Body and Soul & Secrets : a PsyCop Holiday Season
The PsyCop Reading Challenge continues Body & Soul (Book 3) and Secrets (Book 4). Don’t skip the first books and the shorts in between, as they complete the foundation of the PsyCop universe and increase the enjoyment of every book that comes after! A must-read for fans of my favorite M/M couple: Victor & Jacob.
Books 3 and 4 were released as novellas. The pacing of these books is so on point that I don’t realize the length as I am reading. They do flow directly from one to the other, so it seems silly to discuss them separately. If you haven’t read Criss Cross (PsyCop 2), stop what you are doing! It makes no sense to read these books out of order, and you are really just cheating yourself.
Body and Soul – It’s Electric, Boogie, Woogie, Woogie – PsyCop Book 3
Body and Soul starts out with our favorite PsyCop couple on vacation, visiting Jacob’s family for Thanksgiving. That makes this book appropriate to begin reading at the beginning of the holiday season. Granted, I am tackling this review a few months after the fact, but celebrate with Vic & Jacob this holiday season! It may become my new tradition for the holidays. Rereading this book every Thanksgiving.
Electricity is a recurring theme. It comes up in a brief flashback Vic has during the conversation around the Thanksgiving table. And that brief memory returns again and again, which is important as it is a precursor for what they encounter at the end of the book. Even their sexy times in the guest bath show just how electric Vic and Jacob are together.
I never noticed the electricity theme the first few times I read the book, but this last reading, I made a note of it. I guess I actually paid attention, given that I knew what happened at the end, my brain finally put two and two together… So I will say nothing more on that so as not to spoil it.
Vic has a new NP(non-psychic partner) or Stiff, since his last partner is sitting in jail after it was discovered that he was betraying Vic all along in Book 2. Zigler is a stand-up guy, if a bit of a tough nut, and there is a scene at the hot dog stand where he tests Vic without letting on that it was his intention. Vic figures it out, but does what he does, and Zigler is solidly Team Vic after that. Not cool of Zigler to spring that on Vic like that, but he had his reasons.
Vic grapples internally with a lot of the should he, shouldn’t he machismo element that he has to confront as a gay man, and a psychic, working in the police force. His mental monologue is hilarious to read.
There’s a delicious scene where Vic goes to visit Crash at his shop, Sticks & Stones, and you can feel every ounce of charisma that Crash oozes out of his pores. Vic is lucky that Jacob just really does it for him, or Crash would have been on him like white on rice.
However, Vic and Jacob’s relationship is moving right along. Most of the book, Jacob is looking for another place to live, somewhere he and Vic can move to, together. So that’s a big step, moving in. But it’s right for them. We see that Jacob is really committed to making it work, and Vic is just Vic, plagued with self-doubt and wondering how he managed to bag a hottie like Jacob. But we know what Jacob sees, even if Vic doesn’t see it in himself.
The story gets more exciting. And by the end of the book, Jacob and Vic also have their own exciting development as they find their forever home: The Cannery. An old factory building that has gone unsold for over a decade because it was reportedly haunted. This ends their search for somewhere to live, which has plagued them through Books 3 and 4.
Stroke of Midnight – New Year, New Problems
The short story that comes between Body and Soul and Secrets is told from Jacob’s point of view. Stroke of Midnight is a little glimpse into Jacob’s thoughts when Victor is not around. In the series, Jacob is shown from primarily from Victor’s point of view. To Vic, Jacob is always in control, has a plan, and Vic is happy to let Jacob implement that plan.
When we get inside Jacob’s head as he heads to this party, we see that he has a different struggle. We get his reaction to an old beau, whose party he is attending alone. And when he ends up alone at the end, at home waiting out the New Year, we hear his thoughts on their living situation. It’s nice to see that even if Vic doesn’t understand why, Jacob is very much in this for the long haul.
Fun Facts: Psycop Property
Body & Soul and Secrets are the last two of the novellas in the series, and were released in this gorgeous paperback edition called Psycop: Property.
I was compelled to purchase the paperback for my collection based on the cover alone, especially since had already purchased the ebook version to read. This large paperback edition has a place of honor on my bookcase.
Secrets – Too Many Secrets – PsyCop Book 4
What do you do when you discover that there is more to the eye? Vic’s life after he and Jacob move in together begins peeling back like so many layers of an onion. Yet, with each new layer, secrets are revealed that have Vic questioning what he thinks he knows about his present, and in particular, his past.
Vic starts looking for answers in typical style, since he doesn’t trust what he remembers, and he doesn’t know who he can trust. It feels like he may be more alone than he previously thought. Except that Lisa comes back unexpectedly from California. She's been training her psychic ability at the new facility that replaced what used to be Camp Hell, but in book 3 she had cut Vic off from tapping into her precog abilities by disconnecting her cell. Vic was despondent, so when she returns, he is cautiously optimistic.
Jacob works his way through a difficult case that he attempts to keep from Vic. Unburdening himself instead in an old flame. He has been visiting Crash in his shop hoping Vic won't find out, and we all know that always ends well. Vic slowly connects the dots, but just when he thinks he is going to confront Jacob, he stumbles into the investigation which is at the root of Jacob's nightly visits. The confrontation is heated.
Secrets closes out the novellas in this series. They all get longer from this point on, which is excellent. More PsyCop adventures to read in one sitting without stopping for food or sleep? Yes, please!
Back to PsyCop Briefs: Vol 1 for More Post-Book 4 Shorts and a Change of View
There are three shorts that I read after Book 4: No Sale, Most Likely To, and Waiting Game. All conveniently contained in PsyCop Briefs: Vol 1. These seem to flow well after the events that take place in Secrets, and before we get to PsyCop Book 5: Camp Hell.
No Sale is a shopping trip for Vic and Jacob to buy a little something for their kitchen. Jacob is mesmerized by cutlery, until Vic shows him what really brings his man, Jacob, to the yard.
Most Likely To… is a trip down memory lane, courtesy of a little piece of Vic history procured by his curious boyfriend, Jacob. We get a glimpse at Vic when he wasn’t scowling his way through life.
Waiting Game is a cool sideway view into Lisa’s brain. Lisa, who was Vic’s partner but for a minute, is back and waiting on the mechanics to look at her car. It’s tough being a pre-cog, but here we get a glimpse into what it’s like to cope with her ability. And of course, Vic and Jacob being adorable together! No story, no matter how brief, would be complete without a glimpse of these two.
What’s Next?
There you have it. Do not walk, run, and read this set, then prepare yourself to dive into the first of the full-length PsyCop novels: Camp Hell. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!
Read the PsyCop Series by Jordan Castillo Price. Want to check my list to follow along? See my PsyCop Reading List here!
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