Once again Josh Lanyon pulls through. One of the best gay mysteries. A hot cop. His sexy boyfriend. A shady mystery. It doesn't get any better than this. 228 pages of pure delightfulness. The best of the best when it comes to Lanyon. Couldn't put this gem down. Stayed up all night reading it. The perfect read. And the perfect murder. Toss in some blood, some sexy, some guns, some handsome smiles, and you're going to enjoy this as a reader. It's quite good. Goosebumps good.

poets were mostly interested in death and commas.

However, for Swift (probably Lanyon's least Adrien-like MC), he was mostly interested in three things: Police Chief Max Prescott, Literature and teaching students in his Lighthouse Program the value of literature.
It never failed to dismay him how many kids confused liking something with literary merit.
(Some of you need to learn that, but I digress). When one of his brighter students, Tad Corelli, shows up outside his office door banged up, bruised, beaten, Swift immediately offers him assistance. A stay at his beachhouse and some cash.

Later that evening, while having dinner with Max, it is revealed that Tad's father was killed. Shot thrice in the chest. Tad is the lead suspect. Does he tell Max or does he do something else?

You are a man who needs a new lot in life. Everyone else thinks you're a loser. Especially your wife. She would leave you the moment she is sure she no longer needs you. It had been your bright idea to combine your assets when you got married anyway. You have had rotten luck compounded by poor decision making. Your wife gives you $1000 to go pay and collect a package for her. But your boy calls you with insider knowledge on an upcoming horse race. Their illicit gambling ring is accepting buy-ins of at least $1000. Do you take your chances or do you do what your wife asked you. If you do what your wife asked go to page 10. If you take your chances... You are a lot like Swift.

Things get a lot interesting for our long-haired, earringed protagonist. His reasoning is compelling. Justified even. But the cynicism of the police chief, a very pragmatic and straight forward gentleman with zebra vision don't care about this. Lanyon's books never fail to make the main characters work for their happy endings.

Each chapter also starts with a choose your own adventure style intro. It's very entertaining and makes me realise this author could write punchy sci-fi adventure novels should she want to. Aside from the mystery of who killed Mario Corelli, the banter between the main love interests was another source of joy. In one instance, Max asks Swift about Tad's relationships at the school.
"What about a girlfriend?" Max asked.
"Nah, I'm satisfied with you for now."
Max looked up in surprise.
Swift raised an eyebrow. "Are you interrogating me, Chief?"
The microwave pinged. Max offered his slow, devilish grin.
"Saved by the bell, Teach."
Of course this being an MM romance mystery, there are a lot of tender moments to be savoured. My favourite is perhaps the one that would alarm a psychotherapist.
Max's scarred brow crinkled. He reached for the coffee mug on his desk. "Motive is tricky. See, what might be a good reason for me to kill someone might not be a good enough reason for you to kill someone."
Swift stared at his hands loosely clasped around his ankle.
"I wouldn't. Deliberately hurt anyone."
"And my impulse is to hurt anyone who hurts you."
Swoon.

This book also feels like a love letter to literature. Very common with Lanyon's early aughts books. You couldn't go a few pages without meeting a relevant quote. From TS Eliot to EE Cummings to Butler.

I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't write a review for this earlier as I think it's one of Lanyon's best stand-alones. I have been rightfully accused of being a Josh Lanyon stan but when I read such immaculate stories every time, what else could I possibly be but eternal fangirl?

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I have received this book by NetGalley and JustJoshin Publishing, Inc, and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

It's the first book I read by this author, and I'm fascinated. I don't know if all her other books are the same way, but I'll put a few more on my future reading list.
In this little book, we have part of the story of Sebastian Swift, Max Prescott and the mystery of a murder that manages to complicate the characters' lives in a very personal way.
Swift is currently a Professor of English Literature, director of a particular program and a poet. His students love him, and he maintains a good relationship with everyone around him. Lives a simple life far from all past problems. Swift is an ex-drug addict who has managed to turn around and establish himself in a decent life that brings him happiness. Furthermore, he has a relationship with Max, a chief inspector in the police and a man who attaches great importance to loyalty and honesty. He also gives us the appearance of being very difficult. As the book goes on, we will understand better that this is not entirely the case.
Their relationship is not determined, although they have been together for a long time and continue to do so. Still, things are in treacherous waters with the murder and Swift's involvement.
It's a small book and only from Swift's point of view, which leaves us a little short on Max and what he thinks and how he is on a day-to-day basis. I felt the absence of that, and I think it would help explain certain attitudes and moments in history. There was more mystery base than romance, and I missed that a bit, but it was still a great read. I enjoyed Swift's story and vulnerable moments, especially with the weight of the past threatening to topple him.

Once a bad boy, the only lines Professor Sebastian Swift does these days are Browning, Frost and Cummings.

When a student he helped to disappear becomes a suspect in a murder, he races to find the boy and convince him to give himself up before his police chief lover figures out he's involved.

Max likes being lied to even less than he likes sonnets. Yet his instincts--and his heart--tell him his boyfriend is being played and a dangerous enemy may not stop until Swift is heading up his own dead poet's society.

Professor Sebastian Swift, a former bad boy and now a respected professor in Maine, is in a semi-relationship with Police Chief Max Prescott. Swift is fully committed, but feels that Max is on his way out of the relationship. Swift is also a recovering cocaine addict, and while far removed from the days of his wild youth, he is still sympathetic to bright and troubled souls like Tad Corelli, one of his students. He provides a battered Tad with shelter in an attempt to pay forward the kindness that he himself had received as a troubled youth and finds himself at loggerheads with Max, who considers Tad the primary suspect in a murder.

Max takes a very dim view of Swift's attempts to help Tad, and it looks like it is the end of their relationship. Swift has to try to find Tad and bring him in in an effort save his failing relationship with Max. Recovery of cocaine from Swift's apartment seems to drive the wedge between them further as Max has very decided opinions on addiction and addicts.

The whodunit actually takes second place to the drama unfolding between Swift and the seemingly intractable and judgemental Max, and yet keeps the reader engaged in the narrative. Swift's fear of relapsing into cocaine addiction and its potential effect on his personal and professional life engages the reader's sympathy.

The highlight of the novella is the revelation of Max's character and level of commitment to Swift, which starts to become apparent only about halfway into the narrative. It is difficult to relate to Max at first, and the reader's sympathy naturally gravitates to Swift, but the latter portions of the book allow Max to shine as a strong, principled and supportive character. This book is definitely one that is destined for my "Read Multiple Times" shelf.

Thanks to NetGalley for making a temporary copy of the book available for review.

// MINOR SPOILER WARNING//

Previously, I had never read literature from this author; Josh Lanyon. However, from now on this will not be the case. The story of "Come Unto These Yellow Sands" truly proves that both eroticism and emotion can be harbored in a single book. This work of fiction follows the life of Sebastian Swift, whos a literary professor in a small-town college. Personally, I think the relationship developed with Swift was absolutely astounding. As one continues reading, one begins to learn about his past and its complexities. Such as his distant drug abuse, and the struggle he still has fighting the yearn for narcotics. Swift's much-needed distraction took its main form in Max Prescott, the town's local police chief. Mimicking troubled tides, their relationship was not as set as Swift hoped it to be. While Swift wanted to settle down, and actually let their love marinate, it seemed all Max wanted was the occasional fling. While reading, I began to notice how troublesome their relationship really is. For example, one can notice how in early chapters, where the tension was high, Max took a fatherly role with Swift... Not in a good way. He spent those chapters scolding Swift over all his decisions, of which were made during a stressful time, and not sympathizing with someone whose world was quite literally imploding. From the fact that his job at the university, which fulfilled his need for literature, was drifting away, to being dragged into a murder, it is safe to say that Swift needed that support from Max. However, the reader can see that eventually, Max's character did evolve and he became the encouragement Swift wished.

Upon reading this book, and noticing Swift's various relationships, I also realized the bipolar connection he has with literature itself. How he associated his writings with the drugged tracked mind; the quick buck to shoot up. The moment I truly understood how distant he seemed from this passion was when I read the moment where he bit into a simple cherry tomato. How the acidic juices would've sparked the will to write poem after poem, but instead he finds said tomato fulfilling. While I am all for enjoying the simple things in life, this thought of his saddened me. I could not imagine yearning to do something so much, yet every time I tried it reminded me of one of my lowest times in life. I'm sure many other readers would agree that this put into perspective how Swift is still troubled by his past.

Again, I truly loved this book and would recommend it to any avid reader. 10/10 stars :)))

While this title is darker than most of Lanyon's other titles its equally enjoyable and has the same level of care given to its characters.

Swift is a recovering addict and handsome Ma is the cop with whom he has a relationship. The major portion of the story revolves around Swift helping a student vanish and how this affects that relationship.

I know a lot of people are rapturous about this, and I'll be int he minority, but neither the romance nor the mystery held my interest enough to get me over the finish line in the usual timeframe in which I read a book.

After picking it up five times, I finished it off. And it's...okay. There's nothing horrible about it (although I am not a fan of lying to people with whom you are supposedly in love). There's another nothing that blew my socks off.

Three stars, as a neutral point.

Thanks to JustJoshin and NetGalley for the reading copy.

I loved this slow-burn thriller! Lanyon brought all of the characters to life quickly and realistically, and I was invested from the first page. I love the ethical discussions and the societal discussions that were had, along with the exploration of an undefined relationship slowly coming into its own!

I haven't read a lot of Josh Lanyon's work, but what I have read I have always liked. I would have to say that "Come Unto These Yellow Sands" is my favorite so far! This book has all the things that I love in a book: great characters, great writing, and a good plot.

This book is categorized as a M/M romance, but I would argue that it's just a great book that happens to have gay characters. I'm hopeful one day that we won't have to categorize books by the sexual orientation of the characters. Until then though, this is a great m/m romance that is also a fantastic book.

Professor Sebastian Swift is a lot of things. He's a poet who can't seem to write, feels the pressure of being the son of famous poets, and he's a recovering addict. Swift loves Choose Your Own Adventure books and teaching and his comfortable (yet casual) relationship with Wolfe Neck Police chief, Max Prescott.

When one of Sebastian's students turns up on his office doorstep looking like he's been beaten, Sebastian follows his heart and sends the young man to his cabin for safety. The problem is that soon, it becomes clear that Sebastian's student may be involved in a murder.

This is when dating the police chief becomes a real problem for Sebastian. He has inadvertently been lying to Max… and when the truth comes out it's a real issue.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the character development. The characters in this story are well-crafted. There is a true exploration of the growth of a relationship and the way that it ebbs and flows. I became really invested in the relationship between Sebastian and Max.

Lanyon has capture "recovery" in an authentic way. Being in recovery is never an easy thing and Sebastian still struggles from time to time. It's something that he must be aware of - and it's also something that he's conscious of around his police officer partner. Max isn't judgemental at all when it comes to Sebastian's past drug use, and I enjoyed the way that he supported Sebastian when asked. It's all written very respectfully and accurately.

The plot is great - there's enough of a mystery to keep you guessing as the story progresses. I particularly enjoyed the way that Lanyon wove the story elements in cleverly giving the main characters challenges and hurdles that would, ultimately, help to determine the course of their relationship.

This book really worked for me. I absolutely enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone.

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Come Unto These Yellow Sands by Josh Lanyon is the story of Sebastian Swift, former bad boy with a past, who is now a college professor spending his days teaching poetry and literature. Tad, one of Swift’s most promising students, disappears after the murder of his father, and of course, he becomes the prime suspect. Convinced of Tad’s innocence, Swift sets out to find the boy and urge him to turn himself in before the police chief, Swift’s lover, tracks him down. Can he find Tad in time, or does Swift have a secret enemy who will stop at nothing to see that the boy is blamed for the crime even if it costs Swift his reputation and possibly his life?⠀
⠀
This MM romance/mystery lags a bit at the start, but after the initial set-up the reader cannot help but find themselves embroiled in the dynamics of these characters. The romance between Swift and Max is more of a subplot and the mystery element takes the forefront. The murder itself was dealt with in a manner more befitting a cozy mystery where it was not seen or described in detail, but the intricately woven plot with all its suspects and circumstances are what keeps the reader flipping the pages. I ultimately enjoyed this mystery, and found Swift to be a compelling character that I hope to see make an appearance in some future Lanyon work. ⠀

I absolutely loved this MM romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend!

Rating: 4/5
When I first found this book, the title intrigued me a lot and I'm glad I took it up. The writing style of this book is not what I usually read but I got hang of it quickly and still enjoyed it! The mystery, romance and everything else was written in a really interesting manner and it did not fail to mesmerize me. This book focuses on Swift, a former drug addict who is in a *friends with benefits* kind of relationship with Max, the police chief. When Tad Corelli, a student asks Swift for a place to stay, the murder comes in and things just change, more than they ever did. As the mystery part develops, we can see the relationship between Swift and Max develop too. I just loved it! Thank you for the arc, NetGallery. :)

This is a book you need to take with you to a cosy corner with a cup of tea and spend hours blissfully savouring every word of it. As always Josh Lanyon did not disappoint with another beautifully written slow burn romance and an amazing murder mystery story.

Getting to know the characters so intimately; their history, their lifestyle, their dreams and hopes was such a joyful experience.

Swift is a poet who spends his days grading papers as a college professor. He hasn’t written any poetry in years and though he’s an ex-addict, he has managed to stay clean for the past 6 years.
Swift is a romantic and he regretfully believes his relationship with Max, the town’s police chief has lost its momentum to become something more.

Max’s world is black and white and he could be judgmental at times as his job demands him to be. After three years of seeing each other, he is still a mystery to Swift but that hasn’t stopped the professor to secretly lose his heart to him.

When a student shows up at his office door, Swift’s doesn’t hesitate to offer him help. But his simple act of kindness is proved to be not so simple after all when the student turns out to be the prime suspect in a murder investigation.

The story is engaging and keeps you guessing till the end. The CYOAs at beginning of the chapters are a nice touch.

With the main focus on mystery, sometimes readers feel starved for more romance between MCs but in this book there’s a perfect balance between mystery, love, sex and even humour that got me to chuckle a few times.

Swift: “I’m serious. Use me for bait.”
Max: “Remember that thing about impaired judgment? Here’s an example.”

----

Swift: “Do you really know what catalexis is?”
Max: “Not a clue. I heard you mention it once. It stuck in my memory because it sounds like a cross between a Cadillac and a Lexus.”

Josh Lanyon and The Adrian English Mysteries are the reasons I got to experience the joy of slow-burn romance and fall in love with it.
I love this writing style. It creates a relationship, a bond, between me, as the reader and the fictional characters. They go under my skin and I feel them and care for them deeply. So deeply that I miss them when the story is finished. I can’t help but going back to them again and again just to enjoy their company and that is the type of book worth reading.

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this one.
I will begin with what could have been improved and then what is the best about this one.
I would have preferred a little bit more pace. I did enjoy reading it, however, at times, I did feel, had the book been two pages short, I could have liked it better.
I did like the mystery part. I understood the romance angle too,

Would I recommend this book?
A big absolute YES

I received an ebook copy of Come Unto These Yellow Sands by Josh Lanyon for an honest review. This is a M/M romantic mystery. Loved it! Very relatable characters.

m/m mystery, professor, small-town, students, law-enforcement, family-dynamics, friendship, murder, misunderstanding, romance, erotica*****

I really missed the humor characteristic of Lanyon's other books.
Swift is a poet, a professor, on the constant battle with C addiction with six years clean, and not-quite-partner with the very attractive (but rigidly judgmental) police chief of their small town in Maine. A student comes to him bearing signs of a very recent beating and asks for help, but the top cop is furious out of proportion when Swift finally reveals how he helped the student. That's because said student is the prime suspect for murder. Let the misunderstandings and sleuthing begin.
Pretty well written, and definitely a good whodunit by one of my favorite authors!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from JustJoshin Publishing, Inc. via NetGalley. Thank you!

Strange that I didn’t read this novel earlier, given that I’m such a huge fan of Josh Lanyon’s writing. It somehow never popped up on my radar although Josh published it in 2012 if I’m not mistaken, and this is but the reformatted 2021 release. Whatever the reasons for me not having noticed it before, I’m really happy to have picked it up now via NetGalley, because the read was a real treat.

The book centres on Sebastian Swift, son of two renowned American poets, himself a once successful poet and rising star of his generation of writers. For reasons that are left deliberately vague to allow the readers to fill in their own details, Sebastian became addicted to cocaine, however, blowing his writing career and almost blowing his whole life. After his umpteenth stay in rehab, he finally managed to get back on track. Now in his late thirties/early forties, he is teaching at Casco Bay College in Southern Maine. He even found a lover, sort of: the small town’s police chief Max Prescott. Theirs is a no-strings-attached, no-commitment relationship, which if it seems to suit them both leaves Sebastian slightly… wanting. He has the impression his feelings and his dedication are much stronger than Max’s, who is apparently not looking for more than convenient companionship.

One day, Tad Corelli, one of the most gifted students taking part in the Lighthouse residency program Sebastian oversees, shows up in his office, looking shaken and bearing the signs of someone who has just been beaten up. He tells Sebastian he needs to go away for a while, dodges his questions, and begs him not to throw him out of the program. Recognizing his younger, tortured self in the troubled boy’s features, Sebastian accepts and even gives him the keys to the isolated island house he inherited from his father. That evening, however, Max informs him that a local restaurant owner was killed on the beach—none other than Mario Corelli, Tad’s notoriously irate father. Although gossip abounds immediately—some whisper about the mob being involved, others point in turns at Corelli’s ambitious second wife, who’s running for mayor, at the current mayor himself, even at Corelli’s first wife—the police think their best lead is Corelli’s son. His strained relationship with his father was common knowledge, after all, and there are witnesses who heard the young man threaten that he would kill his father. His sudden disappearance right after the murder spells guilt in capital letters. Sebastian knows he should tell his lover about his conversation with Tad and the latter’s probable whereabouts, but something holds him back. Probably his firm conviction that Tad is innocent. He decides to ask some questions instead and suddenly finds himself thrown into the middle of the murder investigation, which jeopardizes everything he has been fighting for these last years: his relationship, his new career, even his hard-achieved victory over his addiction…

Sebastian Swift—a character who held me in his thrall from page one till the end. A tortured mind with a difficult past and demons aplenty that he kept struggling with every waking minute, or so it seemed. His character remained subtle, his fight never becoming some pathetic big-time drama, and Josh created and treated him with empathetic psychological insight. He was just a man trying to keep his head above the churning waters of life—life being something he was very ill equipped to deal with, hence his addiction. He was that sort of endearing character living in his own bubble rather than in reality that awakened my “motherly” feelings; I wanted to hug him and cradle him and tell him everything would be all right. But make no mistake—under his apparent frailty, he turned out to be tougher and stronger than I would have suspected, plus he was well-read and really smart (always a sexy touch).

At first I didn’t know what to make of his odd relationship or of Max, whom I rather disliked on first sight. I’m aware he perfectly fits the description of Josh’s favorite trope where the “romantic interests” of the (softer, sweeter) main characters are concerned—they are always their exact opposite (and, I suspect, something Josh is rather attracted to). Taciturn, no-nonsense, often commitment-shy, outwardly strong, broad-shouldered and broad-chested men’s men; nigh übervirile hunks who we always need to get to know better before understanding (and liking) them. As the going gets tough and Sebastian is openly targeted by whoever committed the murder, Max finally realizes his feelings go deeper than thought, and he stands by his man, no questions asked (more or less; he’s the police chief, so of course he asks questions).

All in all, I think it’s this perfect blend of murder investigation (a classical whodunnit) and the parallel development both of the main characters and their relationship that made this such an enjoyable, even intriguing read. I went from “poor Sebastian and crappy lover” to “oh, they do love each other” to a final, contented sigh. What made this journey so interesting was the fact that nothing was simplistic (not even simple) and that I could sense their road would remain bumpy and difficult even after the denouement of the murder mystery. But at the same time, the mutual commitment someone as romantically inclined as I always hopes for was there and let me foresee more harmony than the book started out with. The murder investigation itself was cleverly woven, with twists and turns and a final culprit I didn’t see coming, yet not so implausible that I would name that person a deux ex machina, which is a cheap writing trick I never really warm up to.

So yes, nine years after the novel’s original release, I finally read it, loved it, and hereby recommend it wholeheartedly. A millésime, a very fine vintage Lanyon, if I may say so.

I’m not sure how I missed some of Josh Lanyon’s earlier books, but the fact that a lot of them are being re-released is helping me catch up. Come Unto These Yellow Sands is one of those books and although I wasn’t quite sure about it in the beginning, it didn’t take me long to get totally wrapped up in the suspense.

To be honest, part of what held me back in this one was Max. Sometimes getting just one character’s POV can skew a reader’s perspective. That’s not a bad thing, although it can be frustrating. Sometimes, even without the other characters POV you can still see things from that character that can clue you in to what the main character may not see. Not so with Max. Fair or not, I didn’t like him from the beginning and got caught up in Swift’s emotions about their relationship. Turns out we were both wrong – it took a while for him to redeem himself though, which just added to the suspense. Swift had no idea where he stood and for a while had no idea whether or not Max had his back.

There were a lot of twists and turns in Come Unto These Yellow Sands and a lot of players. It was hard to tell the good guys from the bad and in the end readers still aren’t sure that everyone was brought to justice. For the record, I love it when an author proves me wrong about my initial reaction to a character – and Josh Lanyon has done that more than once, so I shouldn’t have been surprised this time. I wouldn’t mind another story centered around this duo, which I most definitely didn’t see coming. 😉

I enjoyed reading this very well plotted and crafted story . Come Unto These Yellow Sands is a very different and original mystery romance.

Loved the heroes , Sebastian Swift and Chief of Police Max . as a couple and individually. I understood and felt a connection with Swift almost from the start ...the way his mind works , it's fascinating to me. Their relationship and dynamics were unique for a romance book .yet , so normal and organic . They felt so real to me.

This is a very entertaining and witty story. I am sure I will be rereading again.


I just reviewed Come Unto These Yellow Sands by Josh Lanyon.#ComeUntoTheseYellowSands #NetGalley