Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters
SERIES: Offbeat Crimes #1
AUTHOR: Angel Martinez
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
LENGTH: 113 Pages
RELEASE DATE: August 16, 2016
BLURB:
Kyle Monroe, his irritating new partner and their fellow freaks at the 77th Precinct must learn to work together to stop a vicious murderer that might not even be human.
Kyle Monroe’s encounter with a strange, gelatinous creature in an alley leaves him scarred and forever changed, revealing odd abilities he wishes he didn’t have and earning him reassignment to a precinct where all the cops have defective paranormal abilities.
Just as he’s starting to adjust to his fellow misfit squad mates, Kyle’s new partner arrives. Tall, physically perfect, reserved and claiming he has no broken psychic talents, Vikash Soren irritates Kyle in every way. But as much as he’d like to hate Vikash, Kyle finds himself oddly drawn to him, their non-abilities meshing in unexpected ways. If they can learn to work together, they might be able to stop the mysterious killer who has been leaving mutilated bodies along the banks of the Schuylkill.
Publisher’s Note: This book has previously been released elsewhere. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release with Pride Publishing.
REVIEW:
When I saw this book pop up in our review queue, I jumped on it. The previous version was also reviewed at Love Bytes by Vicki…but now it was my turn. I’ve been meaning to read it since reading Vicki’s review a little over a year ago. As the Publisher’s Note mentions above, this book has been revised, re-edited, and obviously has had content added since it is quite a bit longer than the previous edition.
I really liked the wacky and weird world that Ms. Martinez imagined for this story. It is set in a world just a little different from our own. A world with monsters and a world with the 77th Precinct. The 77th Precinct is a hodgepodge of paranormal/supernatural cops. But paranormal/supernatural cops that aren’t exactly perfect. In fact, they are all slightly defective if we’re being honest. There is one guy who is a vampire who can only drink ‘skim’ blood. There is another who believes he is a wolf. There is one who can hear “the unhappiness of waterfowl.” Plus there are several others…but you get my drift.
Kyle Monroe is nicknamed Kirby after a character in a video game because of his ability to absorb the abilities of the other members of their team and use them. He also, prior to the opening of the story, absorbed the Lime Gelatin monster in the name of the story and that is why he is now assigned to Precinct 77. No spoilers on that though! He isn’t very popular, since his ability isn’t exactly controllable.
Vikash Soren is new to the Precinct having recently developed his own strange power. When he is assigned to Kyle as his partner, Kyle isn’t thrilled. Vikash is a bit of a cold fish. Not much sense of humor. And probably straight.
I enjoyed this fast read and liked the author’s humor and wit as displayed through the dialogue and interactions of the characters. I agree with what Vicki said last year when reviewing the previous edition. The story is more a character study, with a minor in mystery. The underlying case isn’t as important as the interplay of the members of the team…and don’t forget Mr. Jacket! I know you don’t know who that is yet…but trust me he adds just a little bit of humorous absurdity to the story!
I’ve already signed up for the re-release of book two, which is coming soon. I can’t wait. If you’re a Sci-Fi/SpecFic/wacky world sort of person, this story is for you. I recommend it.
RATING: 
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