Joe doesn’t live on top of a mountain because he loves people. A late summer snowstorm is the perfect chance to send his customers down to lower altitude and enjoy a few days of solo strolls and fireside naps.
Tanner’s not staying at a high-altitude hut to admire the scenery. He’s got a date to keep with the sort of person you don’t want to disappoint, a date that’ll result in him earning some much-needed cash in exchange for what’s left of his self-respect. But that’s OK. He gave up on self-respect when he picked up the needle anyway.
Pyotr didn’t drop into a blizzard to rescue Tanner or to drag Joe back down to the real world. His mission is a lot colder than that. People are only pawns, and spies are only heroes to those who don’t know them.
Hermit, addict, spy. Three men, one snowstorm, zero reason to trust. And someone’s coming …
Content warning: this book contains on-page heroin use and detox. A brief argument follows the reveal of a character’s HIV status.
“We getting drunk tonight?” Pyotr asked as he watched Joe fill their shot glasses.
“We’re playing a game. You’ve heard of Truth or Dare? Well, tonight we’re going to play a game called Truth and Also Truth. Drink up.”
Pyotr knocked back his vodka while Joe did the same with the tequila. Tanner took a tentative sip from his glass like it was a tea cup, but he followed the first sip with another.
“What are we telling the truth about?” Pyotr asked.
“Good question. So far, I’d say not much. You’ve both been lying to me. I don’t know why you two are here, but you do. Both of you. You want to fill me in on what I’m missing?” He refilled their glasses.
READ MOREPyotr spun his shot glass around, sloshing some of the liquid over the rim. Joe was his kind of bartender, filling to the top, not to the line. Joe nodded at him and he went ahead and slammed the shot back, feeling it burn down his throat and warm his stomach. If Joe’s plan was to get him drunk enough to spill state secrets, it might just work. He was tired—tired of lying to everyone about everything, tired of being lied to back.
“You know why I’m here,” he said. “It was bunk here or freeze to death out there.”
“Or you could’ve stayed in the helicopter you rode in on.”
COLLAPSEErryn Barratt on Amazon wrote:I was pleasantly surprised by its intrigue, as well as by each of the characters. It turned out to be a much deeper book than I’d anticipated, which delighted the hell out of me. I grew to care about these guys, about their very real struggles and weaknesses, so it was especially sweet when they got their HEA.
Joseph Albanese on Amazon wrote:Wow, what a book. I think the tagline summarizes it perfectly: Three men. One snowstorm. Zero trust. There are certainly elements of a thriller – espionage, isolated location, questionable loyalties, treason, etc. But this book is so much more than that. This book is about relationships. Familial, authoritative, obligatory, and romantic.
There are tough scenes but the way Tanya Chris deftly uses and addresses the pains and realities of hard drug addictions, shows compassion and care with each of the characters that gutted me in the best way. I felt so connected and invested in the outcome for these men.High Lonesome is a must read that is gripping , sexy and a true gem.