Bruja Brouhaha by Rochelle Staab

First Line: Nick Garfield, my boyfriend and college professor of mainstream, arcane, and bizarre forms of religion, took four chunks of unshelled coconut from the Santeria altar and set them in my hand.

Practical psychologist Liz Cooper and occult professor Nick Garfield are celebrating the sixtieth wedding anniversary of their hosts, Paco and Lucia Rojas, devout Santeria practitioners who own the historic Botanica Rojas near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. The evening turns to tragedy for the small group of friends when Paco is killed in a drive-by shooting.

Lucia, completely devastated by her loss, blames the locals for the growing crime in the area, and she casts a hex on the neighborhood. Strange things begin to happen, accidents are on the rise, and Lucia's neighbors begin calling her "bruja" (witch). They turn on the elderly woman who's always been their friend, and they want her gone.

With the way the locals are behaving, Lucia is definitely in harm's way, and it's up to Liz and Nick to solve Paco's murder before anything happens to Lucia.

I often hear talk of a "sophomore slump" when referring to the second books in series. These second books allegedly tend to be weaker than the first, but that most certainly is not the case with Bruja Brouhaha. Two minor annoyances in the first book were not present in the second (Liz's preoccupation with the color and application of her lipstick, and her mother trying to get Liz back with her alcoholic ex-husband), and I quickly settled down to a very enjoyable read.

The Santeria religion is an interesting one, and I wish there'd been a little more about it in the book, but Staab does an excellent job of showing the behavior of its practitioners and how their beliefs color their perceptions. This series is not a paranormal one; the author focuses on a little-known religion in each book, giving a bit of its history and how it is used by its followers. This allows Nick to flex his professorial muscles while Liz puts her knowledge of psychology to good use.

I liked seeing how a group of people banded together to help a grieving, elderly friend while they still kept their own lives going. Liz, for example, gets notice that she has to move out of her condo, so on top of job and Lucia, she's got that worry to contend with.

I found that I could spot the villain(s) in the book rather quickly; what I couldn't do was piece everything together to know the why. I found myself reading faster and faster in a fruitless effort to figure things out before Liz and Nick. I've grown to enjoy the company of those two; I love learning about little-known religions; and I love watching Liz's mind for murder solve a mystery. When's the next book?

Bruja Brouhaha by Rochelle Staab 

Berkley Prime Crime ©2012
ISBN:  9780425251492
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Genre: Cozy/Amateur Sleuth, #2 Mind for Murder mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Author

Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab

First Line: "Wait until the third date to fool around?"

Clinical psychologist Liz Cooper has a practice in Los Angeles and one of those annoying mothers who loves tarot cards (and Liz's snake of an ex-husband). Liz is pre-programmed not to believe in the occult or the supernatural, but when someone keeps tacking tarot cards to her best friend's door and that friend is later jailed on suspicion of murder, Liz has to set her preconceptions aside to help save her friend.

The best way to do that is to team up with her brother's friend, college professor Nick Garfield who's an expert in the occult. Liz's search for the truth turns dangerous when more people begin to die. Could there really be anything to this voodoo stuff?

Liz Cooper is a strong, calm, likable woman whose only real handicaps seem to be her mother and brother. Nick Garfield is handsome, available and definitely shows interest in the psychologist, but between Liz's mother preferring her ex and her brother not wanting his friend to be romantically involved with his sister, do Liz and Nick have any sort of future?

Liz has been friends with Robin for most of her life, and it's admirable how she (almost literally) puts everything else aside to fight to prove her friend's innocence. The new detective who's got the case is focusing on the obvious to the exclusion of all else, and Liz's brother-- who's also a member of the Los Angeles Police Department-- isn't doing much better. However, in Liz's fight to get Robin out of jail, she does cross the line a few times, which could put the police investigation in jeopardy.

Liz's friend, Robin, comes off as a well-meaning but easily distracted person who can't seem to believe that what is happening to her is real. Liz gives her excellent advice which Robin refuses to take several times-- to the point where the reader may begin to think that this woman is really going to wind up in prison.

For those of you who shy away from books with a paranormal slant, there's really no reason to stay away from this one. There's extremely little hocus-pocus or things that go bump in the night. However, there is quite a bit of information about voodoo and similar religious beliefs that are commonly associated with it, and for that reason alone I found the book very interesting to read.

What will keep me coming back for more are Staab's characters, Liz and Nick. They are an attractive couple with plenty of smarts and good chemistry between them. I like how they solved their first case and look forward to others.

Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab

ISBN: 9780425244593

Berkley Prime Crime ©2011

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Genre: Cozy Mystery, #1 Mind for Murder

Rating: B

Source: Paperback Swap