Review by CaptainPhoton -- B-Side by Janis Jones

[CaptainPhoton]

[Following is a volunteer review of "B-Side" by Janis Jones.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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B-Side by Janis Jones is a mystery novel following Detective Mara Bays and her work partner, Detective Derek Jansen. Cassandra “Casey” Terranova is an attractive young Lesbian. An unknown man attempts to murder Casey in her home. The beating she receives is savage and personal. Detective Bays and Jansen are determined to solve this crime.
Detective Bays is romantically involved with Casey. This is her first relationship with a woman. Although they have been together for some time, Nara still has difficulty accepting her love and attempts to hide her relationship from many of her colleagues. In the past, Detective Jansen was romantically involved with Detective Bays. That relationship is over as far as Mara is concerned, but Derek still has very strong feelings for Mara. Mara’s new love interest causes her concern in dealing with several of her colleagues, some of which do not accept homosexuality as a reasonable option, especially for a detective. Her adjustments to this new relationship provide an interesting look at the complexities faced by Mara in herself, her family, and her colleagues.

This is a mystery novel presented in the way I prefer. The chapters are short and move quickly to keep the reader absorbed in the unwinding story. Each chapter reveals a concise scene. Most of the story is revealed in the live dialog. The story moves steadily forward revealing the inner workings and relationships within the police department.

The characters in this book are well developed and each provides an interesting piece of the story world created. There is a variety of different people and places that are presented. As the story progresses, the immediately obvious conflict of the murder solution is supplemented by the drama of the other characters that have a stake in the outcome. I particularly enjoyed the dynamics of Mara's dealing with the obvious bias of her coworkers towards homosexual relationships. The evolution of the relationships between Mara, Casey, and Derek is very well done.

This book is a page turner, well written, and a satisfying read. The mystery is solved, and the reader is left with a satisfying ending for the very interesting characters. The one issue I had with the book is that there are times when it is difficult to determine who is speaking in some of the dialogs.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I find the book to be fast-moving and engaging. The book is well edited with only a few minor punctuation errors. My rating is because the story and characters are so well presented and entertaining that the minor issues noted are overcome. I recommend this book to mystery fans who are looking for a good "who done it" with an enjoyable stroll through the lives and interesting relationships that are included.

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B-Side
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

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[gali]

A mystery tale following Detective Mara Bays and partner, as they try to solve a vicious assault case sounds intense. Too bad about the unclear identity of the speakers. At least, it was mostly well-edited besides a few minor errors. That the characters in this book are well developed is another plus. I dislike love triangles, so I will skip it. I am glad you found the book engaging and the ending satisfying, though. Thank you for the review!

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

I like the premise of this story, especially the two conflicts weaved into one. Mara sounds like she is a strong woman and has to overcome many obstacles in her workplace. Looking forward to reading this and seeing how the drama unfolds. Thanks for the wonderful review!

[Tayaba khan9]

alright!i'll zealously refer this book to the mystery readers.....This book is a detective book but flaunting a romance also ... but one thing i will must mention it's already a detective book,so its obviously complex but unclear identification of the speakers is adding to its complexity and frying my mind....Overall it satisfies your mystery nature

[stellagilman]

Crime novels are the best! The fact that this not only is an interesting crime book, but also a dynamic romance makes this book sutiable for many people that like either genre.

From your review I love that you pointed out that this book is a page turner and keeps you engaged all the way through. Sometimes with crime novels they can get tedious as to trying to depict the scene. This book sounds like a great read! Thanks for the amazing review!

[Brendan Donaghy]

This sounds like a good mystery / cop story, with a tangled web of relationships thrown into the mix. Good to hear that it's well-edited too. Thanks for a great review!

[Erin Dydek]

I like mystery books that keep the pace moving with short chapters. This sounds like an interesting read, and I’m glad to know that the characters are well-developed. It’s easier to relate to characters and believe the story when the author does a good job making realistic characters. I can also say, from reading the sample on Amazon, that this book does read quickly with short chapters and because it’s written in present tense. Each scene is well set up and easy to picture what’s going on. Thanks for the review!

[Kister Bless]

I love books that have well-developed characters. B-Side by Janis Jones sounds fascinating, a mystery book mixed with some romance. I will love to read and explore the entire book. Great review.

[mindyg123]

A crime story about a hate crime in the LGBTQ community sounds interesting. I like mystery books, especially when the author makes the characters easily relateable. With the chapters being short and fast paced to keep the readers attention, that's the type of book I enjoy. Thank you for the indepth review.

[Ruba Abu Ali]

Definitely intrigued by this engaging page-turner! Thanks for the wonderful review.

[Bluebird03]

The evolution of the characters' relationships does sound like quite the drama. Thank you for your review.

[Washboard]

I am glad to hear the ending is satisfying! I was excited to add it to the list, because LGBT novels are hard to come by, but I was worried the ending would be unfinished. Thank you for the good review!

[aolayide]

"B-Side" by Janis Jones seem like a character-driven book with an awesome storyline. I keep wondering if the attempted murder of Casey is related to her romantic relationship with detective Mara. Another insight is that Mara, a female detective, was in a romantic relationship with Detective Derek and it is clear that he is still in love with Mara. Could these two stories be related? I have to get my hands on this book and find out.

[Artizi]

I love mystery and detective books, and this being described as a page-turner really does appeal to me all the more! I'd love to give this book a try

[The_Faye_Ray]

Wasn't sure if i was going to like the B Side. Jumping characters from paragraph to paragraph was alittle confusing but came in handy when it got to the assualt scene.
Would have loved longer chapters and more background, setting the cene before jumping straight into the story.
Good stopping point for the sample though. Definitely made me want more in a good way.
Just may have to purchase.
I give this sample 3 out 5 stars