Review of Stephanie Gayle's mystery "Idyll Threats"

Idyll Threats

by Stephanie Gayle

Mystery

Reviewed by Lisa Haselton

Transitioning from being a NYC detective to police chief in a small CT town is quite a change and Thomas Lynch wants to make it work while keeping his private life separate from his professional life.

When he’s called in to investigate a murder, it’s common ground for Lynch with his introspective and methodical ways of approaching a new case. But it’s not common for small Idyll, CT. In fact, it’s quite inconvenient for the small town as Founder’s Day – a tourist draw – is about to begin. So Lynch and his staff are under a lot of pressure to solve the case quickly.

The realistic details add a lot of dimension to the fictional town of Idyll – whose inhabitants are anything but idle. Everyone knows everybody and secrets quickly become town gossip. As the new guy, Lynch faces a lot of suspicion and questions – especially about why he’d move to a small town from the big city. On top of that, he needs to not only get to know his staff, but also teach them the intricacies of solving a murder, as it’s not someone anyone has any experience with.

Gayle has crafted a main character with real-life flaws. He has doubts, he’s awkward as the new guy, and he’s struggling with his past – not unlike most of us. He’s a likable character and I felt natural empathy as I learned more of his back story. He loves being a cop – it’s a calling more than a career – and he’s good at it. The interactions with his staff are naturally awkward, since he’s so new to the job and change is never easy for anyone.

I loved how Chief Lynch pulled me into the small town’s murder investigation and I enjoyed the contrasts explored from his NYC experience to small-town America. It was also fun realizing how much technology has changed since 1997 – and attitudes toward an individual’s lifestyle. I admit to being a murder mystery buff and this story kept me engaged and curious. I forgot I was reading at times, as it seemed I was in the moment.

This is the first novel in Stephanie Gayle’s new Thomas Lynch series. I have to hope the next one comes out soon! Gayle has published several stories, narrative nonfiction articles, and another novel, My Summer of Southern Discomfort.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Idyll Threats and look forward to more in this new series. I consider this a highly recommended, pleasurable mystery read.

If you’re interested in learning more about Stephanie, visit her website.

Also: she’ll be the guest at The Writer’s Chatroom where you can chat with her live on Sunday, September 13 from 7-9PM EST.

Release date: September 8, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-6388-078-8

Publisher: Seventh Street Books

(I received an ARC of this book with no promise of a review of any kind.)

Interview with mystery author Stephanie Gayle

Mystery author Stephanie Gayle is here today talking about all things writing, as well as her new novel, Idyll Threats.

Bio:

Stephanie Gayle is the author of My Summer of Southern Discomfort. She’s twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her short fiction, which has appeared in Kenyon Review Online, Potomac Review, Minnetonka Review, and elsewhere. She co-created the popular Boston reading series, Craft on Draft. When not writing, she is often playing board games. Her Settlers of Catan skills are exquisite.

Welcome, Stephanie. Please tell us about your current release.

Idyll Threats is the first in the Thomas Lynch mystery series.

In the summer of 1997, Thomas Lynch arrives as the new chief of police in the sleepy town of Idyll, Connecticut. The citizens are shocked when young college grad Cecilia North is found murdered on the town’s golf course. By chance, Chief Lynch met her hours before she was killed. With that lead, the case should be a slam dunk - but there’s a problem. If Lynch tells his detectives about meeting the victim, he’ll reveal his greatest secret—he’s gay.

So Lynch works angles of the case on his own. Meanwhile, the mayor is applying pressure to solve the crime before the town’s biggest tourist event begins. Lynch must also cope with the suspicions of his men, their casual homophobia, and the difficult memories of his former NYPD partner’s recent death.

What inspired you to write this book?

I knew I wanted to write about a cop in an extreme situation where he had to keep secrets. But until all but the penultimate draft, one of the secrets was that the murder victim’s ghost talked to him. Inspiration came from decades of reading mysteries and watching a lot of police procedurals on TV. When I was in high school, a man was brutally murdered in my small town and I think that informed some of my story, though I didn’t realize what an influence this was until I reviewed the case in old newspapers.

Excerpt from Idyll Threats:

In my office, tilted back in my chair, I contemplated options. How to get them to the cabin. Call in a tip? Or cut out the middleman? Leave a pink slip on Wright’s desk, saying Cecilia had been seen at the cabin. He wouldn’t check who took the tip call until he’d swept the cabin. My gut rumbled. Manufacturing evidence. Did I want to start down that path?

“Needs must,” my gran used to say when I’d complain about chores.

I used the phrase on rookies, years later, when they’d moan about having to interview a drunk whose pants stank of his own filth. “Needs must,” I’d say, and the men would laugh and say, “Ah, lay a little more of that Irish wisdom on us.”

I missed that camaraderie, the quick laughter at jokes heard a hundred times. Idyll wasn’t friendly despite the locals’ insistence to the contrary. Newcomers were subject to suspicion. And I had secrets to guard. I didn’t trust my men here to keep them. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

I could put the pink slip on a desk before any of them arrived tomorrow.

Needs must.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m working on the second novel of the Thomas Lynch series. In this one there’s less murder, more kidnapping. I like to keep my criminal skill set varied!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I told people I was a writer after my first novel, My Summer of Southern Discomfort, was sold. But I was a writer before that. I just didn’t feel like I could claim the title without a published novel. Psst, aspiring authors, you can!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I work in the Finance department of the MIT Media Lab from 8-5, Monday to Friday. I sacrifice a lot of my after-work and weekend hours to write. Occasionally I’ll take a “vacation” day and stay home and write. I tried writing before work a few times in the early morning hours. It did not go well.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I type with two fingers. Quickly! But two fingers.

Hee hee. That’s funny!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Astronaut, writer, teacher, Wonder Woman, cartoonist, mother, spy, lawyer.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Read what you love, and never apologize for it!

Links:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Amazon

Thanks, Stephanie! Happy writing!