Title: Camp Hell
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Publisher: JCP Books
Genre: M/M Paranormal Horror
Length: Novel
Rating: 5+ stars out of 5 DIK
A Guest Review by Jenre
THE BLURB
Victor Bayne honed his dubious psychic skills at one of the first psych training facilities in the country, Heliotrope Station, otherwise known as Camp Hell to the psychics who’ve been guests behind its razorwire fence.
Vic discovered that none of the people he remembers from Camp Hell can be found online, and there’s no mention of Heliotrope Station itself, either. Someone’s gone through a lot of trouble to bury the past. But who?
THE REVIEW
The first thing I need to say before I start this review is that this is the fifth book in the Psycop series written by JCP. This series is one of those that you have to read in book order to understand what is happening in the rest of the series. Seriously, you’ll be lost and without a clue if you don’t start from the first book Among the Living and work your way through. This is especially true with this book which follows straight on from book 4, Secrets. If you haven’t read any if the previous books then, firstly, why not? – these are seriously great books – and secondly, go away and read them now!
The whole series is set in a world which is just like ours except that paranormal abilities have been scientifically recognised. Or hero, Vic, is a medium – yes he really does “see dead people”. In fact he does a lot more than that. Vic is a homicide psycop whose brief is to talk to the ghosts of people who have recently died and find out who killed them. Over the last few books he has had a number of partners or ‘stiffs’ – cops who have no paranormal abilities, but finally has settled down with his partner from book three, Bob Zigler. Each book has a mystery theme which Vic is supposed to be investigating. In this book, there have been a number of unexplained deaths in a local hospital and Vic has to find out why. However, as with all the psycop books most of the investigation is sidelined in favour of Vic trying to sort out his personal problems. In the previous book, Vic discovered that he was being watched by a mysterious organisation. This book focuses on Vic trying to find out more about this organisation, as well as recovering some of the memories he has lost about “Camp Hell” or Heliotrope Station, where Vic was trained to use his abilities. As well as this, we get to see how Vic and his lover, Jacob, strengthen and develop their relationship with each other.
This whole series hangs on the character of Vic who is the first person narrator. I have to admit that I love the character of Vic. He’s funny, self-depreciating, nervy and lacking in self-esteem. On the other hand he is also one of the most self-absorbed characters I’ve ever read. He is so focused on finding out about his past and why he is being watched, that he often abandons both his partner and Jacob in favour of going off on his own. However, he is so clueless that he doesn’t actually realise how much he has hurt or offended someone until they call him up on it later. There’s this marvellous scene in the book where Vic notices that Jacob has become even more muscular recently. It then hits him that perhaps one of the reasons Jacob spends so much time at the gym is to vent his frustrations about Vic on the gym machinery. It’s very difficult for the characters (or the reader) to get angry with Vic, though, because he doesn’t realise what an idiot he is sometimes, which is the beauty of the characterisation in this series. The reader knows that Vic is frustrating and that he spends a lot of time unable to see what is going on under his nose, and yet he’s still really adorable.
The other characters often play a back seat in the series because Vic has such a strong voice. It was nice to see in this book that Jacob’s character was given some development and is becoming more instrumental to the plot, rather than just another person for Vic to obsess about. We are also introduced to Stefan, another inmate from ‘Camp Hell’ and one of Vic’s previous lovers who acts as a bridge between the past and present for Vic and provides us with some startling revelations not only about Vic and his past but also Jacob. Crash is still around, causing trouble, but no Lisa this time, and Jacob’s partner is also given less of a role.
The Psycop books are described as ‘horror’, which they are in a way; there’s certainly lots of descriptions of dead people. However, they are also very, very funny. Vic has a habit of getting himself into farcical situations and even a small incidental situation like trying to eat in a taxi on the way to an appointment can be cause for comedy in this book. I have to say that this book has been my favourite so far. Victor has come a long way since we first met him, high on drugs, confused and lonely in the first book. I get a real kick out of seeing the love that has developed between him and Jacob as well as the newly found sexual kinks they are working out together. I also enjoyed seeing Vic coming to some realisation that his ability wasn’t just something to hide or dismiss, but that he could increase his potential for good by stretching that ability. This was the first book in the series where I felt Vic was able to solve the mystery through using his powers deliberately and not through sheer good fortune – a surprising and delightful turn of events.
Overall, this series just gets better and better. Jordan Castillo Price’s writing is has a wonderful sparse quality which fits in perfectly with the world and characters she has created. I highly recommend that you read this book and I’m very much looking forward to book 6.
PsyCop Series
I’d never heard of Jordan Castillo Price until Kris started pimping her one day. Then I promptly went and spent about 48 hours doing nothing but reading the PsyCop series. If someones else hasn’t done it yet its so worth the red eyes and lack of sleep.LOL I find with Jordan’s work you really see the character growth through the series (counts for Channeling Morpheus and beyond as well). As you said, Vic starts from kind of a loser place and gradually over time you see all of the characters change and get a better understanding of themselves and have to think about their lives and make changes. Wow, that’s profound. LOL Oh yeah and hot smexin’ and scary ghosts and mysteries, great fun. I didn’t realize there was a 6, can’t wait.
Oh and I see we’re using WordPress now, how can I get my avatar on there? I don’t want to be an anonymous talking head forever. Google is my friend I guess.
Love this series so much they live in my reader!
I so love the PsyCop series. I read them all a few weeks ago. Couldn’t put them down. Was kind of dissapointed at the end because now I have to wait like everybody else for book 6.
Thanks for your comments everyone. I have to agree this is one addictive series, all of which are on my keeper shelf.
I love this series. I’ve lost track at how many times I’ve read it. And adore this book because we really see how Vic’s grown. I look forward to book 6 and hopefully Crash will find a nice fella.
Crash should definitely get his own book. The shorts featuring him are all well and good, but he needs someone to love him.
I’m not sure I want Crash to stop being a man-slut. Do I? Ummm. Well, as long as we get more of him. Yeah, okay, he can have a HEA, I’m down with that. 🙂
This is a great review, Jenre.
I’m another one who loves this series. As you say, Victor is a character who is very likeable. In this book, I enjoyed seeing his past, and how much he’s changed over the years.
One of the best parts of the series to me is that both Victor and Jacob are a little bit older than many m/m book characters. It shows that we can never be too old for romance. 😉
Hi gaycrow
I agree, it is refreshing to see characters out of their twenties in m/m. Both men have been through failed relationships and have the experience to cope with the difficulties in their own relationship now – even if that is just Jacob being tolerant of Vic’s natural flaky nature :).
This is one of my very, very, very favorite series (and one of my very favorite authors, for that matter). I just adore Vic and Jacob. JCP’s characters never fail to engage me, and the chemistry between her pairings is always great – but she also paces the relationships well. And she has a gift for writing sex that very few authors do – no matter how many sex scenes she includes in a book, they’re never boring or repetitive and always integral – so you feel like if they weren’t there, the book would be missing something; you’d know less about the characters or the relationship or something. Plus, they’re pretty scorching!
And her writing is so solid… I read JCP very early on in my m/m professional fic reading voyage, and while I loved her from the start, I didn’t fully appreciate at the time how rare and special she is. I love pretty much everything she does, but PsyCop is my favorite, and I hope she keeps writing them for a long time!
Hi justacat
It’s true that the sex scenes are just fantastic. I loved that Vic and Jacob are playing more and more on their special sexual kinks in this book which just adds an extra dimension to their relationship.
Jusacat
I have read all the books except this one and you are absolutely right when you say that JCP is probably one the few writers who can write sex scene after sex scene and you never get bored and they never get repetitive.
I love all her series including Channeling Morpheus and Sweet Oblivion. This woman can write!!
Jen
You know that this is one of my favourite series:) I’m currently re-reading the first two stories and will review them on the site next week. These books are the greatest!!
I’ll look forward to those reviews, Wave :).
Jenre, it was such a treat to read this review. I’m a few chapters into my first draft of PsyCop 6 and felt discouraged enough to put it on the back burner for a while, long enough to finish up my Sweet Oblivion series. I think when I come back to PsyCop I’ll be good and charged up again.
I can’t figure out the gravatar thing for the life of me. It says my user name is unavailable. I give up — I’ll stay a generic head. (Congrats Tam, you’re now more than just a head!)
Thanks everyone else for popping in! I got a feeling when I was writing the crash interview that this guy Red who emerged might be “the one” for Crash: http://psycop.com/int-crash.html – but that it’d be messy, no doubt.
I think what’s difficult in writing a series is that you can do little side tangents to have something to tide readers over between your main releases, but in the end, people wanna know *what happens* in the primary storyline. As a reader, that’s really what I care about. Side stories are better than nothing but what I really want to know how it all ends. I was thinking about that when I decided to stop toying with putting out some more shorts and just get to work on PsyCop 6.
Hi Jordon
Thanks for the link to Crash’s interview. I’ve read it before, but it’s a great insight into his character.
You must feel under quite a lot of pressure when it comes to Psycop 6 as I expect the fans are waiting impatiently for it to be written :). I for one don’t mind if you take your time. I’m sure it will be worth the wait.
Still reading this one but as it is a while after reading part 4, I have to get in the story.
I am sure it will be good!
Hope you enjoy it, Ingrid :).
Thanks, Jenre, for an excellent review! I agree with you that a novel featuring Crash would be very intriguing. And if the other readers have already read through the PsyCop series, they still have the Channeling Morpheus series to look forward to!
Thanks Val
I don’t like the CM books as much as the Psycop books – they’re still terrific, but Wild Bill can’t compare to Vic in my book! 🙂
Fabulous review Jen!!
I love this series and I’m so looking forward to #6. 🙂
Thanks, Lily 🙂
*sigh* Okay, you did it. I am going to have to get this series. I’m not big on the paranormals, but I feel like I gotta make an exception here. Thanks Jen. Great review.
Hope you enjoy them Lynn. They are worth reading just for JCP’s excellent prose.
*fangirl squee* PsyCop 6! I’ll admit that I was very reluctant to read my first JCP book. I wasn’t thrilled by the premise and they seemed too dark for me. She just sold me. If you have any liking for the broken hero and personal growth in characters through a series, these are great. So well written, rich world building and all of the characters are fully fleshed and 3 dimensional. The hot sex isn’t a deterrent either.
Now I’m an addict. And I’ve gotten a little odd… I own everything that I could find that she’s written and it all lives in order on my reader, even though it means that I had to completely unload the d*mned thing and reload one at a time. *sigh* It was a pain but all my DIK, comfort books and can’t live without authors are right where they’re the most accessible, so I guess it was worth it.
Hi Amie
I have to admit that I was put off them initially because they were labelled as horror. In fact although there are some scenes of ghosties, the books are just as gory as some which have been labelled as just paranormal.
I’m glad I decided to take a chance with them. 🙂
I’m a day late to this, but I have to say that I really love JCP’s books. Psycops is one series that I re-read all the time. 🙂 Vic and Jacob are great characters.
Thanks for the comment, TA. This series is one of my top re-reads too :).
I luved the review, it was very good XD
I have to agree with u when you say: “This was the first book in the series where I felt Vic was able to solve the mystery through using his powers deliberately and not through sheer good fortune – a surprising and delightful turn of events.” – it is true, sometimes, when reading the book I would scream: “Hello!!! Vic u have Psy ‘powers’, so use it lol” but still I couldnt get angry with Vic ’cause he never sees what’s right under his nose lmao and yup, Vic’s self-depreciating and I LUVVVV it ^_~ (maybe ’cause Im also self-depreciating)
Another thing I liked in this book was that some of the spotligh was shared with Jacob YAY he has power (Ialmost died with happeness when I discovered), and the poor baby (o.O) was so damn happy XD oh yeah talking about it I also liked his inteview. When reading the series I always wanted to know what Jacob was thinking, so the interview answered some questions 😉
To me the whole series’ definetly a DIK I re-read it all the time
Cant wait for PsyCop 6 *all the hot sex* ;p