Worth The Trip

Worth The Trip
Penny McCall

ebook, 336 pages
Published November 2nd 2010 by Penguin Group (USA)
ISBN 1101445238 (ISBN13: 9781101445235)

Behavioral psychologist Norah MacArthur leads a quiet, clinical, solitary life-until her con artist father is released from jail. FBI agent Trip Jones is sent to protect her and realizes that behind her psycho-babble and ugly suits there's something special-maybe a real life study in love.

This book is certainly a trip. One that I only ventured twenty percent into. I don't think I've ever had to describe a book's dialogue as fast paced before but damn these people talk a lot!

Norah is the daughter of a very successful thief who has ended up in prison. With his release imminent, she finds herself the target of men who are willing to do anything, even kill, to use her as collateral to learn the whereabouts of the hidden money and treasure. Enter FBI agent Trip who steals the show with a toes curling kiss on live TV, forcing a halt to a heated battle of author vs morning show host.

Trip seemingly comes out of nowheresville but Norah plays along. Until bickering with him every single second comes much easier.

“Never play mind games with a psychologist.”
“If someone comes at you with a gun you won’t have time to psychoanalyze them, Norah. Not that you’ll need to. Shoot first and ask questions later is a pretty straightforward concept.”
“You said they want to use me as leverage, not to kill me.”
“Yeah, but after a few seconds of conversation with you they’ll probably change their minds.”

So there were some things I liked.

“There’s nothing to do,” he said.
“There are eleven other rooms in this house.”
“I know. I’ve been in them all. I peeked in your closets, snooped in your medicine chests, and poked around in your bedroom.”
“You forgot to mention my underwear drawer.”
“I resisted that urge. The house is depressing enough. Getting a look at your unmentionables would kill the last bit of mystery, and if I found white cotton I’d have to shoot myself before I dropped dead from sheer boredom.”

And this story does have a good number of blindsides that are just odd and random. First, Trip has a constant comparison to Superman although Norah lacks the Lois Lane complex. Then Batman's boy wonder shows up when a guy dressed as Robin breaks into her house and Trip ends up getting beat up with a book.

Maybe it was all the speaking, but I often felt like I missed something. And then, there would be a part where I *know* I didn't just miss it, IT was never there. Perfect example between Jack and Aubrey:

“Aren’t there any rumors about me?”
“Of course, although not the same kind.”
“What kind are they?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“I hate this shit,” Jack said as they walked off. “You know I hate this shit. Tell me what the rumors are or there won’t be a later.”
“Now, Jack,” Aubrey said, reaching up to pat his cheek, “you should never withhold sex to make a point.”
“Who’s withholding sex? I was talking about my gun.”

I mean, WTF? Where was sex mentioned in that statement? And gun? How does that even fit? It was all a bunch of jumbled hooplah thrown in a bag, shook up, and dumped onto paper. It just need to calm down. Just a little. Or, you know, a lot. DNF