REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: Agent Bayne
SERIES: Psycop #9
AUTHOR: Jordan Castillo Price
PUBLISHER: JCP Books, LLC
LENGTH: 279 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 16, 2018
BLURB:
Victor Bayne is through with the Chicago PD. Can he handle the FPMP?
After years of frustration as a PsyCop, Victor Bayne reports for duty at the Federal Psychic Monitoring Program. As a fledgeling agent, he’s ready to smoke out a few ghosts and be home each night in time for dinner. But is he prepared to add a professional dimension to his romantic partnership with Jacob Marks?
Jacob has already established his territory in the Program—he’s competent, he’s respected, and he’s pretty much fearless. The last thing Vic wants to do is screw up in front of him.
When fellow agents start turning up dead, Vic is expected to do more than just lay their ghosts to rest. But what if his psychic talent isn’t quite enough? As the death toll rises, he and Jacob scramble to determine who’s in danger, and who’s a killer.
Using all the resources at their disposal, they close in on their suspect. But as they do, their past comes back to haunt them…and even Jacob worries they’ve tampered with forces they should have left alone. Are their combined talents enough to protect them from enemies both living and dead?
REVIEW:
Vic is back and better than ever! I was a bit disappointed with the previous book that centered around Crash, but rest assured, the story is back on track in this installment.
I have loved Vic from the beginning. He’s such an awkward fellow but one who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to get it, even if he is a bit socially challenged. He simply doesn’t relate well to most people, but he and Jacob continue to be perfect for each other. They are still going strong here as they embark on their new positions with the FPMP. The job turns out to be not what Vic expected, but he is trying to make it work and figure things out so he can be helpful to Jacob. Vic is snarky and a bit dry, which I absolutely love about him. His character shines through and gave me reminders of him from previous books and pretty much picks up where book 7 left off. Book 8 was Crash’s story, so while it was nice to get that filler, it didn’t really add too much to the story other than showing where Crash is today.
There are a few things going on here. First is the mystery of the murdered agents, but secondary is the mystery of Vic’s missing memories. He is back in contact with his fellow Camp Hell “associates” with Stefan and Dead Darla through the job, and perhaps that is helping to stir some memories. Either way, there are some interesting findings that keep you guessing right alongside Vic.
There is a lot of detail in this story that is learned about in the previous books, so you most definitely need to read them in order to fully understand what has transpired. Suffice to say, if you are a Psycop fan, you won’t be disappointed. Vic is back in all his Psycop glory and Jacob is icing on the cake. I love being able to pick up a book after a bit of an absence from the series and feel like I’ve just continued the story. JCP does a great job with that continuity and it really made a difference in this one. Things are set up for more to come, and I can’t wait to see what happens to these guys next!
RATING: 