Rating: 
Summary: A terrific reading experience
Review: He gave up his job as a premier journalist for a top Chicago paper to run the Dumont Daily Register in Wisconsin. His lover, Neil Waite also quit his job as a prominent architect in a thriving firm to open up his own company and remain near Mark Manning. Together they raise Mark's second cousin Thad Quatrain who loves his two dads and in turn they reciprocate his feelings.When Thad lands the co-lead in a community theatre play, Mark and Neil attend the dress rehearsal to lend him support. Thad's co-lead Jason turns vicious calling him a BOY TOY. Thad diffuses the situation, but the next night Jason fails to appear for the opening of the play. When he is found dead, most of Dumont concludes that Thad killed him. Jason uses his investigative skills to try to uncover the truth before Thad becomes permanently scarred. BOY TOY is a fantastic who-done-it because of the numerous viable suspects all wanting the seventeen-year-old victim dead. The relationship between Thad and his guardians is a key ingredient because it brings believability to the plot even with this being an alternate family lifestyle situation. Michael Craft is a master craftsman who provides his audience with a fascinating tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: [A] light whodunit.
Review: I had high hopes for this book, as the author seemed to be getting progressively more adept at developing both characters and plot lines in his last few books, but I must say I was disappointed. Mark Manning does a credible job as a journalist, but his partner Neil is portrayed as an architect in much the same way as Mr. Brady was on the Brady Bunch--that is, without much of a clue what the profession is like. For example, projects do not go out to bids once the design is complete...they actually have to go through contract documents (construction drawings, etc...) before there is something to bid on. Also, the author uses parenthetical remarks in the first chapter that destroy any sense of tension "(Never could I have guessed that tragedy was brewing)", "(...I hadn't a clue that little Tommy Morales would soon be called upon to save the show.)" [...] it really doesn't come off as very believable. The erotic content is high, and the mystery is low, so judge for yourself if you want to spend the dollars on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Boy Toy
Review: I have read all of the Mark Manning series and find "Boy Toy" to be the best thus far. Michael weaves all elements of mystery very well and we still get a peak into the real life of Mark Manning as well. Also, it seems, that the series is informative about a specific subject matter,(this time being mushrooms) which makes for an interesting read. Again Michael wrote a great story and I look forward to the next Mark Manning mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Another Thrilling adventure
Review: I have read all the Mark Manning adventures to date and really enjoyed the latest book, "Boy Toy". The plot in this book is set when Jason, the lead actor in the local town play, dies suddenly and the usual suspect is presented to us early in book, but is everything appears as it seems? If Thad is not the killer of Jason, then who is?. Once more we are lead around the streets of Dumount, Wisconsin looking for evidence, with Mark and sheriff Doug to find the real killer. Will Mark and sheriff Doug be able to find the killer before Thad loses all confidence in his acting ability as he plays the lead role? Or will he hand it over to a rival actor eagerly waiting in the wings?. If you enjoy a good "who done it " story then this book is for you, the book is rich with characters and their interactions with each other as they go about their everyday lives, one cannot help but feel that they are like you own good friends as you turn each page, a thoroughly entertaining adventure. If you have not read all of the Mark manning adventures I urge you to do so, they are all fantastic books and by starting with the first book "Flight Of Dreams" you will start to know Mark Manning , the man and all the characters that come into his life, some that stay throughout each book and others that depart. Micheal Craft does a fantastic job with his discription and eye for detail of all his characters, the location where each adventure is set, that if these people were real, I'm sure I could pick them out in the streets of Dumount, Wisconsin, or even having a meal in the local First Avenue Grill. I eagerly await the next Mark Manning adventue, titled "Hot Spot" due for release in July 2002, the only down fall is I have to wait another year for the next Mark Manning installment but it is always worth the wait.
Rating:
Summary: So many suspects, so little time...
Review: I have read each of the 5 Mark Manning books. I love how the facts fall together towards the end. In the end, my main suspect is arrested, but then... Well. I've said too much already. Suffice it to say, Michael Craft has a way of throwing even the TINIEST detail into the heart of the matter. I cannot WAIT to see what happens in the next book!
Rating:
Summary: My favorite of the whole series
Review: I just love this book. The end is the best. Enough said. Just read it.
Rating:
Summary: A joy to read!
Review: I picked up the Mark Manning Series 3 months ago. To-date I have read the first 5 books in the series and have enjoyed all of them. However "Boy Toy", which I just finished, is exceptionally great. The plot is masterfully crafted. I thought I guessed the identity of the killer but I was wrong. And of course I am delighted with the renewed emphasis on Mark's and Neil's relationship in "Boy Toy" because their love seems to have cooled down after "Flight of Dreams". Suspenseful and laced with erotism, "Boy Toy" is a must read. Mr Craft, please do not let us wait too long for the 7th book.
Rating: 
Summary: So-So
Review: I was looking for something a little kinkier with some pictures.
Rating:
Summary: Did we read the same book?
Review: I was more than a little stunned to read the comments from another reader from L.A. who found nothing of merit in this book. It seems his bi-coastal prejudices against the heartland are exposed at every turn. Having just finished "Boy Toy" last weekend, I had to wonder if we'd read the same book. Its plot and characters are covered elsewhere in these reviews, mostly with great enthusiasm. I have little to add, except to say that the book is written with great charm, understated humor, and just for good measure, a bit of erotic frosting. Five stars all the way.
Rating:
Summary: Fun but ultimately transparent
Review: I've really enjoyed the Mark Manning series. They're fun, the characters are enjoyable, the writing is usually well done, and not only am I usually unable to solve the mystery until Mark does it himself, I find myself laughing the whole way through. But this latest offering left me disappointed. I still had fun, I still laughed, and I still enjoyed the read; but eighty pages into the novel I had already figured out "who dunnit" and was ready to strangle the protaganist with the sheer strength of my frustration. Boy Toy delves deeper into Mark Manning's new life in Dumont, WI, as the publisher of a small-town newspaper. He's started an unconventional family with his partner, having become the guardian of his 16-year old nephew, Thad. It is around Thad that the plot of Boy Toy revolves. Staring in a community-theatre play, Thad's costar is found dead under suspicious circumstances, and suspicion quickly turns to our protaganist's ward. Mark immediately sets off to discover the true identity of the murderer, simultaneously clearing Thad's name. To put it simply, the author has become too formulaic. He's following the same formula for each and every one of his books, and the mystery is disappearing. It's not so much a mystery or even a riddle as it is a puzzle... and once you figure out how the puzzle was designed, it's easy to solve. The character's are still enjoyable (Craft's skill in this arena has not waned) and it was a fun read if only to keep up on Mark and Neil's lives. The setting is well crafted and truly does read like a small town in Wisconsin. But if you've read a few other books in the Manning series, you know where this one is going. To his credit, Craft throws a last minute curve, a nice little plot twist, in the last ten pages. But this curve isn't so much a neck-wrenching 180 as it is a modest 5 degree bend in the road. Buy and read only if you've enjoyed the characters and want to see what's going on in their lives... skip it if you're looking for a real mystery.
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