CincyKris

Now I think Madison is a vapid, materialistic, self-centered, poor excuse for a sister! When she finds out she was cheated out of her inheritance, there will be a 180° change in attitude. It won't change her as a person, but she will suddenly be on her "loving" brothers' sides!

Big strides forward for Dean. But I feel like I've missed a whole chapter (I haven't) in which Dean and Leah took their relationship to the "committed and in love" level. What was a somewhat casual, sex-based relationship prior to Dean seeing Kris and ghosting Leah, is now all of the sudden the breakup of a long loving couple???

Huge steps forward! Wonderful development for Rick and Adam. It seems incomprehensible that the principle and board wouldn't report such an incident to the police! Does Australia have mandatory report laws? In the US, Cunningham and all the board members would be subject to prosecution. Unfortunately in all countries this type of predatory behavior occurs. The teacher just moves on to another school and more victims because the people in charge want to avoid bad press.

I was lost on the Maria thing too, and it did take me out of the strong emotions for a bit. Maybe just adding "Kevin's caretaker" after her first mention would clear things up and prevent the lack of connection to the emotional storyline. Otherwise, this was very effective in introducing the level of grief Liam felt. It explains his reticence to moving forward.

I agree with @Philippe regarding Leah. She seems like a nice woman, but her relationship was based on sex, from the first date and all the others. Dean, who did not really engage in any more small talk with her than with anyone else, never talked about the future. Now she is all the sudden in love? Kris has been so consumed with scraping to get by that he is wildly overwhelmed by good news. He will be financially secure, he and his mom will have a better life in a better location, and he has 2 different guys interested in him. Hopefully he will be able to calm down and realize that he has big, but good decisions ahead of him.

Sounds like someone else you chronicled!

Perhaps it is the funds that are fueling Madison's rage. The boys certainly haven't seen a dime! I can only assume that sis is living off of the insurance money via Uncle Phil. She may be a homophobic bitch, but if Phil is in jail, her income will not only disappear, she will be on the hook for the boys' fair share.

I found Tom's questioning about uncle Vernon veered close to interrogation. Could his interest, specifically of what Vernon might have brought in from overseas, be due to some pressure from our baddies? Could that be why he looks rundown? Just what has Tom gotten himself into?

I had the same thoughts regarding Madison. Some new investigations are needed! Great chapter for the boys, they were able to just enjoy being brothers for the weekend.

We learned so much about our characters in this chapter! I'm intrigued by your comment that B & B will be instrumental in the next one, because they seem to be hot-headed alpha male tropes. But you, thankfully, don't do tropes, so I'm excited to see how these non-geniuses will factor into a battle of wits and wills with two actual geniuses. I like Garcia, I'm wary of Price because Griffin is wary of him. I can't help but wonder if Alexis has a disciple in the Bureau? I was surprised at the lack of ghosts in our recent scenes. Will they appear in the interrogation?

We're starting to dive into the mystery! I doubt the dickhead in the car had enough time to murder Martin. But I bet the yearbook and journal will be helpful.

I did not see this when it was posted! I could feel the tension in the car during the power struggle/self denial battle. Both want to give in as much as they want to push away! Alexis knows Griffin's darkest secret, and I have no doubt she will hold that card in reserve as long as she can. Tension, tension, tension!!!!

I am doing a full read through again, since the third chapter was posted recently. a story this good deserves my full attention. I see Griffin as a Dr. Spencer Reid type, but with added powers. One irony that I only saw just now, is that if Griffin had ever touched Alexis, he would have known from the beginning who she was.

I was thinking along these lines, also. Survivor's guilt is a hard thing to get past. He wasn’t following me. He wasn’t looking for conversation. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. But he was there. And for some reason, that just bothered me. For a man who had spent years building his solitude into a kind of armor, simple presence was enough to throw me off balance. How long has it been since his husband died? If it is more than a couple of years, it's understandable that Liam has finally started to notice attractive men again. I think Adrian is probably the first person he's been attracted to in a long time.

I wonder what the guys will find in the outbuildings? Will they get to the statue before Thomas goes panther hunting?

This was a very sweet ending! We saw the characters change and grow, well most of them. Marvin needs to find a good guy.

Dean's life is unraveling, but he doesn't yet realize that it needs to happen. Unless his desperately unhappy life unravels, he won't be able to start a new happy life.

We learned a lot more about Coop's background. Perhaps not as dramatic as we conjectured! Still not a happy childhood, it seems Martin and his family were the highpoint. Adam meeting "the parents" shows how much their relationship means to Coop. I hope we find something in Martin's things to help solve the murders.

I don’t think Adam is involved. I’m hoping his involvement with the plot will be helping Coop heal and move on. The more bigwigs involved, the scarier it is for the boys!

Very sad, his family and doctors did him no favors by keeping him from the truth. I’m back to not entirely understanding the prologue though.

George at his best people schmoozing! And we get to go back to sea!!! Can't wait.

Louis is subtly drawing out friendship with both Ian, who I suspect has few friends, and Charlie. Tom's visit sounds like it will be interesting, an alcoholic workaholic taking time off will have a backstory. Naturalistic and native gardening is very much on the upswing here in the US. Although in the above picture, the plants are mostly native to the American Midwest.

I would say the conversation with Marvin was helpful. Creek found out what Martin has been going through and offered his continued friendship. But, I think Creek should have gently reinforced that it is just friendship. Leading Marvin along, even unintentionally, when he's this fragile is not smart or kind. He seems to sometimes forget he has another young man in love with him.

I'm going to guess Marvin will be a little sad that Creek moved on, but I don't think he'll be mad. At least not with anyone but himself. Marvin is obviously not ready to commit to a relationship with anyone, yet. Thanks for this sweet chapter, and for giving Creek two family members that have his back.

I'm going to paste this passage from the prologue again because I have a new wild theory. He remembered the paralyzing weight in his chest, the words "I like you" dying on his tongue during that endless, humid summer before university was to start choked by fear – fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of what it meant to feel that way. That silence became the architect of his phantom world. Because In My Mind, he did find the courage. He did speak the words, his voice cracking but clear. And Adam... Adam’s eyes had widened, then softened, and he’d said yes. What if the phantom world is the prologue? What if Adam's bleak future existence is actually some sort of coma dream and he's laying in a hospital bed? That would answer some of our questions on why this happy, smart kid with loving, loyal family and friends would be abandoned to a lonely and desperate future.