Hither Page
I started reading Hither, Page, finished it too quickly, immediately hunted down the sequel, The Missing Page, and read that too quickly as well. One tagline I’ve seen reads, “cozy mystery like Agatha Christie but make it gay.” It’s not so cozy that the dead have about as much impact as a dissolving dead NPC in a video game; the cozy has sharp edges. For example, there’s the bucolic setting, but around the borders are real menaces in addition to the central mystery: PTSD, the trauma of war, major societal change, and the threat of homophobia.
I’m bummed there aren’t more books to disappear into, and I might have to go re-read them immediately for two reasons. One, I really liked the characters, the world, and the half-teaspoon delivery system of information: nothing is dumped. The characters each have a public face and a private world of their own, sometimes a tragic, difficult one they want or need to hide. As the mystery progresses, their private, authentic selves begin to mingle and connect with others, building a subversive intimacy of secrets that’s supported by and hidden behind their public personae. Their community becomes one of quiet, cautious acceptance and it’s lovely to read.
Two, the mystery is written in a way that expects me to keep up. I had the feeling that because these characters are very clever, they expected me to be clever as well. Sometimes a character would make a comment that didn’t quite fit the conversation, but revealed something interesting or important, and the others would notice, but no one narrating would summarize it for the reader to emphasize what had happened. I wasn’t going to be indulgently fed the information and have things explained to me in detail; I had to keep up. That was very fun.
At times, though, a major clue would be dropped by a side character, and no one would react or notice until much later, if at all. This was frustrating because it didn’t fit the attentive nature of Leo’s character, and the observant, interpersonal fluency James demonstrated constantly.
The romance between Leo and James is poignant and emotional, again conducted on two levels, public and private. So much of the dialogue is code, and Leo and James deploy words with multiple layers of meaning so as to convey intimacy, vulnerability, warning, or even annoyance in ways that were so touching. Emo chest tingles everywhere while I was reading, is what I’m saying here.
Leo is also very sarcastic in the chapters from his POV, and his mind is a delicious place:
He generally operated on the assumption that the only factor holding people back from widespread slaughter was fear—of the gallows, of damnation, of being thought not quite nice by one’s neighbors.
The sense that every interaction and event was operating on several levels simultaneously meant that the mystery and the romance were engaging while also being very soothing. At its heart, the Page & Sommers series is about finding a safe home and haven, even when the world is a menacing, terrifying, and wounding place on a local or global level.
– SB Sarah
A jaded spy and a shell shocked country doctor team up to solve a murder in postwar England.
James Sommers returned from the war with his nerves in tatters. All he wants is to retreat to the quiet village of his childhood and enjoy the boring, predictable life of a country doctor. The last thing in the world he needs is a handsome stranger who seems to be mixed up with the first violent death the village has seen in years. It certainly doesn’t help that this stranger is the first person James has wanted to touch since before the war.
The war may be over for the rest of the world, but Leo Page is still busy doing the dirty work for one of the more disreputable branches of the intelligence service. When his boss orders him to cover up a murder, Leo isn’t expecting to be sent to a sleepy village. After a week of helping old ladies wind balls of yarn and flirting with a handsome doctor, Leo is in danger of forgetting what he really is and why he’s there. He’s in danger of feeling things he has no business feeling. A person who burns his identity after every job can’t set down roots.
As he starts to untangle the mess of secrets and lies that lurk behind the lace curtains of even the most peaceful-seeming of villages, Leo realizes that the truths he’s about to uncover will affect his future and those of the man he’s growing to care about.
Historical: European, LGBTQIA, Mystery/Thriller, Romance
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Literally read: “cozy mystery like Agatha Christie but make it gay.” and bought this book. That is 100% every catnip.
I’m bummed there aren’t more books to disappear into
Just chiming in to say that the second book only came out in the last couple months. I’m expecting more from Cat Sebastian.
Apparently part of the genre definition of cozy mystery is that there is no on page sex. Which explains why I don’t like cozy mysteries.
A cozy frustrates me in other ways, too.
I generally feel condescended to by a lot of genre writing – wanting structure and patterns does not make me stupid, thanks anyway. Having everything telegraphed and emphasized is irritating. Being constantly nudged is the opposite of soothing.
The uber quaint settings can creep me out, but this series acknowledges and has fun with the attraction/unbelievability of the picture perfect idyll. Often there’s a social conservatism that goes along with that setting, which is actively repulsive to me. I don’t find a pervasive, unthinking acceptance that patriarchal authority is best to be relaxing, and that is not a problem here.
Also the larger than life stock character townsfolk usually send me down a Brothers K homicidal spiral, but the supporting characters here are great.
Basically, I have been wildly disappointed by cozy mysteries because I want them to be something different than they are. I want them to be this, in fact.
My only complaint is these books are distressingly short, and I read too fast.
@kkw I could not agree more. I mean I started your comment like “well ok, but–” and then every new line had me going “Yeah! Exactly!” I’ve got a fondness for cozy mysteries as a genre, but any particular book is such a hit-or-miss largely from the same things you listed here. It’s weird, they’re many of the same problems I have with small town romances but I never connected the dots all the way…although usually even the worst of those don’t kick off with a murder-by-improbable-circumstances that gets all the weight of dandelion fluff.
I’ve seen this advertised on Amazon & always passed it up on the basis that “it’s Agatha Christie but…” is used for just about every mystery novel and then they tend towards the twee. This, though? This actually sounds fantastic. Adding it to my TBR.
I love this series SO. MUCH. Such perfect comfort reads!
I also really enjoyed these, and read them back to back. This bit near the end of Hither Page really got me: ‘”I find that I’m growing fond of you at an, ah, accelerated rate”. His face heated, as much from the sentiment as from the knowledge that he was expressing it terribly.’ So much vulnerability conveyed in so few words. It’s so good.
“a subversive intimacy of secrets” – wonderful phrase.
I adored both ‘Page’ novels, and I say that as someone who’s been repeatedly disappointed by modern writers trying to write ‘Golden Age of Mystery’ – style books. Part of it is, of course, the romantic experience of a POV character (absent from almost all Golden Age mysteries not written by Ngaio Marsh). Part of it is the real-world-feeling basis for both POV characters. They aren’t the typical cozy mystery protagonist, investigating crimes for fun, whose ‘expertise’ is nothing more than nosiness.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this series and look forward to reading it. Am I the only one who initially thought it an older historical because of the word Page in the title?
I am thrilled to hear that this is possibly closed door, and I’m adding it to my list immediately, it sounds great. I’ve heard so many good things about Cat Sebastian’s books and the ones I’ve tried I can tell probably are good but open-door scenes are very much not my cup of tea and so I’ve never even gotten close to being able to finish one of her books.
There is on-page sex, I want to say two encounters, both shorter and rather emotional, too.
Oh excellent; this is still on my TBR!
I love these two as well, and the mysteries are satisfying and keep you guessing.
Loved the first book and have the second waiting. Both are narrated by Joel Leslie and he does his usual amazing job.
@SB Sarah – Thank you for that info, much appreciated!