In the first full-length novel of the Boystown series, it’s late summer 1982 and private detective Nick Nowak is asked to find a retired gentleman’s long lost lover.
Instead, he finds himself embroiled in a decades old murder connected to the man who wants to be Chicago’s next mayor. Meanwhile, an ambitious young reporter develops a friendship with Nick’s lover Bert, making Nick wonder exactly what where their relationship may be heading.
Set in Chicago during the early 1980s, the Boystown series follows private Investigator Nick Nowak as he works challenging cases and grapples with an even more challenging personal life.
In Little Boy Boom, Nick’s car explodes when a thief attempts to steal it. Realizing the bomb was meant for him, Nick sets out to discover who wants him dead only to find that the list of possible suspects is longer than he’d like. When he begins to run out of suspects he wonders if the bomb was truly meant for him.
Little Boy Tenor finds Nick investigating the murderer of a church choir’s star tenor, while at the same time his friend Ross asks him to discover the truth behind his lover, Earl Silver’s mysterious death. As he juggles the two cases, he becomes increasingly disturbed by what he learns.
“Fans of hard-boiled PI mystery stories, with a goodly dose of sex and violence thrown in, won’t go far wrong…” British Bulldog, Rainbow Reviews
“Nick has fast become a favorite character and we will all be anxiously awaiting the next set of tales in the life and times of Nick Nowak. Marshall Thornton has a winner with Nick Nowak.” Sensual Reads
The Boystown series can be purchased directly at torquerebooks.com, or at Amazon.com, Fictionwise.com, and other fine locations online.
Honorable Mention 2011 Rainbow Awards – Mystery/Thriller
Studio accountant, Matt Latowski orders an erotic massage on the one-year anniversary of a bad break-up, but is surprised when the masseur calls him a couple weeks later to ask him out on a date. Unable to say no to a freebie, Matt begins a journey that eventually leads to his becoming a murder suspect.
As the police close in on him, Matt is left with no choice but to turn the tables and become an erotic masseur himself in order to find the murderer. Along the way he meets Detective Aaron Tripp, sparks fly as Matt wonders whether the detective might be the murderer, or the murderer’s next victim?
“Marshall Thornton has created an impressive thriller that I very much enjoyed.” Chocolate Minx, Literary Nymphs
Set in the mid-sixties in upstate New York, Jan Birch is a housewife who lives in a planned development of small, cramped homes. As she struggles with a difficult marriage and an anti-social son, she finds herself involved in the murder of the neighborhood divorcee, her boss’s difficult divorce when she gets a part-time job and, eventually, falls in love with a man who may or may not be a murderer himself.
This short story collection includes the separately published Coffee Clutch, Bartholi’s Rest and Mountain View Terrace in one volume.
Available now at The Kindle Store and smashwords.com. Coming soon to barnesandnoble.com, Kobo, the Sony Reader Store and The Apple Store. Trade paperback edition coming soon.
Palm Springs, 1973. Don Harris is a piano player on the run after killing a Chicago mobster’s son in a bar fight. On the lam, he meets a pretty blonde girl in town for a convention. He lets down his guard and spends the night with her only to discover she’s the younger sister of his best friend all grown-up. Foolishly, she tips her brother off to Don’s location, and he’s on the run again, hoping to find a safe place to land.
Out of money and desperate, Don accidentally walks into a gay bar where he allows a kid named Harlan to pick him up so he’ll have a place to stay. As the mob chases them, Don begins to fall for the kid, putting them both in harm’s way. Harlan has problems of his own, and Don knows he shouldn’t get involved but he can’t help but step in when Harlan gets in trouble. To save himself, Don’s got to save Harlan.
“Oh, man. Colour me impressed with a capital IM. You hear that? Not just a capital I. No, Desert Run deserves two capital letters to tell the world just how damn impressed I was. You know when you open a book and the voice just slaps you upside the head and you sit back and think, “Oh yeah, this book is going to suit me!”? Well, this happened to me. The voice is friggin’ great…” Miz Management, Miz Loves Books.
“Desert Run is the first book I’ve read by Marshall Thornton and it won’t be my last! I’m always on the hunt for books written by authors that are new to me, so I was pretty excited to be able to read and review this book. I’m pleased to say that I was quickly enthralled by the fast-paced storyline and the different and intriguing twists and turns the plot takes throughout the storyline. But, the main reason I loved this book is because I adored both heroes, Don and Harlan, and how their relationship developed as the book progressed.” Daisiemae, Night Owl Reviews.
Available at www.torquerebooks.com, fictionwise.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other fine locations.
Honorable Mention 2011 Rainbow Awards - Mystery/Thriller
Honorable Mention 2011 Rainbow Awards – Best Bisexual Novel
When he falls in love with a contestant on a reality TV show, Peter “Praline” Palmetier decides to leave his home in rural Georgia and, failing to realize this might be considered stalking, travels to Hollywood to find his soul mate, Dave G. Once in Tinseltown he meets a collection of startling, and often horny, characters in his quest. They include a studly steward, a conservative talk show host, the Godfather of the Gay Mafia, and casting assistant Jason Friedman, who always manages to be there in time to save Praline from total disaster. Will Praline find love with the illusive Dave G., or will he recognize the charms of appealing but untelegenic Jason?
From Kassa at Three Dollar Bill Reviews, “It’s fun, humorous, and a wild romp with outrageous characters and ridiculous actions but that’s what makes it so absorbing and engaging. It’s a crazy whirlwind that is only eclipsed by the next even more ludicrous antic. Sit back and enjoy the humor without thinking too closely at the reasons.”
Available in paperback and e-formats at MLR Books, Amazon, Fictionwise and TLA Video.
In the second Boystown collection, Chicago private investigator Nick Nowak finds himself involved with a young man who murdered his stepfather but refuses to assist in his own defense, hired to find the murderer of a dead porno star, and, in a case that traps him between the two men he loves, searching for a serial killer’s only living victim. Set in the second half of 1981, Nick juggles his deepening relationship with Detective Bert Harker with the return of his ex, Daniel Laverty. Which man will he choose? And will he be able to?
From Miz Love Reviews, “Our gorgeous slut is back in Boystown 2, another great book from Marshall Thornton. The voice is just as dreamy as in book 1, with quick wit and a fantastic peek into Nick’s inner psyche that had me laughing, nodding, and relating in many ways. I love the honesty from this guy, where he says what many of us are thinking.”
From Jenre at Three Dollar Bill Reviews, “Overall, I thought this book was an engrossing read which contained a very flawed hero. I may not have liked Nick at times, but he was certainly compelling enough as a character to keep me reading the book. Those who are looking for a set of downbeat, hard-boiled mysteries or those who read and liked Boystown 1 will really like this book. I did and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.”
Available at Amazon’s Kindle Store, Fictionwise, and Torquere Books.
When divorced dad Richard Gibbings gets a call from his little girl telling him that Lucky, the family dog is missing, he immediately rushes over to look for her. Unable to find the dog, he posts flyers around the neighbor hood in hopes that someone might call. Unexpectedly, he receives a ransom note. Someone has taken Lucky. Who would do such a terrible thing? The creepy babysitter? His troubled teenage son? His ex-wife’s new boyfriend? As Richard struggles to learn the truth, his world is turned upside down when he stumbles upon a terrible family secret.
Available at The Kindle Store and at smashwords.com.
A former police officer turned private investigator, Nick Nowak is haunted by his abrupt departure from the department, as well as, the traumatic end of his relationship with librarian Daniel Laverty. In these three stories set in Chicago during the early eighties, Nick locates a missing young man for a mysterious client, solves a case of arson at a popular nightspot, and goes undercover to prove a dramatic suicide was actually murder. When he isn’t detecting, and sometimes when he is, Nick moves through a series of casual relationships. But his long suppressed romantic side surfaces when he meets Detective Bert Harker. Will he give love another chance? Or, will he continue to bury himself in the arms of strangers?
From Miz Love Reviews “I adored the voice in Boystown. It’s 1st person—some people are born to write it, Marshall Thornton being one of them, in my opinion—and carries you along through Nick’s world and current case. There are three cases in this book, all wonderful, all equally interesting, and I couldn’t put the damn book down.”
From Dark Divas “…In brief, Marshall Thornton’s Boystown is an extremely satisfying read: it’s gritty with a strong lead and a lot of subtle character development accompanied by great sex scenes. But it’s mostly the eighties detective work that is the most appealing: Nowak has some luck and his guts and not much else, and it’s that which makes the reader root for him something fierce.”
Rated 4 Delightful Divas by Kris!
Available at Amazon’s Kindle Store, Fictionwise and Torquere Books.
A Chicago art director in his early thirties returns to his tiny Upstate New York hometown to spend the holiday with his recently widowed father only to find himself involved with his boyhood crush, now a closeted sheriff’s deputy. It’s sentimental and sexy, with a bit of mystery stirred in.
From Dark Divas, “Marshall Thornton has packed so much into this story that it amazed me. There’s heartache, anger, mystery, soul searching and of course love and romance. There weren’t just remote references to these things either. All were complete scenes told in great detail that had me totally engrossed until the very end. I don’t think I’ve ever known an author to get so much into so few pages. And the ending, well, lets just say it left me with a big smile on my face!”
Rated # 5 Delightful Divas by Helen!
Available at Torquere Press, Amazon, barnesandnoble.com and other fine locations.
