Black Magic Woman

Few new authors can pull off multiple points of view with interwoven plotlines, but Justin Gustainis does a stellar job of creating a widely varied cast from both the good and bad guys with unique voices and stories to tell. "Black Magic Woman" begins when a curse is laid upon a family for testimony in against them in the Salem Witch Trials. The witness realizes she's got trouble when the surviving 8 year old daughter of the woman she's sent to the gallows makes the sign of black magic curse at her as she's being taken away. That curse continues on to the present day with a family being attacked magically. Quincey Morris and Libby Chastain are called in to help. Next, we have a South African police officer, Van Drennan, arriving in the US. He's here at the request of the FBI Behavioral Unit. They're tracking a serial killer of children, which seems to be related to South African black magic rituals. What the FBI doesn't know is that Van Drennan's daughter died in a 'muti' killing as well. Both these stories intertwine in an interesting fashion. Gustainis has a knack for keeping the action going. In addition, he supplies well-educated cultural details that make the narrative informative as well as riveting. If you're a fan of dark urban fantasy sharing a close border with horror you're going to enjoy "Black Magic Woman." Gustainis is a strong entry into the fantasy field and I'm hoping to hear more from him very soon.

I've been reading a lot of urban fantasies as of late. This one was different. Darker. Gritty in content and style. We have vampires, zombies, witchcraft, demons and voodoo. They're all tossed into a pot and stirred until they become one big steaming cauldron of goodness. The book starts out with three different storylines. At first, none of them seem connected. Characters are introduced that you wouldn't expect to be thrown together. You start to wonder if the author has lost his grasp on the story. Suddenly at the halfway point, light dawns and you see where he's leading you. Of course there are a lot of surprises tossed in to keep you on your reading toes, but they are welcome. I gobbled them up like leftovers at Thanksgiving. If you like urban fantasies and want something a little different, then give Quincy and his motley crew a try. I know I can't wait for the next book in the series to hit stores.

_Black Magic Woman_ by Justin Gustainis is one of the best contemporary fantasy novels I have read in a long time. It has great pacing, characters and plot. The book starts out fast, with the prologue taking place at the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials in 1692. From there we move to the present day, where our two main characters -- Quincey Morris and Elizabeth "Libby" Chastain -- are each running their own private supernatural consultant businesses. Quincey specializes in dealing with supernatural problems like demons, vampires, or angry ghosts. Libby is a white witch who focuses on magical issues and misuse or misrepresentation of mystical powers such as black magic, fake mediums and fraudulent preachers. They are good friends who have worked on cases together before, and this time it is Quincey who needs Libby's help defeating the curse placed on a family. There were A LOT of things I liked about _Black Magic Woman_: - Quincey and Libby are great characters. Both are interesting, have their own personalities and backstories, and their interactions are pleasant to read as well. - Even though there are a lot of secondary characters and a lot of subplots, it doesn't get confusing or boring, and everything is tied together at the end. - A lot of passing references to classic horror movies and novels. It's fun to see how Gustainis weaves these into the story. - References to current-day events, such as politics at the FBI, or some of the more intractable problems in post-Apartheid South Africa. - Gustainis did a lot of research on his subjects. In particular, lynch mobs attacking suspected sorcerers in Africa and "necklacing" them is something that really happens, and it was obvious Gustainis did a lot of background study before writing this book. At the same time, Gustainis has a light hand with his material and his writing never becomes boring or pretentious. - In particular, _Black Magic Woman_ stands out from a lot of recent dark urban fantasy in its treatment of gore and Christianity. Some authors in this genre have a tendency to spend A LOT of text on torture and pain, and treat Christianity as being either judgmental and overly rigid or hollow and materialistic. While _Black Magic Woman_ is definitely a crime thriller and a lot of ugly things happen during the book, Gustainis does NOT make the reader wade through pages and pages of blood and horror and bad guys lovingly describing their sadism. Also, the treatment of Christians, Christianity and Christian mysticism was very even-handed. - There are a lot of great story lines and great secondary characters which would all make interesting books in themselves. Do Quincey and Libby ever run into Barry Love in New York again? Does Fenton ever get sucked into more odd cases? Do we ever get to see Van Dreenan again? Regarding things I didn't like about _Black Magic Woman_ -- there wasn't much. I think one escape where our protagonists FLEW was a bit far-fetched, but that's the only major co

I've been looking for a truly good dark fantasy-type of book, and I'd just about given up hope until I came across Black Magic Woman. Gustainis' novel has it all - intrigue and suspense; some truly creepy moments; and dark, biting humor. What truly impressed me was how real Quincy and Libby seemed, not only on an individual basis, but in their interactions with each other. They're flawed people with good intentions and dry wit, which is always a good combination, in my view. The plot itself was original and fast-paced, and never predictable. This was one of the few books that I've read lately (and I've read quite a few, considering that I work in a bookstore) that I've truly enjoyed from start to finish, and I can't wait for the next installment in the series.

This is one heck of a book -- a take-no-prisoners great debut for Quincey and Libby, and I'm absolutely hooked. Dark and uncompromising, Gustainis's approach is one that combines noir, urban fantasy, and mainstream crime fiction into an absolutely bewitching brew. This isn't a fluffy read. It's got serious violence. It's got serious villains. But if you're looking for a great urban fantasy adventure, you can't go wrong with BLACK MAGIC WOMAN.