life should come with a manual
It definitely should for Henry "Mooch" Milch. Or at the very least, it should give him a how to get people to call you by your ridiculous nickname.

Mooch is exiled to Wyandot County after he finds himself in a rather precarious position. See, Mooch insists it was an accident but everyone else, including his neglectful mother thinks he has a death wish. And so Mooch is sentenced to a few months to Wyandot County where nearly everyone worships George Dubya. The place gave me the creeps to be honest. Especially his mild animal cruelty enthusiast of a grandmother.

The story is set in the early 2000s. The Iraq war, apple bottom jeans, Britney Spears and K Fed times. It felt like a time capsule before the advent of Facebook and my favourite online hellhole, Twitter. There is a lot of commentary of social political commentary of that era. I appreciated the nuanced discussions of HIV. And the way the author trusts you to infer things. None of that wink wink nudge nudge preachiness modern media feels the need to shove down our throats. I'm already woke Hollywood I don't need you to convince me. This book reminded me of Knives Out in that sense which too had a dynamic cast of characters who are flawed as it gets and the subtle commentary on immigration.

I won't lie, I enjoyed Knives Out a lot more than this book. Primarily because, while it is darkly humorous, there is not one likeable character except the murder victim and perhaps Mooch's dog. And a side character named Bev who makes the briefest of cameos as an obvious red herring. Mooch himself... grows on you? He's one of the most frustrating characters I've read this year. He makes you want to be a cheerleader for him. Figure it out Mooch, we're rooting for ya!

When Mooch discovers a body, he wants to investigate the murder himself for interesting reasons. He makes a horrible sleuth. I love an amateur sleuth as much as the next girl but you shouldn't take the amateur part a little too seriously.

This book is a neat little mystery that is often times hilarious with fleshed out characters and a Mooch in denial. There is no romance in it whatsoever. Perhaps one will pop up in the next books. I don't know if I am enthused to read the next books in the series but I'd be remiss if I didn't say that I'm curious to see Mooch's next misadventure.

What I really enjoyed about this story was the characters. Sometimes in murder mysteries the person solving the crime is very virtuous. Not so with Henry Milch (Mooch) the main character here.

Henry has difficulties with his mother, his grandmother is homophobic and he is stuck in a 'back of beyond' small town on her farm because he overdosed on prescription pills. As far as he is concerned he doesn't have a drug problem. It was all just a mistake. When he discovers a dead body he decides that he will solve the crime so that he can get the reward money and return to LA. Obviously this is easier said than done.

The supporting characters are a complex group of people. They have secrets, resentments, and a range of personal issues. I have to say that they really made the story great. When Henry starts to investigate he eventually realises that that life in this small town is as stressful and unpredictable as life in LA, just with less traffic.

The actual murder and the reasons for it didnt really grab me, but Henry and his sleuthing certainly did!

I did not finish this book. I really wanted to like it but just didn't get on with the writing style. Unfortunately I felt the blurb did not match up with the story and it was not to my taste.

Thank you to netball for providing me with an advanced reader copy.

I loved reading The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch .

Marshall Thornton well constructed plotline is tight , beguiling and entertaining. His characters are three-dimensional , believable and engaging.

Re-read: Probably not
Recommend: Yes

I just reviewed The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch by Marshall Thornton. #TheLessThanSpectacularTimesofHenryMilch #NetGalley

This book was super interesting. The cover dragged me in and I wasn't expcting something so much fun and so enjoyable but I was surprised to find I liked this book more than I was expecting!

I'd call this a cozy mystery with more grit. Its enjoyable, Charaters are interesting and the mystery is satisfying. I am guessing readers will find Henry Milch to have more depth than we expect. I saw more under the surface in this book than I had expected.

My first Marshall Thornton book and I did enjoy it. The characters were great, and the location was great. Though I'm not too sure if the timing of the story was good, as it was almost 17 years ago and I didn't quite understand why it wasn't a modern-day story. Though Henry was a fun character, and he comes more to life as the story progresses. There was a bit of repetition and a few typos here and there, but it was an ARC and that's understandable - hopefully they were fixed before publication. A great read nonetheless!

The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch by Marshall Thornton is set in Wyandot County in Michgan. There used to be a Wyandot County but it became Cheboygan County in 1853. It seems funny to hear the author refer to the area as the Northern Lower Michigan. It’s accurate. People always forget about the Upper Peninsula.

Henry Milch has recently moved to Michigan from Hollywood, California in order to live with his grandma. Henry had a choice between living with Nana Cole or going to rehab after an overdose. He’s still a drug addict and not always completely honest with anyone. He wants everyone to call him “Mooch” but it doesn’t stick. It’s a horrible nickname. Who really wants to be called “Mooch?”

Henry finds the body of Sammy Hart while working for a local land conservancy. There’s a reward offered for information about Sammy’s death. Henry’s motivation for finding Sammy’s killer is greed. He wants the money so he can move back to Hollywood.

Sammy was an interesting person while he was alive. He was an openly gay man living in a conservative area of Michigan. Unfortunately for Henry, the first gay person in the area that he meets is also deceased. Henry is also gay. He has only told a handful of people in Michigan.

Henry finds out everything he can about Sammy. Who would want to kill him? Was it because he was gay or was there another reason? Henry is really hoping that he solves the case before anyone else. Nothing is more important to Henry than getting out of Michigan.

If you are looking for an interesting LGBTQIA murder mystery, then The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch is a good match.

If you’re close-minded about everything LGBTQIA, then you should start reading articles or books about how to not be a bigot. Come back to the book at a later time.

Links for Tolerance articles:

https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/59nz5z/how-to-deal-with-friends-family-who-are-racist-sexist-or-bigoted

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/publications/speak-up/six-steps-to-speak-up

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/07/how-not-to-be-a-bigot/

I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

3 - 3.5

Enjoyable, but the mystery was predictable. The story was clunky and dragged at times. Most of the time when I was reading I was immersed, but I didn't have an urge to actually pick it up. It did have some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Nice to have a LGBT+ book that doesn't focus on romance.

I'm intrigued...Will there be another? I hope so. I feel like we are just scratching the surface of these characters. The setting in West Hollywood has so much potential in this book. I also enjoyed the LGBT perspective and it was done really well. The writing was really descent and I enjoyed how easy and quick of a read this was.

When 24 year old club kid, Henry, leaves LA and is sent to live with his Nana in conservative northern lower Michigan, he realizes that the only way to get back to his West Hollywood life is to solve a murder and collect the reward. The dichotomy of the LA club scene and the rural life of small town conservative Michigan is exposed. The mystery is well developed. But the joy of this novel is the characters. Henry, as well as the characters he meets in Wyandot, are fully developed and the narrative is played for all the humor this dichotomy reveals.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for this electronic version.

The less than specular times of Henry Milch by Marshall Thornton is a LGBT murder mystery set in the early 2000’s. Following Henry Milch (Mooch) who in an attempt to collect a cash reward tries to find a murderer in his new home town.
With the easy writing and burning mystery i managed to read in one day, unable to put it down without finding out the next clue that would help Mooch figure out the puzzle. Delving into Henry’s past with drugs and former life in LA was an extra story i enjoyed unfolding as his character progressed throughout giving an extra depth to the narrative.
I believe we were supposed to dislike Mooch too a certain extent and I found I had a burning hatred for him for all of five minutes before falling in love with his quirks and frankly dysfunctional character and rooting for him to get out of his downward spiral. His development seemed slow at points, which is expected as for most of the book he was in denial about his problem saying several times he was just ‘having a good time’ and not an addict.
The prominent gay rights themes were well developed and explored accurately for a small town in 2003. Even if the homophobia and slurs made my skin crawl I appreciate books that don’t dance around these important issues as it helps to understand how things used to be to see how far we still have left to go. The HIV clinic that murder victim Sammy set up was an addition I hadn’t been expecting but proud to see as characters tried to battle the stigma attached to the disease.
The ending tied the mystery up perfectly connecting all the dots between the clues we watched him find throughout. Although this is true it felt a little bit rushed especially after the slow paced story up until that point. I also think the relationship resolution with his grandma felt rushed, pushing them for a connection in the very end. I would love to see more of Henry and look forward to seeing if we will in the future.
Overall it was a super easy read and I recommend it to anyone who wants an amazing mystery or to anyone who enjoys LGBT books. Thank you to Netgally for sending me a copy I can’t wait to check out more Marshall Thornton titles.

Marshall Thornton is the award-winning author of the Boystown (Chicago in the early 1980's) and Pinx Mystery (L.A. in the 1990's) series and his newest series is set in small-town Michigan in 2003.

20-something Henry Milch was working as a barista and partying nightly with his best friend Vinnie in West Hollywood, when his overdose (and subsequent 5150 initiated by his mother) results in Henry being banished to Wyandot County in the care of his fesity gun-toting conservative grandmother Nana Cole, who prays he will settle down with a nice girl (which is definitely NOT going to happen.)

Henry has a part-time job with the Wyandot County Land Conservancy (something to do with easements - he's not quite sure) and when he finds a dead body and learns there is a $15,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the killer, Henry decides to solve the murder, collect the money and get back to California.

There is an interesting cast of characters here as Henry works to solve the mystery and the plot will hold your interest as Henry delves into clues and examines relationships that might lead to the solution. But the best part of this book, IMHO, is getting to know Henry in all his early 20's irresponsibility.

Henry coasts along partying with Vinnie, secure in the knowledge that he is hot stuff in West Hollywood on a Saturday night, not really tuned into the fact that yeah, he does have a bit of a drug problem, and not quite getting it that his nickname ("Yeah, People call me Mooch") is never going to happen .... ever. His credo for dealing with his grandmother and all parental types is:

"The thing about parents - or in this case grandparents - is that if you don't make their controlling your life as agonizing as humanly possible they'll just do it more and more. [...] The wisest court of action is terrorizing them to the point where they barely want to speak to you."

Thornton gives us an abundantly screwed up MC who is finally growing up, without making his slow awakening seems like an afterschool special. Henry has still got a lot of work to do, but I find myself cheering for him and hoping that we'll have many more books in this series to watch his progress. 4 stars.

Twenty-four-year-old druggie-in-denial Henry “Mooch” Milch finds himself whisked from a life he loved as an out gay man in West Hollywood to the insular Wyandot County just south of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. His Rush Limbaugh-loving granny (herself in denial over her grandson’s sexuality) arranges for a part-time gig with the local nature conservancy. Needless today, all that Mooch can think about is how to get back to Cali as quickly as possible.

A corpse found in the snow gives Mooch his chance. If he can just come up with some information that leads to an arrest, he’ll have a whopping $15,000 in reward money to use to make his escape. And so the sleuthing begins.

Marshall Thornton has developed a humorous novel that’s a great window back into 2003, when the crazies were just beginning to lose their minds, and the middle of the country was 20 years — or more — behind the Coasts. I loved the mystery, I loved Thornton’s deft touch, and I love, love, love Mooch Milch. I can’t wait for the next book!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher and author for this opportunity!

The first half of TLTSTOHM (I... refuse to write that title out every single time I mention it so I'm shortening it down haha) was funny, intriguing and enjoyable. The second half dragged a little more. The main character is... a little unlikable, but in a likable way, if that makes any sense. Like he isn't a great person, he's in denial about some stuff, and while his character arc does develop, it's quite late in the book when it happens and it does so in a way that makes it clear that this is just the first stepping stone in the series. I think the second book in the series is going to be a lot better than the first, especially if we see some struggle of morality and of Henry trying to be a better person.

(On the other hand I did find myself snorting like a surprised horse every now and again while I read because of some of his comments. I do kind of like it when the protagonist is morally grey and Henry could just about fit into that category).

In terms of plot TLTSTOHM is a little weak. As much as in the first part I wanted to know what happened, by the time we got the the half way marker I was a little bored. The story isn't realistic but I don't really care about that, I enjoy suspending my belief, but the plot didn't pack the punch that a murder mystery should in my opinion. There also isn't any romance sub plot, which I found myself missing, but it is also nice to find a book with a gay character where the focus isn't on his love life too.

Overall, a quick enjoyable read which falls a little flat in places but is still fun. I look forward to where the author takes the series, and I have hopes that the second book will make improvements on the first! Recommended for fans of snarky protagonists who aren't very nice people.

I was given this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Marshall Thornton’s The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch is the first installment in a mystery series in which the titular character tries to unravel the death of a local gay man after stumbling across his body.

Henry was forced to move from LA to Michigan after a drug-related incident. In Michigan, his life consists of working a part-time job, poorly coping with his drug dependency (which he still sees as a recreational), and living with his conservative grandmother. After finding a body in the snow while at work, he discovers that a reward is being offered for information that could lead to the killer. Henry decides to investigate the crime with the intention to return to his LA life once he is able to collect the reward. He befriends the man’s friends and researches the victim, getting more and more tangled in his life and its complications.

The best feature of this story is arguably the skill and craft with which the mystery itself unfolds. Marshall Thornton is a practiced writer of Mystery, having another two series already under his belt: the Boystown Mysteries series and the Pinx Video Mysteries series, which have procured him two Lamba Awards for Gay Mystery, one for each series. I approached The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch not knowing much about Thornton’s work and I was delighted to find how organically his stories unfold, keeping a steady intrigue throughout the narration and hooking the reader in.

Various LGBT+ characters are featured in this story; however, the focus is not MM Romance or Romance in general. This choice makes the book prosper, as inserting insignificant romance subplots for the sake of it would only take away from the story.
In my opinion, Thornton’s characters were not particularly likeable and they do not aim to be. Again and again, the protagonist makes questionable choices and proves to have questionable judgement, he treats people poorly and he repeatedly makes excuses for himself. Despite this, at the end of the day the reader still roots for him in his quest and does not find him annoying.

Overall, the book proves to be a captivating read that I would recommend to mystery fans.

I really enjoyed this book, I managed to read this in two sittings - in the current global situation, it was nice to be somewhere else. It was an easy read that had believable characters and an excellent plot! I loved the character of Henry and found myself rooting for him throughout the book and that his life would be changed completely for the better.

An excellent 5 star read! Thank you!

thank you so much to netgalley for providing me with this arc.

This book follows Henry Milch, an arrogant somewhat unlikable character with a small pill problem, after an accident he's sent to live with his grandmother, there he finds a dead boy. We then follow Henry as he attempts to solve the mans murder in order to win a cash prize and get back to LA.

Overall I didn't really enjoy most of the book, however, some parts were funny or redeemable for me so it wasn't overall a bad experience. This book is a very light mystery and for someone who reads a lot of intense thrillers, it was mostly predictable for me.

Other than that I think this book would be a great introduction to mysteries & thrillers. I really liked Marshall Thornton writing style and will definitely pick up more work from him in the future

4 stars

I’ve currently been on a LGBTQIA book binge recently and I absolutely loved this one!

I totally connected with Henry and even though at first, his character needed liking. He eventually grew on me because we all, one time or another, have done something that we could have ended up as Henry ;)

3.5* Not a bad book but it's a little tedious-going at times. I think for the style/snark effect the author was going for, the stereotyping/delivery wasn't quite there.

I got an ARC of this book and hope that by the time it's out, it'll have been properly proofed and that Opal will stay Opal, and not morph into Amber at the end of the tale. I also hope that in future tales Riley the dog gets treated better and thought about a little more - Brit and dog lover here.

I liked the snark, which is the kind to be found in Lily Morton tales, but I think the tale didn't quite have enough to pull off Henry as entirely believable. I wasn't sure why it was set in 2003 instead of being a contemporary tale, as there wasn't really anything for it to be situated then, other than being a bit of a vehicle for the side political digs at GWB and the US's involvement in the Iraq invasion. The latter kind of did and didn't go anywhere. I'd have better understood a political dig at #45 with all that's happening currently in the US, and yes, to a degree I understand the digs at GWB but it seemed rather dated and unsubstantiated, other than being a case of 'in my book', maybe?

Henry wasn't what I'd call lead material in the traditional sense. He was an addict and liar and a bit of a user but he was amusing enough and at the very, very end, he came through for someone in their time of need, which I had sort of suspected, but not in the way it panned out. But, this is not a romance and I didn't need to swoon over him or any other character, and ultimately, it was a decent way to pass a cold afternoon whilst stuck indoors, self isolating. I'd read the next tale, but I do hope that we get to see more of Wyandot County Henry, and not LA Henry.

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