Shepherd Bucknam is a young very attractive coach for those gay men who want to expand the boundaries of their sexual awareness and enjoyment. In that sense he is indeed a shepherd and in another sense he is also. He has taken Stef under his wing, a midwestern farm boy who is trying to make it in the big city, Los Angelos, in the same business as Shepherd. Shep is his guide in the process and as such is keenly aware of Stef's naivete. But it still came as a shock when Stef was murdered apparently by one of his clients. Shep thought that Stef had good judgement and an unlikely victim that sort of trap. His belief in Stef remained steadfast, and he was determined to get to the bottom of the murder even when the police had come up short on evidence and also ran up against political and dangerous forces that might be stronger than the police force itself.
Marco Fidanza is the cop, a gay cop, investigating the murder. He is a tough realist with a soft spot and a hard on for Shep. When he tells Shep that the police can do no more until perhaps other developments evolve, Shep, who is pursuing a solution with a private detective, decides he cannot sit back and wait even when his own detective advises him that the risks of chasing leads further are too great for himself to continue on the case. Shep is then caught between his own attraction and emotional attachment to Fidanza, the real dangers in taking things further and his burning desire to find justice for Stef and the grieving sister he has left behind.
Fireworks ignite when Marco finds out Shep is persisting with his own investigation when the information Shep's detective has collected endangers his position on the police force and presents a physical danger to Shep himself and others. These are very different men. Shep is independently wealthy and lives in a spiritual world. Marco has fought for all he has in life and is a died in the wool realist. The collision could have serious emotional and real consequences for both. It is rare that Shep runs across a man that he develops such feelings for, so there is a lot at stake for him.
This murder mystery and love story are woven by Meeker with a tension that grabs the reader in its tangle of apprehension and foreboding. It makes the book one that you cannot easily put down. I would recommend it for an entertaining suspenseful read.
