Bruja Brouhaha (A Mind for Murder Mystery)

In Staab’s mystery novel, practical psychologist Liz Cooper and occult professor Nick Garfield are enjoying the sixtieth wedding anniversary celebration for friends, Paco and Lucia Rojas, who own the historic Botanica Rojas near MacArthur Park. Regardless of the festivities, the evening ends in tragedy.

Blaming escalating crime in the area, Lucia casts a vengeful hex on the neighborhood, leading strangers and friends both to nickname her bruja—Spanish for witch—and turn on the elderly woman. Now in harm’s way, Lucia must rely on Nick and Liz to solve a mysterious disappearance, murder and betrayal.

A sexy, funny, supernatural, engaging whodunit. A great addition to the A Mind for Murder Mystery series.

First Line: Nick Garfield, my boyfriend and college professor of mainstream, arcane, and bizarre forms of religion, took four chunks of unshelled coconut from the Santeria altar and set them in my hand.

Practical psychologist Liz Cooper and occult professor Nick Garfield are celebrating the sixtieth wedding anniversary of their hosts, Paco and Lucia Rojas, devout Santeria practitioners who own the historic Botanica Rojas near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. The evening turns to tragedy for the small group of friends when Paco is killed in a drive-by shooting.

Lucia, completely devastated by her loss, blames the locals for the growing crime in the area, and she casts a hex on the neighborhood. Strange things begin to happen, accidents are show more on the rise, and Lucia's neighbors begin calling her "bruja" (witch). They turn on the elderly woman who's always been their friend, and they want her gone.

With the way the locals are behaving, Lucia is definitely in harm's way, and it's up to Liz and Nick to solve Paco's murder before anything happens to Lucia.

I often hear talk of a "sophomore slump" when referring to the second books in series. These second books allegedly tend to be weaker than the first, but that most certainly is not the case with Bruja Brouhaha. Two minor annoyances in the first book were not present in the second (Liz's preoccupation with the color and application of her lipstick, and her mother trying to get Liz back with her alcoholic ex-husband), and I quickly settled down to a very enjoyable read.

The Santeria religion is an interesting one, and I wish there'd been a little more about it in the book, but Staab does an excellent job of showing the behavior of its practitioners and how their beliefs color their perceptions. This series is not a paranormal one; the author focuses on a little-known religion in each book, giving a bit of its history and how it is used by its followers. This allows Nick to flex his professorial muscles while Liz puts her knowledge of psychology to good use.

I liked seeing how a group of people banded together to help a grieving, elderly friend while they still kept their own lives going. Liz, for example, gets notice that she has to move out of her condo, so on top of job and Lucia, she's got that worry to contend with.

I found that I could spot the villain(s) in the book rather quickly; what I couldn't do was piece everything together to know the why. I found myself reading faster and faster in a fruitless effort to figure things out before Liz and Nick. I've grown to enjoy the company of those two; I love learning about little-known religions; and I love watching Liz's mind for murder solve a mystery. When's the next book? show less

BBRUJA BROUHAHA is a clever title that fits this book perfectly. The bruja (witch) in question is Lucia Rojas who puts a hex on her neighborhood to avenge her husband’s murder in front of their home. Soon after, the residents begin blaming her hex for every misfortune that befalls them. Lucia refuses to lift the curse, believing it is the only thing that will bring Paco’s killer to justice.

Fearing that their elderly friend will become the target of an angry mob, Liz Cooper and Nick Garfield step in to help. Liz is a psychologist who works weekends at the clinic across from Lucia’s building, and Nick is a professor of religious studies specializing in the occult.

When one of the doctors at the clinic goes missing after Paco’s show more wake, Liz and Nick start digging for clues to see if the disappearance could be connected to the murder. If the two incidents are related, then there may be more to Paco’s death than random gang violence.

BRUJA BROUHAHA is a fantastic follow up to WHO DO, VOODOO. This time around, the religion of Santeria is explored. I enjoyed how the author blended Santeria beliefs, practices and history into the story. This is not a paranormal mystery, though supernatural elements are explored. Practical Liz doesn’t want to believe in things like hexes, but she’s quick to wear an anti-hex protection bracelet made by Lucia.

The characters in this book are all engaging and well-drawn. I definitely get the sense that I know them and care what happen to them. Nick and Liz make a great couple, and their relationship progresses in this book, though they’ve got important issues to work through.

BRUJA BROUHAHA is a smart, well-written mystery and an entertaining continuation of the series. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Liz and Nick.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

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 show more 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! show less

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, show more 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. show less

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.