Justine knows she's going to die. Any second now.
Justine Jones has a secret. A hardcore hypochondriac, she’s convinced a blood vessel is about to burst in her brain. Then, out of the blue, a startlingly handsome man named Packard peers into Justine’s soul and invites her to join his private crime-fighting team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal.
With a little of Packard’s hands-on training, Justine can weaponize her neurosis, turning it outward on Midcity’s worst criminals, and finally get the freedom from fear she’s always craved. End of problem. Or is it?
In Midcity, a dashing police chief is fighting a unique breed of outlaw with more than human powers. And while Justine’s first missions, including one against a nymphomaniac husband-killer, are thrilling successes, there is more to Packard than meets the eye. Soon, while battling her attraction to two very different men, Justine is plunging deeper into a world of wizardry, eroticism, and cosmic secrets. With Packard’s help, Justine has freed herself from her madness - only to discover a reality more frightening than anyone’s worst fears.
Listen to more of the Disillusionists trilogy.
©2010 Carolyn Crane (P)2011 Audible, Inc.
"Mind Games is a violent U-Turn in a fresh direction, signaling the dynamic and welcome arrival of both Carolyn Crane and the most unique urban fantasy heroine I’ve seen on page in a long while, Justine Jones. And like Justine, Midcity is brightly imagined, beautifully dangerous, and perfectly flawed. Flashy and stylish, this is urban fantasy’s new shot-in-the-arm." (Vicki Pettersson, The New York Times)
"Great Start to New Series"
Great narration. I like to list this first as it can make or break a story.
Just finished this series and highly recommend all 3 stories. But definitely read/listen in order.
I really enjoy it when readers with similar reading interests list their favourite authors and series. It really helps me find new authors too follow. Mine are Charlaine Harris, Jeaniene Frost, Jennifer Estep, Faith Hunter, Molly Harper, Ilona Andrews, Kresley Cole, Deborah Harkness, Nalini Singh, Coreene Callahan, Stacia Kane, Kelly Medding and Sherrilyn Kenyon.
Happy Reading
Avid reader, mom, business owner.
"Unique Story Idea."
I really enjoyed This narration. Wisocky did an fabulous job. I would listen to other books narrated by her.
I'm planning on listening to the rest of this series.
I hold a BA in History from York University of Toronto; a 3yr Diploma in Computer Networking from Sheridan College in Oakville Ontario. I have been "reading" audio books sinces the late 80s and a member of Audible back to 2004. What a really like is a good long story preferable over 30 hours. :)
"Inside the mind of Anxiety Attack"
I couldn't get by the first 30 mins of this. I suffer from depression and anxiety and while the drugs are effective this book is written in such a style that the reader feels that they are within the mind of a suffer of anxiety. It could be a interesting story but given the mood of the book I suggest passing.
The title is correct the main character really is suffering from the games of her own mind.
"A great unique series!"
I am so happy I found this series. It is unlike anything that I have read in awhile. I really enjoyed this book.
"This story really grabbed me and wouldn't let go."
I don't normally read science fiction but this book grabbed me right away; the reader is fantastic and really conveys the humor of the heroine, who is a hypochondriac and meets a man who shows her a way to use her hypochondria for good, or is it?. It is romantic and erotic without being a formula romance, and is set in a dystopian world filled with interesting characters.
I've never read anything like it but I don't read a lot of science fiction. I loved "Hunger Games."
No, I haven't listened to others but I would buy one with her narration.
"What if you could use your worst quality to save people from a life of crime?"
"Is that a headache, or a tumor growing in my head?"
A fantasy Stephanie Plum? Sure, why not? Perhaps not quite so funny as Janet Evanovich, but its a fun romp nonetheless.
Justine's hypochondria (is it imagined - or real?) is very entertaining.
I will definitely read the other books in the series.
Audible Addict. I listen to 2-3 books a week, depending on my schedule. I've been a member since 2008 and feel like I have a personal relationship with my I-Pod! I'm an ecclectic reader but have been hooked on "romance" (I hate that term) and paranormal books lately.
"Likeable Hypochondriac"
Original premise. The heroine is sure she will die of Vein Star Symdrome at any minute. She knows it is an unreasonable fear but even hypocondriacs die of something! She discovers a group of people who can help her use her fears to benefit society. I wasn't sure about the narrator at first, but she grew on me. She captured Justine's moodiness. Good start to a series.
goddess of thunder
"Intriguing enough to get Book 2"
I am writing this review because I came online to order the second book in the series. I am waiting before I order the third, because some of the things I didn't like about the first are keeping me a bit cautious, so I am listening to one book at a time.
At first, I wasn't overly taken with Wisocky's narration, but I grew to appreciate her sense of theatrics, as it fits the protagonist, Justine's, generalized anxiety. The author did a great job of climbing into the mind of a hypochondriac, and describes the thought processes and emotions of an "attack" very believably. I hope she doesn't know from first hand experience, because it seems terribly debilitating! Wisocky brought these to life really well.
The premise is intriguing; it's a fine philosophical and moral dilemma - bring harm to "bad" people in order to trigger them to reform and become "good" people. Is it ever ok to cause others terror and shatter their illusions? Isn't it basically playing God or Fate? Hmmmm. Still, the power and promise of freedom from one's own crippling angst is compelling enough for these characters to choose to manipulate others for the higher good.
What I didn't enjoy were the overly graphic sexual moments, and I actually always find that detailed sex acts detract from a story's quality and appeal. If I want to read about sex, there are so many other ways to do so. I want a story without tangential trips into romantic drivel and sexual fantasy. The good news is that there wasn't too much of this, so she kept an almost reasonable balance in this area. I guess overall, this book was worth the money if you enjoy fantasy stories with a dark twist and original concept. I grew interested in all the members of this band of disillusionists, not just Justine and Packard, so the story has some dimension to it, which I also appreciate. As I said, I am ordering the second one now.
Tisa Garrison
"Head Candy"
Original concept...Rebecca Wisocky interprets these characters with energy and skill...a fun listen...I'm going to buy the next few books, too.
"I could not finish this one..."
It's very, very, very rare for me not to complete a book that I've paid good hard-earned money for. This book was just gawd-awful. On top of that the narrator grated on my nerves. I'm not sure if it was because of the poor story that the narrator had to try and bring to life or just the narrator's voice, or both.
The only thing that could have made this a 4 or 5 listening experience is a good story.
Not this genre but definitely by this writer, and possibly the narrator. Though I would give the narrator a second chance to be sure.
No. I'm not willing to throw good hard-earned money after bad. If it was free I'd try again.
Illustration of the book's cover.