Book 25, 2021

Dog Days of Voodoo by G.A. Chase

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Last night, I finally polished off Dog Days of Voodoo, which is the first installment in GA Chase's "Malveaux Curse" mystery series. Story is told in third-person pov, and the perspective alternates between the main characters, Kendell and Myles.

Kendell is a barista and the lead guitarist for the girl band Polly Urethane and the Strippers. She's always been interested in the paranormal, and when she learns that Myles, a former classmate of hers, may have psychometric abilities, she looks him up and asks him to explain and demonstrate his talent. When visiting an antique shop in search of an item that Myles can read, they come across a small pipe tool that Myles is drawn to. From reading the object, Myles sees that a young girl died while handling it. Her death was ruled a suicide, but Myles isn't convinced she meant to kill herself. As Kendell and Myles begin asking questions about the tool, they come to the attention of some of New Orleans' less than savory denizens, one of whom steals Kendell's dog, Cheesecake. Now it's up to Kendell and Myles to rescue the dog and learn the truth behind the Malveaux Curse.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. I enjoyed the characterizations, the paranormal elements, and the burgeoning relationship between Kendell and Myles. However, the plot did not flow in a smooth fashion, there was precious little action except for their quest, and no overall resolution. This is just the first in a series, so we can expect more resolution in future installments. I hope.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Why do guys always think they can win females over just by offering us food?"
Works for me! :D
♦ "Do you really want your obituary to read 'He died covered in dog shit'?"

It was a fun story, but conflicts were resolved quickly and without much in the way of building suspense. Not a bad read, but nothing exceptional about it, either. Average score.