Reviews for Reap the Whirlwind

Shooting Star Magazine

Reap the Whirlwind was just as good as the first book, Bleeding Hearts, and it was great to get to meet new characters, while still welcoming back some of the old. Will’s sexuality is a big theme throughout the book, with his struggle and eventual acceptance. I thought it was written very well and showed the various aspects of every relationship, whether good or bad. Once Joey is found dead, the book picks up its second storyline of mystery and suspense. The group of friends begin their investigation, dealing with new information and roadblocks in a very realistic way. I felt the story flowed nicely and kept you interested in more way than one. The end of the novel had me shaking my head in disbelief and wishing there was more to read!

Read the full review

Thriller, suspense, murder and romance. From moments of comedic delight to times of absolute tragedy. Josh Aterovis has his reader experience it all.

There are plenty of dead bodies, plenty of suspects. It was fun to guess along the way who the killer would be. Josh throws in just the right number of red herrings to keep us guessing.

A romantic at heart, my favourite scenes were with Will (the narrator) and his unrequited love for his best friend, Joey. Then along comes Aidan and things really begin to happen, in more ways than one.

This rollercoaster ride of a book branches out from author Aterovis's 2002 debut novel, Bleeding Hearts. Like the main character in the earlier book, Reap The Whirlwind's Will Keegan is a teenager whose life is turned upside down when he discovers he is gay. He is in no way prepared for the upheaval in store for him. He comes to understand that the person he's been in love with is hatefully homophobic. His father turns from him. Someone dear to him dies in a mysterious drunken accident. Will nearly dies, too. If that's not enough stress for one person, he meets someone special and is hardly able to discern that the young man is perfect for him.

Once Will gets his life into a precarious balance, he is able to see that the death of his friend is no accident even though the police have ruled it so. He and several friends (including Killian Kendall from the earlier novel) launch an amateur investigation which has dreadful results. There's another murder, then another, and no way of determining why. Who will be next?

Aterovis does an admirable job of showing the wild confusion and frequently uncontrollable emotions of young people as they attempt to understand their lives and make their way into adulthood. This book, essentially a very serious story, has occasional flashes of humor. My favorite line: “Oh my God, Martha Stewart died and left us all her shit.” The interplay between the young men and women, both straight and gay, feels accurate and alive. Above all, the message is clear that love and acceptance of self and others is critical, especially for young adults. Highly recommended for readers from high school on up.

Reviewer:
Lori L. Lake

Will Keegan is the son of a conservative minister. He is short, skinny and has skin so pale he turns red when you look at him too long. He has been friends with Laura Duvier and Joey Taylor since childhood. Laura and Joey are going on to college but Will has decided to sit out a year and continue working at his father's church. Joey tells Will he should move out of his parents house and he knows someone looking for a roommate and if he can go to a party this guy is giving, he will be able to meet him. When Will gets to the party and sees Joey and his new girlfriend and Will creates quite a scene because Joey hasn't told him about having a new girlfriend. Laura, who is surprised at Will's reaction, talks to him about how Joey has influence on what Will does in his personal life. She asks Will if maybe he has romantic feelings for Joey.

Aidan Scott is gay and has moved to the Eastern Shore to attend college. He has support from some members of his family but decided to move after coming out. Aidan wants a roommate mostly for the companionship it offers and he explains all this to Will but doesn't tell Will he is gay until after Will moves in.

Will tries to talk to Joey about his feelings but Joey becomes belligerent and ends the discussion. Aidan tells Will that Joey has become a party animal and has a reputation among the women on campus as a user. Will goes to a party to try and talk to Joey but Joey doesn't want to talk and becomes angry asking Will to show him how he has sex. Will get away from Joey and becomes sick. Later he runs into Caitlin who says she is pregnant with Joey's baby. They are in the front yard talking when Joey's body is found floating in the pool. The police think it is an accident but Will receives a package with a note inside saying Joey was killed. After talking everything over with Aidan, Laura and their other friends, they ask Killian Kendall to help them do some investigating to find out what really happened to Joey.

Reap the Whirlwind is a well-written mystery with some wonderful characters dealing with personal conflicts while trying to find a killer. Will gains strength through Aidan's love and is able to put his life together after attempting suicide. Aidan is a wonderful young man comfortable with who he is. The author does a good job tying up all the loose ends that give the reader an explosive ending.

Reviewer:
Hattie Boyd

With Reap the Whirlwind, Josh Aterovis continues his Killian Kendall series, and his award-collecting ways. His first novel, Bleeding Hearts, won the Whodunit Award from the Stonewall Society, and not to be outdone, Reap the Whirlwind has claimed two Gay Writers Guild awards.

The story follows Will Keegan, a young man caught in conflicting emotions as he realizes he’s in love with Joey Taylor, his best friend. Complicated by the fact that Joey is straight, the situation becomes even more traumatic when Joey drowns in a pool at a party.

Will believes the drowning is suspicious and an anonymous letter sent to him increases his certainty. With support from his new roommate, Aidan Scott, he determines to convince the police that Joey was murdered. Aidan enlists his cousin, Killian Kendall, in the quest, and "the chase is on."

Aterovis has produced another singularly strong portrayal of the particular difficulties facing gay people in their efforts to blend into society and, yes, even into their own families. Included within this engrossing depiction is the search for the killer, the solving of the murder, Will Keegan’s hunt for his own place in the world, and his stunning insistence on taking over a responsibility left by his friend Joey’s death. The ending is a shocker.

Will Keegan’s story is told with dignity and respect; Reap the Whirlwind warrants the special notice it has received.

Reviewer:
Nann Dunne

Whirlwind is just that. It takes you right away. It is a fast paced story about a young group of friends that call themselves, ‘The Three Musketeers’. Will, our teller of their adventures, Laura, and Joey. They were such good friends, that Joey and Laura decided to go to the local college because Will wanted to set out a year before going.

Will is an artist that works for his father at one of the local churches, where his father is the minister.

Our adventure starts out with Joey telling Will that he should move out on his own and that he knows someone that is looking for a roommate, Aidan. Joey invites Will to go to a party at Aidan’s to meet him and see if he would like to move in.

Before the party Will gets a call from his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Beth. They had a date that night. When Will breaks off the date, Beth gets mad and for the first time Beth breaks it off with Will, saying that Joey comes first all the time with him.

When Will and Joey show up at the party, there is a girl that that Joey had been dating for about 3 weeks and Joey hadn’t let Will know that he was dating someone. Upset Will goes outside for a while. Laura comes out and talks with Will. In the course of the conversation, Laura asks Will if he is in love with Joey. This starts Will on a journey that he never thought about before.

Will moves in with Aidan and finds out that Aidan is gay. There is also a connection between them. Aidan talks about his cousin, Killian, that is younger than him and is gay and has a lover. When Aidan shows Will a picture of his cousin and his lover, Will is floored, Aidan’s cousin’s lover is Asher, Will’s cousin! (If you have read Bleeding Hearts you already know their story.)

After much soul searching Will is slowly coming to terms with his sexuality and his love for Joey. When Will confronts Joey with his feelings Joey goes off the deep end. He pushes Will out of his life and starts on a downward spiral, drinking and sleeping with just about any woman that would go with him.

At another party, Will confronts Joey. After Will and Joey’s altercation, Will goes to the restroom to calm down. He then goes outside where a girl that ‘dated’ Joey is hiding under a tree. When they hear a scream and people start running out of the party. Joey was found in the pool dead. This is where the Mystery begins.

That’s all I’m giving you. If you are a mystery fan or wanting to read good gay literature, buy Reap The Whirlwind. You won’t be dissatisfied. Again, Thanks Josh for sharing your stories with the world.

Reviewer:
Joe Mountman