Review by lfm1223 -- B-Side by Janis Jones

[lfm1223]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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The B-Side by Janis Jones follows an incipient couple, Mara, an LAPD detective, and Casey, an artist/bartender. The story opens up on the evening of their three-year anniversary. At the end of her shift, Mara walks out of the precinct and calls Casey to let her know she is on her way. Mara is so ecstatic about the night's festivities she can hardly contain her overwhelming happiness on the twenty-minute drive. All the euphoria is drained when she arrives home to flashing red and blue lights. Cop cars and an ambulance line her driveway. During Mara's short commute, Casey was the victim of a brutal attack. As Casey barely clings to life, Mara vows to stop at nothing to get her justice.

What I liked best about this book was how the story grabbed my attention from the start. It was a real whodunit. Trying to unravel the clues and solve the crime kept me turning the pages. It had great details that really set up the scenes nicely. It flowed easily from chapter to chapter. I found it to be a quick read, but it wasn't lacking anything. I really enjoyed it.

What I disliked most about this book were the seemingly fragmented sentences. They were the beginning of some of the chapters and paragraphs and read like the opening of a scene. I know this was adapted from a screenplay, but I felt they could have been reworded to make a more complete sentence. I also felt the story could have benefited by adding a deeper backstory for some of the characters. There were some details at the end that needed more explaining, but other than that, there wasn't much I disliked about this book.

This story will appeal to adult readers who enjoy thrillers. I found it to be true to the c/t/m/h genre. It also has many points of interest. There were LGBT, crime, suspense, and romance themes throughout. That being said, it was definitely intended for an adult audience.

I am rating this book a 4 out of 4 stars. It stayed true to the c/t/m/h genre. The romance and suspense added to the intrigue of the story. Character development could have been enhanced but the lack thereof didn't subtract from the story. The way the scene setups were presented felt unnecessary but again didn't distract from the plot. I found this to be well-edited for the fact that I found only one minor mistake. All in all, this was a very good book and I would read more from this author in the future.

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B-Side
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