No one has paid for the cold-blooded murder of detective Quentin Archer's wife. Archer got no support from fellow Detroit police officers when he accused his own family members of being involved in the crime. Knowing if he pushes the investigation too hard, he could be their next victim, so Archer is constantly vigilant. He leaves Detroit and for the past six months has been working as a homicide detective in sultry New Orleans, trying to adjust to a new way of life and how things are done in the Big Easy.

Archer has always been able to distinguish good from bad and reach logical conclusions, but something in New Orleans is interfering with this ability. When he's assigned to investigate the vicious murder of a renowned juvenile judge, Archer finds himself embroiled in a case involving peculiar people and strange customs unlike anything he's ever faced before. His encounter with voodoo queen Solange Cordray unnerves him even further, but also provides insight into some of the facts he's uncovered.

Solange Cordray volunteers three days a week at the dementia care facility where her mother is an Alzheimer's patient. She also runs a New Orleans voodoo shop inherited from her mother, who taught her to use her special gifts for good, not bad, to make things better. When Solange discerns facts about the judge's murder from reading the mind of one of the facility's patients, she has to tell the investigating detective. The information she imparts to Archer will lead to the highest echelons of politics and commerce, as well as the local police, as more judges are executed to keep the secret from being exposed.

CASTING BONES by Don Bruns quickly cast a mystical spell over me and did not release me until the exciting finish. This police/crime thriller links edgy suspense with the moody, steamy setting of New Orleans as Bruns constructs a gripping plot with expertly realized characters. Vivid imagery in the descriptive, and seemingly effortless, prose bring the Big Easy to life, as well as giving authenticity to the myriad of unusual characters. I was so engaged in the storyline, as well as all the characters' interaction, I could not stand to put CASTING BONES down for any length of time. Don Bruns is a master storyteller with several exceptional series already to his credit. With this new series, I am sure he will garner even more fans. I anxiously await the next magical encounter between Archer and Solange in steamy New Orleans.