2 out of 4 stars
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B-Side by Janis Jones is the story of an intense and complicated love triangle between two LAPD Detectives, Mara Bays and Derek Jenssen, partners and former lovers, and a young Lesbian Cassandra "Casey" Terranova who is now Mara's life partner.
Casey and Mara have been together as a couple for three years and are planning a special night to celebrate their anniversary. Mara, who is running late getting home, arrives to find emergency lights flashing and their beach house surrounded by police cars and ambulances. Casey has been brutally attacked and beaten and is being rushed to the hospital by ambulance, unconscious and barely alive. As Mara climbs into the ambulance with Casey, Detective Derek Jenssen promises her he will find the person who attacked Casey.
Overall, I was disappointed in the book. The author did an excellent job introducing the three main characters, and describing the violent attack on Casey; however, there was only an occasional reference to finding out who the attacker was, and no one was questioned or interrogated about the crime. Mara was the one who finally broke the case toward the end of the book. I anticipated more emphasis on catching the perpetrator instead of the main focus being on the relationship between Mara and Casey, and the obsession Derek had over Mara. I did not feel the story flowed well from chapter to chapter, and at times, it was difficult to know where it was leading. For instance: while Mara is at the hospital waiting for Casey to get out of surgery, she has a flashback about her brother Matty's funeral. The next chapter begins with Mara driving around alone most of the night and finally ending up at Derek's. At first, I couldn't figure out if she were out driving around after she left the hospital or if it was what she did after her brother's funeral.
I liked the short chapters, which made the book a quick read. What I liked most about the book was the shocking ending. I never saw it coming. What I disliked most were several one-sided phone conversations. For example, when Mara calls Casey's parents to tell them about the attack: "No, she was unconscious when I got there. I know she got your card and the package, um ...for us. I feel so bad that I...thank you for saying that. I know. I will. Goodbye." The reader is left to guess what Casey's parents are saying. Are they angry with Mara over the attack? Are they blaming her? Without hearing the other side of the conversation, the reader has to fill in the blanks using their imagination.
The book appears professionally edited as I only found a couple of errors. Due to the editing and the surprise ending to the story, I give B-Side by Janis Jones, a 2 out of 4 stars. There is quite a bit of profanity used in the dialog as well as explicit descriptions of violence, so I would not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 18. Those looking for an 'edge of the seat' crime novel may want to pass on this one. However, if you enjoy love triangles with lots of emotion, you may enjoy reading this book.
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B-Side
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