Beautiful ending to a great series. The story was nice and tight and read smoothly. The sex was smokin and it was sometimes how far Joe got from vanilla. The mystery in this segment knocked right on the Peterson's front door. I was touched by the way Joe and his father came to terms over their differences. All of the characters were well fleshed out and most had some redeeming qualities. This is one of those series that gave a lot and I really never wanted to see end. Highly recommended. ( )

An AReCafe Top Pick!

Laying Ghosts (Deputy Joe Series #3) by James Buchanan is told in first-person by our thirty-ish hero Joe who is facing the homecoming of his parents from their two-year mission in Russia for the Mormon Church. Now is not a good time for Joe. In the previous two books in the Deputy Joe series, he went through the excruciating experience of having everyone in his small, conservative Utah town find out about his gay relationship with young ex-convict Kabe. That right there – his involvement with a parolee – damaged his law enforcement career, resulting in his unfriendly new supervisor putting him on months of boring desk duty.

Meanwhile, the Mormon Church excommunicated him. And Joe’s parents still don’t know about any of this. And his siblings are organizing a huge family reunion. Add to this potent mix Joe’s new uneasiness with his and Kabe’s sadomasochistic sex life after accidentally injuring Kabe. Is it any wonder that Joe would seek distraction in reopening a cold case pertaining to the long ago death of one of his sisters?

Laying Ghosts is an epic novel that should please those fans of gay romance who want to submerge themselves into a lengthy, absorbing story. Here, Deputy Joe has a lot to struggle with. His conflicts include dealing with intolerant siblings, worrying about aging parents, coping with a seemingly unsympathetic boss, grieving over his isolation from a church and community that he loved, and trying to do his job in a town that has rejected him. Throughout, his complicated relationship with Kabe is both his strength and his weakness. Their chemistry is intense, but his newfound fear about his sadistic sexual tendencies puts a serious kink (pun intended!) into their sex life. Joe and Kabe are appealing characters with an absorbing story. ( )

4,5 stars.
A very good third installment.

- might contain Spoilers -
The relationship between Joe and Kabe moved along (not without some hick ups, but also with some really touching insight), there were some developements in Joe's family, including his coming out to his parents and - of course - a crime plot.
It was a very enjoyable read. ( )