Review of B-Side
-
_Hendee
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 23 Feb 2022, 12:17
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 3
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-hendee.html
- Latest Review: Within the Crystal Mountain by J. L. Putney
Review of B-Side
[Following is a volunteer review of "B-Side" by Janis Jones.]
LAPD’s Mara Bays is the partner of Pepperdine art graduate Casey Terranova. On the night of their third anniversary, a supposed delivery man arrives at Casey’s door with flowers, pretends to want to set the flowers up in her home, and ends up brutally beating her and leaving her for dead. Mara is heartbroken and her work partner—and former lover—Derek, vows to investigate the assault while she works on rehabilitating Casey.
Casey survives the assault and returns to their home. Mara returns to work and takes over the investigation of Casey’s assault and a few other cases, including one involving a child killer. Her relationship with Casey is strained due to a number of factors beyond her control. One of those factors, however, is a homeless beach bum called Skeezy Mo. He gives Mara pieces of evidence that will eventually lead her to a string of interesting discoveries that will help her find Casey’s assailant. Ultimately, Mara Bays has to find out who is responsible for Casey’s assault, let go of her lasting grief over her brother’s death, get past her feelings for Derek, and strengthen her relationship with her partner. A story of stress, crime, resilience, hate, and love.
B-Side by Janis Jones follows the story of the Los Angeles police department’s Detective Mara Bays as she struggles to balance her work, friends, family, and past. Relatively few characters are raised in the book, and so it’s easier to reconcile all the characters together. The way the characters were developed too, was done really well. Going through Derek’s struggle with depression and losing love helps the reader to understand the character’s choices and decisions. His situation is very relatable and stirs up emotions for the cop.
More than anything else, the book gives an insight into the challenges encountered by gay people around the world and their exclusion from society. I particularly saw this in the words spoken by Casey’s assailant during her assault as well as other events throughout the book. The use of certain language in the book, however, renders it unsuitable for a younger audience. However, the use of that language helps to fully convey the emotions involved and helps the reader get immersed in the story.
There are just a few challenges. I found myself reading the book along with my thesaurus, although it really didn’t happen frequently. Overall, the language used in the book is very easy to understand. Also, at some points throughout the book, there are sudden changes in a line of thought. While it helps the suspense, I found myself momentarily lost at those times, and that was something I did not particularly enjoy about the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I rate it a perfect 4 out of 4 stars. Despite my observations, I believe the book is very well written to get a perfect rating. The book is professionally edited, though with a few negligible.
The use of certain language renders the book unsuitable for younger audiences. However, the book is better suited for older audiences who enjoy crime, suspense, and romance.
******
B-Side
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
LAPD’s Mara Bays is the partner of Pepperdine art graduate Casey Terranova. On the night of their third anniversary, a supposed delivery man arrives at Casey’s door with flowers, pretends to want to set the flowers up in her home, and ends up brutally beating her and leaving her for dead. Mara is heartbroken and her work partner—and former lover—Derek, vows to investigate the assault while she works on rehabilitating Casey.
Casey survives the assault and returns to their home. Mara returns to work and takes over the investigation of Casey’s assault and a few other cases, including one involving a child killer. Her relationship with Casey is strained due to a number of factors beyond her control. One of those factors, however, is a homeless beach bum called Skeezy Mo. He gives Mara pieces of evidence that will eventually lead her to a string of interesting discoveries that will help her find Casey’s assailant. Ultimately, Mara Bays has to find out who is responsible for Casey’s assault, let go of her lasting grief over her brother’s death, get past her feelings for Derek, and strengthen her relationship with her partner. A story of stress, crime, resilience, hate, and love.
B-Side by Janis Jones follows the story of the Los Angeles police department’s Detective Mara Bays as she struggles to balance her work, friends, family, and past. Relatively few characters are raised in the book, and so it’s easier to reconcile all the characters together. The way the characters were developed too, was done really well. Going through Derek’s struggle with depression and losing love helps the reader to understand the character’s choices and decisions. His situation is very relatable and stirs up emotions for the cop.
More than anything else, the book gives an insight into the challenges encountered by gay people around the world and their exclusion from society. I particularly saw this in the words spoken by Casey’s assailant during her assault as well as other events throughout the book. The use of certain language in the book, however, renders it unsuitable for a younger audience. However, the use of that language helps to fully convey the emotions involved and helps the reader get immersed in the story.
There are just a few challenges. I found myself reading the book along with my thesaurus, although it really didn’t happen frequently. Overall, the language used in the book is very easy to understand. Also, at some points throughout the book, there are sudden changes in a line of thought. While it helps the suspense, I found myself momentarily lost at those times, and that was something I did not particularly enjoy about the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I rate it a perfect 4 out of 4 stars. Despite my observations, I believe the book is very well written to get a perfect rating. The book is professionally edited, though with a few negligible.
The use of certain language renders the book unsuitable for younger audiences. However, the book is better suited for older audiences who enjoy crime, suspense, and romance.
******
B-Side
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Within the Crystal Mountain by J. L. Putney
