2.75I'm sorry. I can't sugar coat it. The sophomore slump strikes again and I'm pretty disappointed.This is the second book in the adventures of Michael and Jazz and takes place about two months after [b:Murder Most Lovely 43902066 Murder Most Lovely (Lacetown Murder Mysteries, #1) Hank Edwards https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551318932l/43902066.SY75.jpg 68312515]. In that book they, and their small town were lovingly portrayed, imperfections notwithstanding, however the new book seems to suffer from multiple personality disorder, never sticking to a tone or theme. I know this is a review for [b:Murder Most Deserving 49887010 Murder Most Deserving (Lacetown Murder Mysteries, #2) Hank Edwards https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1577307381l/49887010.SY75.jpg 74968510] but I can't see reading it without reference to the other and it suffers in comparison. The previous book read like a small town murder mystery/cozy albeit with explicit sex. Michael and Jazz were two, older gay men, with imperfect bodies, and life baggage yet full of the hopes, dreams, and fears like anyone their age. They were adorable and I was rooting for them all the way. This book is also nominally a mystery, though I had to think a moment of who got murdered, it was that unmemorable, and there is no real investigation by any party. What we get instead are quaint scene settings of Lacetown denizens and places that add nothing to the story, and longer stretches of either Michael or Jazz thinking about the other, how lucky they are to have each other, missing each other after a few hours of separation (though that's probably accurate of new lovers), but most egregious of all IMO is the out of character portrayal of their sex lives. I don't like doing spoilers so all I'll say is that the last thing I expected in a story that otherwise reads like a cozy, with almost cartoonish villains, was spanking. To me it didn't ring true but maybe I'm wrong. I still like Michael & Jazz very much, and I'll probably read the next one in hopes this volume was a fluke, they deserve better. As usual YMMV.
