Voodoo Heart by John Everson

Release: October 20th, 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Source: Flame Tree Publishing
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N

Detective Lawrence Ribaud wakes alone in a bloody bed with his wife missing. Then he knows this is more than just a mysterious case of murder. Not to mention, his wife is the latest victim in a string of bizarre disappearances. All across New Orleans, on one night each month, people are vanishing, leaving behind nothing but a pool of blood on the bedsheets… and an abandoned heart. Ribaud doesn’t believe in voodoo, but he soon finds himself moving through the underbelly of a secret society of snakes, sacrifices, and obscene rituals in search of the mysterious Black Queen … and the curse of her Voodoo Heart.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

About the Author:

John Everson is a staunch advocate for the culinary joys of the jalapeno and an unabashed fan of the 1970s European horror cinema. He is also the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Covenant and its two sequels, Sacrifice and Redemption, and his latest, Voodoo Heart. Other novels include The Pumpkin Man, Siren, The 13th, and the spider-driven Violet Eyes .

Over the past 25 years, his short fiction has appeared in more than 75 magazines and anthologies. He received a number of critical accolades, including frequent Honorable Mentions in the Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror anthology series. His story “Letting Go” was a Bram Stoker Award finalist in 2007 . “The Pumpkin Man” was included in the anthology All American Horror: The Best of the First Decade of the 21st Century. In addition to his own twisted worlds, he has also written stories in shared universes, including The Vampire Diaries and Jonathan Maberry’s V-Wars series as well as for Kolchak: The Night Stalker and The Green Hornet.

His short story collections include Cage of Bones & Other Deadly Obsessions, Needles & Sins, Vigilantes of Love and Sacrificing Virgins.
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Voodoo Heart Review:

This story is creepy, twisted, horrific, and SO awesome!

To begin with, I loved the author’s style of writing. The author writes the story in a noir styled manner that immediately makes it stand out. As soon as I started reading it, the tale felt like watching Humphrey Bogart mixed with American Horror Story. As I love classic noir films and horror, reading this book was a treat!

The plot glued to the pages as Detective Ribaud tries to solve the mystery of the serial killings. There are a lot of characters Cork meets along the way like Eleanor, Renee, Rowan, and Desiree. Each stands out in their manner. Moreover, the author puts in many twists and turns that you don’t know where the story is heading. The climax didn’t turn out the way I thought it was, and I admired the author for his unique storytelling.

Many scenes stood in the story, like Cork walking in on the cult during the ritual or when he meets Madeline. Some of the scenes are pretty graphic, so I would not recommend it for the faint of heart. You have gory deaths, deformed bodies, voodoo chants, hexes, and secret cults practicing demonic rituals. Moreover, I do not know much about voodoo, except for the dolls that we see in pop culture. But I was interested in the various faces of voodoo practices that the author mentions. It sparked my curiosity to further research on the topic.

Also, this is the first book I read by the author, and I held on to his every word. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it.