Black Magic Woman (Quincey Morris, Book 1)
by Justin Gustainis
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Book Summary Information
Author: Justin GustainisEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-01-05
ISBN: 184416618X
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Solaris
Book Reviews of Black Magic Woman (Quincey Morris, Book 1)
Book Review: Geez, wicked witches sure can hold a grudge
Summary: 4 Stars
There's a glut, definitely, of novels being generated in the genre of dark urban fantasy, and it's pretty hard now to keep track of them. I approached BLACK MAGIC WOMAN with sort of a jaded eye because, honestly, I've already got a high pile of stuff similar to what's in this book. But this is a really good and rapid read. The writer Justin Gustainis is a relative newcomer, having published one terrific horror novel The Hades Project and a spate of short stories. In fact, the first chapter of BLACK MAGIC WOMAN started out as a short story titled "A Fistful of Fangs" in the anthology THE GHOSTBUSTERS: VAMPIRE HUNTERS. For those who dig vampires (me, I'm pretty vampired out), note that this first chapter doesn't really have much to do with the main story arc. But it does establish the series's dark tone and establishes one other thing.
We immediately suss out that the central character, occult investigator and consultant Quincey Morris, not only is a direct descendant of that very same Texan featured in Bram Stoker's classic novel but that this Quincey Morris is merely human. This right away stands him apart from most of the protagonists proliferating the urban fantasy genre. Morris isn't a wizard like Harry Dresden, or a hero vampire like Jack Fleming, or a necromancer like Anita Blake, and so on. Ever since the original Quincey Morris stood with Van Helsing against that fearsome Transylvanian count, his descendants have followed in his footsteps, have done their share of holding back the dark. The modern day Quincey Morris knows a thing or two about the paranormal world, can handle himself against the myriad magical sinister critters plaguing our world. So his biggest assets are his knowledge of the occult, his wits, and his courage. His lack of magical abilities make him a really appealing character.
After the vampire-centric first chapter, we get to the meat of the plot as Morris and his occasional case partner, the white witch Libby Chastain, are contracted to look into and stymie what seems to be poltergeists haunting a family household. But, as usual with these things, there's more going on than what's on the surface and it's more sinister than mere poltergeists. It all stems from a supernatural vendetta dating back to the Salem witch trials, and Morris and Libby soon find themselves fending off black magic attacks from a powerful witch who knows how to nurse a centuries-long grudge.
There's a separate story running thru these pages. Concurrent to Morris's investigations, an FBI agent and a police investigator from the South African Occult Crimes Unit have teamed up reluctantly to look into a spree of vicious serial killings, with children as the victims. The South African policeman is an interesting character, and my feeling is that Gustainis plans to bring him back in a future book. I guess the one disappointing element in this book for me is that there isn't much interaction among the characters of both story arcs, and so at the end there's this feel of incompleteness, a lack of cohesiveness. These two story threads could almost have been told on separate novels.
BLACK MAGIC WOMAN is a terrific book to launch a paranormal series. Justin Gustainis gets you immediately in sync with his two lead characters, and he does this smoothly. There really aren't any angsty quirks to lend "character" to Quincey or Libby. Neither seems to be psychologically tortured. They accept who they are. Both come off simply as two decent people doing their best to help people in need. Not so much with the romantic melodrama, either, as Quincey and Libby seem to have a platonic working relationship only, although they do genuinely care for each other. It also helps that there isn't needless exposition thrown in, and, sure, it's a factor that the venue happens to be our own ordinary world (but a world with hidden corners). But there isn't a need for intricate world building, and so the narrative is allowed to unfold at a crisp pace and with minimum fuss.
The incidental characters are promising and, again, as with the FBI agent and the South African investigator, it seems very likely that we'll see more of them in future installments. Barry Love is a P.I. who's had his own dealings with the occult, and he already seems to have his own back story going. Meanwhile, there's a shadowy figure skulking about and he's toiling away to advance his end-of-the-world shenanigans.
The writer doesn't only focus on wiccan stuff. The secondary thread features voodoo, with particular attention to nasty fetish magic. Meanwhile, if you're jonesing for supernatural beasties, no worries. Gustainis trots out an assembly of demons, zombies, a werewolf, and even a succubus, all bent on taking out Quincey and Libby. But I like that the big showdown with the big bad witch doesn't follow a conventional path.
Based on BLACK MAGIC WOMAN, its sequels Evil Ways (Morris & Chastain Investigations) and the upcoming SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL should be must-read stuff. But I'm impressed with Justin Gustainis enough that I also plan on checking out HARD SPELL, whenever that sucker comes out. HARD SPELL is Gustainis's new supernatural alternate-Earth series featuring some Detective Sergeant named Stan Markowski of Scranton P.D. My pile of dark urban fantasy books keeps growing.
Summary of Black Magic Woman (Quincey Morris, Book 1)
Supernatural investigator Quincey Morris and his partner, white witch Libby Chastain, are called in to help free a desperate family from a deadly curse that appears to date back to the Salem Witch Trials. To release the family from danger they must find the root of the curse, a black witch with a terrible grudge that holds the family in her power.
The pursuit takes them to the mysterious underworlds of Boston, San Francisco, New Orleans and New York, stalking a prey that is determined to stay hidden. After surviving a series of terrifying attempts on their lives, the two find themselves drawn inexorably towards Salem itself and the very heart of darkness.
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