Review | Evil Ways by Justin Gustainis (Solaris)

Almost a year after the events in Black Magic Woman we rejoin Quincey Morris as he's doing a little private investigating. This turns up some interesting information, and when Agent Fenton of the FBI gets in contact about a range of murders similar to those they had investigated the previous year it is clear that something deeper is going on. Not only this, but it turns out Agent Fenton's new partner is, unbeknownst to him, more than meets the eye: a white witch.

When Libby Chastain is the victim of an attempted murder in her own apartment she starts to worry what is going on - not many people should have been able to get past her protections, especially not the goons that did. Unknown to her is the fact that this is happening across the country to many white witches in the sisterhood. As events start to converge it is clear that all on the side of good must pull together to stop evil prevailing.

Walter Grobius, the mega rich billionaire, is dying. After being foiled the previous year in his attempts to gather the vital ingredients that will help in giving him eternal life, he is now relying on Pardee, a black magician of great power, to give a successful conclusion to what could be his last chance. While Pardee prepares for the event on the blackest night in memory - a full mooned Walpurgis Night - Quincey, Libby and company are quickly putting the pieces of the puzzle together - but will it be in time?

Last month I read Black Magic Woman (review), the first book in the Quincey Morris/Libby Chastain series. I loved it. Not only was the book a page turner, it had great characters and I didn't feel out of my depth at all reading outside my usual comfort zone of sci-fi. I had Evil Ways sitting on the shelf when I finished BMW, but I decided to hang off for few weeks before jumping into it - I wanted to know that I had a book on my shelf that had great promise and I knew I would enjoy. Joining company again with Quincey, Libby and a few other familiar faces was a welcome treat - it felt like rejoining a group of friends.

Although the series is named after Quincey and Libby, Agent Fenton also makes a reappearance here, and not just a small one. By recruiting Quincey onto the FBI payroll as a consultant in the case it felt much more like it was heading towards a small team that tackles the bad guys, rather than the lonely hero, or even duo. Add to this the fact that Fenton's new partner, Colleen O’Donnell, is a white witch that is hiding her abilities from him, we have a great cast of characters involved in an interesting and gripping plot.

The location is also an interesting part of the story because it's not set in one place. Although this could be a hindrance to many novels it works perfectly here, from Iraq to Chicago (and the pub of another famous wizard) we get a good description and a good feel of the places we visit. This also puts the characters in the position of not having a regular office or home and in that slightly uncomfortable situation of nowhere to go when it hits the fan. Again, this really helps with the story and the sense of danger involved - not that it needs anything extra when the bad guys can break down the protections of the white witches wherever they are.

This brings me to the central point of the story and the very real, credible threat facing the sisterhood. Gustainis pulls it off remarkably well and the tension I felt when bad things started to happen really kicked the story into another gear. The descriptiveness employed in the telling of this story not only keeps the narrative flowing amazingly well, it also brings a vivid picture to mind with some of the more spectacular scenes.

Bottom line, this is a book that I not only enjoyed, but has reinforced the fact that I'll be a fan of Quincey and Libby for life and I'll eagerly await the next addition to this great series. Highly recommended!

Overall rating: 9/10

Visit Justin Gustainis' website here and that of his publisher, Solaris, here.
Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Play.com, The Book Depository