Body Art

A Thriller

De: Jordan Castillo Price

Narrado por: Gomez Pugh

Does everyone have a certain "type" they end up with, whether they want to or not? If Ray Carlucci's ex is anything to go by, Ray likes his men gorgeous, rebellious, and chock-full of issues. But now that Ray is single again, he has a shot at a fresh start - a very fresh start, since his tattoo shop was gutted by repo men and he can fit all his belongings in the trunk of a taxi.

Ray's shiny new chauffeur's license lands him a job as a driver for an elderly couple on Red Wing Island. It's a cold fall, and since the Michigan island is the summer home to snowbirds who fly south for the winter, it's practically deserted - save for Ray's new household and a sculptor named Anton Kopec, who works day and night twisting brambles and twine into the distorted shapes of macabre creatures. Compelling, bizarre, and somewhat disturbing...not just the sculptures, but the artist, too. Ray has a feeling Anton is just his "type".

When a dead body is unearthed by some workers and a freak ice storm traps them all on the island, Ray can't say for certain that his new flame isn't capable of murder - despite their scorching chemistry.

©2009 Jordan Castillo Price (P)2015 Jordan Castillo Price

New Sub-Genre for Me

I enjoyed this novella. I wasn't sure how I would feel about the romance angle going in, since this was my first MM romance. I liked it.

The couple didn't seem to be quite right for each other- but then, I think I'm just feeling protective of the main character. So great job to this author with the characters- I'm done with the story and still invested in the main character! After giving it more consideration, I think Ray and Anton do make a good, balanced out couple despite character flaws- because they're willing to work at it. Well, Ray is willing to work at it, and for now, that's enough to close a book on.

As for the 'thriller' aspect of this book, it kind of has more of a cozy mystery feel to it. I liked it, but I wouldn't label it as a thriller; especially so blatantly as to use it as a sub-title. I think that would mislead some readers into expecting less romance and something more scary.

The narrator did a great job of making each character sound unique and I'd be glad to listen to another book narrated by them.

Overall, it's a sweet cozy read. (With some VERY cozy scenes of our lovers.) If I didn't have a lot of books on my to be read shelf, I'd be looking for more by this author.

I was provided with a free copy of this audio book by the author, publisher or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review.

Short, suspenseful and lovely 'read' :)

This is one of those books in which the setting and the weather are a very important part of the story, adding to the mood beautifully. And Anton! Oh, Anton is such a wonderful character! So free and so focused on his art and... life. Yes, I can understand Ray's fascination with him :)

The mystery was wonderfully plotted, and I was really surprised once the truth was revealed.

And, well, Gomez Pugh... this man is an automatic five stars for me. God, his voice!

Eerie and spooky !

Down on his luck, Ray accepts a job as a driver for an older couple who live on an island. The mansion is creepy, the grounds creepier and the weather is creepiest. This is the perfect mystery to read in the winter. And seriously, Gomez Pugh is a-mazing! He manages to give us Ray’s tough guy and Anton’s oddly endearing artist in a masterful way. I was creeped-out and turned on at the same time.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Keeps you guessing

4 Blue Roses
4 Blue Flames
I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my own request, and voluntarily leave this review.
Narrator Gomez Pugh skillfully brought this short thriller to life, making me wish it was longer. I wanted more as I was engulfed by the spookiest plot about a tattoo artist who turned Chauffeur. The novel is short but it carries the feel of a much heavier story. I kept guessing and wondering about the strange people he works for and meet on the island.
It is kind of a cliffhanger, I don't see the follow up on audible.

I do recommend this audiobook, it's perfect for Halloween.

Happy Listening

Amazing!

Jordan Castillo Price has made such an amazing spooky story. Definitely something that is perfect for Halloween. Just the characters and the storyline makes that whole story. I was guessing throughout the story to see who did it. The chemistry between Rey and Anton is hot and I like the little bit of romance in this book. Then Gomez Pugh does an absolutely amazing job in narrating this story. From all the voices that he does just pulls me more into the story. This is a short one but I couldn't stop listening to his voice.

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.*

A Few Hours Well-Spent

~~I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com~~

Even though JCP has been on my radar (and bookshelf) for awhile, this is my first time reading anything of hers. It's a small sampling, but I really enjoyed it!

Told from Ray's perspective, Body Art is almost more of a character piece than a thriller. The story is peopled with interesting characters who bring a certain mood to the story. I really enjoyed how realistic they were because it helped this feel more immersive as a thriller. It had me looking at each person, wondering who was hiding what about themselves. The only one we truly know is Ray, and he's a great character, very self aware about his flaws but a good person just trying to get on with his life.

The thriller part was well done. It was a slow build with a fairly fast wrap-up. The setting of the isolated home and the weather, combined with some strange goings-on, really gave it a nice atmosphere, and I was definitely on a slow burn about what was happening the whole time. It wasn't as fully satisfying as watching Ray trying to rebuild his life in this strange place he's landed (which was handled so well), but it was still highly enjoyable.

This is also my first time with Gomez Pugh's narration, and I was really impressed. He had a great range of voices and infused each character with distinct personality. I would absolutely be drawn to more stories he narrates. I know he's done other JCP books, so since I'm interested in more of both of them, I'm one happy reader.

A Gay Who-dun-it with a twist at the end.

In all honesty I never saw the end coming. To be honest I didn't see much coming at all for the first six chapters. The first six chapters seemed to be mostly setup of the characters and the MC. It is not until chapter seven that an actual murder is introduced, and there are only 11 chapters to the book.

Ray is a newly unemployed former tattoo parlor owner who is looking for a decent job so he can finally quit dodging bill collectors, especially the bank that gave him the loan for his failed tattoo shop.

He earns his chauffeur's license and lands a job as driver for a wealthy older couple who live out on the island away from the city. The White's are retired and have moved into what used to be their summer home after selling their condo. Mr. White suffers from Alzheimer's and it is for this reason as well as needing a driver that Ray is hired.

Ray finds out that he is actually the third driver the Whites have hired in less than a year. The first two disappeared without giving notice, and Ray is needed as much for his muscle as he is for his driving skills.

Shortly after being hired and moving out to the island to live in the apartment over the garage, Ray is in bed one night when he hears odd noises coming from outside. Deciding he can't sleep without knowing what is going on, Ray investigates the noises only to find that a reclusive neighbor has taken to building pyramids out of sticks and twine over the graves of several of the deceased people in the graveyard as an experiment. Ray finds out his name is Anton and shortly discovers that he lives on his sisters property in a guest house. The property the guest house sits on butts up against the White's property.

A few days later Ray and Anton meet again in the daylight and strike up a conversation. When Ray goes back to Anton's house with him Anton begins to undress him. Ray discovers that both he and Anton are gay, and Ray is very attracted to him. They end up having sex. No big shock there. That's what happens in most books with two gay men in it.

I have to say that I did not really like this book all that much. I did finish listening to it because I wanted to find out who killed the man who was discovered dead in chapter seven. I would not read it again, though. I just honestly don't like sex in books and the sex in this book really did not do anything to advance the plot of the book. It seemed like it was just there for the sake of being there. As if the author said to himself, "this is a book with two gay men in it so they must have sex two or three times with each other."

The most redeeming thing I can say about this book is that I never suspected who the killer really was. I was surprised by the reveal in the next to last chapter. It would have been better, in my opinion, without the sex in it. It seems that they knew each other for like one day before jumping into bed with each other. There was no romance, no build up, no tension before they are going at it like two horny gay rabbits. This just seems so stereotypical to me. Why does it seem that gay men can't have a relationship with each other in books without jumping right into bed with each other? I have to admit that all the gratuitous sex is why I don't read M/M books as a habit. I had hopes this one would be better because it was a crime thriller. My hopes were dashed.

I also was not impressed with the narration. I didn't like the deep baritone of the narrator's voice. He is not someone I would have picked as a narrator for this type of book. He sounded more like a detective from California than a former tattoo artist even before he knew that a crime had been committed on his employer's property.

I might read other thrillers by Mr. Castillo Price if they are just thrillers and don't involve gay men having sex several times throughout the book. I will be careful before reading another one though.

Suspenseful and Sexy!

This was a very engaging and suspenseful story of two lonely people who may have just found what they need, in each other. JCP has a way of creating damaged characters with huge flaws that initially grab your full attention and then have you falling in love with them and rooting for their HEA. I have been a big fan of hers since I stumbled upon the first book in her Scary Mary series.

I have both read this story and listened to it on audio and I have to say that I enjoyed listening to it more and the reason is Gomez Pugh. In my opinion, he did a very good job of giving each character a distinct voice without overacting.

I do feel like this is a condensed version of this story and it would have been even better had it been longer. I really would have liked to have known more about Anton’s background and his relationship with his sister. With that being said, this was a very enjoyable three and a half hour listen that I recommend to anyone who enjoys hot men with a bit of an edge and a side of suspense.

**This audiobook was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**

Short but suspenseful

I really enjoyed this audiobook, the only down side is that it’s a bit shorter then I would’ve liked. That being said there’s no boring back stories and filler fluff, it kinda just jumps right into the good stuff. All the characters were really well done and the narrator did an excellent job, I’ll be looking for more from him. And I’ll be checking out more from Jordan Price.

Pretty interesting

I really enjoyed this little gem I found a while ago. We’ll thought out mystery with a pretty good narrator. A few steamy scenes. Wish we could’ve learned more about Anton and his sister. What were her motives? It was too short of a story to get back grounds on many characters.