Double Cross

The Disillusionists #2

by Carolyn Crane

Some secrets come back to haunt. Others come to kill.

Justine Jones lived her life as a fearful hypochondriac until she was lured into the web of a mysterious mastermind named Packard, who gifts her with extraordinary mental powers—dooming her to fight Midcity’s shadowy war on paranormal crime in order to find the peace she so desperately craves.

But now serial killers with unheard-of skills are terrorizing the most powerful beings in Midcity, including mastermind Packard and his oldest friend and worst enemy, Midcity’s new mayor, who has the ability to bend matter itself to his will.

As the body count grows, Justine faces a crisis of conscience as she tests the limits of her new powers and faces an impossible choice between two flawed but brilliant men—one on a journey of redemption, the other descending into a pit of moral depravity.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Adult, Magic

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 28, 2010

About the author

After spending her youth thoroughly obsessed with Nancy Drew and Harriet the Spy and convinced that her suburban neighborhood was awash in dangerous secrets, Carolyn Crane grew up to become a RITA-nominated author of romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and other tales of adventure and love; she also writes erotic romance about bank robbers as Annika Martin.

Her books have been published by Random House and Samhain; these days, this perfectionistic control-freak of an author likes to indie publish. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two cats and works a straight job as a freelance marketing writer. During rare moments when she’s not at her computer, she can be found reading in bed, running, or helping animals.

Reviews

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy Read of a different sort of superhero book with my friends at Buddies Books and Baubles

#TeamPackard #NoBeretsAllowed #Ottoisacreeper

”You love to remind me that I’m a villain, but when I actually do something the least bit villainous, you act outraged.”

The best thing about this series is that it is really readable. I picked it up and finished in a day, this book has the kind of angst that I really love. Not all silly misunderstanding angst but actual internal emotional angst and some deliver by the plot. The mix is done so well that I couldn’t stop reading. Neurosis as superpowers is a really great premise.

The book isn’t perfect there are a few little/minor plot hole things and a few times I really hated being in the Heroine’s head but I’m supposed to feel uncomfortable in there. Juliette is a neurotic hypochondriac that tends to obsess over and fixate on things. When she does that to the extent that she drives herself into a frenzy I’m not supposed to feel okay about it, in that regard the author did a fantastic job.

The Dissolutionists now work to reform some of Otto’s prisoner’s so they can be reformed and released out into the wild. The thing is that some of them might be innocent, specifically one of them who has the ability to enter dreams. Justine is having a severe crisis of conscience on that end. Should they really try to reform the prisioners? Is that their right? She also had the another problem she touched the dreamwalker and now she is connecting Justine’s dreams with Packard.

“I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you.”
Slowly Packard turns to me. “It’ll almost be worth it, just to see the look on Otto’s face when he finds out. You and me, conferenced into each other in dreams.”
“Why should Otto care? So she screws around in our dreams.”
“Dreams that she creates from our memories. She uses memories as her raw material.”
“So what?”
“Do you have any memories that you’d prefer not to revisit—with Ez and me along for the ride, experiencing everything from your point of view? Think of the experiences you’d most prefer to keep private. Those are the ones she’ll grab.”

Well I can think of a few and I can’t wait to see them again. There is the semi-love triangle going on with Packard/Justine and Otto. I get it Otto is what Justine wants to want but I think we all know that Packard is who Justine really wants. I know I usually hate Love Triangles too but….This one works pretty well. There are some scenes that are a little uncomfortable because I’m not a fan of Otto at all but I get why Justine and her neurotic hypochondriac mind clings to the idea of him.

“I can tell you this,” he says. “Otto may be the man the frightened little girl Justine fantasizes about, but he’s definitely not the man the brave, smart, grown-up woman wants—or needs.”

This is not just about the romance though. HighCaps are being targeted and killed by a team of serial killers and the city is in a panic yet again. Justine is trying to keep both Packard and Otto safe as well as find out if the Dreamwalker Ez is innocent of the crime she was accused of. She needs to hurry the dreams are getting more intense and the soon Ez will have enough pull to make Justine help her even if she doesn’t want to.

There are also all the fantastic side characters. I love Shelby and Simon they make this story so much better. Simon is the train wreck that you can’t look away from. It is like he chooses to do things he knows he can’t win or walk away from without getting hurt. He is bound and determined to push every envelope and every relationship to its max.

This, of course, is pure Simon. Always taking chances. Always on the losing end. Which is why I’ve slipped out my stun gun. He realizes it seconds before I show it. He smiles, thinking about how to get to his, no doubt.
I say, “Don’t move. Just tell me where you have the descrambler.”
“I’ve taken precautions,” he says.
“You never take precautions.” We both know how this will end, but we have to go through it. “One. Two.”
He lunges. I press the button.

Shelby always a true friend will always tell Justine how it really is and I love that about her. She doesn’t hold any punches and she always tells the truth.

”… He was a momentary diversion for me, on my way to Otto, who is my ultimate perfect mate.”
“In other words, not real. Otto is fairy tale.” Shelby smirks at her own cleverness.
“Helpful hint—most girlfriends pretend to like their friend’s boyfriends, and act happy for them, or else they zip it.”
“Such a friend is useless. You and Otto, you comfort each other. That is all.”
“We fit.”
“Your fears fit.”

This story was clipping along and was a good fun 3 star read for me and then the twist at the end came and the OMG WTF just happened bumped it completely up to 4 stars easy. It was horrible, it was amazing I felt so many things about it and there was no waiting to jump into the next book. I couldn’t stop to write a review first because I NEEDED to know how this entire story was going to play out.

Warning: Have the final book ready to go because I can’t imagine that you will not want to read it directly after finishing this. So happy that this series was complete when I picked it up.


#Tandiediditfirst #sorrynotsorry #OMGdidthatjusthappen

[Kat Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolyn Crane, you saucy minx! You've done it again!

This is the second installment of The Disillusionist Trilogy and, unbelievably, it is as fantastic as the first one!

The romance was there, the psychological mind games were there and most of all, THE TWIST! I love her M. Night Shyamalan twists!

Okay, so things that I didn't like so much:

The cover.

Tell me how a chick holding a funny shaped dagger THAT NEVER ACTUALLY APPEARS IN THE BOOK has any relation to this story! It's so misleading. People probably see this book and figure it for another factory-made paranormal romance with an ass-kicking heroine instead of what it really is.

Some of the clues and Justine's hunches were, I felt, a little far fetched.

There was a tiny little plot point that wasn't quite wrapped up but I won't mention it here because that would be a spoiler.

Other than that it was great. Great characters, great writing, great plot and an excellent addition to this series.

I absolutely can't wait for the third installment!

[Dija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well. There goes another highly-anticipated read.

Double Cross is a lot less action-packed than Mind Games, and most of the book is about Justine and her problem with her conscience. She still hasn't gotten over the fact that Packard tricked her into being his minion and that she has to disrupt people's feelings/realities for her own freedom. Most of all, she can't come to terms with who she is, and that about killed this book for me.

Justine's a little scared, weak girl inside who wants to simply belong to someone and believes that being with a perfect guy means that maybe she's perfect too. I get that, I really do, and I had no problem with this part of Justine's personality in Mind Games. But in Double Cross, I expected Justine to get over herself and stop being so blind and just realize that being with someone perfect does not rub off on you by mere association, because the same thing failed with Cubby, but does she wake up at all throughout the 300+ pages of this book? No, she does not. She only gets a reality check for about 10 pages before she goes back to how she was, courtesy of Otto and Sophia.

This book is a rare case where even the ending couldn't make up for the rest of the book. The ending was astonishing, very genius, blah blah blah, but it can't even begin to make up for the pathetic and weak character that is Justine. And if it wasn't clear enough already, I really really really hate Justine's insecure personality.

And the villains are called "The Dorks"? Seriously? That's so ridiculous, it's funny.

As for Otto...

So you better run, you coward!

And now, I'll be fair and discuss the good stuff:

Packard! He's like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day, like a bag of marshmallows, like a delicious cake, like the full moon in a starless sky, like the first snowflake that melts on your nose, like THE BEST DAMN THING IN THIS ENTIRE BOOK! So yeah. Just lemme eat have him, because no one wants to have to deal with me and my dreadful poetry.

After Packard, Shelby is my most favorite character in this series. I adore her strength, her cynicism, and the way she always seems to be getting the bigger picture. In short, she's everything I wish Justine could be.

And if I look at the ending alone, without the boredom from the first half of the book poisoning it, I do have to admit that it's pretty amazing. I was so happy for a while there, even getting over my anger at Justine, but then

Needless to say, I can't wait to see how the latest mess will resolve itself.

And this book has a 4.28 rating average? Maybe I'm the only one who couldn't tolerate Justine and wasn't completely wooed by the ending.

[Vinaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

So here's the deal. I was going to review Mind Games first, but then I finished Double Cross and I realised that there was no way the review I was originally going to write for Mind Games was going to fit. So I'm reviewing both together.

When I finished Mind Games, I was lukewarmly in like with the book, but not willing to rave about it. Justine's deliberate blindness to the reality of her situation, and her constant demonisation of Packard annoyed me. And the fact that the author probably wanted me to be annoyed didn't detract from my dissatisfaction with the book. Justine Jones was turning whiny and I was NOT happy. Even the twist at the end of the story failed to have any real impact on me, there was no real zing! to it and after my desperate rooting for Packard, I wanted to rip the book apart for its ending.


But Double Cross was an Oh. My. God moment for me. More like a day, actually, but what the hell. The book took what looked like severely unravelling threads and knitted them into one perfect whole. Justine's increasing moments of self-awareness, her sizzling, sexy chemistry with Packard (Go, Packard!) and a mind-bending, double crossing twist in the tale that leaves your head staring your ass in the face (that was so mixed up!) all bound it into the Book That Made The Series.

And that cliffhanger ending left me clutching the crumbling rocks of my over-excited brain and screaming for more. A thrilling, thrilling ride, and the only thing I absolutely hated about Double Cross was the fact that it was so good, and now I have to wait for months, if not longer, for the third book to come out!

Here's what I loved about the series thus far.

THE PREMISE: This is one of the most refreshingly unusual urban fantasy books I have read in a long, long time. There are no vampires, no werewolves, no fae, no demons, nothing. Just a bunch of humans, some of them with psychic powers. And some of them with extremely strong neuroses. I cannot begin to tell you how cool it is to read about someone who is not (secretly) the most powerful magician/vampire/werewolf/insert species, of her generation. Someone who is not a lean, mean, fight machine with a sword/knife (yes, the cover is totally misleading)/katana/other sharp pointy object of mystical origin. Justine Jones is a neurotic, hypochondriachal mess with no superpower except an ability to generate an enormous amount of fear about one's health. And yet, she kicks ass.

PACKARD: Yes, I fall in lust with fictional men! If you don't, there's something wrong with you! And Packard is a rich, creamy serving of Haagen Dazs dark Chocolate. Yum-my! Despite a first-person narrative from the heroine's perspective, Crane does a brilliant job of allowing the facets of Packard's personality to shine through. You can tell that she's put as much thought into his character as she has into Justine's, and I must applaud her for it.

THE TWISTS: See, here is the genius of Carolyn Crane. I thought the first plot twist, in Mind Games was a little facile and unexciting. But she took that twist, and twisted it again, and then some more, and the whole thing added up to one major mindfuck that leaves you gasping and begging for more.

THE TRIANGLE: I have come to absolutely hate love triangles in urban fantasy settings. They are so cliched, either the two guys are perfect and the heroine is torn, or one is good and one is bad and she has to pick. And the unfortunate success of several of these love-triangle books (Yes, Stephanie Meyer, I am pointing at you) has spawned a whole host of even worse, more messed up triangular configurations. It's like these authors believe that you can't have emotional drama and relationship troubles without a threesome! Buy a clue, people! And yet, despite my immense hatred for love triangles, I wasn't put off by Justine's dilemma between two men. Maybe it's because she tried so hard and so convincingly to tell herself that there was only one right man for her. Maybe because I derived a vicious satisfaction from seeing my favourite man lose several battles but win the war. Whatever the reason, I loved the portrayal of the relationship between Justine and Otto, and more so, her relationship with Packard.

If you haven't read this series, go out RIGHT NOW and buy it! Oh wait, if you're like me and can't stand the suspense, maybe you should wait until after the third book is out. No, actually, go buy it, it's too good to not read RIGHT NOW!

[Armina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

I'm very conflicted how to rate this. I want to give it the highest rating because I almost finished it 24 hours ago(I read the final two chapters now) and I was thinking about it and about this goddamn twist the entire day and night. Thinking and rewinding and reliving ... . So it moved me, right?! It is so devilishly good and so plain bad at the same time. Not the cliffhanger/twist itself but the way Otto's personality was made so black and white at once. It doesn't feel right to me. I guess it depends on how do you perceive Otto till this moment. Don’t get me wrong, I'm Team Packard from the very beginning and there are some scenes in here that I adore. Like:

"There’s something so sweet about him dozing, as though all his pricklers are gone."

And the quote is not about what you're thinking. ;) I can give you more but I won't because I don't want to spoil you. And yet I was seeing Otto as a more complex character. I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

All in all although the story build up a little slowly - Justine doesn't know what she wants and at times we have too much internal dialog and less action - the book still has great suspenseful scenes, superb sexual tension, more backstory, more depth and it's as entertaining as the first.

I might rate it differently some other time. Straight to book #3 now! And yes - read this series ASAP!

[Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like book 1, I have no clue how to review this book. First, you really, really should read book 1 since book 2 would make even less sense than it does for us who read book 1. No, I am not one of the characters in the book, I eventually will make sense (or maybe not).

Double Cross is one of those books where you really question the author’s state of mind because she would have to be really twisted (in a good way) to come up with some of the ideas for the story. It is so unique, and interesting that you find yourself going “wow” and WTF at the same time.

It is a great story (notice I have yet to tell you what the story is because I cannot even begin to explain it) and one that will keep you guessing at every page. The one constant throughout the story is Justine. She is the only one the reader can trust, and you ride the crazy train along with Justine throughout the book.

Go read this book and you will understand why I cannot explain this book. Just make sure you read book 1 first!

Just added this book to my "Favorite Book of 2010" shelf.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 to 5 stars. I loved this book. I love this series. Double Cross begins where Mind Games ends. What makes this book and this series are the characters. The world is nifty and the powers are unique, but ultimately it is a character driven story. The characters in the Disllusionist series are likeable. For readers of this series, you will be excited to know that we see more of Shelby and Simon, both are such funny and interesting characters. Justine's friendship with both characters deepen.

Crane writes quirk so well. But not just quirk, she excels at writing characters who are real people, who do silly things motivated by personal insecurities and personal goals but are also so gosh, darned funny. Crane is Funny with a capital F. The cast of characters are a bizarre brand of super hero that we met in Mind Games -- they have the ability to inflict other people with their own personal demons.

The main character is a hypochondriac, she has the power to "zing" other people with her fears and potentially change how the "zinged" person acts and makes choices. But the insecurities are not always funny,

"He puts on his sunglasses. Mirrored glasses, and I get a pair of distorted Justine images -- two long pale faces, long dark hair, dark eyes, I hate my reflection unless I'm steeled for it."

Like in Mind Games, in Double Cross the gang of disillusionists have identified more "targets" that need to be disillusioned. Justine continues to debate the morality of what she is doing; she struggles with the idea of inflicting her own personal demons on others.

Mind Games was a strong beginning to the series, but Double Cross is just better in almost every respect. The mystery and suspense are tighter and the reveals are even more shocking. As the story develops we learn more about Otto and Packard’s past. I am not going to lie, the ending of this story is a wham – it is shocking and painful. When I first read Double Cross, its sequel, Head Rush, was not yet published. And I could only hope that it would all work out eventually. But the wait was painful, just painful! The good news for all those starting this series, is that now the trilogy is complete. You can go into Double Cross knowing that the ending will be a whammy, but you can rush right off and read Head Rush.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess this book probably deserves 4 1/2 stars because I wanted to slap Justine in the middle for a few things, but honestly this is my absolute fave series right now so I couldn't go with 4. I just love how quirky and neurotic and psychological the writing in this book is. It picks up right where the last one left off, the love triangle, the zinging...all of it is just the most modern twist on the urban fantasy genre I've seen in a while. If I could get Wes Anderson do do a superhero movie, I would love to adapt and act in this. Neurotics FTW!
And the ending...oh wow. The last two chapters literally left my heard pounding. I want the next one now, waaah!

[Bird · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to preface this by saying that I adored the first book, and went into this one planning on giving it five stars. But alas, things didn't work out that way.

This book has gotten almost no bad reviews yet. So, of course, I have to be the dissenter. Ugh. (Seriously, am I just tougher on books than the average reader?)

And, this book made me angry. No, really. Angry as in throw-the-book-across-the-room, stomp-on-it, rip-it-into-tiny-pieces. Perhaps that says something about the author, that she can engender such a passionate response. However, I'd rather my response was equally passionate, but weighed toward the positive end of the spectrum. (More about this near the bottom.)

The short list of Things I Liked...

1. Gumby. Yes, our little green friend makes a few appearances. It's an adorable addition to the story. Can we plan on seeing Pokey in the next installment?

2. As someone who is a bit of a Batman-nerd, Midcity reminded me pleasantly of Gotham, a grungy, crime-ridden city in need of a hero or two.

3. The premise is excitingly original. No vamps, witches, shapeshifters, etc. It's a breath of fresh air into an increasingly crowded genre.

4. Criminals being randomly assigned names (just like hurricanes are) is another nod toward the author's creativity. Calling a group of killers "Dorks" does take the wind out of their sails a bit, eh?


***SPOILERS***

Yep, that's all I've got. Sigh. Anyway, here goes the laundry list of Things I Disliked...

1. Justine is so damn whiny. About everything. Her hypochondria is annoying enough, but it's such a huge part of her character that it doesn't bother me much. But the rest of it was too much. I was tired of her morality issues by the end of the first few chapters. The back and forth over whether these people deserved to be locked up, whether it's wrong to zing them, whether she should question Otto's reasoning, etc. Part of the fun of a fantasy world is that it doesn't follow the same rules as ours, thus I can root for events I wouldn't otherwise sanction. Who the f^ck cares if Ez isn't truly guilty? She's invading your dreams and trying to control your thoughts! Zing her - double zing her, even! (Side note: Another UF series I'm currently reading is Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin. The heroine has no trouble doing what she has to, and worrying about the morality issues later...if at all. Now that's a character I can get behind.)

2. Justine's determination to stay with Otto, even when it becomes clear her feelings for him aren't nearly as strong as her feelings for Packard. She's intent on demonizing Packard, and is always looking for the worst in him.

3. I didn't like Otto when he was playing the part of the perfect boyfriend (he does the annoying thing almost as well as Justine...just take the damn beret off already!), and I certainly didn't like him when he suddenly pulls a 180 and turns into a villain. All this time he's been keeping potentially innocent people locked up, while knowing about it? Yet Justine, even with her gung-ho morals, doesn't seem very shaken up by this, which leads to...

4. Justine goes from being a generally intelligent woman to TSTL in the space of a few pages. It's like a horror movie where you're thinking, "Don't go into the basement." And where does the character always go? Into the basement, usually half-naked, with a butter knife as a weapon. Such was the case with Justine near the end of the book, where she strolls alone with Otto and Avery. You found out last night Otto's willing to do whatever he feels is necessary to keep safe, but now you're trusting him to help Avery, and accept that you're leaving him for his arch-nemesis? Good plan, champ. How could that possible go wrong? *forehead --> desk* And when Sophia comes along to wipe her mind, why doesn't she take the chance to zing Otto when he's holding onto her?

5. The whole plot twist at the end, with Sophia revising Justine's memory of the afternoon, made me want to scream in frustration. Especially when Justine starts noticing odd things, like how she gets a headache if she thinks about that day, and flinches when Otto reaches into his suit coat. But of course, having now turned to the dark side (aka become TSTL), she ignores these triggers and freaks out when Packard appears. And why didn't Packard just kidnap her? Why didn't Carter shoot Otto? It just felt like the author threw it in to make good fodder for the next book. I admit it is quite the cliff-hanger.

Will I be reading the third in the series? Certainly. I'm too invested to turn back now, and I can only hope the author can redeem this hot mess.

[MISS VAIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Help!!! I need to "Zing" somebody, anybody?!! I think I may be having a "Vein Star" vascular rupture, or possibly heart palpitations from this cliffhanger :-(

Not since KKM's Dreamfever have I felt such mental anguish and pain reading a cliffhanger. I've been griping about Mrs. Neill's cliffhanger of Hard Bitten and for some reason this one bothers me more. So I'm going to say this cliffhanger is rated between Dreamfever and Hard Bitten. It's not for the faint of heart...


I'm devastated Mrs. Crane, seriously I'm not sure if I should love or hate you for this cliffhanger, it was brilliant and I didn't see it coming which made it even more mind-blowing.

What a fantastic edition to the Dissilusionist Trilogy Double Cross comes back and satisfies me even more than Mind Games did and I wasn't even sure that was possible. ;) It was Amazing, Wonderful, Outstanding, I Loved it, even with the traumatic cliffhanger but I think I may be sick because of it.



"You love to remind me that I'm a villain, but when I actually do something the least bit villainous, you act outraged."




I HATE OTTO, I'm upset with Justine though it's not her fault. I absolutely adore gorgeous Packard.



"I guess I could've lived with it a while longer," he continues, "but I couldn't live with YOU living with it."

"I love you. I love you. You know that, right? For so fucking long, Justine."



The most painful words to read in the book:


"No----what?" Then, slowly, "No." Pain in his pale green eyes.


I Love/Hate cliffhangers!



Hurry up and get here December, waiting is just going to be too painful. This book is a MUST read ;-)




Like what you see here, check out more of my reviews at http://missvainsparanormalfantasy.com/

[Didi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the hell??? Holy crap, what the hell just happened?? This was phenomenal, incredibly amazing! The second book is...just wow, better than the first. And like the first, you don't know left from right till the carpet is pulled out from under your confused self! Seriously, Otto?? I promised myself no spoilers because this is a series worth reading over and over! I couldn't believe what went down. So many things happened, such powerful suspense and heart-pounding action! Just when you think, yes! Finally, everything gets distorted. Justine is a brilliant heroine, and Packard...sexy, lovely man!
I'm half amazed I can write a review right now, because I feel like crying, screaming! I'm so glad I have book three handy, because that was one hell of a cliffy. This is an original and fantastic series, it's intelligently written, witty, smooth, flows effortlessly and keeps you on your toes. I can't recommend this enough, I loved it and even if you're not usually into UF, doesn't matter, this is phenomenal! Jumping into the third ASAP!!

[Anna (Bobs Her Hair) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yup! That was a cliffhanger ending. I'm incredibly anxious for the final book in this trilogy.

As for my rating, I'm waffling between 4 and 5 stars for the second book in the Disillusionists Trilogy. It was a bit slow to build and Justine seemed a bit self-righteous at times. So what's good? Carolyn Crane knows how to build suspenseful scenes. She creates characters that walk the fine line between good and evil. She adds some action, spices the story with sexual tension, and then tosses in a dash of horror into her writing. Love it!

Overall, I grade this a B+/A-.

*edited to add quotes*

Memorable Quotes

He hides his face as he penetrates me. He pushes into me and stays there, unmoving, and I grab his hair and pull him away to look into his eyes. They're shining with tears. I kiss the tears off... p. 300

"It's me," he whispers, and for one searing moment, I don't know anything. p. 324

[Tandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book was way better than the first. Huge plot twist at he end, punched me in the heart. I'm glad I had a warning about the cliffhanger.
So.....
I can't really say much else because I need to go buy the next book on Amazon. Buy-bye!

[Mrs. Badass · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY MOTHER OF... How would I pose Gumby with what I'm feeling now????
SHOCK! Holy Crap!

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, no no!!!!

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy crap, what an ending!

[Mimi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I'm glad I took a little break when this book's beginning began to annoy me. Because I truly liked the rest, since I didn't let my issues transform into a grudge. The good news is I liked this book more than the last one. The bad news-this review is bound to be shorter than usual and incoherent because I am right now looking for the next one. Because this book has a horrible cliffhanger. But before we get to that...

Why I Preferred This Book

1.Justine

Justine is sooo annoying at first, even in this book. Especially in this book. She is just now starting to think about the moral implications of disillusionment. She thinks it's wrong and still does it. She seemed almost judgmental and self-righteous. I especially didn't like her attitude with Packard and her tendency to blame him for everything, that is acknowledged several times in the book...

You’re uncomfortable with yourself for what you’re doing as a disillusionist, and you hope coming here will relieve some guilt, and restore your self-image as a good girl.”
“I can’t believe you’re throwing that back in my face!”
“And if you can insult me while you’re at it, that’s all the better, since you blame me for all the ills of your life.”
“You got that right.”

"I was sort of a bitch to him, but who wouldn’t be in my place?"

Packard says, “You love to remind me that I’m a villain, Justine, but when I do something the least bit villainous, you act outraged.”

Now, you might be wondering, after all this, why I put Justine as my pro reason. Well, she was annoying for most of the book, and her behaviour is the main reason this isn't a 5-star rating, but she truly developed as a character in this book IMO. Plus, seeing her come to terms and realize she had been wrong was nice to see. And the solution to the triangle was visible to everyone, but Justine, I think. I loved the acknowledgement.

"I'd gotten too used casting Packard as the bad guy. It’s so much easier to make Packard the victimizer than to see him as the very real and complicated man he is."

Yeah, I liked that.

2. The solution to the Disillusionment dilemma

I am glad this is over, and in this way. The whole theme "I'm not free, I have to escape" and "I'm just a minion" was tiring. The moral implications of the issues were also resolved, and in a way I believed. Nothing is black and white, but some of the darker shades of grey we can get rid off.

3. The Mysteries

I found the action and mystery parts of the book to be much more developed. Or, I was just in the right mindset to enjoy them. Either way, the killings of Highcaps and the dilemma of Ez is interesting.

4. Packard

I love, love, love Packard now. He is a great guy. One who acknowledges the dark side of life and deals with it, doesn't hide. He used to be a crime lord, but he's turning his life around...As much as he can. I love his schemes and mastermind plans. Awesoooome! I've always been on Team Packard, but now I'm on Team Packard, get me? I loved this...

“Sometimes you have to be a bad person to save yourself, and it takes a little chunk out of your soul, but you do it anyway.”

He's so right. *sigh*

In the End I was much more involved in this book and I'm infinitely glad I don't have to wait for the next one. Yes, as I said, there is a huge Cliffhanger. One of the worst ones. The worst, being, of course in Dreamfever. I didn't have to wait for the next book there, either. I'm just lucky.

[Alkyoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the series started with a bang, skipped the pleasantries and went straight into action, head on.

One, two, Ez is coming for you, three four lock your door…

A dream invader! That’s my favorite supernatural ability by the way. All the Tele stuff is just for the lazies imho.

And I though, YESH, here we go.

Then Justine started having internal dialogs with her conscience. The action took the backseat and it was all about what she wants and what she doesn’t while it was becoming painfully obvious that she has no effin clue on either subject.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I still like Justine and I think that her reactions and struggles were true to her nature. She is not a perfect character after all and I wouldn’t want her to be one anyway. I liked her even more in this book, because even though she can be a hypocrite about her feelings, she stood by her best friend when she needed her and she didn’t give her any judgmental crap or lectures about what’s wrong or right. She’s saving all that for herself.

But I was missing the action and there were times that I wanted to have my friend Fani (expert in shaking heroines that get on her nerves) to do her thing. We get it, disillusionment is not a nice thing to do, get over it, let’s get on with the matter in hand:

When will you drop the dude who sleeps with his beret on and get with Packard????

But no, she had to go undercover as an auditor (as if I don’t spend enough time auditing in rl, I have to come across it in UF as well) and then… and then…

And then BANG and THE END.

Are you for real Mrs.Crane?

[Milda Page Runner · Rating 4 out of 5]

First half of the book is a bit slower. We have two investigations going: The Dorks killing the highcaps and Dreaminvader Ez with her cannibals. It took awhile for the Dorks story to peak my interest, Ez on the other hand was far more interesting from the start especially since we get glimpses of Packards past.
Action/ suspense picks up in the second half of the book going to a mad roller-coaster mode towards the end. And the twists. I did not expect author to come with the new twists considering we have the same characters. Oh boy, was I wrong! :D
And what a shocker ending!
Better have the next book ready.

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review on: Under the Covers

What. A. Book. I really loved it. I thought the first book was great, but Double Cross builds on the foundations laid by Mind Games. Justine is still stuck as a minion to Packard, but is determined to find a way out, meanwhile a trio of murderers called the Dorks are targeting highcaps and shooting them in the street. Then there is the matter of all the highcap criminals locked up by Justine's boyfriend the Mayor and hero of MidCity Otto Sanchaz, but are they really all guilty? Justine begins to question this as she finds herself on a mission to disillusion an unlikely cannibal.

This was such an exciting book, especially the second half when everything is brought together, I found I couldn't put the book down! The plot was interesting and I kept turning the pages as I couldn't wait to see what would happen next, what new twist would be revealed. I now can't wait to get my hands on the third and final book in the trilogy Head Rush, especially after how it ended, that was a complete shocker! I am glad I am not one the readers who had to wait for so long for the next book to come out.

Justine Jones, the main characters, is one of the reasons I like this book so much, she is funny, insightful and her constant questioning of things around her keeps the book interesting and progressing at a fast pace. Although I did find that the first half of the book was a little slow, especially compared with the latter half, I still enjoyed every page.

Now, what I really, really liked about this book was the Justion-Packard-Otto situation, I am not a love triangle fan, but this triangle is keeping me on my toes. So many unexpected things happen between them and some dark secrets are revealed. What makes this book doubly intriguing for me is that the villains and the heroes swap places, the role of who is good and who is bad is distorted in this book, something that not only adds to the depth of the characters but also keeps the book fairly unpredictable, no one quite does what you expect them to do.

I highly recommend this series to everyone, if you love mystery, contemporary, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, this book has a little something for everyone.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memorable read, where everything turns out to be different on the surface and in the core. It's a true double cross.

[Krissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers for Mind Games AND Double Cross in here; I'm bitching about details.

I gave the first book 4 stars, but I almost gave this book only one. It gets two because I zipped through to the end, NOT because it didn't suck.

In the first book, Justine's relationship with Cubby is more of a product of Justine's neurotic nature than an actual loving and honest relationship. This isn't hard to figure out even without Packard constantly calling her on it since Crane has all the subtlety of a Hallmark movie when she's doing the "He's Not The Guy For Her" dance. That's okay, the story's just starting and Justine has mad problems. Most heroines start out with relationship issues, don't they? Even if they aren't lit with neon signs and arrows.

Enter the second book, and Justine thinks Otto is her soul mate: they share the same neuroses, she appreciates his sense of honor and his often misguided but genuine quest for a peaceful society, and she's madly attracted to him, what with his...trend-setting...beret.

That's where we left off at the end of Mind Games, right? Justine diving deep into his psyche to discover he's no thug, deciding to put everyone's freedom and sanity on the line by confiding in him, because she can tell he's a good man? Only in Double Cross, Otto is suddenly a much worse version of Cubby, so we're supposed to forget the time she discovered proof of his decent nature by invading his mind.

That's not all that pisses me off. There was a lot of serious conflict standing in the way of Justine's heavy chemistry with Packard in Mind Games, mostly dealing with the complicated and dangerous trappings of her new-found power and the way Packard tricked her into it. Crane waits until the last third of this book to unravel them all in about a paragraph, and it's absolutely lame. "You know the limitations to your power? I made them up. You know the drooling vegetable dude you were mortally afraid of becoming, to the point where you guys sometimes considered suicide? HE'S AN ACTOR. Yup, that whole year he was one of the gang, plus all those heart-felt visits...he's good, right?"

Conflicts resolved! Justine's already dubious power is now limitless and Packard is just a sociopathically good liar who loves her. Justine has fun telling Simon, the dude who is completely reckless and generally a dick to her, about Packard's silly deception. And who has time to be mad at Packard for fucking with their lives and sanity (in Simon's case, for years--he's the guy who mentioned suicide to escape) once they realize they can wreak havoc on any random stranger? Just another example of Justine's throw-away conscience. But it's okay for her to bond with jerkoff Simon because he sort of has a soul now, proven by his infatuation with a dream-invading coat-check girl. THAT tidbit didn't seem randomly stuffed in so he can be a "good" guy, or it might not have if prickly Shelby didn't find her soul-mate at the exact same time.

So, obstacles for Jackard (Pustine?) are gone, except her bf. It's okay, since just in time to learn about Packard's not-as-shitty-as-she-thought behavior, Justine is so over Otto. She lost wood during sex cuz he said she chases his darkness away...but I thought that's what they liked best about each other in Mind Games?? Whatever, she's over that now, so the bitch fakes an orgasm, and the suggestion is that it reflects on him and not her. I don't know, the sex was hot enough when she banged him in his pool while terrorizing his brain in Mind Games. I guess she's like one of those players--feelings talk ruins the mood.

If that didn't make you hate him, get ready: he tells her the story that she's been constantly badgering Packard about. Not that she stops Otto from telling; she just gets the dirt while enjoying the inner condescending head-shake.

As he's being judged a blabbermouth, Otto reveals his agonizing discovery that Packard tricked him into committing mass murder as a kid. That, along with her "probe" of his trustworthy inner emotions in Mind Games, is why I was REALLY surprised when he calmly obliterates Shelby's new bf at the end of the book. I mean, he just destroys him. (Did I read that wrong, or did he really shoot him a bunch of times and then crush him with his weird Franken-building power? I don't want to say overkill, but sometimes puns have to happen.)

The point is,after a lifetime of life-altering, traumatizing torment over committing murder (of bad guys, no less! baby murderers! that should've at least helped with the guilt!), he offs a good guy to keep his shitty girlfriend, despite having known her a minute and already attempting to break up with her twice. Thanks, Crane. That makes SO much sense.

I will not be finishing this crappy trilogy. The guy I'm supposed to hate has my sympathy, because his character was so obviously torn down just to clear the path to Packard. Crane couldn't call Otto on his actual villain-worthy flaws (judge and jury to so-called offenders) because her golden girl shares them and so does our hero Packard. What other option but to turn Mind Games into a waste of time by undoing its every premise? And that sucks because I liked Mind Games.

Justine should have been eaten by cannibals. I hope Shelby wastes them all.

[David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many times in a trilogy, the middle book is the one that suffers the most. Since the first book deals with establishing the characters and storylines, and the final book wraps everything up, often times the middle book can feel like it’s just padding the clock. I can assure you, that is NOT the case with “Double Cross”!

I was a big fan of “Mind Games”, the book which introduced lovable hypochondriac Justine Jones and her bizarre compatriots in The Disillusionists. That book didn’t take itself too seriously, as it featured colorful villains right out of a comic book and hysterically funny banter between Justine and her co-stars. However, things are a lot more serious this time around. In the very first chapter, a dream invader gains access to both Justine’s and Disillusionist leader Packard’s minds, leaving them in constant danger of having their deepest secrets exposed, as well as potentially falling under the dream invader’s control. In addition, some of the people closest to Justine are being targeted by a mysterious trio of killers. Add to that Justine’s love triangle with two men, neither of whom she’s sure she can entirely trust, and there’s no denying that the stakes are much higher this time around!

There were many things I liked about this book. While the humor and action present in the first book make a comeback, Carolyn Crane takes more chances with her writing style this time, and it definitely pays off. Due to the dream invader lurking in her mind, there are moments where Justine is experiencing memories from Packard’s point of view, but since the entire book is written in first-person, that means the events are narrated by Justine narrating as Packard! Brilliant! Also, there is more backstory revealed, which adds depth to the already-compelling cast of characters. And while I felt the love triangle was a bit rushed in the last book, I thought Crane did a much better job with it this time around, as Justine’s relationships with both Packard and Otto are key to the story playing out in “Double Cross”.

And then there’s that ending…WOW! I don’t want to say anything specific, I’ll just leave you with this piece of advice…when you’re about to finish “Double Cross”, make sure you have a copy of “Head Rush” readily available, as chances are you will want to immediately start the next book to find out what happens!

So, while there’s less humor and action this time around, a deeper story, more fleshed-out characters, and shocking twists make “Double Cross” even more enjoyable than its predecessor. I’m left with only one complaint…why is this a trilogy when I would much prefer it to be an ongoing series?!?

[Ash Wednesday · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Most people think happiness is about gaining something, but it’s not. It’s all about getting rid of the darkness you accumulate.”

Shit on a shingle! Have they invented a way of snorting a book's plot (line by line) while I was reading this? Because I need to read the next book, yesterday. I was full on prepared to take a couple of weeks break from this crazy-town series, I even had picked out my next read which I was looking forward to. But with that ending? Aaaaaarrrggghhhh!



Packard and his team of Disillusionists have been working with Midcity Mayor Otto Sanchez in freeing Henji's prisoners reformed and disillusioned. There are two plot points in this installment: Justine working on disillusioning Ez, a coat-checker who invades people's dreams and turns them into sleepwalking cannibals (allegedly, Simon insists) and the search for the Dorks, a group of vigilantes who are hunting for highcaps.



Yeah, I figured that's what you'd think about that. If you're not into Carolyn Crane's Urban Fantasy head trip of a series, all that sounds like a lot of crazy jibber jabber...

.. and you really need to get with the jibber jabber program.

Double Cross felt very slow for me. I fell asleep a couple of times midway through. There's a lot of red herrings and the fact that you can't trust either Otto or Packard leaves you with Justine. And Justine's brain is a bit of a snoozer on this one. Otto is wayyy too quirky of a hero for me to root for and you kind of end up cheering on the Packard section of the stands by default. But that's oversimplifying this book. Because it's more than a love triangle. It's about absolute freedom, what makes good, good and what makes evil, bad. Which has been done over numerous times in numerous formulas. But I bet none at par with this book's imagination. Simon took a bit of a backseat on this one and Shelby's storyline was ho-hum. But that last 20%.... God! With a character like Sophie I should have expected that but I guess I was too busy falling asleep.

I'm wondering if that was intentional on Ms. Crane's part because if it was...



Surprisingly, this reminds me of reading Aleatha Romig's Consequences. Their plot and premise are world's apart but the holes they put in my stomach I think are pretty much in the same location.

[Amanda (.---.--.-...-) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit, this book just wasn’t as pleasant for me to read as the first Disillusionist. The first half of the book I was so wound up and frustrated. Justine went from having funny freak-outs and banter, in Mind Games, to an obtuse holy roller personality in Double Cross. Where did the fun action go? I don’t want to read 100+ pages of Justine’s morality questions and, oh man, she questions everything. So much so that it is annoying and ultimately I didn’t even agree with her conclusions.

My emotions were annoyed, wanted to slap, throttle, pull hair and scream in her face. I don’t understand her blind faith in Otto and her Packer hater attitude. Justine is so mad at Packard for making her zing Otto’s prisoners but it isn’t Packard’s decision! Otto is making them or he’ll trap Packard again. How can she not see this?!? You can’t tell me that the beret and cape are so attractive that Justine is blinded by the truth and reality. Please, someone remind me why she spent months pining after Otto. Please, I beg. I didn’t get this great connection in Mind Games. It felt more like insta-love based on the same fear of vein star syndrome and hypochondria behaviors. Is this the greatest relationship foundation? I think not.

Packard was the only joy I received while reading the first half, if not more. Yes, I even loved it when Packard told Justine off. I think it satisfied me that someone could talk smack to her, she wasn’t listening to me, obviously.

At the same time, you’re desperate to be with me, to know what that would be like. But since I’m so morally degraded, you settle for these angry encounters.

When the action finally picks up, Justine no longer has time to fight her thoughts, conscience or morals. This is the turning point. I was hooked, furiously page flipping. I was like Yessssss! then all WTF? and then No! Gawd No!! and then I fcking hate you Otto!!!…

Off to read Head Rush. Please, bring back witty Justine.

[Leea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars... Um Wow! I have to admit that Miss Cranes creativity and humor is moving the Disillusionist series up a notch as one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series.

In Double Cross we find Justine, coming to terms with her 'zinging' people to keep at bay her hypochondriac thoughts. Well at least for a little while till sleep walking cannibals start roaming the streets and who she trust is not who she should be trusting... Yes, i'm being vague because you need to read the book to know what happens. What I can tell you is i'm writing this after just finishing Double Cross and I just loaded Head Rush onto my kindle and all I can thing about is Packard. Yeah, in the love triangle of the century i've always been and always will be kabob girl!!

If you read Mind Games, then you know the world that Justine lives in. Well then i'd encourage you to pick up Double cross because the action, suspense and even romance picks up.

Off to read Head Rush...

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, no, no, no. no! This didn't happen! It can't!! He couldn't. No! What a roller coaster ride this book is! What a cliff hanger. It's not a Moning-esque cliff hanger, but it's close. December 6th is now circled on my calendar for the e-book release of book 3 in this series.

Carolyn Crane is brilliant. I knew something bad was coming, I just didn't suspect the scope of it all.

If you haven't read this, and you like UF/PNR, do yourself a favor and give the Disillusionists a chance.

And I still hate Otto. One of the more dispicable characters I've ever come across.

[Lady Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay... Have you ever read a book that was 'that good' and yet leaves you pissed off at the same time? That is how I feel about this book! The story is incredible, and the writing and the characters, but the ending...MAN!!.... talk about a friggn cliff-hanger!
So now I'm going to have to pine for the next book to come out (and it better come out soon)...waiting patiently to 'see' what the author's going to do next with these characters.
Can't wait... literally!

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an amazing story. So damn creative for this genre. I highly enjoyed Double Cross and it's characters. The beginning was a bit slow for me but when it picked up, I couldn't put the book down. The ending was a complete surprise and I'm still in shock over it. I look forward to the next book. Carolyn Crane, please write fast. I just need to know what happens to these characters.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted at RabidReads.ca.

3.5 stars

This is the second installment of The Disillusionists series. Disillusionists are people who use their issues to help rehabilitate other people. The main character, Justine, is a hypochondriac. She uses that to ramp up the fear in other people. They use this to “reboot” the person they are trying to rehabilitate. In this book, Ez, has the power to get into people’s dreams and even control them when they’re sleeping.

Former police chief, now mayor, Otto Sanchez has gotten Packer and his group of Disillusionists to work on people he’s locked up behind barriers. Sanchez wants them rehabilitated before he’s willing to release them. He’s convinced that Ez was sending people out to cannibalize other people. However, it starts to look more and more like she was framed.

There is also a group of people killing the high-caps (people with special abilities, like Otto Sanchez’s ability to lock people behind forcefields). This group of serial killers are called “The Dorks”. Sanchez insists that killers can’t have cool names, but names that make them look weak. There is a list of names, similar to how they have names for hurricanes, that can be used. This is the best thing that Sanchez does in this book, at least in my opinion.

So, I really loved the mystery of this story. I loved how they not only learned more and more about Ez and her issues, but also the investigation into The Dorks. We also see Justine grow as a character, though it does take her a while to get there.

The part I hated the most about this book, the love triangle between Sterling Packard, Justine and Otto Sanchez. Love triangles are something that I can’t stand, but I was able to put my hatred aside for this story. I will be interested to see what happens in the next book.

The secondary characters continue to be great. Simon is someone that I really like. Shelby is another character I really like. She is so good for Justine. I even liked Ez.

Now, I will warn you, this book ends on a cliffhanger. Luckily, I don’t have to wait for the next book. I will be tackling it very soon. I can’t wait to see where The Disillusionists go from here. Some much came out in this book.

Narration
I really continue to enjoy the narration of this series. Rebecca Wisocky continues to do a great job with all the voices. I have to give her a big shoutout for the tone and pacing. When Justine starts to go into her panic, she starts talking faster and you can really hear that panic in her voice. Then when she comes down, the narrator goes back to a more normal pace.

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this is a spoiler-free review of Double Cross, there are some spoilers related to book one, Mind Games.

Ezmerelda or Ez has been imprisoned in the coat check she works in for three years by the mayor of Midcity, Otto Sanchez. Once Ez touches someone, she can link to that person and invade their dreams – causing them to do violent acts (violent as in cannibalism) while sleepwalking. Now that Otto has her imprisoned behind invisible shields, she hasn’t touched anyone for years. Justine Jones, who has just started dating Otto comes into the picture to disillusion Ez. Working under the highcap (someone with special powers) Sterling Packard, Justine and her fellow disillusionists strip down these criminals, until they have nothing, and then build them back up – hopefully making them better people. Justine’s specialty is hypochondria, often fearing she is going to dye from a rare brain disorder. Stoking up that fear, Justine is able to “zing” her fear into the target, allowing Justine to revel in a fear-free glory hour and watch the target slowly succumb to the darkness. It is during one of these zinging sessions that Justine touches Ez, while she is also touching Packard, and now Packard and Justine are linked – and Ez will be able to invade them in their dreams until she is stopped.

Meanwhile, a group of people called “The Dorks” (Otto refuses to let criminals have cool names, coming up with a list of pre-chosen names, like hurricanes, to call criminals) have been shooting highcaps. They somehow can determine who is a highcap and who is not. Worse, they are immune to highcap powers. Justine is worried Packard or Otto who are both highcaps could be a target – but she can’t decide which one she is worried more for. She wants to be with Otto who stands for everything she believes in, but Packard, with his intense vibe draws her back time and time again. Packard and Otto also both share a very dark secret, one that is coming to light now that Justine and Packard are sharing dreams.

When I mentioned on Twitter that I was starting Double Cross, someone tweeted who had already read the book and said “It’s Brutal!” and she meant it in the best way possible. That word stuck with me as I read and I can honestly say that is the perfect word to describe this book. Knowing this series is a trilogy, and that this is book two, I knew Carolyn Crane would give us a bumpy road – but I was not expecting what happened.

Justine is not cut out to be a criminal or deceitful. It drives her mad that she is trapped as Packard’s minion, forced to do his bidding. In book one, she learned if she doesn’t zing her fear into him or a target on a regular basis, she will end up in a vegetative state. Although Justine is angry at Packard, she is also free of her debilitating hypochondria. Also, there is such an underlying intense attraction between them – something that can’t be ignored no matter how hard Justine tries. But, Justine wants to see the good in people – and that is hard to do with Packard. Otto walks into her life full of hope. He likes people to believe in him, and then he returns that faith. Justine gets sucked in and likes it. She wants that safe life with him - at least that is what she tells herself. Justine wants to be with Otto, but it is almost like Packard is a magnetic field, and she just gets pulled his way time and time again.

I think the mystery is done really well in this one. There is such a creepy vibe when it comes to Otto trapping people in his invisible prisons. Although Ez is accused of heinous crimes, Otto is both judge and jury when it comes to declaring these prisoners guilty, and the question arises in this book, if Ez is actually innocent. This just adds another layer of guilt onto Justine’s conscious about her role of a disillusionist.

And what I love most is that Carolyn Crane twists things around so the outcome is just not what you expect. There is so much grey area with both Packard and Otto – and she exploits it to the fullest extent. She is relentless in giving us these two men where you just don’t know where she is going to take them. I loved every second of it. Justine’s interactions with each man is so different too. For example, Justine and Otto:

“Justine. The mayor needs to maintain a certain amount of decorum with the citizens.”

I smile. “I hope not with all citizens.”

“oh no, I assure….” Here Otto lowers his voice. “The mayor entertains distinctly unmayoral thoughts regarding a specific citizen.”

My pulse races.

“The other citizens,” he says, “would be scandalized.”

“Well!” I say. I can’t think of a clever comeback. Sometimes I’m like that with him.

While Justine and Otto have a fun, flirtatious relationship, when she is with Packard, it is notched up to an entire different level:

“And I touched you.” He runs a finger along his side of the cart. “Your skin was electric – I half thought there should be sparks.” He lowers his voice. “I know you felt it . You looked so beautiful. And then you came closer.”

He starts to roll the cart sideways. I clamp down hard on my side, stopping it, shocked that he’d talk so dirty in an office superstore. Then I realize that he hasn’t said anything dirty at all.

The disillusionist gang is back for this one too. Her supporting characters add so much to these books. We get such great things with Otto, Packard and Justine, but each supporting character is so well created – each with their different neurosis, they make me laugh, and they each have their own special spot in this story. They have become Justine’s family.

I don’t want to say much else. Oh wait – I do! You meet dashboard Gumby in this book. He might be my favorite character. You will have to go forth and read to meet him.

Go read the book, freak out, and be sure to tell me all about it.

Double Cross is one of the most original, well written urban fantasies I have read. The wait for book three will be torture.