Spin Out by James Buchanan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

James Buchanan always delivers. ALWAYS. The writing is fresh and there is a reasonable conflict within the story. Buchanan works to portray the men in her story as guys, realistic (within the confines of the story, of course) but just normal guys who could possibly exist in the world Buchanan has created.

I like a wide range of story types but my best reading… my favourite reading comes from a storyteller who takes the time to flesh out characters and provide an in-depth plot with a true-to-life situational base to it. I enjoy the almost-reality of a good book and Buchanan provides that in spades.

“Deputy Joe #2” is a long-awaited sequel for me. Without breaking into spoilers, the writing here is concise and heart-rending at times. Just enough emotion in it to feel the pain someone might run into once life gets complicated but enough perspective so it isn’t a drowning pool of angst.

Both of the main characters are fully drawn, giving the reader an delightful insight into their lives. Kabe Varghese is a great foil for the more serious and intrinsically pious Joe Peterson. That piety is a personal moral system and doesn’t come off as restrictive, something I enjoy in this book. Joe balances the guidance in his life with the physical needs he has perfectly and there’s no apologies given for those choices. A refreshing take on a gay man’s outlook on his life. Not to say Joe doesn’t have quandrys, both personal and professional, but they are handled with a delicate hand and Buchanan wields a beautifully wrought pen.

Pick up the first book “Hard Fall” then head on over to “Spin Out”. And be glad you didn’t have to wait like I did.

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