Title: Spook Squad
Series: PsyCop 07
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Novel Plus (307pgs)
Publisher: JCP Books (30th August 2013)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3 – 3½ Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Everyone enjoys peace and tranquility, and Victor Bayne is no exception. He goes to great lengths to maintain a harmonious home with his partner, Jacob. Although the cannery is huge, it’s grown difficult to avoid the elephant in the room…the elephant with the letters FPMP scrawled on its hide.
Once Jacob surrendered his PsyCop badge, he infiltrated the Federal Psychic Monitoring Program. In his typical restrained fashion, he hasn’t been sharing much about what he actually does behind its vigilantly guarded doors. And true to form, Vic hasn’t asked. In fact, he would prefer not to think about the FPMP at all, since he’s owed Director Dreyfuss an exorcism since their private flight to PsyTrain.
While Vic has successfully avoided FPMP entanglement for several months, now his debt has finally come due.
Purchase Link: http://jcpbooks.com/ebook/spook.html
Review: This story is part of a series and must be read in order. Vic is still stinging from Jacob taking a job at FPMP (Federal Psychic Monitoring Program) even if it is to find out just what is going on. Vic still wants nothing to do with Con and his program but he owes the man an exorcism and decides it is time to get it out-of-the-way. But, there are still some questions left unanswered from the Roger Burke fiasco and the puzzle of Dr. Chance’s demise and haunting and then there is the GhosTV, nothing is quite what it seems and Vic begins to .
Ah, Vic and Jacob, two exceptional humans who make it a joy to read the PsyCop series. While I enjoyed this story and had much entertainment while reading it, I couldn’t help feel like it was pretty directionless in its quest to wrap up loose ends. Vic decides it is time to do the exorcism that he owes Con Dreyfuss and then instead of just doing it and walking away from FPMP, he visits and then keeps going back and getting involved in finding out who the repeaters are before he exorcises them. He then gets pulled into Jacob’s case and he discovers he might have just misjudged Con all along, but maybe not misjudged the FPMP.
As I turned each page I was waiting for that spark that made PsyCop special but it just kept missing the mark, the story felt directionless, there wasn’t one thing to grab hold of and say ‘yep this is it’, there were several things that pulled your attention and you were never quite sure which was important and what was filler. Yes, some might say that they are interesting plot threads and are woven together brilliantly but unlike the other stories there doesn’t seem to be a main single thread to attach the others to, unless you count Vic dragging out an exorcism the main thread. Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy this story and yes I have had a good whine but I was really expecting more in the way of a gripping storyline like in the rest of PsyCops. Vic and Jacob are still great characters with both of them being relaxed in their relationship, Vic seems much more stable than before although he still has his moments and Vic is disillusioned by the court results of his arrests. Lisa is much more prominent in this story but even with knowing the background, I couldn’t quite understand why Vic and Jacob were so protective of her.
I recommend this if you love ghosts and psychics, wrapping up loose ends, beginning the move in a new direction and a very interesting story.