Murphy's Hero was the first movie with Ewan Gallagher, the main character of For Love and Money, the movie which allows Ewan to come back to England and so meet again his doctor lover. Since For Love and Money was my first book by G.A. Hauser, I was delighted to see this new book coming out.

Alexander is a 27 years old guy who works for the British Museum. He loves Ancient History, in particular Greek, and he is fascinated with the tales of those ancient warrior, so brave and proud, and sometime also so free to express their love for a fellow soldiers. Alexander is painful shy, at 27 years old he is still a virgin in every sense of the word, he has never even kissed a girl, let alone a guy. Alexander's parents were not an ideal fictional family, not so bad, but far from being supportive or able to give a steady example to their son. In particular Alexander's mother was ultra-protective and always ready to let down her son's achievement. This led to Alexander being an asocial guy, who shies away from any personal relationship, being friendship or love.

The one day he puts on a fake Corinthian helmet, and suddenly he is an hero. Actually he doesn't make real superhero's action, he scares away bag-snatchers or helps elderly people to cross the streets, but suddenly he is on the mouth of everyone. With the helmet that conceal his identity, Alexander feels free to be the brave man he is not in his real life.

Adrian is the chief-editor of an erotic gay magazine. When he spots Alexander he believes to have found the right man for one of the centerfold of his magazine, but when he has the chance to know better the guy, he realizes that it will be impossible to bring him in front of a camera: Alexander is too shy and he will never have the courage to claim in front of the world that he is gay. And then it's more exciting to take all for himself the handsome guy, and teach him every aspect of the gay life: Adrian takes Alexander hand in hand through all the level of his sexual tuition.

Truth be told, Alexander is not a very smart man... if he was a woman, he would be one of those playgirls in bunny dress; not a bad boy, only too naivee and innocent to come out alive from the real world alone. Alexander is like a big boy who needs at every moment the reassurance of a real adult to tell him that he is doing right and that everything will go in the right way.

On the other hand, even is more experience and wordly, Adrian is not a ruthless man. He is tender and sweet with Alexander, and he will not betray him, not even for a good story for his magazine. Adrian becomes the firm hand Alenxander needs, but he is not a dominant figure, far from it. Both Adrian than Alexander are simple gay guys in a very normal world, and in the end, even the superhero's ventures of Alexander are only actions that every man or woman should be doing in a good world.

The story is sweet and romantic, almost tender. There is always caustic touch of G.A. Hauser, in the supporting characters of Alexander's mother, of his two female colleague and a bit also in Adrian's friends, but it's diluted, not so strong like in other books. There is also a nice cameo appearance of Ian and Scott from The Kiss.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602021198/?tag=elimyrevandra-20