Spin Out by James Buchanan
Sequel to Hard Fall
MLR Press
Gay Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1-60820-393-2
Reviewed by Cassie

Deputy Joe Peterson is starting to get his life back on an even keel after his relationship with another man is revealed. Unfortunately for Joe, the fallout at his job is only just beginning. He’s scheduled to appear before the state police board due to his relationship with Kabe Varghese, who happens to be on probation after spending two years in prison. On top of that, the appearance of a dead body means Joe’s got a new case on his hands. Can Joe make it through with his relationship and the career he loves intact?

Spin Out is another engaging look into the life of Deputy Joe. He’s a fascinating narrator for many reasons. For one, he’s an unapologetic small-town guy. He’s intelligent and good at his job, but he speaks in a way that’s very much indicative of where he comes from. Anyone who’s turned off by dialect in stories might find his voice annoying, but I enjoyed it, probably because it’s realistically done. He doesn’t sound like a caricature. Another interesting thing about Joe is his faith. He’s a former LDS, whose excommunication has left its mark on him but has not shaken his core beliefs. Add in his laconic, determined to protect others at all costs attitude and you get a character that’s very different from most other romance heroes.

Unfortunately for Joe, his determination to protect others by doing what he thinks is best without consulting anyone isn’t the best way to have a romantic relationship. He cares a great deal about Kabe, so in his mind the best way to show that is to keep Kabe from worrying about what he sees as his own problem. He goes out of his way to downplay the seriousness of his troubles with his job. He keeps his fear that he may lose the job he loves to himself rather than sharing with Kabe. When the truth comes out, Kabe is understandably hurt—and furious. This aspect of the book is definitely engaging. There were times I wanted to slap some sense into Joe, who refused to see that his lies by omission were wrong. A lot of his fear and pain came about through his own stubborn insistence on being an island. I also got irritated with his refusal to go after Kabe and try to talk to him on a couple of occasions. Still, he managed to remain a sympathetic character, probably because he truly thought he was doing the right thing. I continued to hope he’d work things out with Kabe, as well as learn to share his life, and the way the romance part of the storyline unfolded didn’t disappoint.

The mystery aspect of Spin Out is also well done. There’s nothing super dramatic here—no shootouts or television-like reveals. Instead, Joe investigates using real police work: interviewing suspects and friends of the deceased, checking out hunches, and putting the evidence together. Even without all the flashy, TV-style drama, Spin Out’s mystery held my interest. The secondary characters Joe interacts with over the course of his investigation, even the ones that played very small roles, are mostly well-written enough to seem like fully formed people. There is some drama from an unexpected source late in the book, but it’s not overdone—it actually added some more emotional punch, in my opinion. James Buchanan does a good job of pulling the different threads of Spin Out together at the end, resulting in a story that’s good as both a romance and a mystery. Fans of Hard Fall will definitely want to join Deputy Joe for another book. Anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of meeting the deputy yet should start with Hard Fall.