
Lena Dunham recommended The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978) in Movies (curated)

Lena Dunham recommended Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) in Movies (curated)

Tom of Finland (2017)
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Touko Laaksonen, a decorated officer, returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving...
international drama biography LGBTQ

His Mercenary (Mercenary In Love, #1)
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Chase Black and his team are Mercenaries who go after Human Traffickers. Working a case for the...

You Are Not a Stranger Here
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In one of the most acclaimed fiction debuts in years, Adam Haslett explores the lives that appear...

Expectant Moon (Gladstone Shifters #1)
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Tolerated. Ignored. Threatened. Modern gay shifters struggle for equality, but history paints a...
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College Days (Reagalos #0.5)
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Lornyc is good at keeping secrets, because secrets can get you kicked out of College. Lornyc...
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Into the Snow: A Stella and Sam Adventure
Games and Education
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(Description en français plus bas.) Play alongside Stella and Sam and their dog Fred as they go...

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Long Call in Books
Sep 13, 2019
I won't go into too many details here and spoil the plot, but I'll say that this is a great read, filled with all the little details and nuances that you get from a strong writer. I was heartened from the beginning to find our protagonist, DI Venn, to be gay. You don't get a lot of that in the mystery world. His sexuality is a part of the book, but not the focus, and it was just really nice to read about a gay detective. Matthew is a fascinating character, who is grappling with facing members of the Barum Brethren, a religious sect that he grew up in, but of whom he is no longer a member. He is also a straight-laced policeman, and a strong leader who can admit his faults. It will be nice to follow him in a new series.
His team is interesting as well--quirky Jen and annoying Ross are the main two--and I hope they come along in the second book. Cleeves is quite adept at creating her characters, and all are easy to imagine. There's a wide cast of characters in this one, and plenty of suspects, but not so many as to get confused or lost. There's a main plotline (murdered man) and a secondary one--that may be related--and both are intriguing and keep you guessing. We learn things along with the team, as they investigate, which is always a favorite of mine. It's a small-town setting, and many folks are complicated, many have secrets, and it's difficult to work out which secret may have led to murder! (Though I'm proud that I had an inkling about some things!)
In the end, this was a really strong mystery. It quietly keeps you guessing and invested in the story. The characters are excellent, and I'm just so heartened to find a gay lead! It's thoughtful and smart, without any gimmicks. Definitely recommend. 4+ stars.