This is the 4th novel in the Henry Rios mysteries and one of my favorites. In this mystery we learn a little bit more about Henry and his history with his father. Henry and Josh ( who have been together for 5 years) have broken up due to many reasons,chief among them that Josh is having an affair. Josh feels anger and jealousy towards Henry because he feels Henry has the luxury of time on his side, and though Josh is younger, he also is HIV+ and his health status is uncertain. Henry is naturally upset, he still loves Josh but he knows the relationship is over. Henry is now in counseling to at first he thinks in dealing with his relationship with Josh, but the counseling is in fact helping him to deal with the relationship he had with his abusive and alcoholic late father. Into the story also comes a case that Henry works on, a drug-addicted teen is accused of killing a popular senator who had his own secrets and problems. This book is one of the shorter Rio mysteries but it's a good read. I did have a few questions like... Henry's age difference with Josh is now suddenly 10 years when it was mention in the previous mysteries that it was 12. Also, the partner named Peter, that Henry hired at the end of the third mystery has disappeared and not even mention. Oh we'll, it's still a good mystery and a quick read!
This was a lot easier to get through than the previous book. The subject matter is nowhere near as depressing or uncomfortable, at least for me. I suppose those have trouble with subjects like drug and alcohol abuse and physical abuse might need to precede with caution. As Henry works this latest case, all these things come to the fore, not just in his case but as he looks back at his upbringing by an abusive, alcoholic father. I thought the case was balanced well with the things going on in Henry's personal life. Things are not going so well with his lover Josh, who is growing bitter about his shortened life as his AIDS advances. Henry seeks therapy, hoping it will help him understand Josh better, and while he does come to new understandings, they're not the ones he expected. I also like the way the law is handled in these books. It's generalized enough not to hit you over the head with legalese. You understand what's at stake and how the system works without getting bogged down by endless pages of textbook explanations. I don't like law shows except for one or two exceptions or even books about the law, fictional or non-fictional, so this is a huge plus for me. They're extremely readable.
Do You like book The Hidden Law (2013)?
Reading Michael Nava's Henry Rios series always make me feel subdued. I don't know why. There is a sense of sadness in his stories *sigh*. The fourth book from Henry Rios brings Henry in investigation of the murder of a State Senator. However, I feel that the murder mystery and investigation don't really take position as the driver. Instead, I feel that the book is more on Henry's personal life ... from dealing with the end of his five-year-old relationship with his lover, Josh, who battles with AIDS, and his own personal issues on how deep down inside, he still resent his father. This is for the first time, I think, I read Henry visit a therapist -- though his first intention is to work on his "marital problems" with Josh, but he uncovers so much more. The ending, is bitter-sweet. Now I'm worried to read the next book because of the title. Gosh, if book #4 can make me this mellow, what will happen if I read book #5? *shudder*
—Ami
