Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Late Fees
SERIES: Pinx Video Mystery #3
AUTHOR: Marshall Thornton
PUBLISHER: Kenmore Books
LENGTH: 222 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 10, 2018
BLURB:
It’s Thanksgiving, 1992 and Noah Valentine is late picking his mother up from the airport. When he arrives he discovers that she’s made a friend on the flight whose also waiting for her son. When women’s son doesn’t show up, they eventually take the woman home for breakfast with neighbor’s Marc and Louis. Soon after, they learn that the woman’s son has overdosed—or has he? Noah and his motley crew investigate over the holiday weekend; which includes a fabulous dinner, a chat with a male stripper, a tiny little burglary and some help from Detective Tall, Dark, and Delicious.
REVIEW:
This book goes from serious to funny and everywhere in between and I love it. I love this series. If I ever felt sorry for anyone, it would be Noah. Lol. That man is a trouble magnet with a capital T and his friends don’t help in keeping him out of it either. I’m convinced he needs to give up his video store and just be a PI. Or something.
It’s bad enough Noah gets into trouble on his own, now his own mom is in on the ‘fun’. Picking her up late at the airport started this whole tale and as usual, Noah ends up with his life possibly at risk. His mom meets someone in the airport bar who is also waiting for her gay son. When the son doesn’t show, Noah…well Noah’s mom, volunteers them to take her to her son’s apartment. There’s no answer by phone or the door, so they decide to try in the morning after hearing he was at a party late. The police call the next morning to inform them the son is dead. But the mom is convinced her son wouldn’t kill himself, in spite what the cops are saying. And it leads to a mystery where the cops are not happy with Noah, as usual, the suspects have secrets a mile long, and finding out Noah’s mom can perform a B&E.
Noah finds out some things about his mom in this one that gives him a few shocks. Such as the B&E, for example. And she’s just as bad about wanting to investigate as his friends are, when all he wants to do is stay home. It always ends up where he’s almost shot, stabbed or something and he’d like to remain alive a bit longer. Plus, the cops are really getting pissed at him. Except for Javi, but that’s a whole other story.
His mom being in this story just cracked me up so many times. She is a pistol. It had its hard times too. Discussing his HIV status was hard. No good mom wants to lose their child. That’s one thing in this story and series I’ve loved. Although nowadays, with things such as PreP, HIV and AIDS seem to be having better results. Although there’s no cure, they seem to be getting a better handle on it. But back then, it was still new and raw. So many had lost their lives. I love that the author uses characters that have the disease though. And shows them in a different light. It’s never downplayed and I love it. Good, bad and ugly.
I’m still convinced Noah need to just be a PI. Maybe his friends do too, as much as they keep sticking him in the middle of it lol. But his natural curiosity and need to get at the truth make for an interesting story. Full of mystery, suspense, humor and more. These stories I can never put down. True entertainment. I’m waiting to see if he gets in more trouble soon and what it is next.
RATING: 
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