I found this book just ok. I felt the characters were not well developed, so it was hard to folow at times. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving this book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

This is the first book in a new trilogy and it really got it off brilliantly. The suspense and intrigue grab the reader and don't let them go. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book.

Completely different style of writing than I’m used to and a complexly different story than I thought from the blurb. Quite brilliant and sparkling novel brimming with thoughts, insights and truths. Thoroughly enjoyable and recommended. Wonderful surprise indeed.

Naive is definitely a fun little suspense novel! Micah comes home from a party, wondering why his husband Lennox never arrived, to find Lennox dying on the floor. Micah administers CPR, which isn't much help for multiple stab wounds. Micah ends up becoming the prime suspect. Thus begins a courtroom drama/mystery. Charles Royce takes a third-person perspective, looking at a small and interesting cast of Micah and Lennox' friends, detectives working on the case, and Micah's friend/attorney Shawn.

Suffice it to say, Micah has motive, but he's not the only one. There's an affair, a heroin dealer who used to supply Lennox before he got involved in a twelve-step program, a publishing war, a conflicted friend of the couple, and an ambitious prosecutor hoping to make a name for herself.

Charles Royce's characterizations are vivid, and his scenarios contain just enough realism to work. He keeps the reader guessing throughout. The glamour and grit of New York City provide an intriguing backdrop. In other words, Naive is everything you want in a beach/bed/vacation read! Well, maybe not so much if you're a man having difficulties with his husband or boyfriend right now...

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Courtroom dramas are not my usual choice for reading material, but this was so exciting -- a real page turner! The murder investigation of a New York corporate man, his husband the alleged killer. There was drama, intrigue, drug abuse and mystery. Definitely recommend and will look for more from Charles Royce.

Thank you to author Charles Royce, Chutter Hill publishers, and NetGalley for the early access.

Our main character and person of interest is named Micah Breuer, an accomplished art director living in present day New York City.

The story opens as Micah Breuer comes home to find his husband Lennox lying naked on their living room floor in a pool of blood. Lennox has been brutally stabbed over 30 times but is still alive. Micah panics and struggles to keep his husband from dying by implementing life saving techniques. His desperate efforts end up killing him, and Micah is arrested for Lenny’s murder.

Mysterious items are found at the crime scene, some suggesting a connection to the company he works for, while others point to an mysterious heroin dealer known as Ghost, due to a strange logo on some drug packets.

Micah seems doomed and with a trial looming, his lawyer Shawn races to defend him. Together, they are faced with the dark realities of corporate corruption, Manhattan’s drug underworld, and a questionable prosecution.

Mr. Royce has masterminded a murderous plot, clever twists and turns.

The book lulled for this reader around the middle of the novel, but I pressed on with much satisfaction.