Double Cross (The Disillusionists Trilogy, #2)

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Double Cross (The Disillusionists #2)

by Carolyn Crane (Goodreads Author)

4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 · rating details · 2,036 ratings · 353 reviews

SOME SECRETS COME BACK TO HAUNT. OTHERS COME TO KILL.

Justine Jones lived her life as a fearful hypochondriac until she was lured into the web of a mysterious mastermind named Packard, who gifts her with extraordinary mental powers—dooming her to fight Midcity’s shadowy war on paranormal crime in order to find the peace she so desperately craves.

But now serial killers with...more

Paperback, 326 pages

Published September 28th 2010 by Spectra

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Best Adult Paranormal Books of 2010

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Jun 06, 2011 MISS VAIN rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: carolyn-crane, series-that-i-m-obsessed-with

Help!!! I need to "Zing" somebody, anybody?!! I think I may be having a "Vein Star" vascular rupture, or possibly heart palpitations from this cliffhanger :-(

Not since KKM's Dreamfever have I felt such mental anguish and pain reading a cliffhanger. I've been griping about Mrs. Neill's cliffhanger of Hard Bitten and for some reason this one bothers me more. So I'm going to say this cliffhanger is rated between Dreamfever and Hard Bitten. It's not for the faint of heart...

I'm devastated Mrs. Cr...more

9 likes · like · see review

Mar 07, 2012 Dija rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, buddy-slash-group-read, great-disappointment, waste-of-anticipation-energy, meh, could-have-been-sooo-much-better, second-chances, my-reviews, everyone-loved-but-dija

Well. There goes another highly-anticipated read.

Double Cross is a lot less action-packed than Mind Games, and most of the book is about Justine and her problem with her conscience. She still hasn't gotten over the fact that Packard tricked her into being his minion and that she has to disrupt people's feelings/realities for her own freedom. Most of all, she can't come to terms with who she is, and that about killed this book for me.

Justine's a little scared, weak girl inside who wants to simpl...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Regina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy-uf, favorite-authors, owned-kindle

4.5 to 5 stars. I loved this book. I love this series. Double Cross begins where Mind Games ends. What makes this book and this series are the characters. The world is nifty and the powers are unique, but ultimately it is a character driven story. The characters in the Disllusionist series are likeable. For readers of this series, you will be excited to know that we see more of Shelby and Simon, both are such funny and interesting characters. Justine's friendship with both characters deepen.

Cran...more 4.5 to 5 stars. I loved this book. I love this series. Double Cross begins where Mind Games ends. What makes this book and this series are the characters. The world is nifty and the powers are unique, but ultimately it is a character driven story. The characters in the Disllusionist series are likeable. For readers of this series, you will be excited to know that we see more of Shelby and Simon, both are such funny and interesting characters. Justine's friendship with both characters deepen.

Crane writes quirk so well. But not just quirk, she excels at writing characters who are real people, who do silly things motivated by personal insecurities and personal goals but are also so gosh, darned funny. Crane is Funny with a capital F. The cast of characters are a bizarre brand of super hero that we met in Mind Games -- they have the ability to inflict other people with their own personal demons.

The main character is a hypochondriac, she has the power to "zing" other people with her fears and potentially change how the "zinged" person acts and makes choices. But the insecurities are not always funny,

"He puts on his sunglasses. Mirrored glasses, and I get a pair of distorted Justine images -- two long pale faces, long dark hair, dark eyes, I hate my reflection unless I'm steeled for it."

Like in Mind Games, in Double Cross the gang of disillusionists have identified more "targets" that need to be disillusioned. Justine continues to debate the morality of what she is doing; she struggles with the idea of inflicting her own personal demons on others.

Mind Games was a strong beginning to the series, but Double Cross is just better in almost every respect. The mystery and suspense are tighter and the reveals are even more shocking. As the story develops we learn more about Otto and Packard’s past. I am not going to lie, the ending of this story is a wham – it is shocking and painful. When I first read Double Cross, its sequel, Head Rush, was not yet published. And I could only hope that it would all work out eventually. But the wait was painful, just painful! The good news for all those starting this series, is that now the trilogy is complete. You can go into Double Cross knowing that the ending will be a whammy, but you can rush right off and read Head Rush.
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May 17, 2012 Alkyoni rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, x-men, nobody-puts-baby-in-the-corner, dreamcatcher, if-i-were-stuck-on-a-desert-island, say-anything, mind-the-cliff

The second book in the series started with a bang, skipped the pleasantries and went straight into action, head on.

One, two, Ez is coming for you, three four lock your door…

A dream invader! That’s my favorite supernatural ability by the way. All the Tele stuff is just for the lazies imho.

And I though, YESH, here we go.

Then Justine started having internal dialogs with her conscience. The action took the backseat and it was all about what she wants and what she doesn’t while it was becoming painfu...more

5 likes · like · see review

May 17, 2013 Angela Horn added it

Shelves: sexy-makes-it-better, what-happened, urban-fantasy, bummer

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In Mind Games, Carolyn Crane created one of the least sexy and appealing love interests in any UF I’ve ever read. Packard Sterling is physically and emotionally ugly. He’s incredibly dull too, so the MC Justine is forced to tell the reader constantly how sexy, mysterious, and passionate Packard is because otherwise we wouldn’t fucking know. Packard is evil, but he’s so dull that he’s not scary evil. He’s not even “bad guy turns good” evil. I hated him so much I nearly didn’t read the second book...more In Mind Games, Carolyn Crane created one of the least sexy and appealing love interests in any UF I’ve ever read. Packard Sterling is physically and emotionally ugly. He’s incredibly dull too, so the MC Justine is forced to tell the reader constantly how sexy, mysterious, and passionate Packard is because otherwise we wouldn’t fucking know. Packard is evil, but he’s so dull that he’s not scary evil. He’s not even “bad guy turns good” evil. I hated him so much I nearly didn’t read the second book. Now I wished I hadn’t.

I liked Otto Sanchez, but his character is destroyed to make Packard look better. Everything we are told about Otto in the first book is shit on because Packard is such a weak love interest that he can’t stand on his own. Also Crane makes excuses for everything Packard does. I have no doubt if he raped and killed a child, somehow it wouldn’t be his fault and he did it for the good of mankind. Justine, who is the biggest goody-two-shoes you will ever read, can’t get enough of Packard. She loves him. She doesn’t know that, of course, because she’s written as a fucking moron for most of the series. I liked her in the first book, but her forgiving Packard and feeling guilty when ALL of his problems were brought on by his choices made me sick. Justine is a pathetic woman. She’s also a cheater.

In book one, Justine made out with Packard while still with her boyfriend. She never once felt guilty for it either or viewed it as cheating. In this book, she leaves a sleeping Otto so she can go fuck Packard then returns later to tell Otto she doesn’t love him and she’s fucking his enemy. Oh, but he should do what she says because she’s the boss of everyone in the fucking world.

I don’t think I would have read more of the series even before the end. Packard is intolerable as a character. He’s a complete douche without a single likable quality. He’s not even hot like most douches are. He’s got that meaty nose and Annie ringlets. He’s gross and stupid and lies then whines when someone calls him on it. He’s like a teenage girl on her period. Uh, I hate him. By the time Justine cheated AGAIN (I can’t even imagine the outrage she would have felt if Otto snuck out of their bed to fuck someone else) I was pretty much done with the series.

Yet I might have given this book three stars except for what happens with Otto. See, I have a pet peeve. I can’t stand when a love triangle is solved by having one of the guys (usually the nice one) turn evil to suit the plot. That’s what happens with Otto. A character so clearly defined by his goodness turns out to be evil so Packard can look good in comparison. Instead of having Justine embrace Packard’s evil and decide she isn’t the good person she pretends to be, Crane turns Otto evil and makes everything that came before a lie. Would it have been too much for Justine to just say to Otto, “I’m a loser who wants to fuck the ugly evil guy so good luck finding new pussy?” Guess so.

Instead Otto is obsessed with Justine. He’s going to rape her mind and body in the next book. He’s the bad guy, so Packard (who IS evil) can be the good guy in comparison. I hate that. Why can’t the loser in the love triangle just shrug it off and find a new chick? Oh, that’s right because the MC is so amazing that no man can let her go. Yeah, sure.

I was so upset by the ending of this book that I wanted to give it a big fat one star FU rating. Yet I did read it fast and there were some good parts before Justine turned into a Mary Sue and Packard won the girl without doing a single decent thing ever and Otto was trashed because Crane couldn’t make Packard look good otherwise.

Crane has some great ideas in this series, but I will never read anything by her again. Her decision making skills as a writer are too violently opposed to my tastes as a reader.(less)

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Dec 12, 2010 Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Like book 1, I have no clue how to review this book. First, you really, really should read book 1 since book 2 would make even less sense than it does for us who read book 1. No, I am not one of the characters in the book, I eventually will make sense (or maybe not).

Double Cross is one of those books where you really question the author’s state of mind because she would have to be really twisted (in a good way) to come up with some of the ideas for the story. It is so unique, and interesting tha...more

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Jan 08, 2012 VampireNovelFan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, love-triangle, paranormal-romance

Picking up not too far from where the first installment of this trilogy leaves off, we find Justine and Otto Sanchez seemingly doing their thing in a relationship. He's mayor now and Justine's finally with her dream guy...if you find barrettes sexy of course. But is this really everything that she wants?

To add a dash of action, our vigilante hunters are now being hunted. There is a group (affectionately named "dorks") that's going around taking out highcaps. Strangely enough, they are immune to...more Picking up not too far from where the first installment of this trilogy leaves off, we find Justine and Otto Sanchez seemingly doing their thing in a relationship. He's mayor now and Justine's finally with her dream guy...if you find barrettes sexy of course. But is this really everything that she wants?

To add a dash of action, our vigilante hunters are now being hunted. There is a group (affectionately named "dorks") that's going around taking out highcaps. Strangely enough, they are immune to the highcap influences, making them much more formidable opponents that have to be stopped somehow other than supernatural means. How will Justine and her comrades take them down?

Of course, if you're a Packard fan, he's not out of the picture. We get a huge glimpse into his and Otto's past and you're really left wondering who's the real antagonist in this situation. The love triangle is without a doubt in full swing, and I felt like it was more of the focal point of this book.

The moral ambiguity of these characters sort of makes it hard to sympathize one way or another and while they're interesting and fairly complex, I wasn't that attached. I sort of figured out what would happen towards the middle of the book, which was slightly disappointing because I go against the grain in this series when it comes to fan preferences. But I don't argue with canon.

Unlike the first book, I adjusted to the first person present much more easily this time, so it wasn't a distraction. Justine's indecisiveness made her a bit more annoying for me as compared to the first book as well.

If you're not a fan of cliffhangers, you may want to skip this one until the third book is released. If I were more attached, I'd be dying to know how it turns out. I am definitely curious, so I plan to finish out this series for sure. The action is steady and the suspense is kicked up a few notches.

This book will always have the honor of being my first Kindle purchase, so it's special in its own way.

*Review also posted to Amazon (less)

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Jan 06, 2011 Vinaya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, books-i-loved, favorites

So here's the deal. I was going to review Mind Games first, but then I finished Double Cross and I realised that there was no way the review I was originally going to write for Mind Games was going to fit. So I'm reviewing both together.

When I finished Mind Games, I was lukewarmly in like with the book, but not willing to rave about it. Justine's deliberate blindness to the reality of her situation, and her constant demonisation of Packard annoyed me. And the fact that the author probably wanted...more So here's the deal. I was going to review Mind Games first, but then I finished Double Cross and I realised that there was no way the review I was originally going to write for Mind Games was going to fit. So I'm reviewing both together.

When I finished Mind Games, I was lukewarmly in like with the book, but not willing to rave about it. Justine's deliberate blindness to the reality of her situation, and her constant demonisation of Packard annoyed me. And the fact that the author probably wanted me to be annoyed didn't detract from my dissatisfaction with the book. Justine Jones was turning whiny and I was NOT happy. Even the twist at the end of the story failed to have any real impact on me, there was no real zing! to it and after my desperate rooting for Packard, I wanted to rip the book apart for its ending.

But Double Cross was an Oh. My. God moment for me. More like a day, actually, but what the hell. The book took what looked like severely unravelling threads and knitted them into one perfect whole. Justine's increasing moments of self-awareness, her sizzling, sexy chemistry with Packard (Go, Packard!) and a mind-bending, double crossing twist in the tale that leaves your head staring your ass in the face (that was so mixed up!) all bound it into the Book That Made The Series.

And that cliffhanger ending left me clutching the crumbling rocks of my over-excited brain and screaming for more. A thrilling, thrilling ride, and the only thing I absolutely hated about Double Cross was the fact that it was so good, and now I have to wait for months, if not longer, for the third book to come out!

Here's what I loved about the series thus far.

THE PREMISE: This is one of the most refreshingly unusual urban fantasy books I have read in a long, long time. There are no vampires, no werewolves, no fae, no demons, nothing. Just a bunch of humans, some of them with psychic powers. And some of them with extremely strong neuroses. I cannot begin to tell you how cool it is to read about someone who is not (secretly) the most powerful magician/vampire/werewolf/insert species, of her generation. Someone who is not a lean, mean, fight machine with a sword/knife (yes, the cover is totally misleading)/katana/other sharp pointy object of mystical origin. Justine Jones is a neurotic, hypochondriachal mess with no superpower except an ability to generate an enormous amount of fear about one's health. And yet, she kicks ass.

PACKARD: Yes, I fall in lust with fictional men! If you don't, there's something wrong with you! And Packard is a rich, creamy serving of Haagen Dazs dark Chocolate. Yum-my! Despite a first-person narrative from the heroine's perspective, Crane does a brilliant job of allowing the facets of Packard's personality to shine through. You can tell that she's put as much thought into his character as she has into Justine's, and I must applaud her for it.

THE TWISTS: See, here is the genius of Carolyn Crane. I thought the first plot twist, in Mind Games was a little facile and unexciting. But she took that twist, and twisted it again, and then some more, and the whole thing added up to one major mindfuck that leaves you gasping and begging for more.

THE TRIANGLE: I have come to absolutely hate love triangles in urban fantasy settings. They are so cliched, either the two guys are perfect and the heroine is torn, or one is good and one is bad and she has to pick. And the unfortunate success of several of these love-triangle books (Yes, Stephanie Meyer, I am pointing at you) has spawned a whole host of even worse, more messed up triangular configurations. It's like these authors believe that you can't have emotional drama and relationship troubles without a threesome! Buy a clue, people! And yet, despite my immense hatred for love triangles, I wasn't put off by Justine's dilemma between two men. Maybe it's because she tried so hard and so convincingly to tell herself that there was only one right man for her. Maybe because I derived a vicious satisfaction from seeing my favourite man lose several battles but win the war. Whatever the reason, I loved the portrayal of the relationship between Justine and Otto, and more so, her relationship with Packard.

If you haven't read this series, go out RIGHT NOW and buy it! Oh wait, if you're like me and can't stand the suspense, maybe you should wait until after the third book is out. No, actually, go buy it, it's too good to not read RIGHT NOW!

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Jun 18, 2012 Midnight rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, romance, summer-reads, urban-fantasy, witches-and-wizards, 5-stars, read-in-high-school, want-to-own, reviewed, borrowed-from-a-friend, favorites, favorite-authors

Since it is now 1:46 in the morning right now and mom will kill me if i stay up much longer than this. but i just had to write one part of my review. It might be spoilers just warning. Adding on to this today now that I'm not about to fall over from exhaustion. :P

Justine I love her except her decision making. I can live with that though. I don't have much to say about her other than what I put in the first book review.

Packard Now I like his character a whole hell of a lot more than I did duri...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Negine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Neurotic morally gray superhero-esque characters for the win!!!! That ending totally broke my heart and left pieces of it dangling off that massive cliffhanger. SO happy HEAD RUSH, the final book, is out and waiting for me.

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Sep 29, 2010 Mandi Schreiner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: wishlist

While this is a spoiler-free review of Double Cross, there are some spoilers related to book one, Mind Games.

Ezmerelda or Ez has been imprisoned in the coat check she works in for three years by the mayor of Midcity, Otto Sanchez. Once Ez touches someone, she can link to that person and invade their dreams – causing them to do violent acts (violent as in cannibalism) while sleepwalking. Now that Otto has her imprisoned behind invisible shields, she hasn’t touched anyone for years. Justine Jones,...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Anna (Bobs Her Hair) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Urban fantasy with romance

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Yup! That was a cliffhanger ending. I'm incredibly anxious for the final book in this trilogy.

As for my rating, I'm waffling between 4 and 5 stars for the second book in the Disillusionists Trilogy. It was a bit slow to build and Justine seemed a bit self-righteous at times. So what's good? Carolyn Crane knows how to build suspenseful scenes. She creates characters that walk the fine line between good and evil. She adds some action, spices the story with sexual tension, and then tosses in a das...more

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Oct 06, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of PNR who are looking for something different.

Recommended to Kat Kennedy by: Shannon

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews, leaves-awesomeness-behind

Carolyn Crane, you saucy minx! You've done it again!

This is the second installment of The Disillusionist Trilogy and, unbelievably, it is as fantastic as the first one!

The romance was there, the psychological mind games were there and most of all, THE TWIST! I love her M. Night Shyamalan twists!

Okay, so things that I didn't like so much:

The cover.

Tell me how a chick holding a funny shaped dagger THAT NEVER ACTUALLY APPEARS IN THE BOOK has any relation to this story! It's so misleading. People pr...more

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May 04, 2011 J.A. Saare rated it 5 of 5 stars

December can't come soon enough. The ending is going to be killer. If you've not read Mind Games, what are you waiting for? Double Cross is even better. This trilogy rocks my socks and holds no prisoners!

Team Kabob! All the way!

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Aug 01, 2012 Sian rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Two stars might be harsh, but I just finished this book and I'm feeling pretty irritated, so I might up the ranking when I've calmed down a bit.

Most of the book is good. Justine's personality ticks me off a bit - whinge whinge unethical, whine whine - but other than that the story is engaging.

But the thing that really gets me is the lack of tying up loose ends between Justine and Packard. They've had this massive chemistry since the start of the first book, and that's basically what keeps you re...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, action-adventure, best-of-the-best-2011, crazy-interesting-character, funny-funny-har-har, girlies-i-would-take-for-a-tequila, hero-i-wanna-hug, romance, superheroes, author-carolyn-crane

Review on: Under the Covers

What. A. Book. I really loved it. I thought the first book was great, but Double Cross builds on the foundations laid by Mind Games. Justine is still stuck as a minion to Packard, but is determined to find a way out, meanwhile a trio of murderers called the Dorks are targeting highcaps and shooting them in the street. Then there is the matter of all the highcap criminals locked up by Justine's boyfriend the Mayor and hero of MidCity Otto Sanchaz, but are they really al...more Review on: Under the Covers

What. A. Book. I really loved it. I thought the first book was great, but Double Cross builds on the foundations laid by Mind Games. Justine is still stuck as a minion to Packard, but is determined to find a way out, meanwhile a trio of murderers called the Dorks are targeting highcaps and shooting them in the street. Then there is the matter of all the highcap criminals locked up by Justine's boyfriend the Mayor and hero of MidCity Otto Sanchaz, but are they really all guilty? Justine begins to question this as she finds herself on a mission to disillusion an unlikely cannibal.

This was such an exciting book, especially the second half when everything is brought together, I found I couldn't put the book down! The plot was interesting and I kept turning the pages as I couldn't wait to see what would happen next, what new twist would be revealed. I now can't wait to get my hands on the third and final book in the trilogy Head Rush, especially after how it ended, that was a complete shocker! I am glad I am not one the readers who had to wait for so long for the next book to come out.

Justine Jones, the main characters, is one of the reasons I like this book so much, she is funny, insightful and her constant questioning of things around her keeps the book interesting and progressing at a fast pace. Although I did find that the first half of the book was a little slow, especially compared with the latter half, I still enjoyed every page.

Now, what I really, really liked about this book was the Justion-Packard-Otto situation, I am not a love triangle fan, but this triangle is keeping me on my toes. So many unexpected things happen between them and some dark secrets are revealed. What makes this book doubly intriguing for me is that the villains and the heroes swap places, the role of who is good and who is bad is distorted in this book, something that not only adds to the depth of the characters but also keeps the book fairly unpredictable, no one quite does what you expect them to do.

I highly recommend this series to everyone, if you love mystery, contemporary, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, this book has a little something for everyone. (less)

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Oct 03, 2011 Mariya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I loved the first book in The Disillusionists Trilogy, Mind Games but I was really disappointed in DOUBLE CROSS. I think this is the third book that is a sequel that I am disappointed with this month.

To be honest the plot/storyline was really dull and boring for my taste, where in Mind Games it was really exciting and I could not get enough. Big change there. I was really bored through the book a lot. The only good part of the book was Packard. I think I literally devoured all the Packard scenes...more

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Nov 10, 2010 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, urban-fantasy

After devouring Mind Games, I was eager to jump into the second offering in the Disillusionist trilogy. It didn’t disappoint per se, it just wasn’t nearly as alluring as the first.

Justine has continued her work of disillusioning known criminals. With the assistance of Packard and his group of disillusionists, Justine is working to rehabilitate and release the felons that the Mayor of Midcity, Otto Sanchez, has incarcerated using his Highcap abilities (Don’t ask. I don’t understand it either). Al...more After devouring Mind Games, I was eager to jump into the second offering in the Disillusionist trilogy. It didn’t disappoint per se, it just wasn’t nearly as alluring as the first.

Justine has continued her work of disillusioning known criminals. With the assistance of Packard and his group of disillusionists, Justine is working to rehabilitate and release the felons that the Mayor of Midcity, Otto Sanchez, has incarcerated using his Highcap abilities (Don’t ask. I don’t understand it either). Although Justine remains on the fence about the morality of her position, she persists in doing it, if only to relieve the cranial pressure that plagues Otto, and to ensure Packard’s present freedom is not revoked. Nevertheless, when Justin is assigned to disillusion a captive dream invader, she begins to suspect not all is black and white when it comes to those that Otto has imprisoned and many may actually be innocent. To further complicate things, a small group of serial killers, the Dorks, are picking off Highcaps one by one. As a result, Otto, Packard, Justine and the rest of the disillusionist gang must work together to end their reign of terror.

The world and plot are certainly intriguing in their own right, but I won’t deny that I get a special satisfaction in reading the charged, albeit antagonistic, relationship between Packard and Justine. These two ignite the pages in spite of the fact that more often than not, they mostly misunderstand one another. Justine has yet to trust her faith in and feelings for Packard. Moreover, Packard, being Packard, does nothing to inspire her faith or encourage her affections. Mostly, he presents himself as an uncaring ass with words and proceeds to prove otherwise with actions. The mixed signals are all a little too much for Justine at present. After all, she has the swoon-worthy and honorable Otto Sanchez showering her with adoration. Not a hard call to guess who she chooses to invest in. Or is it?

Double Cross certainly had its grand moments. I was properly chilled with a scene or two, and properly revved with a few others (Packard is truly glorious) but I can’t help feeling that this installment left something to be desired, until the last 50 pages that is. It was paced well and can boast of being better than many other urban fantasy picks out there, but it had so much potential to be more than it was. Crane had several intriguing angles to explore that she just sort of touched on all of them as opposed to fleshing them out in depth. Perhaps she will pick them back up with the final installment which I will surely be reading.

I would like to note that while I am giving the over-all story 4 stars, the last 50 pages are 5 star worthy. I did not see that twist coming, at all. Well played Ms. Crane.
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Oct 02, 2011 Blanca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, lan-en, urban-fantasy, romance

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

1 like · like · see review

Mar 08, 2011 Lady Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, urban-fantasy, favorites, carolyn-crane

Okay... Have you ever read a book that was 'that good' and yet leaves you pissed off at the same time? That is how I feel about this book! The story is incredible, and the writing and the characters, but the ending...MAN!!.... talk about a friggn cliff-hanger!
So now I'm going to have to pine for the next book to come out (and it better come out soon)...waiting patiently to 'see' what the author's going to do next with these characters.
Can't wait... literally!

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Jan 06, 2011 Dominika rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is simply amazing. I think it's way better than the first installment. Maybe it took me some time to get used to the whole hypochondriac thing (it did annoy me in the beginning), or maybe it's just that I liked the plot so much better ;) There is suspence, there is romance... It's a great page turner. There are few elements of the plot that I could easily predict (though it didn't bother me at all) , but most of the time I was really surprised by the turn of events and simply couldn't...more

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May 11, 2013 Christi Snow rated it 5 of 5 stars

My Review:
OMG, OMG, OMG! I cannot believe the way that this book ended. OMG...so much twisted and changed in this book. I have to admit that I saw a lot of it coming, but still...OMG!

This book seemed more compact than the first book....not quite so many different story lines going on, but the effects of what did happen in this one are HUGE! Emotionally, I'm a bit shattered...not truly shocked, but wow...and honestly don't even want to take the time to write this review before I pick up book #3....more My Review:
OMG, OMG, OMG! I cannot believe the way that this book ended. OMG...so much twisted and changed in this book. I have to admit that I saw a lot of it coming, but still...OMG!

This book seemed more compact than the first book....not quite so many different story lines going on, but the effects of what did happen in this one are HUGE! Emotionally, I'm a bit shattered...not truly shocked, but wow...and honestly don't even want to take the time to write this review before I pick up book #3. OMG!

I'm thinking that Avery may have had it right that the high caps need to be stopped if this is the kind of power that they can wield. NOT good! And I don't want to post any spoilers so I'm probably just going to continue to stutter along here.

In this book, Justine is having more issues than normal with what Packard and Otto are asking her to do. She just doesn't feel that zinging her negative emotions into another person against their will, even to change their evil ways, is right. She's struggling with it throughout most of this book. And as always, there's the whole issue that she is doing this to people who have not been judged and convicted in court. It's only basically at the whims of one person that she does her job. That doesn't sit right with her and it never has, but circumstances are such that she's having more and more problems with it.

Then there's the men in her life...Otto and Packard, childhood friends who are now frenemies. They have a pseudo alliance in this book, and you know as the reader, that you are just waiting for the shoe to drop...and when it does...OMG, just be ready for the explosion.

I still continue to love Justine as a heroine. She's conflicted... on so many fronts and that makes her seem to be so much more than just a character in a book. She seems normal and I read her story and it's so easy to put myself in her place. Overall, it's really just a fun and brilliant series. I can't wait to see how Carolyn Crane finishes it off....I have a feeling it's going to be really, really good!

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Apr 14, 2013 Nymeria marked it as gave-up-on · review of another edition

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DNF

The second half of Mind Games made me cautiously excited for Double Cross but I was prudent enough to search for reviews and spoilers on the series as a whole before I got too far into the book.

And lucky I did, too.

After Mind Games, I had hopes of a series about a female lead doing her thing while being torn between two equally grey and three-dimensional characters. But reading spoilers told me that the author went the very conventional route of having one of them being evil.

No way am I rea...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was unbelievably hard for me to rate this one. The first 75% was about 1.5 stars but the last 25% of the book deserved 10freaking stars.

My biggest problem with this book was Justine. It was so frustrating listening to her blame everything on (view spoiler)...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Krissy rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Spoilers for Mind Games AND Double Cross in here; I'm bitching about details.

I gave the first book 4 stars, but I almost gave this book only one. It gets two because I zipped through to the end, NOT because it didn't suck.

In the first book, Justine's relationship with Cubby is more of a product of Justine's neurotic nature than an actual loving and honest relationship. This isn't hard to figure out even without Packard constantly calling her on it since Crane has all the subtlety of a Hallmark m...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Weak 3 stars. Characters are neat, but the plot and events didn’t do anything for me.

I was pleased and enjoyed the first book in the series. It had fresh ideas. But I wasn’t pulled into this book. My mind wanted to wander. I liked the characters. The problem was the plot. Bad guys are killing highcaps. Justine goes back and forth trying to decide if using her skill is the moral thing to do. She only used it once or twice in this book. I wanted more zinging. That was my favorite part in book 1. I...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Gabriela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, je-ne-sais-pas, power-play

It drives me insane when a book has both a sudden twist at the end AND a cliffhanger! Up the wall, I tell you, that's how I felt when I finished reading Double Cross.
At times during Mind Games I felt a certain need to strangle Justine into admitting her feelings for Packard but in Double Cross that need was maddening. Almost like I was zinged into it, you could say.

What to say.. Double Cross continues the plot of Mind Games in the same manner, with the same twisted plot line, relationship angst...more

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May 19, 2012 Kathy Davie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban

Second in the Disillusionists Trilogy urban fantasy series revolving around Justine Jones and her circle of "friends".

My Take
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy...oh boy. The betrayals in this are just...well, just disillusioning while Justine's whining is so incredibly annoying. Couldn't Crane have come up with something that wasn't so irritating?? And for someone as supposedly intelligent as Justine, don't you think she might kinda wonder why she's suddenly getting such cozy feelings about Ez? I mean, duh…...more

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Mar 30, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 5 of 5 stars

Written by OBS staff member Katie

‘Crane has me spiraling in to an addiction, that can only get worse.’

The first book in the Justine Jones trilogy was fantastic! But it has nothing on it’s sequel Double Cross.

Double Cross will take you on a crazy ride filled filled with ups, downs, spins, and twists. I don’t think I have ever been so emotionally confused in my life when reading. It’s almost like I became Justine, I have gotten so attached to the characters and their stories.

The whole book is like...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Felicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-read, kindlepurchase2010

**This will be a non-spoiler review so it is going to be general**

What I Loved: This story picked up pretty much right where Mind Games left off and just plowed straight forward with so much gusto that you had to hang on for one wild ride. Justine grew more into herself and began to understand who she was, what her limitations were, and more importantly what she was capable of (aka thinking on her own and trusting her instincts). Her emotional growth in this book was amazing. Packard/Otto/The Di...more

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About Carolyn Crane

Hi! Though I'm an author, I'm mostly here on Goodreads as a writer/reader, to focus on my fave books, sometimes to rave about them, other times go under the hood and think about what was really working for me. Thinking about what works in books is a way I improve as a writer. (Well, hopefully, anyway! LOL.)

So, I may seem like a pushover reviewer what with all 4 and 5 stars, but that's because I te...more

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Books by Carolyn Crane

Mind Games (The Disillusionists Trilogy, #1)

Head Rush (The Disillusionists Trilogy, #3)

Devil's Luck (The Disillusionists, #3.5)

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Quotes from Double Cross

“You think you're charging up that memory? Is that what you think? You are going to be so sorry when I dream about my experience of eating chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream yesterday. Now that was exciting.” — 10 people liked it

“Without warning, Packard reaches out--I think he's going to touch my cheek, but he slides his hand around the nape of my neck and pulls me to him, kissing me warm and strong, lips soft, breath like coffee. The kiss takes me by surprise. My whole body wants to follow deeper into him, but he pulls away, and we're looking into each other's eyes, and the moment stops. And everything seems to fall out beneath me.
"Good luck," he whispers.
"Packard--"
He opens the door. "It's okay."
I stare at the open door. It feels like a closed door. And I leave.” — 9 people liked it

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Double Cross (The Disillusionists #2)

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