The Disciple

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Let me start this review by saying, don't make my mistake. This is Book 4 in The Wheel Mysteries series and you really, really, really, really should read the previous three books first! This series is about occult shop owner Gus Goodwin and his boyfriend, private detective, Niall Valentine. It seems Gus has quite the history of ending up involved in murder mysteries. In this installment, Gus is suspicious of the young man who was acting strangely in his store. Later that night, the young man's body is discovered. The detective investigating the murder asks for Gus' help due to his background. But what comes is more death, mysteries, and ex-boyfriends.

There is a lot of history to Gus and Niall and many other characters in this book that really necessitate reading the other books. Gus and Niall are engaged and seem to be in a good place in their relationship. They are comfortable with where they are but still are learning about each other and learning to work through their differences. In this book, they each face jealousy when each of them has to meet each other's ex-boyfriend, but they're able to do that without unnecessary drama. The other supporting characters were interesting and varied. This book included gay, straight, and cross-dressing men.

I was able to follow along and enjoy the characters and murder case they're investigating, but I would have definitely enjoyed it more had I known the backstory of all the characters involved and referenced. The murder case, which is a focal point of this book, was really well done and engaging. There were plenty of twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing at who the culprit is. I found the story interesting and learned quite a bit about the worshiping done by those mentioned in the books. Radical Faerie's was definitely a new one to me! This book ends with a glimpse of even more twists and turns to come for Gus and Niall.

Rating: 4 stars

4 Hearts Reviewed by Pixie

This story is part of a series and is best read in order.

Gus is suspicious of a young man in his shop; he puts it out of his mind though when the young man buys a necklace until he later receives the same necklace covered in blood. Then Gus and Niall find themselves in the middle of another murder investigation involving a spiritual religion, the Radical Faeries. Gus and Niall with the aid of Virgil Hughes (homicide detective) search out clues to the murderer’s identity before they strikes again.

This story is a great addition to the Wheel Mysteries series, we get the chance to see Gus and Niall again as their relationship grows from strength to strength and they investigate another puzzling pagan religion connected murder.

As they move forward to discover why the young man was murdered they find a connection to Autumnsong, who we’ve met in previous stories, and Autumnsong knows more than he is saying. We also meet new characters who bring some tension to Gus and Niall’s relationship and we are introduced to the religion Radical Faeries… I have to say that I enjoy discovering new-to-me pagan type religions that Susan Laine includes in her books.

The storyline is brilliant, we are led on a merry dance as the guys dig into this investigation and the reason for the murders is just so senseless that we shake our heads at the unjustness of it all. We discover that there’s a connection to all the books and the Cabal are dead centre in the middle of it all, just what are Gus and Niall going to face in the future?

I do have to hold my hands up and admit that over the series Gus has actually grown on me and I’ve come to cherish him as much as I’ve always cherished Niall, he can still be a pain in the arse with his stubborn ‘I know best’ attitude and he’s again faced with great danger after running headlong into a situation where he doesn’t stop to think about the consequences, and Niall and Gus have their first big fall out as Niall takes Gus to task. *whispers ’Go Niall, tell him like it is’*

I recommend this to those who love mysteries and suspense, great characters, a dash of danger, an interesting investigation and a very happy ending.