The Thing About Love by Julie
James is a believable mystery whose strengths is the character
interaction. Presenting both the male and the female differing
points of view of certain events will remind readers of the
classic book, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John
Gray. Beyond that, this novel combines a mysterious plot,
some romance, and a realistic look at the undercover world
of FBI Agents.
During their training rookie FBI agents Jessica Harlow and
John Shepherd are constantly butting heads. Following misinterpreted
motives and misunderstandings they became fierce competitors.
After graduating they both go their separate ways, until six
years later when they are picked to work together as partners
on an undercover assignment. Being paired with a former rival
comes at the worst time since Jessica is finalizing a divorce
and John has just broken up with his long-time girlfriend.
Their assignment is to nail a Florida politician for taking
bribes.
Throughout the story, readers learn some very interesting
facts about the life of an FBI undercover agent. Realizing
there is a similar analogy, James noted, "I wrote how
those trying out for the HRT, the Hostage Rescue Team, are
recruited from the military, for me, the civilian equivalent
to the Special Forces. An FBI undercover agent interviewed
told me how in his class there were only two females, which
I put in the story. I researched the army and FBI on their
websites as well as public forums. I knew that John, who was
an Army Ranger, would whiz through the physical stuff and
the firearm challenges. Also, I wanted to show how undercover
work is hard on relationships. Jessica and John had a failed
relationship because the other person could not handle the
mental toll or the lifestyle. Both were gone a significant
amount of time, while their main focus was on the case. Since
they could not talk about it the other person feels blocked
out to a whole part of their life."
The main character Jessica a petite woman of 5'3, feels she
must prove herself in a man's world, being only one of two
in the class of forty-one. A powerful quote about her feelings
while training in Quantico hammers the point home, "As
a female in a profession where over eighty percent of her
colleagues were men and an even greater percentage of her
supervisors… getting others to see her not as a ‘female
special agent' but as a special agent who happened to be a
woman." The statistic of 20% women in the FBI compares
to the 15% women in the US military. Yet, in both fields,
the women never downplay their gender.
The author noted, “She wants just to be viewed as a
Special Agent like anyone else, capable of doing the job.
She is not pretending to be one of the guys and yes, is proud
of being a woman. I think she wants to make sure she is not
excluded from a case because of her sex. Yet, in some cases
using her femininity could be an advantage. The book is about
her proving herself, and I made sure not to put any scenes
where she is viewed as a damsel in distress.”
Although learning about and understanding the profession was
intricate to the story, a Julie James novel will always have
competitive, elegant, and witty-smart characters. This book
is no different, having the characters initially appearing
to be as different as night and day. Jessica is from Stanford
law school. John, a former Army Ranger, is handsome and athletic
with a commanding, masculine impression. The banter between
the FBI training recruits enhances the story, as they give
each other quips, sarcasm, and dirty looks. Their personality
clash has a lot to do with the competitive nature of each.
But through the course of the novel the realization takes
place that there is mutual respect and their quips become
talk, the sarcasm becomes laughter and joking, and the dirty
looks become desire. They also begin to realize they are similar
in many ways determined, committed to their work, confident,
and honorable.
James commented, “Regarding the banter, I do love the
sarcasm. I go back to the black and white romantic comedies
like the Philadelphia Story, where a man and a woman can have
something happen where the guy and the gal see it in completely
different ways. Pretty early on I decided to have a he said/she
said chapter.”
This is a classic romantic mystery. There is plenty of humor
and action with well-developed characters that are likable
and relatable. The witty, snappy dialogue adds to the story
and creates a wonderful chemistry between the characters.
If this will be your first James book it should not be your
last.
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