44.1644° North

I really enjoyed this book. I went in blind, not knowing that there was an actual case that was similar to this storyline. This was a fast read, and one that hooked me from the beginning. Some of the characters annoyed me with their sudden “know it all” attitude at time, but I guess that was to be expected when a lot of true crime podcasters come together in one area.

I also loved that there was a little romance built into the story. That was unexpected for me, and not only was I wanting to keep reading to know more about the disappearance, but I also wanted to keep reading about the budding relationship that was starting.

This was a good read, and would be a great started book for anyone who wanted to test the water with a true crime story. Not too graphic or gory, and enough detail to keep you interested until the end! Thank you for the opportunity to read this one!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Amazing story that the author has based on the real life disappearance of a UMass nursing student. It was engaging and intriguing, with interesting side characters. Some sympatric, some quite interesting, but some downright annoying and pompous.

I had my own sleuthing ideas of the villain, but have to admit I was way off base!
For me this was a in-one-sitting-read, but I was disappointed to not read about Weber's downfall!


I did like how <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/169224"target="_blank">Rory's boss</a> has a boyfriend named Jason, <i>“There’s only one thing that makes my boss happy, and he’s spending the weekend with him right now.”</i>

I find Josh Lanyon's take on this true-crime mystery fascinating. This 140+ page novella uses the framework of an annual gathering at the site of a 20-year-old fictional disappearance of a young woman (Deidre O'Donnell) in a small New Hampshire town in order to discuss the real 2004 disappearance of Maura Murray.

Our MC Skylar Brennan is a podcast host who has a degree in criminal justice and teaches courses in criminology, and as such is a step above the "murder and makeup" crowd or the two "documentary" makers whose research consisted of visiting strip clubs in Montreal. All the usual suspects are discussed - it's the boyfriend, the father, the local creepy-guy, someone in the police department, it's the supposed mysterious passenger in the car, ad naseum.

Lanyon does an exceptional job of examining Deidre's character (and by extension Maura's) and putting her actions into a context that seems logical and entirely possible. And at the end of the story (and a somewhat hurried heart-stopping resolution), it's jarring to get a fictional solution to a fictional case, while we may never know what actually happened in the case of Maura Murray.

And because this is Josh Lanyon - we get a hurried but sweet start of a relationship between Skylar and Rory who is sent to investigate the case on the behest of (the unnamed in the book) BAU Chief Sam Kennedy.

4 stars for a very poignant take on a true-crime story.

Calling all true crime lovers! Lanyon weaves another delightful mystery though this one feels a little different than the others. It feels like there's more of an edge to the writing which comes from the true crime feeling of it. This is well-balanced against the romance, investigation, and humor which Lanyon does so well. The case investigates the disappearance of a young woman years ago that Skylar has made his mission to uncover the truth about and teams up with a handsome stranger. The ending feels open as if this is just the beginning of where these characters could go, and as typical with Lanyon's books, you'll be left wanting more.

I enjoyed this novella hecka lot!! I enjoyed the characters, the storyline and the little bit of creepy vibe. The topic of true crime sleuthing is always entertaining for me and I found this very well done. With a novella things have to be condensed, so sometimes the wrap up feels a bit sudden, but that doesn't take away from the story if you know that going in!

This was a fun and quick read. I enjoyed the mystery and quick romance, despite usually reading longer novels. Josh Lanyon is a talented writer who can write interesting and captivating stories and characters with few words. Do I wish it were longer, yup. But I also wish most of the good books I read were longer.

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this story I am reminded why I am such a huge fan of Josh's writing. This novella packs a lot of action and suspense. I never thought that the world of criminal podcasters could be so competitive and well at times nasty. Apparently, true crime aficionados take their theories quite seriously.
A decades-old disappearance has left a bereaved family and their small town in limbo. Deirdre O'Donnell, a brilliant young woman had a car accident that may have been alcohol-related one night in a sleepy town in remote New Hampshire. The wrecked car was found but Deordre disappeared and was never to be seen again.
Every year in that same town a vigil is held and it draws in a lot of true crime groupies.
Skylar has a popular podcast called Ugly Town and he has been sent death threats which he has forwarded to the FBI. So far there has been radio silence from any authorities but this has not stopped Sky from participating this year. There he meets Rory and instantly figures out he is in law enforcement. They develop a fast friendship and equally fast attraction. Who killed this young woman and are the threats to Sky real? I highly recommend this heart-pounding and brilliantly written story.
Special thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book for my reading pleasure.

cold-case, m/m-mystery, missing-persons, New Hampshire, novella, podcaster, romantic, suspense, thriller*****

Masterful treatment of possible answers to the unanswerable questions in a real cold case with a side order of romance. Well done!
I requested and received an EARC from JustJoshin Publishing, Inc. via NetGalley. Thank you!

I haven't read a romance novel in a while that didn't make me want to gag, choke and do bloody murder on whoever invented the idea of love. But since coming to terms with a lot of my issues, some of the joy I used to find in characters finding romantic happiness has returned to me.

This book is about Skylar, a criminology professor who also moonlights as a true crime podcaster. His pocasting career has mostly focused on the disappearance of Deirdre who went missing in 2004 after crashing her car then was never heard from again. Skylar decides to attend a vigil for Deirdre, held at the small town, Woodlark, New Hamsphire (that's what NH stands for, right?). But what's even more disturbing about Sky's visit is that he's been receiving credible death threats, and one particularly ominous email with the subject line reading, 44.1644° North. Could this be Deirdre's final resting place?

Sky has his theories about what happened to Deirdre but some of his podcasting peers don't agree with most of them. Even a celebrated, according to himself, Peter Weber who wore a fedora hat that was too big for his allegedly big head. Weber had all sorts of theories about what happened to Deirdre, some more cuckoo than the rest. He's in a bit of an envy streak when he finds out that Pat, Deirdre's father, was willing to give Sky an interview when he was denied multiple times. The lion, the witch and the audacity of this bitch in thinking he'd get an interview when he'd once wrongfully accused Pat of sexually assaulting his daughter.

Other podcasters aren't pleased to see Sky around but he's not really sure why. At one point he is even stalked outside a bar, on his first night since his arrival. The book has two mysteries playing in tandem. A nice little tango and our partner in dance is FBI BAU analyst Rory, who also works with Jason (from The Mermaid Murders). Rory was sent to bumfuck, Snow Everywhere because of the threats Sky had shared and when I say they are cute. I absolutely mean it.

On their first friendly interaction, Sky's drink has been spiked by his unknown fan. Sky wanders out to get to his room then gets turned around in the woods.
...I couldn't remember which of the dark cabins was supposed to be mine. They all looked alike when they were asleep. Which started me laughing so hard, I had to grab the nearest tree to stay upright.
"Can I have this dance?" ...
A hand landed on my shoulder, "May I cut in?"
It was Rory to the rescue. By that point, Sky had yet to learn Rory's name and my god this was adorable, attempted drugging notwithstanding.
"My name is Rory Torr," he said crisply, "Special Agent Rory Torr to you."
After a moment, I asked suspiciously, "Why just to me?"
This book has me believing in meet cutes again.

Rory and Sky combine forces to uncover more details about Deirdre's disappearance and who would want to hurt Sky. But as the pages left kept dwindling, I was hit with a pang that this was a novella. None of my favourite parts of mysteries made lasting cameos such as interviewing the suspects, canvassing for witnesses, exploring the scene of the crime, gathering all the involved people in a room to unfold the detective's findings and finally point to the murderer. Aha! But this is no Poirot caper. And that's not a bad thing. Rory does connect the dots by the end of the book and there is enough action to make me pause. The resolution may not be the most satisfying to readers but I still felt abject relief when it ended. This book was extremely lovely, something that reminded the cold dead cockles of my heart that it still beats.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

This is by far one of JL's best standalone novels. I was hooked from the start - I had to know what happened to Dierdre, and how the story would end. NOT giving anything away.

I really liked this story, the characters, the mystery, the relationship between the MCs, and the ending (even though it ends abruptly!!!) I was guessing right along with Skylar on what was going on. Highly recommend.

The story may seem like it starts slow but that is a deliberate build up to know the characters in play, and there are some tense moments in the beginning. There is also romance, but not insta-love, not even close. There is interest and certainly a desire to want to see more of each to see how things go.

What I LOVED and had no idea was going to happen, Jason and Sam from The Art of Murder series have off page cameos!!! It was awesome! Not giving away secrets as to why. :D

The blurb gives you just enough to know the basic premise of the story, but understand there is more going on.

4.25 stars (ending was too short! I would have loved to have seen just a teeny bit more.)