Massively original in terms of the writing voice and genre (light-hearted heavily-themed humorous mystery). I liked the diverse cast (LGBT+, brown-skinned people, illegal immigrants) and the societal injustices the book made me think about.

The Devil's Chew Toy, an entertaining and easy to read mystery, is cross between Armistead Maupin and Janet Evanovich.

Hayden, a mild mannered teacher decides to take a risk, to try something different and from this small gesture, his entire life is turned upside down.

A gay dancer, Camillio goes missing and the clues point in every direction, but following the clues leads Hayden and his newfound friends into a world where he must summon his courage and bravery to find out what happened to Camillio.

The characters are zany but lovable and the whole story takes place over a few, action-packed days, fueled by frequent stops for pastries and double espressos!

I would definitely read more by this author.

Thanks to NetGallery for providing this e-book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I liked this book, though the plot was at times complicated. Hayden is a single gay man who leaves a nightclub with a gogo boy. When he wakes up in the morning (nothing happened, but there was a connection) the guy had disappeared, leaving his dog behind. His car was found open . Hayden gets drawn into a mystery/crime situation and starts investigating with lesbian friends of the missing guy.
On the whole, I liked the book and the characters. Maybe wound up a little too quickly, it felt as though the momentum was lost towards the end, though the book was entertaining
Thank you to Net Galley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review

2.5/5 stars for this novel.

To begin, let me give a quick shout out to netgalley.com and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced reading copy in return for an honest review of Devil's Chew Toy.

Overall, this is not a bad read. This novel is like a "poor man's Carl Hiaasen read". Somewhat of a mystery, and somewhat funny. Our main character, Hayden, is a 20-something middle school teacher who is out for a fun evening of drinks out the local gay bar. Hayden, normally a straight-laced individual, gets out of his comfort zone and plans to tip a go-go boy who is dancing. The go-go boy, Camilo, accidentally kicks Hayden in the face, giving him a black eye. Out of sympathy (or he is into Hayden), Camilo invites Hayden over to spend the night. Hayden does, and when he awakes, he finds that Camilo is no where to be found - he is gone - and only his dog, Commander, is there. And so begins a bit of a mystery in this novel. Easy to read, and somewhat funny at times, Devil's Chew Toy was not a dud of a novel, but not the Hiaasen book I was hoping for. Hayden's adventures in finding what happened to Camilo - joining forces with a mo-hawked lesbian named Hollister and her friend, Burley - make for a decent read to see how it all ends.

Like I stated, wasn't a bad mystery novel, but wasn't a great one either. Probably would be a good "beach read".

This book was provided to me via Kindle by Crooked Lane Books and #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

A quaint little read full of hilarious characters. Easy to read and enjoy.

A mystery story. Diverse and very queer. Imagine Hayden physically: Prince Harry X Andrew Minyard. For those who don’t know Andrew: Google All For the Game!

After being accidentally kicked in his face by Camilo, a dancer at a gay club, Hayden and Camilo go home together. The next day Hayden wakes up in an empty bed. Camilo has disappeared, and the police question Hayden. What happened to Camilo? Why did he leave in the middle of the night? Hayden wants answers, and together with two of Camilo’s friends, lesbians Hollister and Burley, he tries to solve the mystery.

While reading, I always make notes. And then, after finishing a book, I wrap those notes all together in a nice review (or at least, I think so 😂). But in this case, notes? Wrapping them all together? Oof, I wasn’t sure what to think, what to write, what to ... whatever ... So I’ll try to write a coherent review ... and I’m not sure how it will end ...

First of all, the characters are hilarious. His neighbor calls Hayden a weird carrot-topped midget (see my description above). According to Hayden, Hollister is Serena Williams with a Mohawk (I’d say an Eva Simons look-a-like). And Burley is, well, think of what you’d imagine someone having that name, and you’re probably right.

Furthermore, the story was very easy to read. When I started writing this review, the first word that came to mind was blunt. Blunt chapters, blunt paragraphs, blunt sentences. The writing is simple, almost repetitive. The author used the words this and that and then a lot. But the story wasn’t boring because there was some sort of cadence in the bluntness and repetitiveness that made the story flow smoothly. And those hilarious characters made the story fun to read even though it’s pitched as a mystery. It’s more of a comical mystery, I guess. Meanwhile, several important topics were discussed, such as police brutality, bullying, and being illegal in the US.

I’m not sure if I can call this a ‘well written’ book. Some people might find it over the top, and others might find the writing too simple. While reading, I constantly thought that the writing reminded me of another (mystery) author, but I haven’t found the author's name in my brains yet (it’s just too full right now 😭). Overall, I just enjoyed reading the story. And that’s what it’s all about, right? Oh, and I really liked Hayden’s blog, especially the one about Look but don’t Touch!

‘Ask yourself: does he seem like a bad boy or a good guy? If he’s a member of the first camp, feel free to look, ogle, flirt, stare and fantasize, but DO NOT TOUCH! We’re looking for a spark, not a third degree burn.’

I have to sit on this for a while. For now, my rating is 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I’m not sure, yet so I might change it. I’m very curious what other people think of the book, so I’m eagerly waiting on other reviews! There will be a second book in this series, and I’m probably going to read it because I’d love to see a certain person again ... just like Hayden does.

I received an ARC from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date on Goodreads: July 18, 2021
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/108960535-marieke-du-pr

I was really, really looking forward reading The Devil's Chewtoy. And I knew, getting an unproofed ARC is always a bit of an risk. Only this book is simply illegible too me.. I'd love to get a more proofreaded edition and try again.