Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Vic and Jacob have had their share of earth-shattering revelations lately (not to mention questions that still remain unanswered). So a trip to a small town in Iowa to investigate some strange behavior seems like a good way to shift focus onto what should be an easy case. Women in town have been caught stripping off their clothes, then seeming to have no memory of why they did it, or that it even happened.
Unfortunately, things don’t turn out to be as clear cut as expected. Vic and Jacob can’t figure out what is compelling the women to disrobe. They also find there is another medium in town with undocumented abilities. But even worse, they stumble across a shocking discovery that they know they must keep hidden from FPMP. In fact, they need to stay off the grid for a while to make sure FPMP doesn’t learn what they have found.
Along the way, Jacob is beginning to understand more about his own abilities. It has been a stressful time for him, as he learned his family history and realized he is more than just a “stiff.” But knowing he has psychic abilities doesn’t do him much good without knowing exactly what they are and how to use them. Now, as they continue to investigate what is going on in Beauchamp, Jacob begins to find his own inner talents. With Vic and Jacob working together with both their mundane and psychic abilities, they have the chance to uncover the mystery of what is going on in town, as well as solve a decades-old case they were never expecting.
Subtle Bodies is the thirteenth (!) book in Jordan Castillo Price’s fabulous PsyCops series. I have been reviewing this series since 2013 (and reading it even longer) and I am still just as hooked on Vic and Jacob and this incredible world the author has created as I was when I first started it. The series follows the same couple, as well as including some big picture series arcs, so you really need to read this one from the start. It may seem daunting with so many books, but trust me when I say this series is worth it.
Ok, so Subtle Bodies shifts focus somewhat from the events of the last few books that delved into uncovering the secrets of the journal and how Jacob and his family were involved. I don’t think that thread is totally closed, as we do have a few unresolved issues, but this story moves to a more discrete case in small town Iowa. That said, it does still explore Jacob’s talent and we start seeing him gain some control over what exactly it is he can do. He and Vic work together on the case with their psychic abilities, as well as their everyday law enforcement ones. Jacob is no longer just backing Vic up as he does his medium thing, but using his own psychic talents as well. It adds some nice layers to the world building as the story expands on what we know about how Vic’s talents work by showing how Jacob’s work differently. It’s nice that this far into the series we can still learn more about the world, and Castillo Price takes those new revelations and incorporates them not just into the case, but into the characters and their relationship as well.
After reading so many books about the same couple, it’s fun to see how their connection continues to grow and develop. They know each other so well, and Vic is such an astute observer of his husband that we know him well too, even though the stories are almost always in Vic’s POV. This book plays with that knowledge of one another in ways I don’t want to discuss for fear of some spoilers, but I loved how the sense of knowing one another has an impact here. I really just love Vic and Jacob together and they continue to be a favorite romance couple of mine.
The investigation itself starts out simple, but it builds and grows in surprising ways. By the time it is done, it goes from random strip teases in a small town to some major revelations that could reverberate in new ways. But this is also a more discrete mystery and I like that it gives a little break from the big picture story arc to let the guys focus on this case in Iowa.
I found this one another great installment in a wonderful series. I get excited every time I hear Castillo Price is releasing another book in the series, and even so many books in, I feel like this series is still fresh and engaging. If you are fan of PsyCops, you will definitely want this one. And new readers, be sure to check out this series if you enjoy long-standing couples, great mysteries, and some excellent paranormal world building.
