I won this book through First-Reads!

Someone before me shelved this book under the heading of "cozy-mystery"... I think that pretty much describes this book to a tee. This is the second book in the series (the first being [b:Who Do Voodoo|10740056|Who Do, Voodoo? (A Mind For Murder Mystery #1)|Rochelle Staab|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311280197s/10740056.jpg|15651065]) and although I'm unfamiliar with the first book, that didn't cause me too much difficulty in reading this one.

Basically, a professor of Comparative Religion and a Psychologist are dating one another and get wrapped up in a complex case of murder and desirable real estate when their mutual friend, Paco, is killed. The police aren't making much headway on the case, and when Paco's widow hexes the town things get far nastier, as everyone blames her for whatever ills come to pass.

The writing is good, and the plot moves fast. The information bandied about regarding Santeira and its history was certainly fascinating, and the book is not without humor. The mystery itself was pretty good, although certain aspects of it I saw coming.

This book is an entertaining, cozy mystery that is perfect for the summer months. It won't take too long for anyone to read, and I'd be surprised if anyone didn't find at least a few of the jokes in it something to smile at. ( )

This was a good cozy mystery. The author could have gone haywire with the Santeria connection in the story, but she kept it simple. She did not make the religion seem comical. I know very little about Santeria, but the author captured the confusion people seem to have about the customs and practices. The mystery was predictable, but it was still a quick, fun read.

This book was a Goodreads giveaway. ( )

Sorry, I couldn't get into it. I guess I expected more. ( )

I started this book, got half-way through the first chapter and then put it down again for weeks. Can't really explain why, but when I picked it up again I was immediately absorbed in the story. While the basis of the plot centered on a Santaria hex, the investigation of the mystery really didn't include a large amount of information about Santaria, which I would have enjoyed. Still, it was a very good mystery with a lot of kinks to keep you guessing who exactly the culprit was. I like Liz more now than I did in the first book, although I still want to smack her mother and tell her to mind her own business. I'll be looking for book 3 with anticipation. ( )

Paco and Lucia Rojos are practice Santeria along with their Catholicism. They hold a big party to celebrate their 60 wedding anniversary. There is a drive by shooting which plunges Lucia into shock and Lucia puts a hex on everyone in the neighborhood. Some unfortunate things happen and people are beginning to hate Lucia for the hex. She is called bruja which is witch in Spanish.

We have the some of the same characters from the first in the series, Liz Cooper, divorced psychologist, her friend Robin Bloom and Liz’s ex-husband and Nick, her love interest and professor of occult religions. He adds to the knowledge of those particular religions but this book is not paranormal and that is partly why I love it. We learn some of the history and the practices of Santeria.

Rochelle Staab gets you hooked on the story early on and doesn’t let you go. She is a master storyteller. There is a little romance but there are some troubles in Liz and Nick’s relationship. Lucia is an excellently drawn character with the woman in a strong state of denial and yet she is a very strong woman.

I loved this second installment of this series and hope to read the third in the future. I wonder what occult religion will be featured. I checked and there are at least 42 occult religions. That could make for a very long series! ( )