than I expected, and I didn't guess the identity of the ultimate villain, but the mystery was satisfyingly twisty. With so many red herrings and potential suspects, this mystery could very easily have devolved into a super confusing muddle, but Jeffrey Round does a good job in keeping the plot threads simple enough to understand, and in bringing suspects in and out of the spotlight as needed.

I also really liked all the subplots around Dan's personal life. For example, his best friend Donny has been very distant ever since Dan started dating Nick. I felt bad for Dan, who just wanted everyone in his life to get along, but when we learn why Donny's been distant, his reasons are also understandable.

*SPOILER* (Not of the mystery, but of something from Dan's childhood)

The mystery also brings up lots of bad memories from Dan's childhood. I seem to remember from previous books that his father was abusive. In this book, we learn that when Dan was a kid on a camping trip with his parents, they actually made him abandon his dog Sandy, who had gone running off somewhere when his dad suddenly decided he wanted to leave the campsite. I absolutely hate stories of animals being hurt or abandoned, so this was the hardest subplot for me to read. Reading about Dan's heartbreak in leaving his dog behind was heartbreaking, and while I'm glad this is fiction, there are horrible people who do this kind of thing in real life, and I wish the author had somehow let us know that Sandy's story turned out okay.

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Thanks to Dundurn for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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The review will go live on my blog on Jan 22, 2020, at 8 am ET.

Private Investigator Dan Sharp of Toronto is like a flaming arrow of justice. This man is unstoppable. He won't let go until a case is truly closed out, and this time, such determination could result in a fatal outcome. Dan is asked to take on a parallel investigation into the kidnapping while camping of an autistic three-year-old, but the facts are buried deeply and are immensely tangled. It's recommended to read this one between AFTER THE HORSES and THE GOD GAME.

4,5 stars


Dan Sharp series is a MUST read for all gay mystery's fan.(And I swear, the MUST , written in big letters wasn't my intention, that did my tablet on its own, a very smart device, by the way, it knows my taste and it can recognize the high quality 😉).

Because we are talking about the book #7 in the series, some readers would probably like to know, if it is nesseserily to start the series from the very beginning. As much as I prefer you to do it in the right order, I think you can read every sequel of the series as a stand-alone. And then you can decide if you want to get to know Dan better. It is actually what happened to me: I accidentally picked up the forth book, read it, liked it, then I went back, read it from the book#1 and became a patient reader who is looking forward to every new coming sequel. And it was worth it!

The reason is simple and clear: 

❤ I like Dan, his small family, his close friends, the authenticity of his character. He is very real, he is a good father, a trustful friend, an emotional man, a sensitive lover, he is good in his job, he is just an interesting character you want to know better and then stay with him. 

❤ I enjoy the writing, decent and solid, nothing complain about. And - very important to me - always an interesting case, Dan has to solve, the author finds always something new to surprise his readers. 

❤ I like the settings. ESPECIALLY in this one. Canadian flair in every sequel, but here you have Canadian outdoor flair. I adore outdoor mystery as much as I enjoy small-town setting in my mystery novels.

❤Nothing artificial, nothing exaggerating and nothing spectacular. True LGBT fiction in its best.

This wasn't terrible, but also wasn't great. The story is just way too over the top. The twist was annoying. I never quite cared about the characters and the plot line. The weird Bible hermit was uh weird. Just all around not a book for me.

As I have since realized this is a book that one would have to read in sequential order with the rest of the series, and it is number seven...I have decided against reading it. I am sorry for taking the time to request this without doing research.

Lion’s Head Revisited by Jeffrey Round is the 7th book in the Dan Sharp Mystery series, but it can be read as a standalone without any issues. Dan Sharp is a private investigator and he is called in to work on the kidnapping of a young boy. There are lots of interesting, different and well-rounded supporting characters in this novel from the recluse farmer Horace with his seemingly random bible quotations; to Ted, the beautiful bartender all of whom could be responsible for the kidnapping... there are motives all over the place which is great because it makes it hard to guess the ending.

There was the right amount of subplot added to turn Dan and the others into believable characters with human pros and cons. Dan Sharp is an interesting Private Investigator with his own set of baggage from a kid from his first marriage to issues in his childhood when he lost dog, his mom, and had to deal with his alcoholic father. Dan has a multitude of feelings and fears that he is trying to come to terms with and connect with his new relationship, dare I say lover Nick, a police officer. Normally PI and Cops are like oil and water, there is a lot of push and pull between them but Nick and Dan are trying to put that aside and develop a relationship.

This is the first book I have read in the series. The book is a comfortable read that does not get you lost but keeps you guessing. I would recommend it and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

This was a solid, well-written mystery! This book is part of a series, but I haven't read the previous ones and I still found this very enjoyable. I'm certain there is a lot more interesting history of the characters in previous installments so I'd suggest going back to the beginning and reading if you're interested in a great mystery series!

Dan Sharp is a private investigator and he's called in to work on the kidnapping of a young boy. There are lots of interesting supporting characters in this novel who could be responsible for the kidnapping... there are motives all over the place. Round has woven together a great story. All the pieces of the puzzle are there for a reader to figure out what is going on! The mystery is very well-crafted... and I can't emphasize that enough. A good mystery needs finesse, talent, and attention to detail and Round has all of those things!

Dan Sharp is an interesting character. The subplot of this book involves Dan reminiscing about his past. Dan lost his mother when he was young and his alcoholic father was distant and disconnected. It seems to have made it difficult for him to connect with his new lover: Nick. Nick is a police officer and there is a lot of push and pull between them. Dan doesn't trust easily and that's all that Nick is really asking for. There was just the right amount of relationship plot added to this mystery to make it even more interesting!

A very satisfying mystery with very interesting characters! 4 stars from me!

Although rather over- complicated and requiring loads of lengthy exploration, the kidnapping story is strangely entertaining .. the (rather naive) private detective, Dan, works his way around a close knit group of people over the fate of the kidnapped boy. Big money and familial betrayals in past , drugs, surrogates .. the whole shebang. Almost all the explosion, a love story plays out between the private detective and his favourite cop. (Not very persuasive and full of rather derivative content.)

Dan Sharp is a smart private detective who is gay and exploring a new relationship ship with Nick a police detective. What I really loved about this book was Dan’s life story was introduced in clever little pieces of writing. Never a dump of information more a teasing out of who Dan was and how he came to be the man he is in this book.
A child is kidnapped and the two mums and father ask Dan to act as an intermediary between the police and the kidnappers. So Dan sets about interviewing the multiple suspects and guiding the family through the negotiations with the kidnappers.
Lions Head is a place with many memories for Dan and through the course of the story we learn of his childhood and the impact it had on him to this day.
The plot is intriguing and I was certain that I knew who was responsible. I was incredibly wrong! The criminal behind the kidnapping was a bolt from the blue.
If you enjoy mysteries and complex interesting characters and plotting then you will enjoy this book.
NetGalley provided this book for my review.

Dan Sharp is a private investigator, who specialises in missing person cases, so when the 4-year-old Jeremy is missing, his mothers call him for help. At first, the case seems simple and straight-forward, and they are trying to bring the boy back safely without causing any damage. At the same time, Sharp starts to investigate who might have a motive. The deeper he digs, the more complex the matter case. Even when Jeremy is back home, he can't drop the case because things do not add up.

"Lion's Head Revisited" is the 7th part of the "Dan Sharp Mystery" but don't let that fool you. It had been the first book I read of this series and it was easy to slip right into it. You are introduced, and for avid readers, re-introduced to the characters and setting as needed. Even when starting right in the midst of it, you are not lost for a second and simply have a brief moment on which you think "oh, these characters are well developed for only one book."

Credit where credit is due, the main characters are well-developed and have more depth than typical for mystery and detective stories. Usually, the focus lies on the case but Round takes the time to include private matters and conflicts as well. Thus, creating round - no pun intended - characters with struggles, backstories, and a private life. Everything that makes them more than just being a private investigator.

While there is a danger of over-doing this by only focusing on the character's workings, in "Lion's Head Revisited" these two aspects are well balanced. I felt that it was 70% mystery and 30% private affairs.

Furthermore, most of the characters are queer - even Dan Sharp, which is part of the reason why he has made himself a name as a PI in the LGBT community. At the same time, this is not a "classic" queer read because the story is not about being queer or how being queer creates conflict. While some issues are discussed and there is light shed onto a few difficulties, "Lion's Head Revisited" is not a gay plot. Personally, I liked this change because there are lots of stories which have "how hard it is to be gay" as a plot, and even more stories with a token gay character who is never discussed. "Lion's Head Revisited" gives us a detective who goes about his business and private life and happens to be gay as well.

Then there is the mystery, it is well written and not predictable while at the same time it refrains from being confusing. The solution to it all may be a bit cliché but Round handled this well, and the final scenes had me at the edge of my train seat. When I read it, I felt that it had a similar atmosphere as Jack Reacher books do: a lone main character trying to solve an unlikely riddle but with feeling. Just that this one was quite queer.

And while I may be late to the party, "Lion's Head Revisted" managed to pique my interest. At the moment, I am looking for a place and a time when I can start reading this series in the correct order.

4* Good intro this author, without me being lost in what's book 7 of an existing series.

I liked that this tale focused more on the storyline than anything lovey dovey between the leads; this was an authentic mystery, an intelligent read that happened to have male protags, rather than a trope-y MM romance, which was hugely refreshing. I ended up quite surprised that I'd not heard this author's name before.

It's a tale that features an older, established couple that don't yet live together, with each guy having his own issues, realistic and understandable ones, but they talk - end of. None of the usual misunderstandings due to not talking to one another here, another really refreshing thing. They're pretty equally well matched, though their jobs are in some ways on the same side of the law, though at times that balance is interrupted, for the best reasons in Dan's case.

Turning to the mystery in the tale - it's not one that I would have anticipated and at the start, I wasn't sure that all characters mentioned would be entirely relevant to the plot. I tend to try to figure out who's important and who's a red herring in a tale like this, and for the life of me, I hadn't suspected any of the perpetrators of the kidnapping, nor did I have a clue about who'd be bumped off/not, and why. It was seamlessly done, with enough characters, events, lies of omission and obfuscation to retain my interest throughout, and JR is certainly an author whose works I'll be checking out.

ARC courtesy of Dundurn and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

4 stars

This is the story of the kidnapping of a four-year old autistic boy. The two women who are his mothers and his biological father are beside themselves with worry. They go to Private Investigator Dan Sharp with their story and that they have received a very odd request from the kidnapper. He wants a “donation,” instead of asking for a ransom. Later he says he demands a million dollars.

Dan is on the case. With the assistance of his boyfriend Nick, who is a detective with the local police, they suss out suspects and try to follow the twisted trail of the kidnappers; for there must be more than one of them. There are several suspects, one of the mother's ex-husband who thought he was the father of the child, a strange elderly woman who has been hanging around outside the house where the women and child live and a very disgruntled ex-business partner of the biological father among others.

One of the mothers' mother is a very wealthy businesswoman. She has never met her grandson and grudgingly hands over the million dollars. Dan senses some history between the child's mother and her own mother.

The identity of the kidnapper and their accomplices stunned me. I knew I didn't like that person, but didn't suspect them of the crime.

This was a very tough case for Dan. As well as dealing with the emotional trauma of his son going to college far away, the case brings up some very difficult things in Dan's past.

This is a well written and plotted novel. The story had a number of surprises which I appreciated. I like the way it was sprinkled here and there with philosophical observations by the author. Mr. Round's descriptions of the mountains surrounding Toronto and the area were great. I have been to Canada several times, and it brought back all of the thrill and excitement I felt back then when I visited there.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dundurn Press for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.

*4.5* stars.
This is the second book I have read in 2019 featuring Dan Sharp, a gay private detective. He specializes in finding lost persons. Jeffrey Round’s mystery novels have won Lambda awards, for books which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. His mystery novels give gay readers a chance to be represented in crime fiction but would give most everyone some insight into the gay community while reading this gripping, thrilling mystery. The author builds suspense and tension while presenting the reader with a well-plotted and written complex puzzle. His characters have depth and are well developed and believable.

The case is gritty and complicated, but easy to follow. The prose is elegant and lyrical in the descriptions of nature and landscape around Lions Head. This is a popular hiking and camping area 256 K (158 miles) north of Toronto, Ontario.

Dan is asked to find a 4-year-old autistic boy who went missing on a camping trip. His mother doesn’t want the police involved and wants Dan to help with the ransom demanded for the child’s return. Dan discovers there are many potential suspects. Had he been taken by her ex-husband in revenge for the boy’s mother deserting him for a woman, or out of anger for her pretending that the boy was his son? The mother lives with her female partner along with the missing boy’s actual biological father, Eli, a past schoolmate of both women. Suspects also include the boy’s surrogate mother, now a drug addict, and the boy's estranged wealthy grandmother who has been denied access to him. There is also an unknown, mysterious older woman who has been seen lurking around the home, and a hardened criminal who has threatened Eli to repay a debt he owes. Could the kidnapper be any of these suspects or someone else?
The ransom money has gone missing. Can the boy be saved? Dan finds his life in danger while searching for the truth about the kidnapping.


His search of the Lions Head area brings Dan in touch with past emotional trauma in the beautiful place where he grew up. We meet Dan’s son who is on a college break, and some of his supportive friends. Dan’s lover is a policeman, and he is trying to decide whether they should move in together. There was a rather explicit sex scene near the end of the book. This made me somewhat uncomfortable, probably due to the times in which I grew up, but I was hoping for Dan to find happiness. I would certainly read more of the Dan Sharp series with their brilliantly written, intricate plot and characterization.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for this exciting ARC.