What Hides Inside (Bay City Paranormal Investigations, #2)

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What Hides Inside (Bay City Paranormal Investigations #2)

by Ally Blue (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 538 ratings · 46 reviews

For the BCPI team, facing a horror from another reality could be deadly. For Sam and Bo, facing their own secrets and lies could be far worse.

Book Two in the Bay City Paranormal Investigation series.

Sam Raintree’s life changed forever when he started his dream job with Bay City Paranormal Investigations. In one fateful week, he learned he was psychic, discovered he possess...more

ebook, 1st Edition, 229 pages

Published April 10th 2007 by Samhain Publishing

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Oct 12, 2008 Eyre rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who like paranormals and m/m romance.

Shelves: paranormal, read-in-2008-approx, romance, gay-glbt-mm-mmf

I liked this even more than the first book in the series! Blue finally added in that hot, sexy man-lovin' that I'd heard about, and she did that while still creating an engaging plot. The emotioanl tension felt by the characters is palpable, and I'm going to have to read the next book in the series immediately since I'm dying to know how these relationships will evolve.

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Feb 02, 2008 Kati rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, ebooks, in-english, gay, urban-fantasy

This is the 2nd book in Blue's "Bay City Paranormal Investigation" series and the sequel to "Oleander House". This book was much more about romance and less about investigating evil things, though.

I have to admit, though that Blue creeps me out with her creatures. It's kind of weird - when there are witches and vampires prowling the streets, hunting demons is not as creepy as when the characters live in a normal world. To actually catch a supernatural being on film, to have a scientific prove i...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Kelly Maybedog Hawkins rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: what-male-protagonist, how-ebook, where-own, what-glbtq, what-ghosts, what-paranormal-romance, how-series, what-m-m-read

I love Sam. I want to kick Bo's ass. I love Dean, I mean love him. He reminds me a little of Jory in A Matter of Time, just because he's so sweet and selfless and flirtatious. I want to kick Bo's ass. I love all the characters in this books. I want to kick Bo's ass. I wish the strong woman hadn't been (view spoiler) in the last book and I wish the remaining woman weren't so weak and clingy, but I do like her and I want to kick Bo's ass.

I think you're getting where I'm...more I love Sam. I want to kick Bo's ass. I love Dean, I mean love him. He reminds me a little of Jory in A Matter of Time, just because he's so sweet and selfless and flirtatious. I want to kick Bo's ass. I love all the characters in this books. I want to kick Bo's ass. I wish the strong woman hadn't been (view spoiler) in the last book and I wish the remaining woman weren't so weak and clingy, but I do like her and I want to kick Bo's ass.

I think you're getting where I'm coming from here. I'm telling you that for the first half of this book, and even a little for the rest, I wanted Sam to be with Dean. I don't understand Bo's appeal, I think he's a dick, and Sam deserves better. It's funny that I feel this way given that I love the assholes that other sweet guys like in similar series (Jory's Det. Kage for example), but Bo does nothing for me.

I did care by the end, though, and that's what counts, right? The one thing I do like about Bo that Sam says he understand but doesn't completely (which in turn is the one thing I don't like about Sam) is that for Bo, his kids come first as they should. But Bo is a coward and self-absorbed and, okay, I'm going to stop there, because it tells you nothing about the book.

The mystery wasn't really a mystery, not like last time. It's pretty obvious fairly early on what's happening, and it's not nearly as frightening as what was going on in the last book. The final battle is quite weak, actually. But the danger and peril, the "I can't lose him!" kind of crying by the hospital bed stuff I love was excellent. So overall the story was fine.

I feel these books are just a little light. They feel more like stand-alone romances in a generic romance series then a serial paranormal romance; you know the kind where each book is a different couple and they come together in basically the same way and the plot is very similar in each book, etc.? Yeah, that. It's like paranormal light.

But now we know there's going to be a theme running through this series, not just a one off like in most mysteries where you have a new house and a new kind of ghost. We've got more of an X-Files-y evil menace that we're going to learn about piece by piece I think. I like that a lot.

This wasn't nearly as good as the first one, but I want to continue on because I did enjoy it. 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 because I want to kick Bo's ass.(less)

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Oct 15, 2012 Charly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Relationship more fun to read about in this than in the first book

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 7/10

PROS:
- The relationship picks up in intensity from the first volume to this second one. Not only are the characters more attracted to each other physically, but they’re also more passionately (or passive-aggressively, anyway) at each other’s throats when they disagree.
- There is sex in this volume (as opposed to the first volume, which doesn’t go b...more Relationship more fun to read about in this than in the first book

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 7/10

PROS:
- The relationship picks up in intensity from the first volume to this second one. Not only are the characters more attracted to each other physically, but they’re also more passionately (or passive-aggressively, anyway) at each other’s throats when they disagree.
- There is sex in this volume (as opposed to the first volume, which doesn’t go beyond kissing), and as I hoped it would be, it’s incredibly sweet and passionate because the buildup to the relationship’s physical aspect is so slow and gradual. (It won’t seem as slow if you read this volume without reading Oleander House first.)
- The secondary characters are more fleshed out in this volume than the first, and I like especially the newest member of the investigative team. I wanted to smack him at the beginning of the book, but he endears himself throughout the rest of the story so that toward the end, I found myself wishing that Blue would write in a romance for him in one of the later volumes.

CONS:
- Not as eerie as the first book. Admittedly, I don’t go for thrillers and/or horrors all that often, but the first volume seemed to set a precedent of creepiness that this book doesn’t live up to. Put it this way: I got a little wigged out at one point reading Oleander House and had to stop reading it when it got too shadowy in my house, but I didn’t encounter that problem with this volume.
- The big, climactic, facing-the-evil-interdimensional-creatures scene ends a bit quickly (it lasts for about 2 pages, at the end of which I sort of stared at the page with a puzzled expression and thought, “That’s it?”), but to be fair, there is some dramatic fallout from that scene that takes up a good chunk of the story’s conclusion, so overall I didn’t feel all that cheated by the ending.

Overall comments: This book is quite enjoyable, as was the first volume, and this second one has a little bit of everything: an intriguing plot, likeable characters, sex, romance, and some good old-fashioned angst.(less)

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Aug 12, 2011 Vicktor Alexander rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: M/M Romance Group

Okay, so I was a little...okay, a lot annoyed with Beau by the end of book one and halfway through this book. At one point I tossed my kindle down in disgust, after shaking it brutally (I'm a very expressive reader), but I think Ally wrote Beau to inspire that kind of reaction (that's just based on how well Ms Blue writes everything else). I really enjoyed this book though, in spite of my disgust with Beau and his "I want you-I hate you-I love you-come closer-go away" attitude. By the end of the...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Elisa Ramblings added it

I will be sincere and I will state up-front that, even if I liked the first book in this series, I didn’t continue with the reading sooner because that book had an impact in me that took several day to fade. There are different level of paranormal romance, from the almost funny approach, where, more or less, you are not worried for your characters since you well know that nothing of tragic will happen to them, to the deep horror, where you are not sure of anything, let alone that your duo will a...more I will be sincere and I will state up-front that, even if I liked the first book in this series, I didn’t continue with the reading sooner because that book had an impact in me that took several day to fade. There are different level of paranormal romance, from the almost funny approach, where, more or less, you are not worried for your characters since you well know that nothing of tragic will happen to them, to the deep horror, where you are not sure of anything, let alone that your duo will arrive to the end together (or complete of every essential body part).

The Bay City Paranormal Investigation series edges very much on the second level, and truth be told, also in the romance development it was not “classic”: I clearly remember at the end of the first book that I thought, well, I’m not really sure that this couple will be together in the future. Where Sam was pretty sure of his feelings, Bo played the “straight” role for most of the story, and in the end, even if he came out to Sam, he was still deep in the closet to every one else, his family included. And above all he was married and his wife was not aware of his love for Sam.

Starting book 2 things are not really changed, other than Bo has introduced the possibility of asking a divorce to his wife Janine. But he has no intention of coming out, not to his family or his co-workers. Sam is still his little dirty secret, and even if when they are alone Bo is passionate and caring; Sam starts to feel the heaviness of the relationship. Doesn’t help that another man, Dean, joins the group and he is handsome, flirting and willing to have an open relationship with Sam. Sam is drawn to Dean, not really on a physical level I think, but more to the possibility of living in the open their love, no hiding, no lies.

As the subgenre of the story is more horror than romance, also the romance itself is not following the canonical rules: while Sam loves Bo, in a way the love is not unconditionally, and in the end, he will fall into temptation. What Hides Inside is a step more into the evolution of Sam and Bo’s relationship, but it’s not again the conclusive step: Bo has only partially resolved his issues, Sam is still asking for more than what Bo is willing to concede; what has changed is that Sam tested his love for Bo, and he had the chance to ponder it in comparison to other alternatives, so now, if he is into the relationship, he is more aware and convinced of it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1599984172/?...(less)

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Apr 12, 2010 Steven rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Again, I want to thank Ms. Ally Blue, or just "Blue" as I have become to call her as of late, for so kindly and graciously sending me another wonderful novel. After I had finished Oleander house, book one, I was so eager to continue the series. I was more adapt at liking this book more than its predecessor. I only say this because of my opinions from that book in comparison to this one (see Oleander House by Ally Blue post), seemed to have grown up. If that makes sense? Ally's characters have ev...more Again, I want to thank Ms. Ally Blue, or just "Blue" as I have become to call her as of late, for so kindly and graciously sending me another wonderful novel. After I had finished Oleander house, book one, I was so eager to continue the series. I was more adapt at liking this book more than its predecessor. I only say this because of my opinions from that book in comparison to this one (see Oleander House by Ally Blue post), seemed to have grown up. If that makes sense? Ally's characters have evolved more, as the story has, which in my opinion makes the entire book a growth as well. (I am quite sure that is a run on sentence from hell, but shoot me!)

The only thing I can complain about in this book is in the beginning there's a scene where a character asks another to come in, that has already left? Maybe I just read it the wrong way? Now to the good stuff....

Like I said the continued story flows so well, at first I felt it had a missing gap in the end of book one to book two. However I realized it must have been written that way for dramatic effect? I found myself in book one despising the heinous bitch Cecile, only to find in book two how much she has matured. It was almost as if Blue has totally ripped Cecile out and replaced her with a new person. I really did enjoy Cecile's growth and at times I even felt like I could imagine her as one of my friends. With Blue replacing Cecile's HBS (Heinous Bitch Syndrome) into Janine, you still had the one character in every book you just love to hate.

I found myself looking at the chapter seperators one night in bed, and began to laugh hysterically. I think a large part was due to sleep deprivation, but I noticed how the seperators were the numerals six and nine. Leave it up to her to add a quirk that some people would have go unnoticed. After reading quite a few of Ally's books, I found myself skimming through future chapters hungry for what happens next.

The characters she writes about are just so vivid that any reader can imagine them as family members, friends, or even strangers on the street. Also there is a more in-depth feeling(?) with more knowledge of the supernatural beings from book one that return in book two. I enjoyed the ending to What Hides Inside way more than I did with Oleander House. It felt like there were no loose ends, yet it was open to continue to book 3, even tho Sam doesn't end up with who I wished he would be. Read the book for yourself and tell me who you think he should be with.

I am anxious to further continue the Bay City Paranormal Investigator series, and see what kind of trouble the team gets into next. ....
xoxo (less)

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Jun 04, 2009 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-reads

My Review: I admit I enjoy reading angst, so when I read the blurb for this book, I anticipated a book I could enjoy, and I wasn't disappointed. The push and pull between the main characters in this second Bay City Paranormal series was very well depicted. Ms. Blue's men might be a trifle more in touch with their feelings than the average guy I know, but it's across the board. Even the straight guys are not just emotionally engaging, but willing to talk about their feelings. Odd, but refreshing....more

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May 16, 2013 Cipluk rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, adult, ghost, m-m

Bo:

Bo - Bay City Paranormal Investigation photo 01_zpse00fea69.jpg

Sam:

Sam - Bay City Paranormal Investigation photo 3cd7dd2a3b4d2f3763f651b7aa41a06d_zpsbe85426d.jpg

Dean:

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Dec 23, 2011 Raji rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

***Disclaimer - There are total of seven books in this series and I have read them all in the span of two to three days. So what will follow is a short but straight to point reviews of all the books****

Needless to say, this book picks up where the last one left.

I liked the way the author treated these characters - she gave them space, depth and enough time that the readers would be invested in them. Oh boy, what a ride this was! You know you have read a good book when you can see the balance in...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Bee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, passion-erotica, romance, self-hating-gays, m-m, survival, stuck-in-the-closet, psychic-or-clairvoyant, ghosts-and-spirits, science-fiction

After the last investigation the dynamic in the BCPI team has changed completely. Missing a person among them they are in need to hire someone new and to get back into working together. Bo and Sam are hot and heavy but they need to hide their relationship from everyone around them. When Dean walks into the picture everything changes again. Dean is not subtle about his interest in Sam, and when Bo panics and breaks things off with Sam, Dean is who Sam turns to. Their new case involves another por...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Teresa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 03, 2010 Erin (PT) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotica, ghosts, horror, lgbt, mind-powers, mystery, romance, series

I find myself in the same struggle with the 2nd Bay City Paranormal Investigations that I did with the first: while I find Blue's writing interesting, entertaining and engrossing, I cannot stand half of her romantic pairing. I cannot stand Bo. I think he's selfish, self-serving and really unsympathetic. And while I really like Sam and feel for him, I mostly want him to get a backbone and find someone who will treat him better. So, it's a dilemma as the romance is a big part of the books.

I also...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Brenda (b) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-2008-read, m-m, 1-ebooks

The second story. After much frustration and heartbreak, Bo finally admits his true feelings. I felt sorry for Dean.

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Jun 01, 2011 Kaje Harper rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, fantasy

I like these characters, I like Ally Blue's writing, I want to read the next one. But somehow I don't find the plots in this series satisfying in the sense of people being smart and problem resolutions taking the right amount of space and effort. Things are horrible, and then fixed too easily on the metaphysical front, I think. Don't take my word for it though. Bo and Sam are cute together, (even if make-out sessions in the boss's office at work don't strike me as subtle behavior for a married g...more

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Mar 30, 2013 blub rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mm-paranormal, medium-or-psychic, mm-romance, sci-fi, boss-employee-relationship

A bit better than the first book in the series. The issue between Sam and Bo were a bit taxing on the nerves though and frankly I was at a point where I was hating on Bo. Dean the sweetheart was exactly that and it sadden me that Sam used him and he allowed it (I'm looking forward to getting to his story). The supernatural aspect of the book put a chill down my spine when reading some of it. I look forward to see what direction Ally will be going with her supernatural beings and the interdimensi...more

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May 29, 2011 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Emanuela ~plastic duck~ by: Cori

Shelves: rainbow-gay, glbt, urban-fantasy

3.5 stars.

Even if I still have little patience with both Bo and Sam, I enjoyed this second book of the series a little bit more.

The paranormal part is very interesting. I liked the story of the high school built on an abandoned monastery. I also think the concept of the portals and of Sam's powers is becoming clearer and it's adding a purpose to the story. However I don't think there was enough of this element in this installment. Unlike the first book, the investigation wasn't as prominent and...more

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Jun 22, 2010 Ethan Day rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What Hides Inside: A Bay City Paranormal Investigation by Ally Blue – Book Two in the series, which I have to admit is as far as I’ve gotten. Book One, Oleander House, was one of the ten to twelve gay-romance books I read before deciding whether or not to submit my own manuscripts to one of the many publishers of that new-fangled, e-book thingy I’d discovered while surfing Amazon back in the fall of 2008. (You can stop pointing your finger and mocking already – it was new to me!) I loved the fir...more

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Oct 23, 2010 Lara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010, erotica, gay-fiction

I liked it but not as much as the first in the series!
In this book there isn't the whole dark & scary athmosphere that hooked me up in "Oleander House", the author chose instead to concentrate more on the relationship between Sam and Bo...it's not a bad decision per sè but I had the impression (I don't know if it's wrong or right since I still have to read the others books in the series) that "What Hides Inside" was more like a filler in wait of what comes next.

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Mar 23, 2013 Bea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: male-male, paranormal, ghost, goodreads-review, horror

Where the heck has this author been? I completely missed this series, and I am voraciously consuming the rest of them.

This book has a little bit more of the romance aspect and there is actual sex. I am a bit irritated with Bo, but I imagine that jumping out of the closet when you have children is very scary. But we are approaching the piss or get off the pot point.

Can't wait to see what the next book brings.

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May 31, 2012 Carlo Vella rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting story and do like the paranormal theme but it got a little repetitive when it come to the romance - same dialogue, same thoughts. What bothered me was that in the middle of an interesting scene, thoughts about love came into it ruining the feel of what was being said. One moment there is a discussion about paranormal activities then suddenly "I do love him" I stopped reading the book then thought, ok give it another go. It happened a few times and it got frustrating. The first book w...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Tami rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not very good, and really just a continuation of book 1. The mystery is the same with some dead teenagers thrown in for suspense. I had also a strange deja vue, because one sex scene was double, as if the MC just has his program and sticks to it, with whomever he is. Not cool. I didn't connect with any character in this book. It is a pity, because in the first book the mystery was really gripping.

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Sep 19, 2011 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, horror, gay-lesbian, kindle-loan

It's really like 3.5 stars but I wanted to give a higher rating. This book frustrated me on a few levels but satisfied me on others which is why it's a lower rating. First I think Bo is a dick, and not in a good way. Sometimes I really wondered what Sam sees in him. Dean was just plain hot. The investigating wasn't as deep or as good as the first one, but I can see that she was trying to move the characters along.

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Jul 31, 2010 Don Bradshaw rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: demons, gay-romance, paranormal

Book two in the series finds Sam shaken by his ability to open inter-dimensional portals. Sam also discovers that he's psychic. This time the team is investigating tunnels beneath a school which is the main story. Bo is still afraid to come out which is frustrating Sam. Dean, a new hunk on the team, eases some of Sam's tension in a m/m way.

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Jun 24, 2010 J.J. Levesque rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-to-read-over-and-over, favorites, m-m, paranormal

A fantastic addition to the first book in the BCPI series, this one shows more of Sam and Bo's slowly emerging relationship and introduces Dean, who adds a lot of sexual tension to the story. I like that the author is using the same creatures as before, because it makes the story more than just a typical ghost story.

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Jan 09, 2012 Celine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, m-m

Next one in the BCPI line: another decently written book. the focus is shifting from the haunting-story to the love-story between Sam & Bo and I'm not sure I'm that happy with this development. Sam is getting whiny and Bo is doing the spineless thing... frustration is growing :)

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Jan 15, 2011 Buda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A worthy follow-up to Oleander House. The introduction of Dean created an interesting dynamic that I would have liked to see played out a bit more dramatically, but with so much else going on, that wasn't really necessary. And on we march to Book 3!

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Oct 29, 2011 Tj rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really didn't connect to this book like the first. The investigation wasn't as central in the story line. It was an important element to the continuation of the series. The relationships were much more fleshed out in this book. You see the struggle of the two MC's and even a break up. I really liked the new addition of Dean. He is just out there and blunt. I really felt for Sam, though I wanted to smack him for always blaming himself. Bo was a problem. Selfish much? He still even by the end of...more

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Apr 12, 2010 Janna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: z2010-100plus-reading-challenge, m-m, paranormal

I'm falling in love with this series. It's getting better and better!
I'll try to write a review later...

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Nov 08, 2009 heardtheowl rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Same complaints as the first book, but the sex was pretty hot. ^_~

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About Ally Blue

Ally Blue is acknowledged by the world at large (or at least by her heroes, who tend to suffer a lot) as the Popess of Gay Angst. She has a great big suggestively-shaped hat and rides in a bullet-proof Plexiglas bubble in Christmas parades. Her harem of manwhores does double duty as bodyguards and inspirational entertainment. Her favorite band is Radiohead, her favorite color is lime green and her...more

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