Black Magic Woman

I was disappointed by this book, after looking forward to it due to a Jim Butcher blurb. I don't know what he saw in it. The early parts of the book introduced so many plots and characters in different timelines I couldn't keep them straight until halfway through. The latter half interweaves them more successfully, but I found the denouement flat. Beyond the plot, the writing itself was clunky. It could have benefited from a good copy editor who might have removed some of the clichés and digressions. The world creation (witches, demons etc.) was neither particularly original nor well conceived. I slogged through it to the end in principle, but all in all, a waste of time. Though I enjoy both occult novels and series books, I doubt if show more I'll seek out any of the sequels. show less

Because I seem to love reading things out of order, I have already done a review of Justin's second book in this series, Evil Ways. In this book, we are introduced to Quincy Morris a sort of psychic investigator/problem solver, Libby Chastain his white witch friend and partner, as well as Dale Fenton an FBI agent, in the Behavioral Science unit. Each one of these characters has a very unique part to play in the story.

Someone is killing children by removing their organs while they are still alive. Dale is desperate to find out who is responsible and so he manages to secure the help of a South African cop from the Occult Crime Unit named Van Dreenan. At first their relationship is simply based on the respect that someone gives a fellow show more professional, but over time and experience, a level of trust is developed between the men. Dale realizes that he must learn to give credence to the possibility of the supernatural and he learns from Van Dreenan not only how real magic is, but that it can have deadly consequences.

My main issue with this story is that a significant section of the plot involved a White South African cop hunting down a Black African woman, who was a violent muti murderer. In an extreme display of White male privilege on page 80 Van Dreenan says, "Apartheid was what it was. Neither of us can change history. And now it is gone. And neither of us need mourn it's passing". Speaking about apartheid so cavalierly and then quickly dismissing it's ongoing effects, is a sign of White privilege. Though there is a burgeoning Black middle class, much of the division of wealth in South Africa still means that Blacks are largely impoverished, despite being in the majority. An evil as great as apartheid should never be so easily dismissed, and while Van Dreenan may not mourn its passing, at no time did he acknowledge his personal gains because of it, much like many White Americans continue to fail to realize that though slavery ended some time ago, that they still benefit from unpaid labour of African-American slaves. You see, without infusion of African labour, the U.S. would not be the powerhouse that it is today, nor would these White South Afrikaners be able to live in such relative comfort, juxtaposed to the Black native population. Saying "it was what it was," allowed Whites to simply confess their crimes in the Truth and Reconciliation commission, while Blacks received no justice. How can it be a thing of the past, when justice has yet to be served? Fenton, the Black American cop does not even bother to call him out on his privileged language. When need not make a statement of agreement; silence is enough to imply acceptance.

Read more show less

Black Magic Woman, by Justin Gustainis, is first in the new Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigation series.

Quincey Morris is not exactly a detective per se, but more of a consultant on the supernatural. Have a problem with vampires, ghosts, or curses? Quincey is well-qualified with plenty of experience. And as descendant of one of the men who helped Van Helsing destroy the legendary Count Dracula, Quincey comes from a lineage of experts on the supernatural.

When a man comes to Quincey for help with something unseen that's been attacking his family, Quincey soon realizes that the family is cursed. He, then, turns to Libby Chastain to assist him. Libby has expertise in this area, as she's a witch. A white witch to be exact. And a black show more witch has it out for this family, intent on killing them all. As Quincey and Libby investigate the source of the attacks, they put themselves in danger and under the wrath of the vengeful black witch.

This was an exciting urban fantasy, comparable to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, though a bit more explicit with darker themes. Quincey Morris is a thoroughly enjoyable character. And I'm hoping that he and Libby get fleshed-out more in the next installment. More description seemed to go into the minor character of a supernatural detective from South Africa whose story runs parallel to Quincey's. The subplot did weave well into the main storyline of the vengeful witch. But I have to say that the ending was somewhat anti-climactic for me. I was expecting a big, action-packed showdown, which didn't happen.

Fans of the genre will certainly enjoy this story. Gustainis doesn't skimp on creepy zombies and demented demons. Quincey and Libby face these and more in this fun new series. show less

An entertaining enough and fast-paced holiday read. Not particularly sophisticated and not a masterpiece but the author has you reading until the end and his obvious sincerity about the craft of writing makes you warm to the tale.

One thing to his credit - he is up to the mark on current occult lore: the story revolves in part around the very real problem of African black withcraft, the Wiccan heroine (in a team of two) is a very positive role model amongst all the black magic, 'voudon' is adequately if rather negatively drawn and the 'Satanists', when they appear, are seen as charlatans, naughty rather than evil. He gets in vampires, succubi, demons and serial killing and the story moves from city to city without you noticing the show more joins.

There are more stories on the way about supernatural investigator Quincey Morris and white witch Libby Chastain. Would I read them? Yes but only if I really had nothing else to do and I needed to forget the seriousness of real life in dark fantasy. show less

Gustainis introduces his characters with finely drawn back stories revealed through intriguing scenes. Even evil characters have backgrounds as well as surprises, but there’s no question at all that evil is wrong. “Believers” and “non-believers” struggle to collaborate, communicate and coexist as the plot thickens. And America’s own Salem witches follow the paths laid out in history, while a white south-African policeman offers aid to the FBI.

I really enjoyed the interplay of Gustainis’ characters, the slow revealing of secrets, and the final surprises in this book. Gustainis has created something really intriguing, and I can imagine searching for his future books just as eagerly as I already look for Jim Butcher’s show more Dresden Files. If you like Harry Dresden, or if you’re looking for a grown-up Hermione Grainger, this is the book for you. show less

Rating: 4.5 stars

This was a great urban fantasy. The world Gustainis creates is very near our own but witches and curses are real. So are vampires and werewolves and zombies. The world was well-drawn and very realistic.

Quincy Morris is a descendant of one of the people who killed Dracula. His family has been hunting the monsters for generations. He works as a consultant when people have problems that traditional routes have failed to solve. He often calls in Libby Chastain as a consultant when he needs questions answered by a practicing white witch.

This case has them trying to end a curse that has been cast on a family. It looks like the roots of the curse date back all the way to the Salem Witch Trials. They travel around the US trying to get a lead show more on the black witch who is trying to get revenge for actions taken against an ancestor.

Following the case from a different angle are FBI Special Agent Dale Fenton and Detective Sergeant Garth Van Dreenan from South Africa. Van Dreenan has come on the trail of a African black witch who is kidnapping and killing children to harvest their organs. Fenton and Van Dreenan and following her trail and Van Dreenan, who believes in magic, is trying to convince Fenton that it is all real.

The book is filled with action and great characters. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more stories about Morris and Chastain. show less