Bloody Queens

Title: Bloody Queens
Author: India Harper
Cover Art: Trace Edward Zaber
Publisher: Amber Quill Press
Buy Link: Buy Link Bloody Queens
Genre: M/M Romance, Historical, Old West, Mystery
Length: Novella 23K words
Rating: 4.5 out 5 rating points

A Guest Review By Raine

Summary Review: An atmospheric, visual, detailed enjoyable novella with a very attractive cast.

Blurb: Recently discharged from the Union Army, Barrett Jennings is looking for a fresh start in a new place. After a chance encounter, Barrett ends up taking the job as the first sheriff of the small mining town of Danvers, Wyoming. Arriving with his few belongings and the promise of steady pay, Barrett has no idea what lies ahead.

Mordecai Jones has lived and breathed the theater from an early age. Leaving Chicago for the freedom and possibility of the West, Mordecai opened the Queen of Hearts theater to bring a bit of culture to the dusty town. And in Danvers he can finally play the role he desires on his own stage.

When Barrett meets Mordecai, the two men instantly connect, but their fledgling relationship is tested when first one girl and then another is brutally murdered, coming ever closer to Barrett and Mordecai. As the sheriff, Barrett has a job to do, but will Mordecai get in his way?

Review:

From the moment Barrett Jennings steps from the railway car, this novella written by the “combined persona of Philippa Grey-Gerou and Emery Sanborne” immediately creates a sense of place and period. Danvers, Wyoming is “a young town, but a growing one, vibrant with potential,” a town with a population of about one thousand and two brick built buildings—the bank and the jail:

…and of all things a theater. It wasn’t large, about the size of a barn, but the fact it was here at all spoke to the town’s aspirations.

The other thing the town is aspiring to is law, hence Barrett’s new job—first sheriff of Danvers.

There are some interesting boundaries in this work that, rather than inhibit, actually enhance. There is the normal space constriction of the novella form, and moreover in Bloody Queens, the stakes rise higher as the story’s time scale is just one week. What could be seen as a limitation does instead, I think, emphasise an underlying truth to a historically set work, more in particular to those set in precarious historical settings such as frontier Old West; life can be brief and bloody—for life’s sake, seize the day. Mordecai in particular lives this philosophy, not caring to restrict his life for public opinion, “Life’s too short to live for anyone but yourself.”

Within this criteria the instant attraction and emotional intimacy between Barrett and Mordecai is more than reasonable, especially when restrictions of time, place and choice are added in to the mix. Having said that I also liked the way Barrett is careful of the realities of their situation:

“Kind of kills the mood talking about it, ” Barrett said as if reading his mind. “But in a town the size of Danvers I’d rather kill the mood than have everything blow up in our faces down the road. “

Mordecai is a satisfyingly complex character with his on-stage female persona of Hepsibah:

” You talk about her as though she were another person.”

” She is.” He winked at Barrett. ” But we both find you very attractive.”

but Barrett is more than a clichéd quiet man of action and has enigmatic qualities of his own. He investigates Moredecai’s sexual psychology—showman and possible exhibitionist—with playful fervour.

Their relationship really worked for me. Mordecai is charismatic, sexual, and intense, and when he knows how he feels about Barrett he is able to emphatically accept all that it means. His words reveal a lot about both of them:

“They need you here, Barrett. They need someone who will get involved, who can’t stop thinking about this shit, even in the middle of the best blowjob of his life. You give a damn, Barrett and people know it.”

The writers have to get a lot of information out there and in quite a short space. There is backstory for both main characters, which allows us to get to know them better, and the supporting cast is well drawn with extra sympathetic touches to increase the reader’s depth of interest.

I really liked the descriptive details that are skillfully displayed here: the agreements with local business to feed the Sheriff. The brick jail being as cool as the mortuary. The realities of having to work several jobs to make a living. Dinah Jurgen, working in the saloon to keep a home for her miner father. The mines the town has been built to serve are never described but are cleverly referenced, existing offstage, so we know how important they are.

I found the writing to be very visual and cinematic:

Torches had been lit at the few intersections in town, and as he made his way down the street he saw dozens of men, women and even a few children making their way to the theater. He fell in behind them, just another member of the community.

I kept seeing it play out as a movie—subtly lit, with careful shadows inside the theatre, with bright colours on stage and then the shocking camera close up of pretty women sprawled in death.

The murder mystery element of the story was engaging enough. I didn’t guess who did until every body else did, but I was more interested in our heroes’ relationship than anything else (sorry character whore here!). I though the killer’s changing personality was well done. An unexpected and decisive action by Bennett really emphasized the frontier nature of the place and the strong character of the man.

I enjoyed the town, the people and the theater, but Mordecai and Barrett really lit up the screen…no, I mean the page.

One of my few minor quibbles with the book was the use of the adjective “midnight” to describe hair colour. This is a personal annoyance, but “midnight,” along with “ebony ” and “russet,” are so over used, it just irritates.

Oh, and another really good cover.

Recommended