All across New Orleans, on one night each month, people are being snatched from their beds, their hearts left on their bloody sheets. Their family and loved ones are at a loss to explain how it happened right under their noses; even partners sleeping next to the victims aren’t woken when the victims are stolen away into the night. Detective Lawrence Ribaud’s wife is one such victim and this makes the investigation very personal to him.
It soon transpires that the disappearances are occurring on the night of the full moon and that voodoo, or at least a belief in voodoo, is in play. Ribaud is a cynic and doesn’t believe in the power of voodoo, but many of the people he interacts with do and as the investigation unfolds, he finds his scepticism challenged.
Voodoo Heart is an excellent book. It has a great sense of place and while I’ve never been to New Orleans myself, the author appears to know the city well; I really enjoyed how he took us behind the touristy kitsch that most visitors will only see. It is also full of a creepy atmosphere and is not for the feint hearted. Ribaud comes across some horrific things in this novel and there’s a lot of blood and guts.
If I have one criticism of Voodoo Heart, it’s that Ribaud’s police colleagues never mention his wife. This is a man whose wife is a victim of these horrific crimes, yet none of his colleagues, nor his boss, ask once about his wellbeing. No one asks how he’s holding up. And would he even be allowed to work the case, seeing as he’s so personally invested and thus maybe not thinking straight? Again, this is never addressed.
That said, this is a really good slice of Southern Gothic horror and is well worth a read.
4 out of 5 stars
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