Friday 27 August 2010

M/M Challenge Criss Cross (Psycop 2) - Jordan Castillo Price

Criss Cross is the second in the Psycop series by Jordan Castillo Price. And I must admit that I like this one even more than the first. The ghosts that surround Victor are getting pushier than usual and it seems that his medication is now causing more problems than it solves. He has a new partner and following the events of the first story, Jacob is now living with him. Things are getting a little out of control. Victor really needs to work out what is going on, before it's too late.

Because of the circumstances of the previous story, Jacob has now moved in with Victor. This has pushed them into a domestic arrangement sooner rather than later. I love how this keeps Victor off balance. He has this way of dealing with his life - everything a certain way - his white appartment, his drugs and Jacob pushes his way in there - not in an aggressive way, but he's just there.
"He (Jacob) had this way of lying diagonally on the bed so that when I got up and looked back at him, I wondered how the hell I'd even fit in there."
Sometimes it's like Victor doesn't quite know how to deal with him. It's this awkwardness that makes him endearing, that balances out the sarcasm.

I think my favourite thing is the contrasts between them. How Jacob likes to talk dirty during sex and is very vocal, whereas Victor is more cerebral and can never think of anything to say.
"Speaking of dirty: Jacob's a talker...Not that the words aren't sexy as hell - I just worry that I'll sound like an idiot if I'm the one saying them."
Jordan Castillo Price gets you straight into how their relationship works. Jacob is so sexual and overt and Victor is slightly more repressed.
"No wonder I worried about talking dirty; talking in general seemed to escape me."
I liked the mystery in this one as well. Especially the more paranoid aspects in the first half of the story. Even when Victor doesn't seem to be aware that something is wrong. I think that you as the reader are aware that there's something not quite right - a creeping suspicion that tickles the back of your head as you're reading.

This one gets another big recommendation from me. And I'm looking forward to reading the remaining books in the series.

7 comments:

Chris said...

And JCP's working on book 6! :)

LesleyW said...

Chris - YAY! That's the best book related news I've heard for a while. I've now got a great big grin on my face. :)

Chris said...

You're very welcome! :D

Sullivan McPig said...

I'm wondering if I should m/m a try. I'm usually a m/f kind of reader and that has to be exclusive too at that, no threesomes or love triangles fo me.

Tracy said...

Oh so good. And yes, the books just keep getting better and better as they go on. I'm up in the air as to whether I like book 4 or 5 better though. I think they're tied for first place. :)

LesleyW said...

Sullivan - If you're interested in trying m/m I'd recommend A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W Day. It doesn't really have any strong sex scenes - which I know puts some people off m/m. It's a beautifully written story and most people highly recommend it. It's a good one to dip your toe in the water with.

Tracy - currently reading 3 at the moment. Would have been further ahead but had a migraine yesterday. I'm finding 3 not quite as good as 2, but still very good. :)

Sullivan McPig said...

Thanks for the recommendation