Catch Me If You Can (Romano and Albright, #1) in The Slash Pile

Nov 16, 2010 Samington rated it did not like it

Shelves: contemporary, irritating, mystery, alpha-males, down-on-the-ladies, stupid-choices, just-really-not-good

Most of the book is relatively decent, but I really didn't like the resolution of the mystery: (view spoiler) Most of the book is relatively decent, but I really didn't like the resolution of the mystery: (view spoiler)[I hesitate to call it "transphobic," exactly, but the reveal that the villain was trans* coupled with the weird obsession vis-à-vis her genitalia and the constant snide references to her sudden, apparent masculinity really rubbed me the wrong way. Some choice excerpts:

Everything snapped into place while Rachel, her hair still stuck under the cap, her face devoid of makeup, a tiny wisp of hair above her lip—suddenly became a boy. Right there. In front of my nose. Tits and all. I glanced at the crotch of Rachel’s jeans. I mean, I couldn’t possibly help myself from taking a peek. If she had a package, it wasn’t noteworthy

...

No wonder Shep had no clue what happened. Boy or girl, I’d asked

...

Those enormous breasts, the makeup, the trash jewelry, the over-sexualized walk, all that cherry- flavored lip goo- I mean there was no way I’d have thought she was preoperative if Shep hadn’t had sex with her. She was just…such a girl.

...

I kneed that bitch in the nuts with all my strength. I popped her balls—no surgery required.

...

Shep said weakly, “The video was the real thing.”
“That’s just gross…I don’t mean to sound like a prude, but…” Poppy gazed between us. “What? You were thinking the same thing.”

...

Poppy tilted her head, staring at Rachel where she lay sprawled on the floor. “You know. I’m tempted to peek in her pants to see what she has under there.”

It could be worse, sure, but it just feels nasty, a lingering unpleasantness that overshadowed the rest of the book for me. And is it really necessary? Rachel is just another trans* villain, her sexual identity inexorably linked to her criminality. Simultaneously, she's the butt of the joke for both the characters and the narrative. Couldn't L.B. Gregg think of something more creative, or at least something a little less icky? All that I got from this was that trans* people were freaks of nature, more like animals in the zoo than human beings-- or, as Poppy says, they're "gross," apparently. (hide spoiler)]

It's unfortunate, since otherwise I kind of liked it, but I don't plan on reading the sequel, because my issue was big enough and serious enough to turn me off the series as a whole, and that's that. ...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Ayanna rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, favorites, non-pulpy, aaaaaawwww, be-still-my-heart

I didn't really like the blurb all that much, but I found this languishing in a folder, so I didn't read the blurb until just now as I was updating my GR.

...So...let me see if I got this straight. He's having the sexual experience of his lifetime.

...it was...like nothing I'd ever experienced. Airborne. Wild. Tearing,
gripping want ripped through me. I needed him to finish me right now. Right this fucking second. My toes curled. My hands dampened. My nuts shriveled like raisins.