Series: County Durham Quad
Volume: 6/?
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 159
Read in: English
Review copy format: epub
Publisher: Self-published
Genre/s: Contemporary gay mystery
Length: 630 000 words
Read in: English
Review copy format: epub
Rate:✮✮✮✮✮✮
Drones have become Raith's new passion and a way to carry out the Durham County Quad's new project. Unfortunately, because of them the men get into trouble when they are once again suspected of crimes with which they have nothing to do. To clear up their name, they decide to take matters into your own hands and help the police catch art burglars who prowl the area. But that's not the end of Mike, Ross, Raith, Phil and Nick's worries and investigations. Although they are not looking for danger and problems, danger and problems find our boys, when one of them becomes an accidental kidnap victim.
"Fast, Free and Flying" is the sixth volume in "County Durham Quad" series by Jude Tresswell. I can't believe that time has passed so quickly. Until recently, I had only become acquainted with the boys from County Durham, and now they are my good friends. What's the conclusion? Well, "County Durham Quad" series is so addictive that we don't even realise how quickly time flies when we read any of the novels in the series. And that's how it works with "Fast, Free and Flying". When we start reading this book, we are aware that we will love it, and when we are on the last page, we need a moment for ourselves, because we feel a great need to reach for the next installment, the next volume, which unfortunately has not been written yet. I would say that the better we know our main characters, the more adventures we have with them, the more addicted we become to this series.
But let's focus fully on "Fast, Free and Flying". The story in this volume is a bit different from the previous ones, as our characters are working on solving criminal mysteries that are somewhat less dynamic and, in a sense, not as dangerous as they have been in previous parts. However, this does not mean that the novel is less interesting and does not hold us in suspense. On the contrary. What I love about "Fast, Free and Flying" is that our boys think, plan, analyse, instead of acting mindlessly. It is a very nice change after months of my beloved mystery stories and series built on the basis of "American films", that is, an overgrowth of action over content (no offense). In this story, everything is thought out, planned, and the characters must put themselves in the shoes of criminals they want to catch. It really engrosses us and makes us feel part of this adventure.
The subject that interested me the most in "Fast, Free and Flying" and which I simply must mention reviewing this novel is the sacrifice in a relationship, or more precisely in a relationship of people of different sexuality - in this case asexual and homosexual. I'm ashamed to admit, but I have never thought about compromises and sacrifices of an asexual person if they are in a relationship with someone of different sexuality or simply someone sexual (depending on how you perceive asexuality). I've always seen it the other way around. Well, it undoubtedly says a lot about me as a human being, but that's not what I planned to write about. So back to "Fast, Free and Flying". I really like the fact that in the novel, apart from the mystery itself, the emotional life of the characters is also very important, including the topic of finding the golden mean in Nick and Mike's relationship. These two differ from each other not only in the most basic and obvious respects, but also in sexuality, which, contrary to appearances, is a problem that needs to be dealt with. And that's what our boys need to work on in this volume.
To sum up, "Fast, Free and Flying" is a truly fantastic novel that is engrossing, addictive and makes us want to read it in one sitting. What's important, the wonderful characters, to whom we are very attached, are thinking people, not just some acting muscles, so the story does not lack serious conversations, plans, democratically made decisions, all of which make the novel all the more interesting. If you're new to "County Durham Quad" series, you must catch up with it quickly. This series has conquered my heart and it will surely win yours as well.
Headcanon: Nick sacrifices one room in his house and allows Raith to decorate it, as he was asking for it over and over again.
Fanfiction idea: Raith cooks a dinner for everyone but it doesn't turn out as planned. Nick is the only one who doesn't eat with the others. An hour after the meal, Phil, Mike, Ross and even Raith have diarrhea. Since all the toilets in the house are occupied, Mike has to run to Nick to use his.
AU idea: Power Rangers!AU
Here's some more about:
Book Title: Fast, Free and Flying (County Durham Quad, #6)
Author: Jude Tresswell
Publisher: Self-published (KDP)
Release Date: December 9, 2020
Genre/s: Contemporary gay mystery
Trope/s: Ace/non-ace relationships
Themes: Compromise; guilt; revenge
Heat Rating: 1 flame
Length: 63 000 words
The mystery story stands alone. Helpful, but not essential, to have read a previous title due to character development.
Buy Links - Available on Kindle Unlimited
Suspects of one crime. Victims of another.
Drones lie at the heart of this mystery facing Mike, Ross, Raith and Phil, four men who live in North-East England.
A spate of art-related burglaries and a series of horrific kidnaps have occurred. The freedom of the quad, and that of Nick, their special friend, is threatened by involvement in both cases. They are suspected of one and Mike is a victim of the other. The officer in charge is the quad’s old enemy, the homophobic Chief Inspector Fortune. Should the quad set aside their distrust and tell him what they know?
Meanwhile, Nick has issues of his own to consider. Compromises are needed, but how many?
This is the sixth tale in the County Durham Quad series. Background is included to aid new readers.
Excerpt
From Chapter 1
(The whole chapter, read by the author with aerial footage of the setting, is available on YouTube. Link below)
A new sound had been added to the rustic ones that normally formed the backdrop to life in the Durham hills. Instead of the bleating of sheep, there was a whirring—and it came from the sky. The quad’s new video channel was up and running, and Raith, plus drone, was filming everything and everyone. He was, as he liked to put it, “Doing the rounds.”
“Doin’ my head in,” was how it seemed to Mike and, right then, there was a danger of that actually happening. Mike was responsible for nearly all the quad’s maintenance work. He was sitting astride a rooftop, replacing the flashing on one of Tunhead’s chimneys. Tunhead was the little hamlet where the quad lived. It was the seat of BOTWAC, the Beck On The Wear Arts Centre, and the video channel was designed, in part, to promote the artisans’ wares.
“Watch what you’re doin’ with that bloody thing!” Mike yelled from his perch.
“It’s alright, Mike. I’m in full control,” Raith yelled back.
“Not from where I am, you’re not! I thought you weren’t supposed to fly it over buildin’s!”
Raith made the drone whizz round in a circle and shouted, “Well Tunhead doesn’t really count as buildings, does it? I mean, twelve tiny houses, my studio and a disused church. It’s hardly buildings.”
“It felt like buildin’s when Ross and I were refurbishin’ it all, and it felt like buildin’s three years ago when I knocked the walls through to next door just to give you leg room.”
“That’s building, Mike, not buildings.”
Sometimes, there was no answer to Raith’s logic. Mike swore softly, sighed and decided to wait until tea-time, when all the men would be home together. They’d discuss Raith and his drone then. First things first. He continued repairing the chimney.
***
In Tees, Tyne and Wear Constabulary’s new Tyneside police station, another drone-related conversation had caused heated words that day. The woman making a complaint was angry.
“Look,” she said to the officer on the front counter, “this is the third time it’s happened in a fortnight. I ignored the first invasion of my privacy. The second time the blesséd thing was hovering overhead, I telephoned. I was told that someone would contact me. Nobody’s done so, and this morning it happened again. I want something doing. I feel I can’t go into my own garden and I’m bothered that whoever’s doing this is spying on me and my children. It’s horrible and it shouldn’t be allowed.”
The woman had good reason to feel harassed. She lived in what had once been the lodge of a large country estate. That is, she occupied the house that lay at one end of a long, tree-lined drive. The drive led, through parkland with trees and an ornamental lake, to a substantial eighteenth century property. On three occasions recently, the peace of the surroundings had been broken by the whirring of a drone. More importantly, she felt intimidated by the drone’s presence. As she said, she felt she was being spied on. Surely that was a crime?
It was, the official told her. At least two different offences connected with drone misuse might be invoked on the woman’s behalf, but, in a case like hers, invoking them was problematic. Even if an incident should happen again and a patrol car could reach her while the drone was still visible and airborne, there was little that officers could do. Firstly, they would need to locate and identify the flyer. If they felt that a harassment offence had been committed, they could instruct the flyer to land the drone. However, there was no power of seizure and, indeed, no power to even view the footage unless there was suspected terrorist activity—unlikely in this case. The woman had to be content with an apology and a promise that an officer would definitely come and visit her. In fact, a detective called a few days later, but not specifically because of her case. By then, the big country house had been burgled, and thousands of pounds of silver, porcelain and artwork had been stolen.
About the Author
Jude Tresswell lives in south-east England but was born and raised in the north, and that’s where her heart is. She is ace, and has been married to the same man for many years. She feels that she understands compromise. She supports Liverpool FC, listens to a lot of blues music and loves to write dialogue.
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Thank you. It is so encouraging to know that there are people who enjoy reading the quad tales as much as I enjoy writing them - and I do enjoy writing them. Volume 7? It's on the way!
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