Sun Goes Down: A Mitch Mitchell Mystery

One of the most completely unique characters in all M/M literature, Mitch Mitchell has done it again in his own salacious, but insightful, way. Breaking his own heart by driving his beautiful, loving partner Vince out of his life, the American with the physician's license from Edinburgh gets lucky--as usual--with a propitious communication from his old university chum Frank (not Bob as the blurb mistakenly calls him) to help solve a mystery on the beautiful isle of Gozo off the short of Malta.As usual in a Mitch mystery, his attention is drawn immediately into the book by two exceptionally hot, and perhaps receptive, men--a soldier named Bill and a young lithe blond named Henry--on the boat, and we are privy to all the wonderful things Mitch wishes he could do to each of them on board. He even spots a tall and handsome man with a "dog collar," which means he's a priest, and mentally hyperventilates over that one.By the time he's achieved his first sexual experience on the island, Mitch has introduced us to a wild assortment of supporting characters, all of which would have been perfectly at home with any of the characters that his hero Hercule Poirot would encounter. There is so much tongue-in-cheek here, and so much plot twisting (and bed hopping) that you don't realize how quickly author Lear is proceeding to a climax in the plot. Among other climaxes.The added twist in this book is the introspection Lear brings to Mitch as he gets older, and lonely. How it ends leaves us hoping that Lear will continue the tale of this terribly unique and lovable (if sometimes caddish) character

Great writer of gay erotic fiction, articulate and humorous, Lear's novel, with all the murder mystery allusions to Agatha Christie and the 1932 setting in a remote island of the British Empire, but this island is in the Mediterranean is one I had never heard about, really is a fun and sexy read. The gay sex scenes are a big bonus. All the women who write M/M "erotic fiction" or romance fiction really NEED to read this book to understand what REAL gay sex is about. I have to admit that I've read all of Lear's novels, and they are by far the best of the genre. Josh Lanyon is good, but his sex scenes lack the passion and reality of gay sex.

After a six year hiatus, during which Mr Lear penned the two Dan Stagg mysteries, we have the pleasure to return to the adventures of Dr Mitch Mitchell, amateur detective and man about town. The book is superb... I didn't want it to end. Mr Lear's writing style is elegant with his trademark British understated sense of humor, sexy as can be, and the plot and characters are worthy of Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers. It is a thoroughly entertaining read. I have read nine of Mr Lear's erotic novels and I have never been disappointed. Hopefully we won't have to wait so long for more of Dr Mitch.

The year is 1932, the setting a Mediterranean Island plus all the intrigue, sex and m/m romance you could ask for. Author James Lear book THE SUN GOES DOWN is a well written murder mystery with an eccentric cast of characters and the very sexy and masculine Dr. Mitch Mitchell at the center of it all. Mr. Lear's writing was so good that I had no clue "who done it" until the very last chapter...

Another great installment in Mr. Lear's Mitch Mitchell mystery series. Albeit this one felt a little more rushed and tidy, I love that the main character looks to be developing beyond the gay rake stereotype. Look forward to reading about Mitch and Bill if the series continues. Worth reading if your already a fan...if you're a new reader then your in for a treat Mr. Lear doesn't disappoint

Enjoyed this tale, possibly even more than the previous ones as Mitch is starting to question his personal decisions.Loved the setting in Gozo. As it has been and now is the home of a couple of gay writers, it's a fitting location.Times have also improved since the era it was set in with Malta being one of the most progressive countries in the world when it comes to gay rights.

Good book

I sound like I'm writing this review in the !last century but what a fun read. Witty, well plotted, steady pace, period piece of a time that never was. Can you use the word "cozy" as high praise? This is reading that can transport you to another world even when you know the real world was never like this.

James Lear (Rupert Smith under another name) is one of a number of writers who has invented a gay detective hero (Greg Herren, Michael Nava and Josh Lanyon, notably). Herren's detective-hero is first encountered wearing only a thong and dancing on the bar of a gay club but even his antics cannot compete with those of Lear's Mitch Mitchell. This is the best yet of the series: funny, page-turning and as erotically charged as only Lear's books can be. No promising lead is left unexplored and, if young, male and sexy, unplundered. This is a wonderful, entertaining, sexy romp. No gay man should go on holiday without one of Lear's books to read, though few of us will match Mitch's tally of crimes solved and hot guys seduced.

,All of the J L series are a great read.Light reading but not frivolous and tacky.Plenty of characters. Fun, mystery and a good plot.Always a laugh within story and not predictable in any way.

I really enjoyed this. Set in Malta, and places that I knew. Plenty of fun as the plot develops

I don’t know what you felt when you turned the last page of A Sticky End, but I felt a bit sad because my our eventful adventure with Mitch Mitchell, amateur dick with a high testosterone and high IQ level, came to the end.And now -WHO COULD DREAM ABOUT IT?! - 10 years after the publication of Sticky End, a third book in the series, we've been amazed with The Sun Goes Down, a new book of Mitch Mitchell Mystery!Of course I blamed one of the most beautiful island of the world (it moves immediately to the top of my MUST SEEN list) for having inspired the author to write the book 4...l can well imagine how James Lear while strolling through the charming alleys and narrow streets of the old town Xlendi, looking at the calm blue waters, admiring a brilliant light of island sunset, enjoying fantastic meals and Maltese beer, came to the brilliant idea to “invite” Mitch to this island paradise, away from stuffy dirty London.And it is exactly what happens: Frank Southern, an old friend of Mitch during the medical training and brigade surgeon to the garrison at Valletta, whom he haven’t seen since years, invites our Mitch to assist in a delicate professional matter. And honestly, there are worse places to be, than a beautiful Mediterranean island in the summertime, particularly one with a sizable military presence.Mitch, single again, comes to the island full of hopes and expectations:"Here on Gozo, surrounded by the darkly sparkling Homeric seas, under the broiling near-tropical sun, I might find adventure. Sex, for sure, with all those soldiers and sailors. Love, even, if I was lucky, but without the oppressive need to be faithful—it could only last as long as I stayed. And, I thought, fingering the pages of the Agatha Christie that lay unread in my lap, I might stumble upon a crime. The setting was perfect: picturesque enough for novelty, surrounded by water to limit escape, a place where people of all types came together, a melting pot."But Mitch was not the only one with high expectations.I had either high expectations, and I assure you, I got EVERYTHING I wanted, and maybe even a little bit more. ;)Funny, sexy, murderous, entertaining, excellent written, with the particular charm of the beautiful surroundings and a very special Mediterranean atmosphere, this book, longingly awaited by all true Mitch and James Lear fans, is a pure MELTING reading pleasure!Highly recommended!P.S I LIKE this cover!!!

Typical story for this character, but so ridiculous, it's quite funny