Psycop by Jordan Castillo Price – review
Title: Pyscop – Among the living and Criss Cross
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Genre: Thriller, paranormal, detective
URL: http://www.psycop.com/
Price: US $3.49/$3.95 (e-books), $13.95 (print)
Other Information/warnings:violence, horror, m/m
Summary:
Victor sees dead people – and works as a Psycop. He pairs up with Jacob and other paranormals to solve a series of sex crimes in Among the living and to solve a personal mysterious threat in Criss Cross
My review;Disappointed by my recent foray into the world of professionally published slash novels, I asked my readers for recommendations for books I should read. I had very specific requirements – excellent writing, good plot, more plot than sex and sex that had a point to it, decent female characters and no sap or crying (especially not during sex.) One of my dear readers suggested the two Psycop novellas, Among the living and Criss Cross, and to my delight, they were precisely what I was looking for. Mind you, having tackled the paranormal cop angle myself a couple of times, I had to wait a few days after reading these so I could choke down my raging jealousy at another author doing it so bloody well. Now I’ve calmed down (still jealous!) and here’s my review.
The idea of cops with paranormal powers may not be new, but finding ones that work and grip the attention as much as any conventional police thriller isn’t easy. The author here has nailed it – she’s created complex, engaging characters and a well-thought out premise, and uses gritty writing and fast-paced plotting to sweep the reader through the stories, while giving us enough time to get inside Victor’s fucked up little mind, and introduce us to the people who make up his world. There are cop clichés aplenty here, from the hardboiled boss to the plots themselves (I do have to wonder who does the detecting in real life, if the cops are being suspended with the regularity they are in detective novels) but the author is merely using them as props to develop the fascinating and completely chaotic life of her main character.
Victor is an anti-hero. He’s not particularly brave, or clever, he abuses drugs and regulations and just wants to get through life with minimal hassle, and his ‘talent’ of seeing dead people is really more of a curse. We meet him when he’s going through unwanted change at work, and very quickly are introduced to his object of lust, one Jacob Marks, who’s handsome, tall, built and confident. He also has a thing for paranormals. Jacob’s a bit of a mystery in fact, and even after reading the second novella, I still didn’t feel I knew him very well. His motivations are obscure, his attraction to Victor seems a bit on the creepy side, and we have hints here and there that he’s nowhere near as clean and organised as he seems to be.
This is not a criticism – to me, it’s a plus that we leave these two novellas still not holding all the answers, and wanting more of them. From the plotting point of view, the second book, Criss Cross is better and more complex than the first (which is still a cracking good read), though the ‘mystery’ in each is probably not going to tax any assiduous student of cop dramas or detective stories. Both are richly populated with quirky, interesting minor characters which are never quite as well used as they should be, though there’s plenty of promise that they will be in future stories, because Psycop is an ongoing set of stories. I enjoyed what we saw of Lisa and Caroline, who were absolutely not just token female characters – they were fleshed out professionals who contributed to the team work and the plot. Very refreshing to see that in slash. Another unusual and refreshing feature is the sex – just the right amount, hot and dirty without lapsing even once into sap or formula. The fast pacing and taut writing tend to obscure some fairly major plot holes (but what detective story doesn’t have them?), so I’m not sure how enjoyable it would be to reread these if that bothers you. The writing though, is very good – there’s some remarkably vivid description among the spare, tight words, some genuinely creepy imagery too.
The stories aren’t perfect, as it’s clear the author is still getting a handle on the setup and people in the second book. Victor’s reaction to a significant death – and to some other things – seemed rather colourless to me, but it wasn’t a major issue, just a ‘huh’ thing. I’d have liked to see more of Jacob just because his very opacity was rather frustrating, though, as I said, that is almost certainly deliberate so one can’t call it a flaw. But what stuck in my mind is the world, the concept – the details, the slang, the realism of even paranormals being prejudiced and bitchy about their own kind – and Victor himself, a not very good cop in a not very good city.
Thoroughly recommended, and when the third novella comes out, I’ll be buying that one too.
