Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Cleis Press (2013), Paperback, 288 pages
Description
Killing is easy. Love is... The Hardest Thing Once a major in the U.S. Army, Dan Stagg fell afoul of Don't Ask Don't Tell. In his late 30s, tall, and muscular, Dan is prone to violence, always upholding what he views as justice. He's offered a great deal of money to protect the young male "secretary" of a powerful real estate broker. The vain, shallow; but most of all hot; young man's idea of protection includes sex. Dan quickly realizes something strange is going on: he's being used as a shield for a much more sinister operation and must chose between easy money and sex or the ideals that he embodied in the Army. Why should he do the right thing; particularly when the army betrayed him? The Hardest Thing is a sexy gay mystery as only James Lear can write it: filled with lots of gay sexual encounters, romance, sweat, violence, and conspiracy.… (more)
Media reviews
User reviews
LibraryThing member lessthn3
This was my first time reading anything by James Lear, and now I have decided I must go back and check out his previous works. The Hardest Thing had me hooked from the start. The lead character, Dan Stagg, is clearly a man you didn't want to mess with, and the erotica was far from timid. I'd
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venture to say this is the most well-written erotica I've come across in my foray into the genre. Show Less
LibraryThing member starlight70
I have tried to like James Lear's work. I have. I had read his other works but I could never get myself to agree with his 'too perfect' sex scenarios. Even James Bond was never that lucky to score with every woman he met.
That said, Hard Thing was toned down a bit, in my opinion and I could stomach
By the way, the model on the cover did not match the description of the male lead in the book. Gee.
That said, Hard Thing was toned down a bit, in my opinion and I could stomach
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in Dan's sexual adventure as I awaited patiently to see how the book would end. It was alright. The storyline was not exactly heavy-plotted and eventually, more sex scenes were offered to prolong the story. By the way, the model on the cover did not match the description of the male lead in the book. Gee.
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LibraryThing member curious.incident
I found the start of this new series to be somewhat disappointing...at least relative to Mr. Lear's Mitch Mitchell books. In those books, the sex, the characters, and the action are all good rollicking fun. This new series starts off a bit darker, with the main character, Dan Stagg, being a gay
Dan ends up becoming a bodyguard for some shady people...and then things fall apart a bit. There is no chemistry between the bodyguard and his charge, and their relationship feels forced. There are a few obligatory sex scenes as they drive around aimlessly trying to hide from the bad guys. I won't spoil latter part of the book, but for me the story just seemed to peter out at the end. Despite this, I think there is a lot of potential for the series.
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ex-Marine who has to deal with the consequences of his sexuality both during and after his deployment overseas. I liked this basic premise, and the flashbacks to his days in the Marines and his feelings for a fellow marine were a good foundation for what should have been an excellent story.Dan ends up becoming a bodyguard for some shady people...and then things fall apart a bit. There is no chemistry between the bodyguard and his charge, and their relationship feels forced. There are a few obligatory sex scenes as they drive around aimlessly trying to hide from the bad guys. I won't spoil latter part of the book, but for me the story just seemed to peter out at the end. Despite this, I think there is a lot of potential for the series.
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LibraryThing member BrianEWilliams
Dan Stagg is a down on his luck former Marine Corps Major who was dishonorably discharged under the "don't ask don't tell" rules about gays in the American military. He cannot get lucrative employment because of his discharge and therefore goes through a series of low-paying menial jobs. He also
Dan is an obvious tough guy -- and a top. He actually becomes a daddy figure for the boy toy during their escapade. There follows plenty of man on man sex between the two of them. Things go along fine until the bad guys they are running from catch up with them and the boy toy is kidnapped.
This is basically a chase and pursuit thriller, with lots of gay sex. Sometimes at the most inappropriate or dangerous times, Dan finds a willing sex partner or two. (This seems to be a characteristic of Lear's books, which makes them fun reading). A more serious dimension comes from the backstory: Dan's forced coming out and the loss through death of his first "true love", a fellow Marine. His grief plays a large role in Dan's persona and his developing relationship with the boy toy. Right up to the end you won't know whether Dan will stay with the boy toy, or whether their relationship was only a sexual one that has ended.
This is an entertaining well-plotted read, with some serious overtones about gay relationships. It's noir but not overly dark or gritty. I recommend it.
I received a free copy of the book as a Library Thing Early Reviewer.
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has a bit of a chip on his shoulder which causes him trouble -- some might say he has anger management issues. Shortly after getting fired from his latest job as a bouncer at a night club, he is offered several thousand dollars to be a bodyguard for a rich man's boy toy. Dan needs to get the boy toy away from New York City and lay low with him in New Hampshire for a while.Dan is an obvious tough guy -- and a top. He actually becomes a daddy figure for the boy toy during their escapade. There follows plenty of man on man sex between the two of them. Things go along fine until the bad guys they are running from catch up with them and the boy toy is kidnapped.
This is basically a chase and pursuit thriller, with lots of gay sex. Sometimes at the most inappropriate or dangerous times, Dan finds a willing sex partner or two. (This seems to be a characteristic of Lear's books, which makes them fun reading). A more serious dimension comes from the backstory: Dan's forced coming out and the loss through death of his first "true love", a fellow Marine. His grief plays a large role in Dan's persona and his developing relationship with the boy toy. Right up to the end you won't know whether Dan will stay with the boy toy, or whether their relationship was only a sexual one that has ended.
This is an entertaining well-plotted read, with some serious overtones about gay relationships. It's noir but not overly dark or gritty. I recommend it.
I received a free copy of the book as a Library Thing Early Reviewer.
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LibraryThing member dangnad
This is my first novel by Brit James Lear. In 2006 he wrote a best selling and "acclaimed" novel The Back Passage but if The Hardest Thing is any indication, I won't be picking it up anytime soon. Hmmm. Wonder what back passage refers to?
The Hardest Thing is a fantastical, pornagraphical novel with
It's an erotic, lightweight mystery with a halting attempt at romance. If you are into this kind of thing it is good and fast and entertaining read.
The Hardest Thing is a fantastical, pornagraphical novel with
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sexual superman Maj Dan Stagg, USMC as its hero. It seems every male Stagg meets simply turns around and bends over such are the physical qualities of this Marine Corps tough guy. Stagg has been paid $10K cash (see what I mean, fantastical) to protect a young man named Stirling or Jody or whatever. They drive from NYC up to New Hampshire but are tailed. Stagg thwarts a murder attempt nearly killing the evil guy then becomes a fugitive. Funny thing, he's a pretty casual fugitive since no one is chasing him. They drive to Buffalo seemingly finding sex at every pit stop. Stagg however, fails to protect Jody, Jody is abducted. Shortly, Stagg becomes a good guy, returns to NYC, and heads up the NYPD in an ultimately successful investigation. There's nothing this guy can't do.It's an erotic, lightweight mystery with a halting attempt at romance. If you are into this kind of thing it is good and fast and entertaining read.
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LibraryThing member harahel
Perhaps this just isn't my genre, but I found this book to be vastly underwhelming. Dan Stagg is a unsympathetic lead, who's definition of love seems about as deep as a puddle. Though the sex is discussed, it's mechanic and distinctly unsexy. Dan's multi-named love interest has no distinguishable
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personality beyond an unlikeable whine. The writing often feels like an outline for a longer book. Show Less
LibraryThing member SirRoger
The jacket blurb describes The Hardest Thing like this: "In the league of Lee Child, The Hardest Thing is a sexy gay mystery as only James Lear can write it: filled with lots of sexual encounters, romance, sweat, violence and conspiracy."
If you are a fan of crime fiction and conspiracy mysteries,
If you are a fan of crime fiction and conspiracy mysteries, and you also like reading about gay characters, then this book might also be for you.
This book might not be for you if you enjoy books with intelligent dialogue, cogent plot structures, and fascinating characters.
Yes, The Hardest Thing is somewhat exciting, with the kind of conspiracy flip-flopping that keeps you guessing who's on whose side. And yes, there is a certain appeal to a gay ex-marine protagonist like Dan Stagg. And yes, there are sexual encounters aplenty, which can be kind of hot, if you're into that sort of thing.
But on the down side, those sexual encounters are not only ridiculous in their settings and frequency (which may be par for the course in erotic fiction - I can't say), but they are also plagued by frustrating 'type' clichés. It's possible that many gay men will appreciate fantasies involving domination and submission clichés, but it isn't flattering to the intelligent gay man of today to present them as a matter of course for homosexual relationships.
Much about this book is sloppy, vague, and tasteless, so I cannot recommend it except to those who are aware of its limitations and are reading it for the erotica alone.
If you are a fan of crime fiction and conspiracy mysteries,
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and are looking for that itch to be scratched in a gay erotic novel, then this book might be for you.If you are a fan of crime fiction and conspiracy mysteries, and you also like reading about gay characters, then this book might also be for you.
This book might not be for you if you enjoy books with intelligent dialogue, cogent plot structures, and fascinating characters.
Yes, The Hardest Thing is somewhat exciting, with the kind of conspiracy flip-flopping that keeps you guessing who's on whose side. And yes, there is a certain appeal to a gay ex-marine protagonist like Dan Stagg. And yes, there are sexual encounters aplenty, which can be kind of hot, if you're into that sort of thing.
But on the down side, those sexual encounters are not only ridiculous in their settings and frequency (which may be par for the course in erotic fiction - I can't say), but they are also plagued by frustrating 'type' clichés. It's possible that many gay men will appreciate fantasies involving domination and submission clichés, but it isn't flattering to the intelligent gay man of today to present them as a matter of course for homosexual relationships.
Much about this book is sloppy, vague, and tasteless, so I cannot recommend it except to those who are aware of its limitations and are reading it for the erotica alone.
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LibraryThing member GAGVLibrary
Very much a genre mystery. I'm not familiar with gay noir in general, but I'd say it goes beyond a straight gumshoe novel for sex and romance. The protagonist Dan Stagg is right from central casting, but by the middle it's delivering a good story with some sexy scenes to boot. Unfortunately, as the
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conflict peaks, Stagg continues to be distracted by sex and inappropriate emotional attachment, to the point that it's uncomfortable to read. Add to that a contrived resolution and I was left disappointed. But if you're looking for light reading in a thriller vein with plenty of sex, you could do a lot worse. Show Less
LibraryThing member rmharris
My partner and I are James Lear fans, so this is a somewhat biased review! With The Hardest Thing, Lear appears to be starting another series of erotic mysteries, as he did with the three "Mitch Mitchell" books set in the 1920's (The Back Passage, The Secret Tunnel and A Sticky End). In this work,
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Dan Stagg is a dishonorably discharged former Marine, chosen to take a rich man's boy-toy out of New York City for his own safety. As with most hard-boiled mysteries, nothing and no one ultimately turns out to be who they first appear to be. A quick and enjoyable read, The Hardest Thing is a gay, sexually explicit variation on Raymond Chandler or Mickey Spillane. Show Less
LibraryThing member mtbearded1
30 of 75 for 2015. It's so nice reading literate erotica with a compelling story beyond the hot sex. Mind you, if you're not into hot Male on Male action, this book will probably not be what you're looking for. But for a book with a lot of sex, and I mean a LOT of sex, there is a storyline here
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that stands on its own with the best of any book in the mystery genre. It's not surprising that Lear has won awards for his writing, and luckily for us, this is the first of a proposed series of Dan Stagg mysteries. I can't wait! Show Less
Language
Physical description
288 p.; 7.94 inches
ISBN
1573449296 / 9781573449298