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B-Side
[CONTAINS SPOILERS]
So many ways to spend your anniversary night. Praying your partner survives a vicious assault by an unknown attacker is not high on the list, but for LAPD detective Mara Bays, this is reality.
Theories abound - a gay hate crime, a random assault, a revenge attack - but no leads. When her personal connection shuts her out of the investigation, Mara must rely on her colleagues to handle the case.
Mara's story unfolds in hurting as she buries her younger Marine brother, she turns to her detective partner, Derek, and their short, intense relationship blossoms and fades. They remain friends but later Mara surprises herself by falling for Casey, a girl's girl. It is Casey who opens the door to the would-be killer, posing as a flower delivery man.
Casey recovers but, haunted by panic attacks, she relives the assault, knowing whoever di it is still out there, watching.
With no leads, the case goes cold and life resumes. Mara and Derek spend more work time together. Derek's ex-partner, Larry, joins them at a shooting range and tries to relive past glories. He misses the old days.
Casey and Mara have a huge fight over Derek. Mara becomes defensive and angry that she isn't trusted.
Casey suffers another flashback and collapses. A furious Mara blames herself and vows to find the person responsible.
Scouring the case file, she searches for any overlooked detail. Then, it hits the attacker was delivering flowers. Working the phone book, she checks every florist who might remember an unusual order. With a sketchy description, she puts out the word for a perp with a distinctive tattoo.
Within hours, the suspect turns up dead in what looks like a drug deal gone bad. Case closed.
Mara tells Casey, who is overwhelmed on hearing the thug left a young wife and baby. Over Mara's protests, she sends a condolence gift. Mara delivers it to the widow and learns that the victim is Larry's nephew.
Mara confronts Larry at his he put his nephew up to the attack, then silenced him. the only question is why. Larry confesses that he did it as a favor to Derek. With Casey out of the way, they could get back together.
At home, Derek waits for Mara. He knows what's coming but needs to settle the score. Mara arrives to find a drunken, enraged Derek who has never gotten over the end of their affair, and worse, feels dumped for a woman. He attacks Mara, beating her to the ground before grabbing his service pistol to finish the job.
Thinking quickly, Mara swings the vodka bottle he was emptying and disarms him, before the police arrive.
So many ways to spend your anniversary night. Praying your partner survives a vicious assault by an unknown attacker is not high on the list, but for LAPD detective Mara Bays, this is reality.
Theories abound - a gay hate crime, a random assault, a revenge attack - but no leads. When her personal connection shuts her out of the investigation, Mara must rely on her colleagues to handle the case.
Mara's story unfolds in hurting as she buries her younger Marine brother, she turns to her detective partner, Derek, and their short, intense relationship blossoms and fades. They remain friends but later Mara surprises herself by falling for Casey, a girl's girl. It is Casey who opens the door to the would-be killer, posing as a flower delivery man.
Casey recovers but, haunted by panic attacks, she relives the assault, knowing whoever di it is still out there, watching.
With no leads, the case goes cold and life resumes. Mara and Derek spend more work time together. Derek's ex-partner, Larry, joins them at a shooting range and tries to relive past glories. He misses the old days.
Casey and Mara have a huge fight over Derek. Mara becomes defensive and angry that she isn't trusted.
Casey suffers another flashback and collapses. A furious Mara blames herself and vows to find the person responsible.
Scouring the case file, she searches for any overlooked detail. Then, it hits the attacker was delivering flowers. Working the phone book, she checks every florist who might remember an unusual order. With a sketchy description, she puts out the word for a perp with a distinctive tattoo.
Within hours, the suspect turns up dead in what looks like a drug deal gone bad. Case closed.
Mara tells Casey, who is overwhelmed on hearing the thug left a young wife and baby. Over Mara's protests, she sends a condolence gift. Mara delivers it to the widow and learns that the victim is Larry's nephew.
Mara confronts Larry at his he put his nephew up to the attack, then silenced him. the only question is why. Larry confesses that he did it as a favor to Derek. With Casey out of the way, they could get back together.
At home, Derek waits for Mara. He knows what's coming but needs to settle the score. Mara arrives to find a drunken, enraged Derek who has never gotten over the end of their affair, and worse, feels dumped for a woman. He attacks Mara, beating her to the ground before grabbing his service pistol to finish the job.
Thinking quickly, Mara swings the vodka bottle he was emptying and disarms him, before the police arrive.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 24, 2018
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 21, 2019
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
B-Side by Janis Jones is a fictional story about an assault on a police officer's girlfriend. The officer, Mara, has to rely on fellow officers to solve the case, while her girlfriend, Casey, recovers and copes with panic attacks resulting from her attack. When no new leads come in, Casey’s assault case goes cold and put on the back burner. New cases keep coming in for Mara and her partner, Derek. As Derek and Mara spend more time together, Casey grows slightly jealous, and a fight erupts between the couple. After Mara and Casey make-up, Mara becomes to determined to solve Casey’s case herself, despite the personal involvement. Mara finds a lead the other detectives looked over and tracks down the lead to find the perpetrator, Roto. However, when she finds Roto, he’s already been murdered. When Casey finds out the news, she insists on Mara giving a gift to the perpetrator’s wife and baby son as condolences. Upon on arriving with the gift, Mara finds out that Roto is the nephew of a fellow co-worker. Mara confronts her co-worker who admits the plot for Casey’s attack was for Casey to be out of the way for Mara to start dating Derek again. The tale concludes with Derek drinking and Mara showing up. A scuffle ensues and Derek attacks Mara and almost shoots her with his gun before Mara’s quick thinking saves her life and police arrive on the scene.
The first I disliked about the book was the abbreviation/slang talk in the very first chapter. It almost turned me off from reading any further. I find it weird that people talk in abbreviations or slang. It didn’t seem anywhere current to me, nor have I ever heard someone actually speak like that in person. Luckily, it was just in the dialogue, or I would have a bigger issue with it. Also, I thought the character descriptions were a bit much and too detailed. I don’t like it when authors state things like “she has brown hair and is athletic”. I would rather they bring it up more subtly than just stating it. I also didn’t think the first chapter had much of a hook to bring the reader into the story. It started out with the author writing a character description as I mentioned. I find that a rather bland way to start a story.
Additionally, I had some minor issues with the story such as how short the chapters were. They are extremely short like sometimes only a page. I feel multiple chapters could be combined to create longer chapters. Another thing that bothered me is that a timeline isn’t exactly clear in the story. It doesn’t really always make clear the distinction between what’s a flashback and what’s the present. I feel that could be executed a little better. Lastly, I don’t think Derek’s ex-wife was necessary to the story. I don’t feel like she has any significant part in the story and should have mentioned but not have a chapter where she has a conversation with others that did not have much to do with the actual story.
However, there were things I did like about the story as well. I liked the diversity of the characters. I appreciate that not every character is heterosexual. I think there needs to be more diversity in writing with characters of different sexualities, and B-Side managed to incorporate some of that in without it being a huge ordeal. I also liked the multiple point of views. I like to see things from different characters' view. I feel like that was a big asset to this story as the reader can see what was happening with Casey and how she was coping and Mara and her solving the case. Finally, the pace was fairly good, it could have been a little slower and/or more detailed in places, but overall it flows quickly and keeps the reader engaged in the story.
Overall, this is a good book, but it wasn’t really up my alley. The things I disliked about the book keep sticking out in my head more than the things I liked. I would say this would be targeted toward a young adult audience even with the mature subject matter of the assault.
B-Side by Janis Jones is a fictional story about an assault on a police officer's girlfriend. The officer, Mara, has to rely on fellow officers to solve the case, while her girlfriend, Casey, recovers and copes with panic attacks resulting from her attack. When no new leads come in, Casey’s assault case goes cold and put on the back burner. New cases keep coming in for Mara and her partner, Derek. As Derek and Mara spend more time together, Casey grows slightly jealous, and a fight erupts between the couple. After Mara and Casey make-up, Mara becomes to determined to solve Casey’s case herself, despite the personal involvement. Mara finds a lead the other detectives looked over and tracks down the lead to find the perpetrator, Roto. However, when she finds Roto, he’s already been murdered. When Casey finds out the news, she insists on Mara giving a gift to the perpetrator’s wife and baby son as condolences. Upon on arriving with the gift, Mara finds out that Roto is the nephew of a fellow co-worker. Mara confronts her co-worker who admits the plot for Casey’s attack was for Casey to be out of the way for Mara to start dating Derek again. The tale concludes with Derek drinking and Mara showing up. A scuffle ensues and Derek attacks Mara and almost shoots her with his gun before Mara’s quick thinking saves her life and police arrive on the scene.
The first I disliked about the book was the abbreviation/slang talk in the very first chapter. It almost turned me off from reading any further. I find it weird that people talk in abbreviations or slang. It didn’t seem anywhere current to me, nor have I ever heard someone actually speak like that in person. Luckily, it was just in the dialogue, or I would have a bigger issue with it. Also, I thought the character descriptions were a bit much and too detailed. I don’t like it when authors state things like “she has brown hair and is athletic”. I would rather they bring it up more subtly than just stating it. I also didn’t think the first chapter had much of a hook to bring the reader into the story. It started out with the author writing a character description as I mentioned. I find that a rather bland way to start a story.
Additionally, I had some minor issues with the story such as how short the chapters were. They are extremely short like sometimes only a page. I feel multiple chapters could be combined to create longer chapters. Another thing that bothered me is that a timeline isn’t exactly clear in the story. It doesn’t really always make clear the distinction between what’s a flashback and what’s the present. I feel that could be executed a little better. Lastly, I don’t think Derek’s ex-wife was necessary to the story. I don’t feel like she has any significant part in the story and should have mentioned but not have a chapter where she has a conversation with others that did not have much to do with the actual story.
However, there were things I did like about the story as well. I liked the diversity of the characters. I appreciate that not every character is heterosexual. I think there needs to be more diversity in writing with characters of different sexualities, and B-Side managed to incorporate some of that in without it being a huge ordeal. I also liked the multiple point of views. I like to see things from different characters' view. I feel like that was a big asset to this story as the reader can see what was happening with Casey and how she was coping and Mara and her solving the case. Finally, the pace was fairly good, it could have been a little slower and/or more detailed in places, but overall it flows quickly and keeps the reader engaged in the story.
Overall, this is a good book, but it wasn’t really up my alley. The things I disliked about the book keep sticking out in my head more than the things I liked. I would say this would be targeted toward a young adult audience even with the mature subject matter of the assault.
August 16, 2019
Love story meets suspense
The best way to describe this book is to call it a suspenseful love story. The tale revolves around Mara and Casey’s epic romance. Their connection is one of a kind and genuine. I think it is fair to point out that this love story isn’t your typical sappy romance novel. Instead, their love was authentic and captivating. The couple had real issues but continued to choose one another through the obstacles, including the attack on Casey. Which leads us to the mystery of this story. Who attacked Casey and why? The thriller and suspense portions of this book were incredible and fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed how the author combined the love story and suspense tale perfectly.
The best way to describe this book is to call it a suspenseful love story. The tale revolves around Mara and Casey’s epic romance. Their connection is one of a kind and genuine. I think it is fair to point out that this love story isn’t your typical sappy romance novel. Instead, their love was authentic and captivating. The couple had real issues but continued to choose one another through the obstacles, including the attack on Casey. Which leads us to the mystery of this story. Who attacked Casey and why? The thriller and suspense portions of this book were incredible and fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed how the author combined the love story and suspense tale perfectly.
November 8, 2019
I'll be honest. I didn't know what to expect with this, but it read like a screenplay script which I believe was precisely the author's intent. It was quite a ride and I wasn't really pleased with the graphic language or imagery, but it was intended to be intense and it was.
October 30, 2018
Every once and a while I like to pick up a book that is outside of my usual genre. While I'm usually an SF or Fantasy fan, it's always a treat to find a well thought out crime novel, something to get my mind racing and heart pumping. B-side was that book for me: intriguing and wildly engaging, it transported me to California and right into the lives of two fantastic women reeling through tragedy. And it was epic.
This book was initially written as a screenplay, and the strengths of that medium remain: reading it was like watching a movie. Very dialogue heavy, the complexity of the characters unfolds through their conversations, their mannerisms, their little tics. Through this, you can sort of guess the ending, piece together the clues, but when the ending finally arrives it's massively surprising.
While the author breaks the rule of showing not telling, because of the screenplay feel, it doesn't feel obtrusive. In fact, it allows us to 'see' what happens all the more vividly. The author also doesn't over describe her scenes, which allow for the mind to take over. It's an easy book to read thanks to it following 'movie' rules: short, intense, with bright and memorable characters and scenes. It also allows the reader/viewer to see LA through many different perspectives, creating a full picture of the beautiful - and the bad.
But what we're here for is the story, and while it is simple, it was still unexpected. The author manages to reel you in because you care so much for Casey and Mara from page one: you want to know why this happened, and you are as dedicated as Mara to follow through. Unlike the detective novels I have read in the past, it feels like a police procedural and more... personal. I don't know if that's the word for it. But it's not cold like a mystery, and not chilling like a thriller, it's dramatic and vibrant and human.
I highly recommend B-Side to anyone who enjoys a good whodunnit, but also to fans of contemporary fiction, as it packs an emotional punch!
This book was initially written as a screenplay, and the strengths of that medium remain: reading it was like watching a movie. Very dialogue heavy, the complexity of the characters unfolds through their conversations, their mannerisms, their little tics. Through this, you can sort of guess the ending, piece together the clues, but when the ending finally arrives it's massively surprising.
While the author breaks the rule of showing not telling, because of the screenplay feel, it doesn't feel obtrusive. In fact, it allows us to 'see' what happens all the more vividly. The author also doesn't over describe her scenes, which allow for the mind to take over. It's an easy book to read thanks to it following 'movie' rules: short, intense, with bright and memorable characters and scenes. It also allows the reader/viewer to see LA through many different perspectives, creating a full picture of the beautiful - and the bad.
But what we're here for is the story, and while it is simple, it was still unexpected. The author manages to reel you in because you care so much for Casey and Mara from page one: you want to know why this happened, and you are as dedicated as Mara to follow through. Unlike the detective novels I have read in the past, it feels like a police procedural and more... personal. I don't know if that's the word for it. But it's not cold like a mystery, and not chilling like a thriller, it's dramatic and vibrant and human.
I highly recommend B-Side to anyone who enjoys a good whodunnit, but also to fans of contemporary fiction, as it packs an emotional punch!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews