Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

I finished reading Felice Picano's The Lure this morning, and honestly was left a bit wanting. Possibly, that's because Picano's fiction was still in its formative stages at the time of this novel's publication (1979). I think it's also due to his trying to marry - not entirely successfully, I'm afraid - a sort of coming-out narrative with a murder mystery. And then there's my general aversion to murder mysteries, of course. But having said all that, The Lure shows signs of the Picano that was to come in his characterization, especially, and to a lesser extent his plotting. It's no Like People In History or even Onyx, but definitely would make a good beach read.