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Skin After Skin  By  cover art

Skin After Skin

By: Jordan Castillo Price
Narrated by: Gomez Pugh
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Publisher's summary

Fierce. Audacious. Independent. Curtis Ash can't be bothered to settle down. He's too busy enjoying his cushy job as a high-paid stylist, caught in a whirlwind of hookups, parties, and obscenely priced cocktails.

The only snarl in an otherwise charmed life is the salon's hotshot colorist, Red Turner. Not only does Red put the whammy on customers and rake in all the big tips, he's oblivious to Crash's flirtation. But there will be plenty of time to win him over - or so Crash thinks.

Thanks to his refusal to trust his gut, Crash not only tanks his career - he allows the one man who truly holds his interest to slip away. While he insists he doesn't need a relationship to complete him, would sharing his life with someone really be so bad?

Skin After Skin is a sweeping saga that begins two years before Among the Living and ends just after Spook Squad. Experience PsyCop like you've never seen it before, through Crash's eyes. Discover new facets of characters and events from the span of the entire series and beyond, all from the viewpoint of an extroverted empath.

Content advisory: one scene includes potential dubious consent.

The PsyCop Series:

Among the Living - PsyCop 1

"Thaw" - PsyCop Short

Criss Cross - PsyCop 2

"Many Happy Returns" - PsyCop Short

"Striking Sparks" - PsyCop Short

Body & Soul - PsyCop 3

Secrets - PsyCop 4

Camp Hell - PsyCop 5

GhosTV - PsyCop 6

Spook Squad - PsyCop 7

Skin After Skin - PsyCop 8

PsyCop Briefs - Collection

©2017 Jordan Castillo Price (P)2017 Jordan Castillo Price
  • Series: PsyCop, Book 8
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

What listeners say about Skin After Skin

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I never liked Crash but this book changed that

Would you consider the audio edition of Skin After Skin to be better than the print version?

Yes. Gomez Pugh is just an amazing narrator.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was really a character exploration of Crash. I loved that the story didn't revolve around his romances, but an exploration of who he was as a person.

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

Victor will always be my favorite in every book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and cried at some parts. The book definitely hit me on a deep, emotional level.

Any additional comments?

Crash was always my least favorite character, so I was hesitant to purchase this book. But let me tell you, this book changed the way I saw him and a few of the other characters. I almost wish that I had read this book before the others so that I had a better understanding of Crash's personality and why he acted the way that he did.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This series is in my top 10!!

I've enjoyed the Psycop series, and this book in particular. So much that I had to relisten to all 8+ over again. It's always so sad when it comes to an end. I can't wait for book 9!!

This book covers before, during & after the other books in the Psycop series. It answers many questions & ties things together nicely. It's awesome how tightly this book fits into the series. So many details expanded on. How JCP put it all together is beyond me!!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Interesting idea, poorly executed

The idea of retelling the Psycop stories from Crash’s perspective is an interesting conceit. The theme of Crash’s spiritual growth is laudable. That said, the writing seems stilted and I rudimentary. I only saw flashes of the acerbic quality that made Crash interesting in the others books. I’m not sure that my recollection of the other books in the series as better written is mere nostalgia or real, but this feels a bit half-assed

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Genius!

Jordan has done it again. A clever weaving of loved characters and interesting story with very witty dialogue. Gomez has kept up an amazing performance with bang-on voices. Thoroughly enjoyable.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Surprising...ly good

If you didn't read the blurb (like me), you'll be a bit lost at the beginning because it's not our dear psycop Victor telling his story but our old pal Crash or Curtis Ash. The story begins far before we met Crash in his shop with Victor. Then, it's a bit weird and a little difficult to place the book in the series. Nevertheless, the book is very good. Interesting characters evolving as the plot unfurls, unexpected development. Dark, funny, clever. I really liked it. And the narration by Gomez Pugh is really, really excellent.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Made me like Crash

I was not a fan of Crash going in to this book. I made it about an hour into this book & bailed for more Victor books before circling back. It held my interest more as it went on. If you are a Crash fan, you’ll likely love it. If not a Crash fan going in, I’d say it’s worth burning the audible credit, but not fully necessary. I don’t regret it & now like Crash, but it doesn’t explain backstory issues in a way I found satisfying. There was a lot of depth on new details and it got thin where I wanted depth. But it was still an ok yarn.

While this book explains Crash more, it shows him as both more and less capable than we see from other books. For instance, Vic thinks Crash is s wiz with all things computers; Crash thinks he’s barely adequate. The truth is somewhere between. This sort if situation repeats when we see scenes from his POV. There was some further understanding but not as much as I’d hoped for. And it was kind of irritating to see Crash’s strengths turned to nebulous weaknesses. But the story still holds together with that, for all it wasn’t quite what I’d expected.

What knocked it another star for me is all the (mostly material) loss Crash suffers. It was overblown & I didn’t like it. I guess I get that he needed to lose some entitlement but at any point, he can go live with his mom in a comfy suburban home. I do understand that that might be his worst nightmare but that’s kind of the point. He still has a safety net that allows him to say inversely-entitled crap like “It’s only stuff”. People need food, shelter, & air, but also love and *comfort*. This is trying to show Crash getting inured to a low level of comfort, before getting love but come on. He and his eventual flame become monastic in their material needs, maybe, but remember monks live off the largess of the community. (Spoilerish: And in the next book, Crash & beau go on to sell still more *things* which seems odd for antimaterialists.). All in all, the “the universe is just energy & we can live on love” notion strikes me as both sophomoric & more extreme than necessary for character growth. There’s a chapter toward the end that went full “I read a lot of self help books for research, dangnabit, and I’m putting that philosophy in my story” and it was fine I guess but overdone for my tastes.

Steam: med/med low. The book is more an exploration of Crash than a romance. There’s some sketchy not-quite consensual (boss/ employee) M/M sex early on that explores some power play kink. Overall, there’s not much sex on page (so med-low). Much of the sex is Crash feeling “vibes” including some distinct fetishes (med). Turns out he didn’t actually cheat on Jacob, they just broke up over low chemistry, and I still don’t see why Victor would feel attracted to him. There’s very little sex involving his actual beau since they spend most of the book apart & pining. I’d knock it another star if it were a standalone romance, just for that. But since it’s mostly a series detour to get another POV on ongoing issues, it’s ok.

Narration. Still think Pugh might be what pulls me through the less compelling series installments. I like listening to him & it’s always clear who is talking. (On rare occasions it can be hard to distinguish thoughts from dialogue but that’s mostly an audiobook constant.)

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Too indulgent a departure

In 2017, I didn't like this (see original review below). I think after the wait for a new PsyCop novel, this slanted view on the story felt like wheel-spinning. But as I relisten to the whole series in 2023, I find that this installment brings a fresh perspective, a way to come at the PsyCop world from a different angle, and bring some new depth. And ironically, it has become my favorite in the series so far.

ORIGINAL 2017 REVIEW:
Price has built an interesting world populated with a cast of engaging characters, but in this latest entry she drops the "A Story" and indulges in a much too long diversion, filling in Crash's back story and point of view. There's good info there, but at 15:21 this is by far the longest PsyCop story, and the PsyCops are barely in it. This feels like it was meant to be a novella that got out of control.

Pugh is as skilled as ever with the narration. With Crash narrating, Vic's voice sounds slightly different, but that works really well with the point-of-view shift. And Pugh pulls off some really affecting voice acting at the end.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So sad to see the series ending...

Well you had to know Crash’s story wasn’t gonna be easy. Crash is definitely a character with hidden depths and it’s wonderful to finally get to see below the surface.

I found it fascinating to see all those events we’ve seen him involved in, through his eyes this time. I admit I waited til this was out in audio before exploring it because I knew Gomez would do such an amazing job with it and he did. He has such a wide range of characters and he puts them all to use in the many and varied people in Crash’s life.
Things that surprised me: the evolution of Crash’s talent, his relationship with Jacob as well as his crush on Vic. I was also surprised by his knowledge of other characters that will remain unspoiled!
I was super psyched, however, the most, to see Crash’s happy ending. If ever anyone deserved it – he sure earned it!

This is a great addition to the series, masterfully narrated by the amazing Gomez Pugh and though melancholic because it symbolizes another ending, joyful as well. Highly Recommended! (Not a standalone!)
5 of 5 stars

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great addition to the series.

Excellent performance. I love the narrator and he did a great job with crash's story.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome addition to one of my favorite series!

This is the first audio book I've ever finished. Loved the story and the narration, and will probably be listening to more.

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