A Fault Against the Dead

The First Quarto, Book 4

By: Gregory Ashe

Narrated by: J.F. Harding

Drugs. Sex. Murder. And, if they can squeeze it in, graduation.

When Auggie Lopez returns to Wahredua for his senior year of college, he’s excited about the future: He’s growing his brand as an influencer, he’s almost done with school, and he’s building a life with his boyfriend, Theo. Then Auggie gets a phone call from Howard Cartwright, Theo’s ex—and Cart tells Auggie he’s being framed for murder.

As Auggie and Theo begin to look into the death of a local parole officer, they realize something isn’t right. A gang of armed men almost catches them while they’re searching the victim’s home, a threatening message spray-painted on the victim’s home suggests a personal vendetta, and everyone wants to know about a missing cache of money. The trail leads Auggie and Theo into the dangerous world of the Ozark Volunteers—the local white supremacists who control the region’s drug trade.

After Theo and Auggie are attacked at home, they learn that the stakes might be much, much higher: Someone is determined to put a stop to their investigation, no matter what it takes. And the killer, Theo and Auggie suspect, is hiding behind a badge.

©2022 Gregory Ashe (P)2023 Gregory Ashe

So many feels!

I took a while to listen because when I read the book and it had so many feels! I needed to get into that mindset. The audio was just as good! The narrator was great always a 5 star for me! Same with the author I just love his book. His characters are so great and the mysteries are always so interesting!!

Fantastic Installment of a Great Series!

This is definitely NOT a standalone!

Loved getting with Theo and Auggie again and how they always seem to get into the middle of a hellishly dangerous situation.

Amazing narration!

Another great installment

This is the fourth book in The First Quarto series featuring my favorite dysfunctional couple and things have finally come to a head. On a side note, if you plan on listening to GA’s crossover series, Iron on Iron, (and you should) listen/read this book first. The Face in the Water happens AFTER events in this book. No major events, but it clarifies Theo and Auggie’s storyline. The first book mainly focuses on on Jem and Tean, but I digress.

In this installment we get the extra special glimpse into Theo and Auggie’s families with wildly differing experiences. Loved seeing another side of Auggie’s oldest brother, although I really feel for the guy. We also get the reemergence of Cart, Theo’s missing ex-boyfriend. Cart has not fared well as an ex police officer and is being framed for murder and the boys try to help. Of course, it all goes terribly wrong with life threatening consequences. It also leads to exposing Theo’s deepest fear about their relationship and for a change it’s Theo that is hit with the dumbass bat. Auggie comes into his own agency.

In classic GA style, there are several red herrings and corrupt police officers. The boys get assaulted a bit more than usual and one comes close to dying. The mystery is solved but there are still unresolved issues at the end. But it was a very satisfying end for our couple, but their struggle goes on.

J.F. Harding gives another A+ performance. He is really amazing.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in return for an honest review.

I’m not a re-reader but. . .

I had already read this book in print (digital?) format and usually, I would not revisit. However, Gregory Ashe is one of my favorite authors and JF Harding one of my favorite narrators. Together they have been magic. Still magic with this latest/last book of this series. The banter between the main characters is as entertaining as always. The pain with their relationship and personal struggles still makes my heart hurt. I especially enjoyed the ancillary characters in this book: Fer and Cart are priceless. And not least is the engaging mystery. And can I say how impressed I am with this author that he can weave Shakespeare into this story? That’s some next level writing, IMO.

Love Theo and Auggie

This is a big year for Auggie and Theo with both of them finishing their varying college degrees. For Auggie this is the last step before he and Theo can leave the backwards small town of Wahredua and move to California where Auggie can finally find the fame and fortune he has been seeking since the beginning of the series. For Theo, however…

In my last review, I talked a little bit about how the age and experience differences affected both Theo and Auggie. Auggie seems to be more adjusted and is just going for what he wants now. Theo hasn’t gotten over feeling like he is a burden to Auggie. He’s older and been through a devastating loss. His daughter is in a hospital for full time care, and he is a recovering addict. For Theo, he isn’t sure he is the best thing for Auggie’s future, if only he could bring himself to communicate that fact.

Having read a different series by this same author, I was certain that Auggie and Theo would make it together. The relationship dramatics still made me a little crazy, though. In the middle of them trying to figure out where their futures would take them, Theo’s deceased husband’s parents decide to move and take his daughter with them to a state that isn’t part of either his or Auggie’s future plans. Theo is strained beyond belief and Auggie really steps up to help keep the young girl he’s come to care about as well, right where she is. Despite Theo and his former in-laws treating him like a child, Auggie really pulls through. I can’t say that I wasn’t really mad at Theo in that scene, let me tell you.

On top of everything else going on for these two, Theo’s closeted ex calls from jail to ask for help proving his innocence in the murder of a police officer. Like all the mysteries that this college TA and student have been dragged into, there are so many twists and turns. And yes, there is violence. My co-reviewer and I texted about how we wondered how Auggie and Theo have been survived all that the author has thrown at them. John Henry Somerset who has been a pretty stand up police officer to this point looks is becoming a little unreliable for help. Lender, the dirty cop who has mostly hurt but helped them out of a few sticky situations, also appears in this book. Now I’m eager to re-listen to the Hazard & Somerset series to see their future selves.

Over the course of the rest of Auggie’s senior year the mystery resolves itself piece by piece. Dirty lawmen are abundant and Auggie’s brothers get wrapped up in their mess, and in the end the bad guy isn’t really punished. It’s enough that Auggie and Theo are alive and Cart’s name is cleared. There is no complete sense of satisfaction but there is 100 percent relief.

In the end, it was a good book and a great series. The author really knows how to blend a mystery and a slow burn romance. These guys work for their happy ending and it makes for a rewarding experience. The narration by J.F. Harding was the icing on the cake.

Perfect Conclusion

I love this series and Ashe did a great job with this book, as usual. Like the others in the series, I have waited to experience this in audio since I think Harding is a fantastic narrator. The mystery was engrossing and the characters, as performed by Harding were very distinct in their voices and actions. I’ve read (or at this point, listened) to all of the books Ashe has written and although they all will merge in some forthcoming books, I have have not been familiar with intermingling of some characters, particularly Lender as I couldn’t recall what his fate was/is in the H&S series.
Overall, this book was a great conclusion to this particular series and I’m looking forward to how they fit into the larger Ashe collection that combines the four major series he’s written. Well done! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great mystery. Wonderful narration.

This was my version of a perfect audiobook—a mystery with an evolving romance, a writing style suited to narration, and a narrator whose tone matches the feel of the book. I did not want the story to end, but I needed to know the ending. Auggie and Theo have found themselves caught up in the potentially corrupt network of policing and politics in Wahredua. The web of intrigue built into the story is starting to unravel as the couple tries to figure out their future together.

As a reader, I felt a strong personal connection to the characters. Auggie and Theo are relatable in a multitude of ways. They both have experience managing the life challenges that include addiction, trauma, and a deficiency of self-confidence. Dealing with those challenges serves as a warm-up for the perils Auggie and Theo face in the new semester at Wroxall. One of those perils sparked a fight scene that had my pulse rate climbing. Vivid depictions and an artful resolution put that fight scene in my top ten all-time favorites.

The main characters are not the only ones I felt a connection to. Fer is one of my favorite side characters. As a big sister, I understand his struggle to be supportive of his younger brother without trying to control Auggie's life. Fer's spectacular diatribes ramble eloquently, like modern-day versions of Shakespearean insults, and the ill-timed rants add a dash of humor to lighten some very dark situations. J.F. Harding narrates Fer's verbal assaults beautifully. Harding's narration was an excellent match to The First Quatro series and to this book in particular. His smooth tone, nuanced performance, and distinct character voices enhance a very engaging mystery story.

If you are looking for an audiobook with great narration, a writing style that lends itself well to narration, and a complex mystery solved by a couple who aren't detectives, this is an excellent listen.

Painful and worthwhile

My review of the ebook version says: As I've noted before in reviewing this series, there are inherent challenges to writing prequels, particularly when crime is involved. The reader (assuming they've read the earlier/later books) starts out knowing who many of the bad guys are, even though the protagonists don't. I think Greg Ashe does a great job creating/maintaining tension despite this, even though it does mean we're kind of waiting for shoes to drop all over the place. As usual with this author, even the "good guys" are flawed, which is both frustrating and realistic. Also as usual, reading a lot of this was painful, but that doesn't mean it's not worth reading.

Theo and Auggie aren't my favorite Ashe couple, but whenever I get into one of their books, I realize that that's like saying butter pecan isn't my favorite flavor of ice cream. It isn't, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it a lot. I may quibble over some of the choices Ashe makes in his writing, but I'd never question his command of character and storytelling.

My thanks to the author for a complimentary copy of this audiobook.

A solid and sweet conclusion to The First Quarto!

There are three primary things I love about Gregory Ashe. Ashe is a creative and thoughtful writer who offers us amazing gay characters who do not fit into standard stereotypes, rather they are just people. The next is his ability to craft environments that unfold around you. You recognize places and people, not necessarily because, say in this case you've been to central Missouri, but because he understands how to tap into the reader’s experiences. I can relate to what he is telling me about this town, and about these people. I have seen them in my own life in some way. The last thing being he does not dumb down his writing nor does he try to prove how smart he is to his readers. From philosophy to pop culture to literature to the gram, Ashe effortlessly allows his characters to be smart, funny, flawed and real without apology. He allows them to be fully themselves and lets us in to see how it plays out.

On that same note, Theo and Auggie are beautifully imagined. I found myself easily hooked in book one, and have ridden all the waves of their relationship willingly. Who doesn’t love hot guys reading Shakespeare! I eagerly awaited this fourth installment on audio - JF Harding is hands down the best voice actor right now, and what he can do for a story is nothing less than a big, ole chef's kiss. Harding doesn't disappoint. Ashe generally comes through for this book as well, he digs deeper into both main characters and how they’ve changed over the four years. The initial murder plot is smart, and brings back Cart - a very loose end that needed to be addressed. Kudos to Ashe that Chuy plays such a critical part of this book. I love, love, love how different he is from his bothers, and the glimpses he offers into Auggie’s formative years are helpful, as that plays an important part in this title. Fer too, gets more depth which I appreciate. Auggie and Lana tougher was a treat. I also didn’t realize how long overdue meeting Theo’s family was - what an amazing addition to the series. More potatoes please!

I cannot recommend this series enough. Ashe never dumbs down his characters, like someone writing for actors, he understands their motivations so their actions make sense. You know the difference when Amazon/Audible make recommendations for authors “similar” to Ashe, I think, I’ve read her, I’ve read him - they are nothing like Gregory Ashe. The closest author I think of is Joseph Hansen and his Dave Brandstetter mysteries for unique gay representation and page turning writing.

If you will indulge me, there are a couple of things that I wish were handled differently. Without going heavy spoiler, I was left a bit unsatisfied that Theo and Auggie do not get any real resolution on some elements of the plot. A major event will happen, and then the reader is left wondering - where did that instigator go? Also, characters that figure into H&S have to be left alone as if nothing happened as those stories have already been told, it is cannon. Detective Lender anyone? He was my biggest stumbling block in this book, is he behind door number 1 or door number 2, but I know he is behind one of them. I also felt John Henry’s appearances in FATD was a bit gratuitous. He didn’t propel the story forward in any meaningful way and other than offering up a familiar name, I don’t see why he was included.

As as spinoff of the more popular, or at least more prolific Hazard and Somerset series, there is long shadow cast on Theo and Auggie’s world. I have felt Theo and Auggie to be a kind of Hazard and Somerset lite in terms of overlapping characters, the level of beatings and other awful deeds inflicted on them as well as the incredibly long slog of their relationship coming together. However, for me there has been a kind of gothic beauty to these horrors that H&S doesn’t match. Maybe it is Auggie who makes the difference. It could be his tenacity, or some of his earlier moments of sacrifice such as taking the cane beating to save Theo’s knee, or his quiet love when he unexpectedly waits on the porch after Theo’s breakfast meltdown to be the pillar Theo needs. Perhaps it is Theo, the beautifully wounded widower, who guiltily yearns for Auggie, and who lives with more pain and worry than all his baggage can hold. Whatever the reason, I find them magnetic, I hope you do too. And I hope they have as prolific a library of titles as the series that spawned them!

Breathtaking Conclusion book 4, Brutal but Worth It

Read in May because I couldn’t wait for the audiobook, then revisited on audiobook in November once it came out. Well worth the audio, JF Harding does a phenomenal job with a phenomenal story.
—————
“It was like what they said about feeding strays, only this one wanted sex all the time and ate his weight in Doritos.”
——————
“Somehow, Auggie avoided dying of embarrassment that day, although Fer grumped and stomped around most of the morning and made pointed comments about church and the bonds of marriage and infant Jesus weeping in his manger.”
——————
May 2023. Book 4 of 4 in the mystery/suspense series about an unlikely partnership (and eventually a relationship) between a gay undergrad student and gay grad student who are studying Shakespeare and find themselves pulled into a mystery each year at the university.

Each book pulls some themes from a work of Shakespeare in a way that ties in both with character growth and with the case in some way. Book 4 features Hamlet, a big theme is Theo being stuck in an identity rooted in grief like Hamlet is, and Theo’s dissertation chapter he works on during the book is on Hamlet and grief.

This one is beautiful and at times devastating, with a fascinating mystery and our core characters continuing to grow as both individuals and in relation to each other. An emotional and fitting conclusion to the series.

“A Fault Against the Dead” by Gregory Ashe. Book 4 of 4 in series “The First Quarto.”