Release Date: November 1, 2011
Series: A Mind for Murder #1
Buying Links: Amazon The Book Depository
Book Blurb:
When Liz Cooper's friend Robin Bloom finds an unusual tarot card tacked to her front door, Liz writes it off as a prank. Robin refuses to ignore the omen—her late husband drew the same card, the three of swords, in a reading the night before he was killed in a car accident. As more cards and darker threats appear, Liz realizes someone very dangerous is upping the ante.
Liz turns to her brother's ex-college roommate, occult expert Nick Garfield. As Nick leads her into the voodoo community to locate the origin of the deck, she can't ignore their attraction to each other. Then a woman is found murdered and Robin becomes the prime suspect. Determined to clear her friend, Liz joins forces with Nick to unravel otherworldly secrets and seek help from beyond—or risk being outwitted by a cunning killer...
Teaser:
Jarrett scowled at me, his mouth set. "I need to talk to you." "I'm talked out." I took his arm and led him outside. He held up Aunt Minnie's pie plate. "This was a wedding gift?" I nodded. Jarrett raised the plate over his head with both hands and smashed it onto the concrete. Then he got into his car and drove off.My Thoughts:
I've read other books with voodoo as a story element but this book has a different take on it. I don't know enough about voodoo to know if the information given is accurate or if Staab took liberties, but it's an interesting take and Staab explores different forms and variants. The differences between them are crucial to the storyline, so pay attention!
"Who Do, Voodoo?" has interesting main and supporting characters, though Liz's mom was annoying. If she appears in all of the books, I may have to skip over her parts. She's written as a nag, a worry wart, determined to reunite Liz with her ex-husband despite Liz's utter lack of interest, she's a bit pompous; in short, not someone I waste time with in real life and I've no desire to waste any of my reading time on her.
The other supporting characters - Lulu, Henry, and Osaze, are more enjoyable. Lulu is out of the picture after this book but the others should be back. The leads, Nick, Liz, Robin, and Dave are written distinctly and are engaging. Liz is not a believer in the paranormal, the occult, or even religion. Her brother's friend Nick, a religious professor, is more willing to believe. While Liz starts out skeptical she gradually changes her mind during the book:
"Have faith, Liz," Nick said. "Let your intuition guide you. Thinking and plotting cloud your instincts."
"Now I know the world is upside down-I;m talking about spell books and you're playing psychologist."Staab gives us some red herrings and some twists and turns, the story is a little slow at times, but overall, it's an engaging story with a solid mystery. I guessed who the killer was but it took me most of the story. to figure it out. The mix of detective work and the paranormal is well done, and it makes for different sort of cozy mystery. It's heavier on the mystery and the character development than it is on the paranormal but the paranormal will crop up again I'm pretty sure. It's a good start to a new series.
I received a paperback from the publisher for review.
