A review by alesia_charles
Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab

3.0

This is one of those "real magic" cozy mysteries, of which there are quite a few cropping up lately. Set in the Hollywood area, it features a tricky mystery and an unusual mix of magical traditions. As an occasional student of religions, I approve of the author's attention to distinguishing the religion of voudoun from the magical system of voodoo. It also throws in Tarot, consistent with the muddled approach of a certain type of would-be modern magician (one of whom is a character).

It has a reasonably engaging protagonist - a psychologist (Liz Cooper), who fortunately does *not* spend a lot of time trying to analyze people with whom she hasn't had enough contact to bother trying. Her connections to the larger world include a brother in the police, a best friend working for a Hollywood agent, and her brother's college roommate, now a university professor with an interest in the occult. Also her baseball-professional ex-husband, and her Tarot-reading mother. The story is really about her best friend's problems, not hers, so we don't get to know Liz quite as well as I might like - though her loyalty to her friend, her persistence, and her intelligence went over well with me.

I'll be interested to see how well the series continues.