Holmes and Moriary, Book Four - In Other Words ... Murder

Sometimes it is hard to remember what has happened previously in a series when the books come out infrequently.  Such is the case with the Holmes & Moriarty series.  Author Josh Lanyon is quite the prolific writer, authoring quite a number of series, but the Holmes & Moriarty books are the only ones I read. The series is about mystery writer Christopher Holmes and his (now) fiance, J.X. Moriarty (and yes, the author does have characters in the books acknowledge the significance of the names), who stumble across bodies are ultimately investigate to solve the crime.  Previous books in the series were Somebody Killed His Editor, All She Wrote, and The Boy with the Painful Tattoo. And while I remember some general premises about the stories, it's hard to recall the details, since it has been several years since the last one came out.

Like the fact that Christopher and J.X. have now moved in together.

Or the fact that Christopher has been on an extended sabbatical, unable to write any of his famed Miss Butterwith books.

Or even the fact that J.X.'s young nephew is staying with them.

But that's okay.  Thanks to Lanyon's excellent writing, I was quickly brought up to speed while reading her latest offering, In Other Words ... Murder.  Other than Christopher's writer's block, everything is going great for this couple.  They are planning a vacation getaway (that J.X. is hoping will be a honeymoon!), J.X.'s books are selling like hotcakes with one even optioned for a movie, and they have settled into their new home.  What could possibly go wrong?  Well, a body found buried underneath the gazebo (er, I mean the pergola) in the backyard of Christopher's old house.  The one he sold a year ago.  And based upon the call from his ex, it appears the body may belong to the man his ex left him for - the same man that used to be Christopher's personal assistant.  How could things get worse?

Well, the new owners are threatening to sue Christopher and break the contract on the house. Then, there's the sudden appearance of Jerry Knight, his biggest fan.  The one who tried to kill him.  Oh, and did I mention the clown that has been stalking Christopher?  So, yeah, maybe things aren't going quite as well as Christopher had thought they were.  And just when J.X. was getting ready to leave on his book tour.   And if all of that weren't enough, let's not forget that Christopher's father is in town and wants to meet J.X.   Meanwhile, Christopher's ex (David) wants to not only help Christopher with his investigation into the murder (who even said Christopher was looking into it?), but he also wants to get back into Christopher's pants!

Without a doubt, there is PLENTY going on in this book, but despite the overwhelming amount of story, Lanyon does an amazing job of keeping the story flowing nicely, never rushed, but with no lulls, and brings the mysteries to a very satisfying conclusion.  Lanyon is without a doubt an author I would highly recommend for anyone who loves a well-crafted mystery with fun, believable characters.  Now, the only mystery that remains is - how long before we get the fifth Holmes & Moriarty book?

RATING:  10 hotel glasses washed with toilet brushes out of 10 for a truly great murder mystery!