Title: Errors and Omissions
Author: Lee James
Cover Artist: Anne Cain
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Amazon:
Genre: Contemporary M/M, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Novel/290 PDF pages
Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5
Review Summary: A suspenseful mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat and I didn’t solve it until almost the end. There’s also a pretty good romance to lighten the mood.
THE BLURB
Rock star Brent Hunter has a plan to get back to the top of the charts—until his jet vanishes en route to London. Four months later, a phone call convinces Austin Hunter that his brother is alive and in hiding. That, or it’s all an elaborate and deadly confidence game.
Austin turns to private detective Kirk MacGregor to find the truth about his brother. As Kirk follows a trail of dead-end leads in the most perplexing investigation of his career, a strong attraction simmers between him and Austin, despite the fact they’re both married.
Together they unearth a tragic family history of violence, pure greed, and a thirty-year-old fratricide as they take on the coldest killer since Hannibal Lecter. But deadly foes have nothing on the painful truths and even more painful losses Kirk and Austin must face… and none of that compares to confronting what they feel for each other.
THE REVIEW
I stayed up all night reading this book because I could not put it down. I was drawn into this complicated murder mystery where the suspects kept changing as the body count piled up. There are several POVs including the killer’s which was chilling, and you need a strong stomach for some scenes in Errors and Omissions. However if you like mysteries that are definitely not run of the mill, characters that are complex, warm, funny, vicious, self serving, as well as lots of lies, greed, celebrity, and settling of old scores, I definitely recommend this book.
When I opened E & O I wasn’t going to read it because I was already behind on everything I have to finish in the next week, but once started I was hooked. This is an exceptionally complex mystery, with lots of tension, excitement, false leads, and murders most foul that would make those readers who are squeamish want to run for cover. I thought that Lee James did a great job in peeling back the layers to reveal the truth. Unfortunately that truth came at a huge personal cost, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
While the plot was well crafted and executed I think that the characterizations were the best elements of the book as everyone was three dimensional who had a fair amount of face time, which is difficult to do in such a long book with a multitude of complex characters, most of whom had secrets that spanned decades.
Austin Hunter hired Kirk MacGregor to find out whether his brother Brent had died when his private plane crashed over the Arctic en route to London. The case seemed cut and dried and Kirk expected that his investigation would find nothing more than what the police had already uncovered i.e. that everyone went down with the plane and no foul play was suspected. The plane had never been recovered with the all important black box so there were no clues regarding what had really happened in flight. However as Kirk started looking into the tragedy, questions emerged which changed his theory and opened a whole can of worms. Was Brent murdered? If so why, and who would want him dead? Even more important, was he still alive and in hiding? If the plane was sabotaged, who was involved?
I thought that the way Lee James put the pieces of the puzzle together in the middle of a romance was masterfully handled and Kirk built the case painstakingly, only to find time and again that he was going in the wrong direction, but he never lost his focus even when the killer struck close to home and the threats continued. We know the killer from the very beginning since he was introduced in the first chapter and what a piece of work he was, but the focus of the story was on who had hired him and why, and how many more people would have to die before he was caught.
The characters were outstanding starting with Kirk who had everything going for him including a degree from Stanford Law School and 5 years working for the FBI. He didn’t like his job and left the Bureau to work for his father’s prestigious law firm where he handled personal protection, corporate security, and investigations for well heeled clients. Kirk was in the closet until his separation and divorce although he did have discreet encounters with other closeted married men because they were safe. What impressed me was that both Austin’s and Kirk’s ex wives were likeable, three dimensional characters who got along with their exes.
Austin was a contradiction – on the one hand he never finished high school but rose to the top of the music industry and walked away when he didn’t want to do it any more because the money didn’t matter. He loved restoring vintage cars which were the love of his life outside of his twin boys and Jace, his husband, and he was so vulnerable that I couldn’t help but love him.
There were elements to this intense and complex investigation which at times reminded me of the old television series Dragnet, but only because the story centered on timelines; I don’t mean to suggest that Kirk and his team were at all like Jack Webb and Henry Morgan. There was a detailed chronology of the events leading up to the plane crash and flashbacks of Brent’s activities in the days preceding the crash, and I have to admire the way it all came together at the end, although I thought that the killer should have been tortured almost as much as those he killed. The dialogue was mostly great except for one character which I mention later in the review, and the pace was just right. Every time when Kirk and Austin seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough they were frustrated because the killer was one step ahead and would be on the move again with yet another victim.
There are too many characters in the book for me to mention them all except in passing, but Tim “Tricky Boy” Lo, Kirk’s technology expert, was a gas. A lot of the characters were unscrupulous and would do anything for money or revenge and they got their comeuppance. There were betrayals and grief and it seemed as if there was no light at the end of the tunnel as some parts of the book were very sad, but to relieve the lows there was a lot of fun especially with Austin, Kirk, and Lieutenant Stan Whitney, Kirk’s BF.
I was going to rate this book as 5 stars but one thing grated on me throughout and that was Austin’s character which I loved but I thought that the way he was portrayed as the good ‘ole country boy by belching a lot, dropping his consonants and playing the hick cowboy to the hilt was incredibly tacky. I’m not sure if real Texans speak and act like Austin but the few I’ve met didn’t, so I’m going to rate the book as 4.75 stars.
May I say how hot the MCs were!! 🙂 I also have to mention Gunther, Kirk’s dog who stole my heart.
I highly recommend Errors and Omissions if you want a wild ride that will keep you up all night and if you like to read stories about serial killers. However this book will be controversial and many readers will probably have differing opinions from mine about it.
I’ve never spoken to a Texan in my life, so I think I’ll risk it… 🙂
Sven
This is a really tough book with graphic murders. However I thought that the story was well executed with great characters, and if you’re not squeamish I think you’ll love it.
Texans may not like how they are portrayed this book. 😆
I’ll close my eyes, when it gets to much 😆
I’ve read the manual for my telly, this books murders can’t be as graphic as the ones I thought up for that manuals writer…
That is so funny.
Well I hope you don’t hate me if you don’t like the book. Majken hates it. 😮
[however_one_quotes]Well I hope you don’t hate me if you don’t like the book.[/however_one_quotes]
My teachers liked books, I didn’t like and I did my best to make their lives hell 😉
Going from that precedent your chances aren’t too good 😆
I’m leaving town so you’ll never find me. 🙂
Really? I just read it and while the plot was good I found the writing a nightmare, I had to put it down several times, I can’t put an exact finger on what bothered me with the writing, I ended up with clumsy in my review 😕
I gave the plot 3 stars and the writing 0
Majken
I’m sorry you didn’t like this book, but as you know reading is always a matter of personal taste. I really loved Errors and Omissions probably because it was such a complex plot and I like mysteries. I also found it to be funny when it wasn’t tension filled, another plus for me. However this book will definitely not be everyone’s cup of java.
True, and I’m happy you liked it, puzzled but happy 😉
I like mysteries too 😀
I really stayed up all night and couldn’t put this book down so for me that’s a pretty good indication of how much I liked it. 🙂 However many times I get my ass handed to me because I love books that others hate – you win some you lose some. 😆
Now I’m off to write all of those other reviews that I didn’t do today.
Thanks for commenting Majken. Maybe tomorrow we’ll agree on a different book. 🙂
I think I know what Majken didn’t like, I’m in chapter two and there isn’t a cliché he left out, like the Texas accent.
Except the worlds largest German Sheppard, who can reach his owners breast at eleven months 😉
I don’t mind that, romance novels live from clichés and unrealistic scenes, or would you like to read:
Stephan bent down to kiss him and said “You are the love of my -” ring ” – let me just get that…” :hot: 😀
I know there are a lot of cliches in the book but I was so involved in the story that I disregarded that.
I have been told all the time that I should not expect realism in romance novels so I’ve stopped. I thought that Gunther was really cute. 🙂
As I said I don’t mind it, too, the story is more important.
Bad Wave, very bad Wave. I am trying to keep my books buying budged to 100 dollars a month which is sooooo hard, have to tell you. I had been eyeing it for a while, even read the sample and still manage not to press that dreaded one click :). But I have to do it now :). Listen I see you mention bad Texan accent, did you find it terribly distracting? I see one review on amazon where reviewer seems to hate it a lot. I mean as long as it does not render the book unreadable I am good . Thanks.
Sirius
The accent wasn’t that distracting. I just thought that it made the character seem like someone from the backwoods with no education at all while no one else in the family spoke the same way. Yet at times he was so multi faceted that he came across as exceedingly intelligent.
Please don’t buy the book on my say so only Sirius because Majken and probably a lot of other readers didn’t like it. Check out other reviews before you put down your money as I would feel really bad if you hated it. I can only speak for myself – this book kept me up all night and I couldn’t put it down. But that could be because I like the strangest books. 😆
Hey Wave, oh no worries, I would have never ever blamed the reviewer and usually get quite annoyed if people do it, because it is my decision whether to buy the book or not and you are not threatening me with the gun and demanding I would buy it. I was already tempted by the book and looking at the reviews, your review just tempts me more, thats all – I love complex mysteries too.
Okay, let me clarify more what I mean by distracting accent for me, this is mostly my issue as esl speaker. Remember Jane Seville’s Zero to the Bone? I loved the book, but I found D’s accent to be incredibly distracting not because I wondered whether this was a true accent or not, but simply because when he shortened some words, sometimes I had to stop and think, wait what does this word mean, you know? If we did not have D’s thoughts without accent, I would have thrown the book against the wall, because I would have been very tired figuring out what he was saying instead of following the story.
I have not noticed that in the sample, but I do want to know does the accent written the similar way – does he shorten a lot of words?
Thanks Wave.
Oh and I did not mean to say that anybody on the thread blames you for anything, but I had seen it happened elsewhere and I usually feel so bad for reviewer, because I know how much I worry myself that if person buys the book on my recommendation whether they will like it or not. But I keep telling myself that there is no way that everybody will like it and I really should if not stop worrying completely (not possible lol), at least worry less.
So again, please dont worry, if I decide to buy it and hate it, it will be my fault that I bought it and nobody else’s. I just want to make sure I understand how the accent is written 🙂
Sirius
Here’s the thing about whether people get pissed at me for recommending a book that they may not like – I never take it personally and expect that as a reviewer. We all get it. Everything I write is my opinion and we both know that there is such a wide variance between the likes and opinions of readers that it would be impossible for people to like every book you or I recommend. So far I have a pretty good track record, so when other readers hate books I recommend, I have to remind them that what I say is only one opinion.
I just went on Amazon and I noticed 2 five star and 1 two star and the latter was because of Austin’s Texas accent.
As for your question about the accent, if you’re really bothered by that I can tell you I found it distracting and I’m probably more tolerant than you since English is my first language. While it did take away from my enjoyment of the book it didn’t spoil it entirely. If you were bothered by D’s accent in Zero you will be just as bothered by this one (maybe more IDK) because Austin stayed pretty much in character although his accent wasn’t as pronounced all the time, but it was distracting. Hope that helps. 🙂
Oh dont get me wrong, I never take it personally if people do not like the book I recommended, as you said we all get it, I did too by now several times. We all have different tastes and even if you found a reviewer whose tastes are close enough to you, it is not going to be a 100% match in my experience. In fact, I wish comments section would turn into discussion about the books even more often than it happens and often to discuss you need to disagree about something at least :). I really love good discussion. But yes, I kind of do take it personally if I would hear that it is my *fault* that person bought the book and hated it, you know? I know we all get it and I know I need to work on it and I do try 🙂
Anyway, thanks for explaining about the accent, I think I will reread the sample and decide. Am very tempted, and not bothered at all by the fact that romance is a secondary storyline, in the books like this I expect it to be.
This book gets mixed reviews on GR as well. I like it too, for the actual story and the characters.
But there are several things in the writing style that annoy me.
Someone put it on her DNF shelf because it wasn’t romance. Well it isn’t till later in the book, say around page 90-100. If you only read novella’s and shorts (shudders)then I can imagine your problem. Those books will have long finished by then.
Ingrid
When I read a book like this I never expect a romance, so that was a bonus for me. E & O is 290 PDF pages so having the romance start at page 100, more or less, still left two thirds of the book for the romance to evolve.
I know that a lot of romance readers would probably not like this book because it’s first and foremost a murder/mystery IMO. I love mysteries since they were some of the first books I read in addition to fantasy and SF. I rated it highly because I think the way that part of the book ended was very good.
As for the romance, I thought the author did a good job on it. Of course I wish that some things didn’t happen the way they did, but I understood why they had to.
Because my reading time over the next week is short I read this book through just once as I didn’t have the time to re-read it, which I normally do before I write a review. Second reading is when I would normally notice things to criticise like prose, syntax, an overabundance of cliches etc. But it is what it is – an excellent mystery IMO with a pretty good romantic sub text.
I love a strong plot with my smut, and good characterizations are a blissful bonus! :flirt:
Not so fond of the pet thing, they already rule my RL and I don’t need them intruding on my escapism :yawn:
Denni
I hope you like the book – all I can say is that it’s different,and as you can tell I really liked it but then my tastes are weird. 😮
He’s a well behaved pet. 🙂
So few books catch my eye these days but this was one of them. It’s been on my TBR list waiting for a review. I’m so glad you liked it because your “weird tastes” coincide quite well with mine – and I’ve been wanting to read this one.
Hi Ellie
It’s not a run of the mill mystery. I’m tired of reading those so this one caught my eye. There’s lots of action and characters and it’s also funny, amidst all of the bloody slaughter. It is sad as well but there’s a HEA. I really hope you like E & O.
I too stayed up all night to finish this book Wave. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more of this author.
Hi Mary
I’m so happy you enjoyed this book … maybe as much as I did. I really couldn’t put it down. 🙂
I will definitely be checking out his website and backlist if he has one.
Lee James asked me to post the following comment on his behalf because, as usual, WordPress isn’t co-operating:
“First, my thanks to Wave for the wonderful review; thanks also go to all of you who’ve read and offered your thoughts on Errors and Omissions.
It seems that there are some concerns about Austin Hunter’s communication style. Please permit me to comment on the matter.
My partner-spouse for the past twenty-seven years was born and reared in Houston, and lived there continuously until he graduated from college. Texans who move to “The North” never fully lose their accents; and there are several dialects. As my partner-spouse would say, “Ya hear?”
The character Austin was born in El Paso. His mother, brother and he moved to LA when Austin was fifteen. At the time of the story, Austin is thirty-nine. His communication style was meant to reflect one of his roughneck quirks developed after years on the road in a very tough, backstabbing business. His communication style was never intended to be a reflection of the people from the Lonestar State. (My partner-spouse has a sincere, open heart, as do most of
the Texans I’ve met.)
As Wave picked-up, Austin’s speech patterns are also a reflection of his rock superstar’s vulnerable side. I’m not telling you this to guide you toward loving Austin; just wanted you to know that writers always have reasons behind the development of every character.
Thanks for bearing with me!
Best wishes,
Lee James”
I am through and what a ride it was!
The clichés I spoke of earlier (I should have said colourful language) ebbed off later in the book making it an even better read.
But that aside, I am looking forward to Lee James next book, because I have to admit, his characters have been lovable (or hate-able of course).
I really felt for them, that is a sign of quality that really works for me, if I feel for the characters (one way or the other) the rest falls into place.
And what a place, a fast paced story that had me pin pointing the master of puppets from the beginning. (OK, I was wrong, but I was invested, meaning the story gripped me.)
The romance was the icing on the cake.
Mr. James, if the language in your next book is a little more relaxed and less colourful, I could become a fan and even forgive you those abbreviations, that may be understandable for native English speakers, but had me open up my own investigations 😉
A book I really enjoyed.
Does this mean that I don’t have to offer you a money back guarantee because I recommended this book? 🙂 I’m so glad you got Lee James’s characters.
I loved this book because while the plot had elements of other books I’ve read about serial killers, it was so much more. It gripped me from the first page and would not let go. However I understand why many readers were turned off because it wasn’t the kind of story they were expecting. I can’t believe this is Mr. James’s first book.
It must have been difficult for you to persevere until the end because English is not your first language. American colloquialisms are sometimes difficult to understand for a non English speaker. 🙂 Maybe there is a dictionary somewhere to translate US English for readers from other countries whose first language is not English. 🙂
Your money back guarantee is safe, this time 😉
The colloquialisms made it harder to get into the story, as I am much more at home with real English (as some British would say) 😉
But once I got around that and cared for the characters I couldn’t have stopped, even if I wanted to.
And yes, this is too good for a first book, I have read a number of début books, usually they are OK to bad, not in the same league as this book. As second books are usually better than the first ones, Mr. James has his work cut out for him 😉
If you read this and don’t absolutely love it, then post a review on Goodreads saying so be aware that the author will take great exception to that in your comments.
Apparently the ‘professional reviewers’ disagree with any negative comments, the implication being that as a mere reader your opinion is worthless (and I’m not saying it isn’t). He even ridicules one reviewer for having English as a second language!
Nithu I am so sorry. I read the exchange and as I said there he certainly helped me make up my mind as to whether I should buy the book or not. Reviews are for readers, reviews are for readers and your opinion is not worthless, any reader’s opinion is not worthless. I cannot speak for my colleagues here, I am sure they have better writing credentials than I do, but I am not a professional reviewer, I am trying to treat writing reviews here professionally , because I think this site is so amazing, but I am just a reader for whom writing reviews is a bones hobby and I would never say that my opinion is worth more than yours or any other reader here. And do not even get me started on his mocking of esl reader. Hits home as you can imagine. He did not know that esl readers may be amongst his readership?! And yeah I would have been quite confused as to the meaning of that sentence myself. I love mysteries, but for the foreseeable future ( I usually calm down eventually, but we shall see). Mr. James lost me as potential customer.