4 1/2 Stars for BAYOU WHISPERS by R.B. Wood

The bayou not only whispers, but insists, that Jeannine LaRue, a tough as nails NYC lawyer, who had been through hell and back during Katrina, return to New Orleans. Curtis Jones, a one-time cop and rescuer of Jeannine, who now leans to the wrong side of the law, needs her help. Together they discover that hell isn’t done with Jeannie just yet and she’s up for the fight. 

I don’t give spoilers and I don’t rehash the blurb in my reviews. A good book needs good characters. Jeannine and Curtis are top-notch, but Mr. Wood has put together an interesting cast of secondary but important characters. Zombies! Not the virus causing type, but real, good, old-fashioned, voodoo raised from the dead variety, which are my favorite and who, sadly, I don’t read about all that often anymore. A Gollum (usually associated with Jewish mythology) who popped up in the bayou was a
fun and great addition that kept with the raising of the dead theme. 

There are historical references with a literary twist, which is always a plus. A ghost ship, The Sultana (a real steamboat that exploded in 1865 on the Mississippi River), captained
by Papa Nightmare and his zombies including a Sax player named Easy Street, as well as an ominous intention that caused a storm off the Gulf to become the human tragedy and catastrophe that was Katrina.

It’s a complex tale and you may have guessed, there is a lot going on, but it flowed well. The author did rely on past memories quite a bit and there were a few instances where dialogue may have made the story smoother, but that’s just my personal opinion and it took nothing away from the story. 

A horror thriller with long kept secrets, dark family legacies, and New Orleans’s
mysterious magic, Bayou Whispers is a fast-paced read, a page turner for sure, that
kept me intrigued. A few surprises rounded out the end nicely. 

A great read. 4 1/2 stars.

I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Bayou Whispers is available here:

Crystal Lake Publishing

Amazon