Don Esker has returned home from San Francisco to the small Ohio town where he grew up, as his father has terminal cancer. The town is not Don’s favorite place at all as forty years earlier, in 1975, three boys were murdered and his father was a suspect in the crimes. Although his father was cleared, the town turned on Don, his three brothers, and his parents, and their lives were never, ever the same.

Don’s father wants to die with a clear name and Don takes it upon himself to find the killer in a decades old case that was mismanaged from the start and has gone cold. Through old memories and long forgotten faces, Don unravels the past with the help of a new love interest, Bruce. But some tales may be better off left unspoken.

Bud Gundy is a new author to me and this book happened upon my radar. It’s a mystery at the heart as Don reaches back to solve a 40-year-old case. The crimes hit his small town hard and his family was shattered in a number of ways when his father was taken in as a suspect. While his father was cleared quickly, long lasting damage was done as the town turned on them all. Adding in that Don was gay, his life became unbearable.

The book cleverly alternates between present day and the mid-70s and 80s as Don’s life before and after the tragedies unfolds. Gundy weaves a tight narrative of Don’s life as the youngest of four boys and we learn of the crimes in a matter of fact way, as there is no on page violence, and we learn where it took Don and his brothers after their father was wrongly accused.

There is a cast of characters as expected for a mystery and they all play a part in the story of Don’s life. Don also meets Bruce when he returns home and the author sets up an outline of a romance. The relationship between Don and Bruce is not the focus of the story and the majority of their romantic interactions are off page. We see them together as Bruce tries to help Don find the killer. The attempt at a romance didn’t completely fit into the rest of the book so well for me. As it was presented, it would have worked better for me if a romantic relationship wasn’t seemingly forced upon them. If there was to be a romance, I then would have preferred to see it evolve more than it did. The author also writes a somewhat fantastical progression for young Don as he not only went to Harvard on a full scholarship, but started in on the ground floor of Yahoo, Google, Facebook, and Twitter, complete with stock options.

The mystery kept me intrigued as Don sifts through evidence and memories, yet the ending wasn’t a shock for me at all. The story is one that is smooth and steady and it’s a quiet mystery, but I would have liked to have seen an unexpected punch somewhere. As it stood, I enjoyed this story on the larger scale of being immersed in the past as well as the present by an author I hadn’t read before and I would certainly consider reading something else by Gundy in the future.

Please don't let the cover confuse you into thinking this is purely an M/M romance. It's not. While there is a love story inside, this book is at its core a mystery with gay characters. It's a book about secrets, and unsolved murders, and old wounds, and family pain. It's about coming home to help your aging mother take care of your father in his last days, it's about giving an old man his dying wish. It's about terrible, horrible secrets kept for 40 years, and confronting the ghosts of your past.

Don Esker has come home to North Homestead, Ohio, where his father lies dying, and his mother and older brothers need help with the palliative care. Don has done well for himself in San Francisco, working in marketing, and is in a position where he can work from anywhere. Coming home isn't easy, as the family name is still talked about in hushed voices in connection to an unsolved crime that happened 40 years ago in 1975, when a little boy, the neighbor's and Sheriff's son, mysteriously disappeared, and two other little boys were found brutally murdered. Don's father was a suspect in the disappearance of the first boy, if only for one evening, and while he was never charged with anything, his good name has never been fully cleared. The suspicion alone shattered Don's family, and when he came out as gay, staying in town became impossible for him. Small towns and small-minded people will not forgive and not forget, and the townsfolk certainly wouldn't accept a gay man.

In a lucid moment, Don's father asks for just one thing before he dies - to have his name cleared once and for all. Don, obliging son, begins a journey that not only brings him to Bruce, the love interest, but also face to face with his childhood friend, the brother of the missing boy, who still lives with his father, the ex-Sheriff across the street from the Esker home. It forces him to confront things of his past. Thick as thieves when they were young, Don and his friend haven't spoken in many years, longer than Don has been gone from North Homestead. There is history there. And hurt, anger, and hate.

As the story unfolds, we are given pieces of the past, set in the 70s and 80s. There's an incident with an old fridge. There's the moment in which Mr. Esker is hauled from his home to answer questions about the disappearance of the neighbor's son. There's the moment in which Don's brother... no, I won't spoil this for you. Just do yourself a favor and read this book.

There is a moment when I knew, just KNEW, who the culprit was, thought I knew who had committed these crimes.

And there is a moment when the truth comes out, and I was proven wrong. Except, not entirely.

The romance between Don and Bruce doesn't really begin until the 2nd half of this book, and it's never in the forefront of the tale. There are no explicit scenes, and there didn't need to be any. It unfolds quietly, organically, and peacefully, just as it should have. These are grown, mature men, and there are no games to be played. No contrived misunderstandings. A love story. Simple. Quiet.

Obviously, Don is not a skilled investigator, and it's often just sheer luck that he is able to find a piece he needs to solve the decades-old crime. He fumbles more often than not, which is to be expected, but he does persevere.

The mystery is eventually solved. The truth comes out, as it always will, no matter how much time passes. I wasn't prepared for this truth. I wasn't expecting this truth. Though, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to go that route, and I must applaud the author for taking this road. It humanized the perpetrator, and though it doesn't offer forgiveness, it offers a believable motive. It does also shine a bright light on deep dysfunction within a family, on emotional and psychological and physical abuse. Facades crumble under such light. Cracks appear. Truth will out.

This book, with its tight narration and unexpected turn of events, kept me glued to its pages until the very last one. It's riveting - a page turner, and masterfully written.

Give this a try, I beg you. This isn't a romance. It's a mystery with a gay MC. It's a story about family. But it is also a love story. Absolutely worth your time.

Stevie‘s review of Somewhere Over Lorain Road by Bud Gundy
Gay Mystery Fiction published by Bold Strokes Books 13 Feb 18

I don’t know whether it’s a UK vs. US linguistic or cultural difference, or just my general immunity to certain forms of pun, but it took me until the middle of this book to realise that its title is a play on a certain Wizard of Oz song. Puns aside, this is another of those small-town mystery stories that may or may not work for me, from a new-to-me author, revolving around a series of unsolved murders – and a disappearance assumed to be a murder – almost forty years before the story begins. I was drawn into this one mainly because of the protagonist, the same age as the victims at the time of the murders, who is therefore somewhat older than the average gay romance hero.


Don Esker was ten the summer three boys from his hometown were murdered: the first being the younger brother of his then best friend, from whom he became estranged soon after due to the other boy’s cruelty and homophobic violence. Don has spent the intervening years trying to forget the events of that year, but returning home to be with his dying father brings back long-buried memories, especially when Don’s father, a main suspect at the time, begs Don to clear his name.

Don’s search brings him back into contact with many of the people who were involved in the case at the time: being a small town, everyone knew or was related to one or more of the victims. He makes new friends and attempts to rekindle old ones, including tracking down an older gay man who befriended Don at the time, but who became a suspect because of that innocent mentorship. Don also begins a relationship with another local gay man, who came across as very bland to me – as did Don, to be honest – nothing like the majority of my slightly-older-than-me friends, who all seem to have thrilling adventures any time they can get away from work.

However, it was Don who was the real sticking point of this story. Much of it is told in flashbacks, but even in the present-day sections, he comes across as very immature and sometimes quite cruel. I got no real sense of any finer feelings beyond family obligations and a hope that the real killer wasn’t any of his three brothers: of whom one at least fitted a psychologist’s profile of the murderer and another was tied to one murder scene by objects found there. Nor did I get any particular indication of what Don’s life had been like before circumstances drove him back to his birthplace, even though we get occasional glimpses of him trying to keep up remotely with his day job in between trying to investigate the murders. In the end, the mystery’s solution felt sadly predictable and formulaic, and I didn’t feel that Don underwent any great personal journey in his search for justice.

Grade: C

Definitely enjoyed this story focusing on the main character, Don, who grew up in a small town in Ohio in the 70-80's who returns home to hopefully clear his father's name for a crime he did not commit because there still remains a cloud of shame over his family name. Don's ailing father really wants his name cleared before he passes away so Don attempts to figure out what happened all those years ago. He begins to discover different clues and lies that were told in attempts to cover-up the truth. He buddies up with Bruce, a friend of his Dad's caretaker and they slowly become closer. The plot and story are great--interesting characters, well-written, suspenseful. Not a love/romance story but more of a mystery. Well-worth reading!! Thank you!!!

Goodreads tags would suggest this is a MM romance story, it's not. There is a MM romantic relationship but it's definitely a secondary element to the story. Somewhere Over Lorain Road is about family and a 40 year old mystery that has been plaguing that family.

It's an enjoyable story with a few problems. You do have to suspend belief a bit with the 'investigation' as Don (the MC) isn't a professional and some of his actions I felt were unlikely to happen. The author did however write the character aware of his shortcomings which helped. I also found the 'why' to the mystery a little bit messy in it's details.

However I enjoyed the mystery of the book and the slow reveal of what happened all those years ago. It was thoughtfully told, with various and realistic suspects for the reader to grab on to. The romance was nice, but as I said previously not a major part of the story. What was lovely to read was the family dynamics and how the events affected them.

Bud Gundy’s Somewhere Over Lorain Road is riveting. There’s just no other word for it. I was absolutely enthralled with the story from the opening paragraph until the final moments, and went through a small rollercoaster of emotions in between. Gundy keeps the reader guessing up until the very end as to what really happened that long-ago summer in North Homestead, Ohio, but it wasn’t only the mystery that had me on edge throughout the book. Somewhere Over Lorain Road is as much a portrait and study of human behavior and small-town dynamics as it is a murder mystery. And, it’s almost more a survival story than anything else. It’s about the Eskers surviving the onslaught of ill will and ridicule and small-mindedness they endured back in 1975, and coming out the other side.

Don Esker is a successful and sought-after marketing analyst. Graduating at the top of his class in high school and earning a full ride to Harvard, along with a career full of brilliant business moves, have afforded him the flexibility to be able to return to his childhood home and help his mother take care of his father, who is dying of cancer. Robert Esker has one main desire before he leaves this earth, which is to once and for all clear his name and rid his family of another cancer, the cloud of suspicion that the family felt so keenly for so long after he was was wrongfully accused and dragged in for questioning. So, Don agrees to see what he can still uncover on the forty-year-old cold case, in the hopes of bringing his dad the peace he deserves.

One member of the Esker family unfortunately didn’t survive, and Don, Randy, and Tim, the brothers of Rich Esker, think the killer of those little boys forty years ago was as much responsible for Rich’s death as he was for the other three victims. The story of what happened to Rich, and how it affected the family, was beyond heart wrenching. Don, as the youngest, and perhaps the closest to Rich, took it the hardest; it was something he never quite got over.

The story switches back and forth, chapter by chapter, between 1975 and the disappearance of Eddie Tedesco and the murders of two other little boys, and present day and Don’s investigation of the crimes. This format kept the suspense at peak levels, placing the reader both front and center to the events as they happened, and riding right along with Don as he discovers the lies and coverups and clues that bring him ever closer to uncovering the truth. Don gets answers and help in some of the unlikeliest of places, and gets some shocks along the way as well. One of his allies is Bruce, who he meets through his dad’s caregiver.

Bruce is handsome, and confident, and so, so kind. And, he turns out to be a great sidekick, too! He and Don really are an excellent team, in every way. But, I think it’s important to mention that the romance is definitely not the focus of the story. It’s there…Don and Bruce grow to care about each other, and Bruce is a bigger part of the story toward the end. But I do think that the cover, while gorgeous, is perhaps a bit misleading as to the extent that the romance is a part of the story. I didn’t feel anything was lacking in the book; I didn’t personally need the romance to be in the forefront. But, I thought readers who might be looking for more of a love story based on the cover, might like to have some clarification there.

I loved this book so much. It was moving, gripping, and unforgettable. This was my first read from Bud Gundy—from this publisher too, in fact!—but I will, without a doubt, be keeping my eyes open for more of his work. Definitely check this one out, guys!

When I had requested this book, I thought it was going to be romance first, mystery/suspense second - well, I had that wrong! This is definitely a suspenseful mystery first, and the romance is very much second. Nothing graphic explained, pretty much everything physical between Don and Bruce happens off-page.

However, having said that, if you are a fan of mysteries don’t let the lack of heavy romance stop you from getting this story! If you are a fan of books from someone like Harlan Coben but have always wanted a gay leading man, this might be perfect for you!

I really enjoyed the set up for this. It flips back and forth between present day and the events that happened when Don was a kid in the 1970’s when three boys were murdered and the killer was never found. Don’s dad was a suspect, and the town never forgot that. Now, Don is determined the fully clear his dad’s name before he passes away from cancer.

I was definitely interested the entire time, and I didn’t guess who the killer was - I always judge a mystery book by how easily I can or cannot guess who the killer is. And this I definitely didn’t guess! The mystery writing was definitely stronger than the romance aspect for me, I feel like I still know nothing about Bruce, really.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I have to say I was completely surprised by this book. I expected a mystery and I got that. I also expected some romance and I got that too. What I didn't expect was to be so caught up in this story that I couldn't put it down. This is not an edge of your seat, action packed crime mystery. In fact, it pulls a reader in little by little with the narrator's perspective of crimes that took place four decades ago and how the aftermath of those crimes affected our amateur sleuth and his family. I won't go into all the details so as not to give spoilers because there is quite the twist in the conclusion. What I will say is that this is a wonderfully written tale that flows seamlessly between past and present, drawing the reader into Don's world. It is a mystery, but it's so much more than that. The author has woven a thoroughly compelling story of family, friendship, love, regrets, loss, and forgiveness.

2.5 stars. I guess I was a little disappointed in this book. The blurb sounded so good that I just had to read it. Once I started I almost didn't finish. I enjoyed the mystery & was surprised by who it was. But the final reasoning behind the killings went just a little bit too far. If the final reasoning would have been left out then maybe I could have believed it. But what I really couldn't wrap my head around why his father would want to be cleared of a crime he wasn't even charged for, only questioned, 40 yrs later. Okay I could understand it playing on his mind for some time but for it to be his dying wish to be cleared of something that he was never charged with still seems a little far fetched. Maybe if he would have been charged & convicted it would have been more believable to me. As for the romance, they spent hardly any time on page. I think this book was a case of it wasn't you, it was me.

ARC for Netgalley, Enjoyable story - Don looks back looking at growing up in the late 70’s 80’s in smallish town of Ohio, while coming home and attempting to clear his fathers as well as his family’s name. Early in Don’s childhood his dad was questioned for a crime he did not commit, although only questioned the stigma stuck around with him and his family. Don is home and attempting to uncover what really happened so long ago, told through flashbacks this is a story about growling up labeled, being different, coming of age, all during a different time a much less accepting time. There are quite a few rough parts that the MC goes through in his life, the book is much more a mystery than romance. Interesting & enjoyable.

4.5 stars

Right now my brain’s mush so this is likely to be a slightly nonsensical review. There are so many things to like about this story. It has a huge whodunit vibe, and although I figured out who it was rather early on (in fact, I was so sure who it was, I was sure I was wrong - did that make sense?) anyway, the fact I guessed who it was didn't detract from my enjoyment. Plenty of red herrings kept me off kilter so the element of suspense remained throughout.

The timeline shifts back and forth between present day and 1975-1982ish. Given those years hold some of my fondest memories, it was nice to take a trip down memory lane.

For the most part, I hoovered on a 4-star rating, then right near the end, Gundy ripped my heart out. This book made me tear up, and it takes a lot for a story to reduce me to tears.
The New Year’s Eve scene was so damn heart breaking, and so damn beautiful, it about wrecked me.

In short, this is a mystery. There is a hint of romance, but ultimately, this story showcases the devastating aftermath an entire family, Don and his three brothers, suffered through after their father was falsely accused of a heinous crime.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley

This review is going to stick out like a sore thumb at this stage as I'm the only dissenting voice in a sea of praise but I just couldn't love this book. I could barely like it.

Gundy's novel is appealing on a lot of levels; in addition to the hook of the synopsis, we have a long-ago murder mystery being investigated by someone who is not doing it because it's their job but for their own personal reasons (which I thought would lend the experience some gravitas and yet didn't really), and our MCs are in their fifties. That last one really really got me excited because I'm always looking for not-twenty-somethings to read about. But sadly none of it lived up to what I had hoped to get from this read.

Returning home to spend time with his ailing father before he passes, Don discovers his father's dying wish is to be officially cleared of a crime he didn't commit. Three boys had been raped and murdered in their small town in the seventies, and Don's father had been one of the suspects. While his alibi had proven he could not have committed the atrocities, no one was ever charged and the associating pall had hung over their family, specifically Rob, for forty years.

As Don isn't a professional -- he is, in fact, a marketing analyst? or something -- a lot of his policing methods were questionable. Unlikely. However Gundy does a good job of at least making the character aware of his own shortcomings in his investigation and does let him stumble on a bit. Where I thought I could at least be comforted by the love story element of the book, instead the romance just.. kind of happens out of nowhere. I was never once sold on the connection between these two. Part of the problem might be because I never found Don to be a likeable character despite how much we're told he was just the best ever always. I seriously doubt I would be interested in someone who responds to being told they're handsome by saying 'yeah, okay, but about my family drama..'. Or, conversely, when the mystery is solved but Bruce goes on to talk about other reveals, Don shuts him down with a 'yeah, well, it's over for me, so drop it.' The only thing they seemed to have in common was their sexual orientation and the fact that they fell in love with each other in five seconds.

My dislike of Don wasn't really a shock, though, considering I don't think I liked any of the characters at all? This might not have been helped by awkward dialogue, flashbacks that encompassed more unfortunate moments than positive ones, and too much 'rah rah rah the gay boys are smarter and better than the straights'. It was all just a bit hard to swallow.

I'll admit that I did find the big mystery reveal to be a nice shock. I didn't see it coming despite the fact that along the way I wasn't sold on any of the suspects or the red herrings that were being tossed around. Even the reason for it was unexpected, but in a good way, as I could appreciate the realistic motive despite the awfulness of it all.

Ultimately, this was just not the story for me. I couldn't connect with the characters, the romance, was bored by some of the filler scenes, and I didn't enjoy the writing style. While the bare bones of the story had promise, I don't think I would pick up another book by this author.

1.5 stars

This wasn't as much of a romance as I typically prefer, and all the backstory, though interesting, really slowed down the overall pace for me. The feel was grittier than I usually like, as well. Still, I thought the characters were realistic, though I didn't get as much insight into each character as I wanted. This is what I'd call a 'typical' male author feel -- meaning that things happened, but he didn't delve into the emotions behind them as much as many female authors do. It's simply a different style, and although it's not my favorite, I know many people prefer it and would probably love this book because of it.

What an engaging read!

Without artificially fabricated loud actions or stunning twists or unexpected turns. Simply a great told touching story, smooth in its course and harmonically with genres that perfectly tuned with each other.

Talking about genres...

This book is a mystery

That is where the story starts: Don, a high skilled marketing analyst, who has achieved everything in his field/life and now works only on contracts, mostly for friends, comes back to North Homestead, Ohio, his Hometown from San Francisco where he lives to take care of his dying father and to spend the last months with him. His family need him: his brothers and his mother are at their physical and psychological limits.

As he arrives, his father, in one of the moments free from the strong analgesics, expresses his biggest desire - to die officially innocent.(?) Soon we'll find out that more than forty years ago, in year 1975, a terrible crime shocked this small community - three little boys were disappeared and shortly after two of them were found murdered, and...the most horrible thing: this case has never been solved.

And...(who could guess?!) Don's father was for one evening one of the suspects. Even if the police confirmed these accusations one day later as unfounded, this event changed a normal life of Don's family completely. This one evening, when the local police broke in their house under the watchful eyes of the citizens made Don's father to a child's murderer.

The only possibility to clear the name of his father is to find a REAL killer. But is it possible forty years later?

This book is a romance

YEAH! It is. And I liked EVERYTHING between Don and Bruce. And I like Bruce! Who could think that this book would turn into romance in the second half?
I have to admit, that after reading the half of the book (or almost) I kept on thinking "WTF this cover has to do with this book?!" I didn't have a problem with the content, but I had a problem to tie WHAT I have read with the cover. It is a wonderful romance story in it, but it is not LOUD...not dominated, not made in long detailed sex scene descriptions(THANKS for that!!!), but on an emotional level, and it is the best for me. And it appeared later in the story. Just be prepared.


This book is a gay fiction

My VERY best genre. And it is a big compliment to qualify a book as the one. It reminded me a bit of Michael Thomas Ford and Tom Mendicino - my favorite authors in gay literary fiction genre. And do you know what I did after I finished this book? I went to Amazon and purchased all books Bud Gundy has written. There are not many of them. But...let us remember: quality over quantity.


This book is about a family

A family dynamic. A family story. A family SAGA. A family. The story switches between NOW and THEN. I LOVE IT. LOVE IT.



I had a VERY busy month at work. Means, I couldn't actually read TOO late into the night. And you know what? I read this book THROUGH the night. Because I couldn't stop reading. And honestly, I don't even remember when it happened the last time.



Highly highly recommended!!!

I had originally thought this would be an easy read with a beautiful relationship between two men the blossoms into love. However, I felt that the romantic aspects of the novel fell to the wayside due to family circumstances. There was much more mystery than romance, and while I did enjoy that as a whole, it was missing the vulnerability and love story I wanted to read.

Overall, and enjoyable novel with a great plot. But if you think this is just an MM romance you will be mistaken.

Not only was this a good mystery/family drama, it was not a typical LGBT romance novel. In fact, I would barely classify it as a romance. Instead, it felt a lot more like a whodunnit that focused on how relationships and attachments change and form. The protagonist is gay and falls for a guy during the book, but it always takes a back burner to the plot about how a family deals with adversity and struggles to solve a decades old crime that smeared their standing in the community. The brothers feel real in their actions of fighting, picking on each other, hiding things, and exploring different paths in life to cope with tragedy. The murder mystery is fairly standard, but is explored through many viewpoints, and the reader sees how the deaths of three boys impact a small community over the course of 40 years. The protagonist Don is a bit too smart to be credible in some areas though. He is smart enough to be able to skip several grades, but also nearly single handedly solves a 40 year old mystery, is valedictorian, gets a full ride to Harvard, avoids much of the fallout of the AIDS crisis in the 80s, and jumps in early with Yahoo, Google, Facebook and Twitter. I understand the character is smart, but this seems omniscient. Overall though, this was a great read.