Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: A Light In The Darkness
SERIES: Polaris Mysteries #1
AUTHOR: Crystal D Budy
PUBLISHER: Wicked Dreamer Press
LENGTH: 316 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 24, 2023
BLURB:
Forced to return home, he must face his family, his past, and the one man he could never win over.
Growing up the gay son of a wealthy, conservative mayor in a small town, Max Talbot learned early on that charm and manipulation were his best tools for survival. Now he uses those skills to con rich people out of their money. Sure, some may call that unethical but he sees it as helping them spend their money on something other than themselves for once.
Between running a bar and managing a ranch, Mike Carter barely has the energy to breathe, let alone deal with Max’s games. But when Carter finds the body of his high school bully and Max’s onetime best friend on his property, he no longer has a choice.
After the police rule the death an accident, Max decides to investigate, dragging Carter along with him. What they uncover goes deeper than they could have imagined and pulls them headfirst into a conspiracy that could tear the whole town apart—if it doesn’t kill them first.
A Light in the Darkness is the first book in the Polaris Mysteries series, a mystery with glimmers of romance. It features a small town murder mystery, snarky con man, a cinnamon roll bartender, an overly protective big brother, and bucket loads of sexual tension.
Note: While there is a HFN ending and the main mystery plot is resolved within the book, there is an overarching mystery that will encompass the series, and the relationship between the two main characters will develop throughout.
REVIEW:
When Max ran from an abusive, wealthy father, he was a mess looking for an escape in any shape or form. Then he went from frying pan to fire, yet he eventually got clean, albeit he had to justify doing anything to his partner. Years later, he is called home due to his father having a heart attack. It’s an opportunity to escape his abusive husband. Avoidance was always Max’s best defense, but this tactic put him into Carter’s arena – a man who is caring, understanding, and an iddy bit dominant in a way that makes Max’s – everything – tremble. However, nefarious deeds are afoot, and Max’s inner amateur sleuth needs to know what’s happening.
What a delightful story. A Light In The Darkness is the first in the Polaris Mysteries series, and I can’t wait to read what comes next. There is an overall series arc, but each tale has a conclusion. This tells me that the protagonists survive, but oh damn, the journey to the final page is well worth settling in a corner with a cuppa.
The story is told in the third person from the viewpoints of Max and Carter. There is a dark backdrop to the small town that includes drugs, the naive who don’t want to rock the boat, and those with money who rule. So, the (never miss an opportunity) snarky levity behind some of Max’s masked banter adds that little bit of light in the dark that that title suggests, alongside the promise that there is someone out there prepared to do what’s right.
Max is a con artist/petty thief, cheeky, reckless, and totally adorable. It’s a state of protection that has served him well. But what convinces me that most of it is a mask is the abuse he’s been through and the constant temptation to relapse into drugs. His inner demons also peek through when his life is on the line, and he believes it is worthless. He doesn’t care about his own well-being, but he cares deeply about those around him.
Bullied at school for being gay, Carter grew up to be a person who can look after himself, though he has a vulnerable side. He must be tough to run the family farm, and he introduced a gay bar into the backwater town. Carter is a patient, at times, Zen kind of man from a loving family who has always tried to do right. He gives Max the confidence to do things for himself, and the connection between him, and Max grows as the story progresses. Seeing Max come into his own while he helps Carter with the farm was a delight.
Crime is all around, orchestrated, and enabled by several sources. One of which is a cult in the mountains. The murder of Max’s bad-boy best (ish) friend opens a can of worms that proves to be a superb, unusual, heartwarming, and occasionally brutal page-turner of a story.
RATING: 
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