“…Florida laughed, a low, dirty laugh that did something melty to Carson’s insides, … He did not have this reaction to men, oh no he did not. Women made him melty, men made him humpty.” – Amy Lane
I have no idea where Amy Lane pulls these ideas from. She must have so many people running around in her brain that it feels like her own little city in there. Left on St. Truth-be-Well (and what in the world gave her the idea for that title and the malfunction that leads to the title???) is another fine example of her willingness to share some of the brilliance floating around in her head with us, her humble, loyal readers.
Carson O’ Shaughnessy waits table at a restaurant in Chicago. His boss just happens to be a mobster. When Carson reads the owner’s nephew, Stassy’s signals wrong and kisses him in the broom closet all his troubles begin. Stassy takes off for parts unknown and his uncle tasks Carson with finding him and returning him to Chicago.
Credit card charges lead him to the hell-hole known as the Bates Parrot Hotel. It defies description, but Amy Lane is able to give us a mental picture of the place that I’d like to soon forget. When Carson sees one roach too many, he decides he can’t spend the night in the disgusting place, and moves to another hotel.
While eating at a local café, he sees a beautiful young man working there. Dale Arden is wearing cutoffs and flip flops and immediately catches Carson’s eye. Dale has a seductive voice and a bossy streak that affect Carson in ways he’s loathe to admit. Under all that sexiness is a brain and a heart. Both Carson and Dale have been lonely lately. Neither one has attached that word to the feeling that something is missing in their “sex as release only” lives until they meet and fall immediately into bed.
Dale and Carson begin their hunt for Stassy at the hotel room where he is registered. They find a dead man in the bed and Stassy is nowhere to be found. Stassy has found a love of his own and is safely tucked away with him. Now begins the adventure of finding the killer and finding true love.
As always, Amy Lane makes me think and feel and fall in love with her characters. When I finished Left on St. Truth-be-Well, I wanted more. I always want more Amy Lane. She is able to pack so much into a book, yet not make it feel like it is forced. Lost boy, dead body, bad directions from the GPS, mobster uncle, hooker and dirty maintenance guy, love everywhere. Sounds like a lot, right? But Amy Lane makes it all go together when she adds a touch of her very own magic. It not only doesn’t feel forced, or too full, it feels perfect.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed by: Tina
You can buy Left on St. Truth-Be-Well here: 
I LOVED this book
::sighs:: Need to read it. Want to read it. Will find time to read it once I get my kids back to school and get my life back. :-D
::smooches:: <3
Wait– there’s NOT a city in my brain?
;-) Thanks for the lovely review!
Amy, there may not be a city in your brain, but I bet it’d still be a freaking awesome place to set up housekeeping. LOL. So much going on in there… :-D