Among the Living

PsyCop, Book 1

By: Jordan Castillo Price

Narrated by: Gomez Pugh

Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Victor Bayne, the psychic half a PsyCop team, is a gay medium who's more concerned with flying under the radar than in making waves.

He hooks up with handsome Jacob Marks, a non-psychic (or "Stiff") from an adjacent precinct at his ex-partner's retirement party, and it seems like his dubious luck has taken a turn for the better. But then a serial killer surfaces who can change his appearance to match any witness' idea of the world's hottest guy.

Solving murders is a snap when you can ask the victims whodunit, but this killer's not leaving any spirits behind.

Warning: This audiobook contains explicit adult content.

©2006 Jordan Castilo Price (P)2014 Jordan Castillo Price

Perfect narrator for one of my favorite books!

I've read many of the books in this series. so when I saw the first book available on audio, I jumped on it. Gomez Pugh is the perfect narrator. He really brings Victor Bane to life. He does a great job distinguishing the character voices too. His portrayal of Sargent Warwick and his upper-Midwest accent was hilarious!

AMONG THE LIVING is only novella length, but it packs a lot of punch. We get creepy horror, humor, well-developed characters, some fun sexy-times...everything I like in a book. I love the world this story is set in. The pairing of psychic and stiff investigators is a really cool concept. It’s interesting how the two types of people bring different talents to the table while solving crimes. The psychic investigators also vary in their talents, leading to some interesting plot possibilities. I found it interesting that even thought psychics are utilized in such an important way in this society, they are still feared and discriminated against. I see so many exciting possibilities for where the author can take these characters.

Short review for a short book, but I can’t wait for the rest of the series to continue in audio.

Overall, I give AMONG THE LIVING...

Plot - 5 bookmarks
Character development - 5 bookmarks (considering this is only 90 pages, there is a lot of depth to Victor)
Love/Sex - 4 1/2 bookmarks (the only reason I downgraded it from five is because I’m not fully connected to Jacob yet)
Dream cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - Matthew Gray Gubler (Victor), Channing Tatum (Jacob), Michelle Rodriguez (Lisa), Cherry Jones (Carolyn)

Well Written, Fast Paced with Excellent Narration!

I love Vic and Jacob!!

This story told from Vic’s POV and he is one walking hot mess. An extremely gifted Medium, Vic cannot only see ghosts but he can interact with them and, boy, are some of them annoying and persistent He is socially inept, neurotic, clumsy, has low self esteem and no sense of fashion. And, in an attempt to control his abilities, he has developed one hell of a drug addiction. He sounds awful, doesn’t he? I would think so too if I didn’t have a front row seat inside his head. This is where I found out he is quirky, funny, amazingly resilient and completely lovable. And Jacob… Oh, Jacob. He’s an incredibly hot, powerhouse of a detective who has a serious psych kink and his sole focus is on Vic.

This is a great start to an incredible paranormal/urban fantasy series. It is well written, fast paced, suspenseful and has unique characters that you can’t help but love. Gomez Pugh’s narration is fantastic! He gives each character their own distinct voice and he captures Vic perfectly.

**This audiobook was provided by the author, via Audiobookblast dot com, in exchange for an honest review.**

Gay psychic adventure

This book launches one of my all time favorite series. Victor is a medium in a world where psychics are known to be real, and he works as a "psycop" using his ability to solve crimes. He falls in love with a hunky non psychic cop. I fell in love with all the main characters, they're interesting, and their character and relationship developments keep you hooked as the series develops.

You had me at "spook squad"!!!

What made the experience of listening to Among the Living the most enjoyable?

I love a quirky anti-hero MC that can make fun of himself. The writing is fantastic and the story has LOTS of potential.

Have you listened to any of Gomez Pugh’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first time I've listened to Gomez Pugh and will go look for more of his books. He does a great job.

Any additional comments?

You had me at "spook squad". This book was so much fun to read!

I'm looking forward to the rest of this series :)

Who’s the seductive killer?

I saw many people complaining about the lack of romance in this story and I disagree with them. 😌 I do think this is a very interesting and engaging mystery/thriller story about a psychic detective with splash of romance. This is a very short novella under 100 pages and there’s no way that author could explore everything and construct a well-established relationship while trying to solve a mystery murder. 🙃 And please remember that this is only the very first book in a “9 books” series and I believe we will see the relationship growth between Bayne and Marks. 😉 My only complaint with the novella is the very first scene where Bayne and Marks first hooked up. It seemed very out of the blue. But I guess we will see why Marks decided to suddenly pursue Bayne after many years in the coming books. Hopefully! 😁
 
I was surprised by how interesting and mystical the book is. I was hooked. I just couldn’t guess who or what the murderer is and it was very intriguing listening how these detectives worked together to solve the mystery. 👍 And I think Marks’ overprotectiveness towards Bayne is sweet and charming. An all- round American sweetheart boyfriend! 😍 We would have to wait and see whether he’ll be able to penetrate somewhat preserved Bayne’s heart or not in the coming books. Gomez Pugh did an excellent job narrating this story. 👏 He did distinct voices for all characters and his voice was clear and soothing. All the qualities I look for in a great narrator. 😊 I think I’m definitely hooked with the series. I’m very happy that this story is a complete episode rather than ending up as a cliffhanger. I think it’s easier for readers to explore each story since it would be like watching a mystery thriller series. Overall, [author: Jordan Castillo Price] did an excellent job writing this mystery shortie and Gomez Pugh also did a stellar job narrating this one. ❤️ I just hope they won’t change the narrator. 😌
 
4 it was you Vic stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
 

Vic's voice is among the living!

I never thought this series would make it to audio, and boy am I glad it did. It was terrific to hear Vic and I think JCP made a great choice for the narrator. He handles all of the emotional nuances to Vic very well.

great start to the series in audio

Would you listen to Among the Living again? Why?

Yes, I would listen again. Gomez Pugh is perfect, with just the right accent and inflection for Vic.

Have you listened to any of Gomez Pugh’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This series is my only exposure to his work but I would listen to something else he narrates.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened during my work commute but I would have continued way past that. Vic is an engaging protangonist and his world is well realized.

Any additional comments?

Don't let the romance/sex parts scare you away! This book is a fun psychic mystery with a main character you want to take home and hug (if he let you anywhere near him). The series keeps building, letting us know more about Vic, his past, and the conspiracies in his world.

phenomenal

I've never heard of the book before I got it I received a free copy for an honest review.
but I have to say the book was totally phenomenal the storyline was very different the characters we're well defined and had depth.
I would love to read more from this author and I hope that there is a sequel to this story because the way it ended that way it wasn't a cliffhanger but it deserves a sequel.
I highly recommend this book and this author for further listening and reading pleasure.

Great start to a great series

Vic and Jacob totally drew me into their world. Strong supporting characters, excellent narration brought everything to life, the case they worked on did a good job if introducing the world and kept me engaged.

Re-read, astonishingly good to listen to as well!

What did you love best about Among the Living?

I've read the whole series, so listening to the first one, a re-read by ear, was fun and the narrator is the reason for that.

What did you like best about this story?

Victor Bayne is such a repressed dork.

Which character – as performed by Gomez Pugh – was your favorite?

But all the voices Pugh used were great - I particularly liked his Captain.

If you could take any character from Among the Living out to dinner, who would it be and why?

It would be interesting to take Vic to dinner, but I think Lisa might make better company.

Any additional comments?

I usually dislike book narrators. Up until this one, I hadn't managed to listen to a few sentences. But Pugh pulled me right in - his Vic is pitch-perfect.