“It’s like a bad joke over here: a black woman, a Filipino transvestite, and a Korean ex-stripper walk into a gay man’s house. All that’s missing is a priest and a talking dog.” ― Rhys Ford
Title: Dirty Kiss
Author: Rhys Ford
Narrator: Greg Tremblay
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Run Time: 8 hours, 21 minutes
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: Cole Kenjiro McGinnis, ex-cop and PI, is trying to get over the shooting death of his lover when a supposedly routine investigation lands in his lap. Investigating the apparent suicide of a prominent Korean businessman’s son proves to be anything but ordinary, especially when it introduces Cole to the dead man’s handsome cousin, Kim Jae-Min.
Jae-Min’s cousin had a dirty little secret, the kind that Cole has been familiar with all his life and that Jae-Min is still hiding from his family. The investigation leads Cole from tasteful mansions to seedy lover’s trysts to Dirty Kiss, the place where the rich and discreet go to indulge in desires their traditional-minded families would rather know nothing about.
It also leads Cole McGinnis into Jae-Min’s arms, and that could be a problem. Jae-Min’s cousin’s death is looking less and less like a suicide, and Jae-Min is looking more and more like a target. Cole has already lost one lover to violence-he’s not about to lose Jae-Min too.
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Review: First off, I read Dirty Kiss a couple years back and enjoyed it then, but I must say that after listening to the audio version, it’s even more enjoyable! I’m so thankful that Rhys Ford has a clear idea of what to look for in narrators. Greg Tremblay did an excellent job at narrating Dirty Kiss. It’s a gift when a narrator can give each character their own voice. His interpretation brought Cole McGinnis and Kim Jae-Min to life in such a way that makes listening to Dirty Kiss a must-repeat experience.
There were a few parts involving Cole and his brother Mike that had me cracking up, and you could really feel the bond these two brothers have with each other. Even though Mike made it clear he doesn’t love Cole’s gay lifestyle, he still loves and wants to look out for his baby brother.
There’s a touch of sadness when Cole and Bobby talk about the shooting that killed Rick, Cole’s former lover, and all the questions it left behind as to why Cole’s ex-partner, Ben, pulled the trigger. I, too, want to know why, but then again, that’s another mystery.
What I found interesting was Jae himself, his culture, and his sense of family. It kind of reminded me of that saying “it takes a village to raise a child”. I may not have understood his obligations to his family, but I, too, like Cole, had to respect them.
Again, Greg Tremblay did an excellent voice characterization for Jae and surprisingly, Scarlet too. I wish I could have heard more of Scarlet singing.
So, if you loved the book, you’re going to love the audio version of Dirty Kiss. I’m giving it a high 5 star rating, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment, hoping that Greg is the man for the job!
You can buy Dirty Kiss here:
This is one of my favorite series…..Rhys Ford is a fabulous writer and I highly encourage you to try this one.
Marilyn, years ago when DSP first released Dirty Kiss, I was reviewing at another blog. I didn’t get beyond chapter one before I was emailing Rhys to ask for an interview because there was no way I was going to go through life not knowing the author who’d come up with a shotgun toting leather granny. LOL!