Story Rating: 4 stars
Audio Rating: 4.75 stars
Narrator: Gomez Pugh
Length: 7 hours, 45 minutes
Audiobook Buy Links: Audible | iBooks
Book Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this collection when it came out, as I’m both a big fan of the PsyCops series and of seeing “extras” in worlds that I love. This collection of ficlets and short stories takes place in and around the PysCop novels and range from a few pages to entire shorts with a couple of chapters. But it definitely doesn’t stand alone. As the stories take place during different points in the greater world, it can only be enjoyed if you’ve already got the background of having read the novels. Which, if you haven’t, I highly suggest. But if you’re a fan of the series, then this is definitely something you’re going to want to pick up.
I love that the collection shows us side stories of Vic and Jacob’s life at different points throughout the timeline. As a whole, it really fleshes out the greater world and gives us additional scenes with the guys and their colleagues and friends. A combination of shorter scenes and more involved stories, each one is a vignette that adds to the larger narrative. I liked that we got to see some things from other POVs than just Victor’s, especially Jacob’s. For me, that really enhanced the world Price has created. I particularly enjoyed that we got to see Victor and Jacob in their everyday lives, as well as on the job.
At the same time, I had just a little trouble with it because the stories weren’t presented in a linear fashion. They jump around throughout the timeline, back and forth to different points. While I totally understand why Price put them together in the way she did, for me, as someone who thinks very linearly, I had a little trouble when I was pulled out of the story as I mentally figured out where it fell in the timeline. This won’t be an issue for everyone, and it wasn’t a huge deal, but it did give me a little pause as I was listening.
Gomez Pugh does an outstanding job with this collection (as he does with the rest of the series). He has a way of capturing Vic so perfectly that it’s easy to get absorbed and to understand Vic’s thoughts and feelings. On top of that, he’s voicing other characters as well, and does a phenomenal job. The secondary characters are perfectly done, and when Jacob’s stories were big told, he adopted a completely different tone that was exactly right for the character and the story. Crash, Lisa, Jackie, and the others each had a unique and well-suited voice, which really enhanced each short. The tone of each story ranges greatly: lighthearted, to creepy, to romantic and erotic, and Pugh doesn’t miss a beat. I was incredibly impressed with the way he portrayed each story, and this was truly a fantastic listening experience.
If you’ve been reading along, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. This is an easy collection to recommend. Especially in audio.
