I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Voodoo Heart by John Everson Published by Flame Tree Press on October 20 2020
Genres: Adult, Thriller, Urban horror
Pages: 247
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A thoroughly entertaining mystery with an unappealing protagonist, Voodoo Heart was a fun read but ultimately a mixed bag for me.
I was eager to dive into this horror/noir mystery by the prolific John Everson, especially when I found out that the story is set in New Orleans and involves voodoo. Can a story be both fun to read but problematic as well? It turns out it can. Voodoo Heart was entertaining as hell, but unfortunately I had some issues.
New Orleans PD Detective Lawrence “Cork” Ribaud finds himself in the middle of a disturbing and bloody mystery: for the past few months, on the night of the full moon, residents of New Orleans have woken up in blood-soaked sheets to find their significant other missing. Even more horrific is the fact that at each crime scene, a human heart is found lying in the puddle of blood. The department is reluctant to call these crimes “murders” (because no bodies have been found), and so they’re calling them “disappearances,” even though DNA testing suggests the hearts belong to the missing people.
Cork has a personal connection to the crimes because his wife Amanda is one of the “missing.” Shortly before he himself woke up in a bloody bed, he discovered that Amanda was having an affair, but that didn’t take away the shock of the crime. Now Cork is on the case as the bodies (or rather, lack of) start to pile up, and even though the police don’t seem to have any leads, Cork suspects something dark might be at play. The crime scenes seem ritualistic in nature, so Cork decides to ask his friend Eleanor, a practitioner of voodoo, if she might have any ideas. Eleanor does not give up her secrets easily, but she sets Cork on a dangerous path that includes voodoo queens, snakes, blood sacrifices and curses.
Voodoo Heart has a gritty noir quality that I loved. Cork even talks like a grizzled, jaded detective who loves his city but understands its seedy underbelly and seems to take all its weirdness in stride. I loved the sultry atmosphere Everson created: the dark, hidden bars, the candlelit shops where tourists can buy voodoo charms and spells, the air of danger that seems to hang over the city. Cork loves his booze, and the reader becomes familiar with his favorite drinks, like Pappy Van Winkle bourbon and NOLA IPA. I always love little details like that! The story is told from Cork’s first person POV, and he has a wry, humorous way of looking at New Orleans:
I walked in on a vampire joke at the Two-Headed Horse. It happens a lot here, thanks to Anne Rice.
I also enjoyed the compelling mystery of the missing bodies and their connection to voodoo. Everson briefly goes into the history of New Orleans voodoo and it was fascinating. Cork is a skeptic and doesn’t believe in voodoo at all, so it was interesting to see him embroiled in a supernatural mystery, especially when he begins to witness things that he just can’t explain. There is quite a bit of graphic description of crime scenes and bodies, so do be aware if you’re the squeamish type.
But as much as I loved the dangerous vibe of Voodoo Heart, I did have some issues with the story, particularly with our main character Cork. Hmm, where do I start? Cork is a horny, hard drinking guy, with an emphasis on “horny.” He recently lost his wife, and yet he hooks up with no fewer than three or four different women in this book (I honestly lost track). Everson gives us the impression that the city of New Orleans is full of young, sexually charged men and women who drink and screw non stop (and maybe it is—I have never been there). In one memorable scene, he’s spying on a secret voodoo ritual in which all the members disrobe and dance naked in the firelight. Rather than the normal reaction of “oh shit I probably shouldn’t be watching this secret voodoo ritual where they are actually sacrificing a person maybe I should run away before anyone sees me,” Cork gives us a blow by blow rundown of the physical attributes of all the naked women, cause he’s such a horndog. I mean I guess I get it, he’s a guy, but characters who talk about women in terms of how “stacked” they are or using descriptions like “the landing strip of hair in the delta between her thighs” just make me gag. I also found Everson’s prose to be awkward at times, particularly during the many sex scenes in the book. Some lines like “I could feel her orgasm approaching” just made me laugh out loud!
I also had a few issues with the way the police department handled the disappearances/murders. So when the story opens, these crimes have been happening for about three or four months, and on the full moon each time. And yet no one has made any headway on solving the mystery, even though they have a heads-up as to when the next group of murders is going to happen. And there doesn’t seem to be any crime scene protocol in place AT ALL. Cork wanders onto the scene, steps in blood, and steals evidence. He rarely reports to his police chief but instead does his own investigating by digging up the names of dangerous voodoo practitioners and questioning them with no finesse at all. He also misses clues that I caught right away and I’m not even a detective! Oops I thought I was done talking about Cork, guess not…
I was hoping for a strong finish so I could bump my rating up a bit, but unfortunately the resolution of the murders was rushed and the story ended way too abruptly. I had one of those “Wait, that’s it??” moments when I got to the end, which left me puzzled and vaguely unsatisfied. Still, I have to give props to the author for a fast-paced, entertaining story, and many other reviewers are giving Voodoo Heart four and five star ratings, so do check it out if it sounds like your thing.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Good review. I think your criticisms about the police procedural aspects of the book are fair from what you’ve pointed out.
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…A Week of Halloween Haikus
Their entire police department was a mess, and I have a hard time believing that a city with so much crime wouldn’t have a better police force.
Well, Cork sounds like a GREAT guy LOL
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Wisdom of Blood by A.G. Howard
Ha ha maybe for some women but not for me, lol.
I am sorry this book wasn’t so good as you were hoping! I was curious about it but there was something that deterred me, even if I have read some interesting positive reviews. I can’t point my finger on something but I wasn’t completely sold and reading your review I think that I would find a lot of the things you mentioned annoying. Especially Cork. And it is a shame because at the beginning of your review he was so interesting!!
I really liked Cork in the beginning, but as the story progressed he started to bug me more and more…
Ah, the mixed bags are the hardest to review. Glad to know the mystery part was compelling.
Debjani recently posted…Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton – Review | Blog Tour
Yes, and despite all my complaints, I still had a fun time:-)
Voodoo and New Orleans often go hand in hand in the realm of imagination, so I can understand how this story might have been appealing – it would be for me as well, especially where you speak of the “seedy underbelly” of the city, but the kind of protagonist you describe would make me throw the book against the nearest wall in anger and frustration!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…BATTLESTAR GALACTICA REWATCH: Miniseries (2003) – #SciFiMonth
I think you can write a “seedy” character but do a better job, instead of just making him so sex crazed. It’s like he didn’t have any other layers.
I have only read one book by this author The House by the Cemetery and with what you said I am beginning to think that must be how this author likes to right his male characters, horny. It was what put me off of the story and I gave it two stars and have been afraid to try another one…lol. I really want to try this one but at least I am forewarned!!!
I just didn’t like the way the women were only there to have sex with him. Just not my favorite thing to read about:-/
Urg! ‘Stacked’? ‘Landing strips’??? I was wading through prose like that in the 80s and 90s – nope. Not going there. Kudos to you for having the patience to stick it out, Tammy. And if it’s a police procedural (and if you have a police protagonist investigating a crime, that’s essentially what it is…) then the procedure HAS to be right. If the protagonist was working in a store and started throwing the goods at customers, instead of ringing them up on the till and packing them – we readers would soon complain! Thank you for a very fair-minded review that has clearly warned me that I wouldn’t enjoy it. And that’s the other vital job book reviewers do, too:)).
Exactly! The procedural elements really bothered me, even more than the awful character of Cork! There were just too many inconsistencies in the way the investigation was handled. I know the author wasn’t focusing on that part of the story, but I wish he had worked a little harder to make it feel more believable.
I suppose I should like this cuz I’m a guy, and I have nothing against landing strips… 🙂 But I suspect I’ll be skipping this one, just not the sort of read I’m looking for. Very entertaining review, though!
Ha ha, thanks Todd!
You’re reading all kinds of cool horror I’ve never heard of before and it’s great! Too bad this one didn’t work better though. Funny enough, I don’t think I’d mind the horniness if it’s part of the character (though the screwing multiple women after just losing his wife is kind of scummy, but was it implying it was a coping mechanism?) However, it’s the awkward writing tat is a big no-no, because that just pulls me right out!
There were just multiple issues I had so the character of Cork, who I really didn’t like at all, was the last straw for me, lol.
A lot of Everson’s male characters come across the same way as Cork. Not sure why but I’ve just come to expect it.
Good to know, I would still like to try another of his books. Maybe if I go in knowing what kind of characters he writes…
Yikes. That protagonist sure isn’t applying to be a model hero, huh hahah Great honest review, Tammy! I like the idea behind this book but feel like I’ll have similar issues too hahah!
Lashaan Balasingam recently posted…My Broken Mariko by Waka Hirako
Thanks Lashaan, yeah this one definitely had a character that was tough for me:-)
Sorry this one didn’t quite work all the way for you. An abrupt ending can really ruin things. Hope your next read is better!