What do you think?
Rate this book
Cliff St. James #3
Burnt Black
Cliff St. James returns along with his partner Honey to investigate a baffling series of ritualistic deaths that may be connected to a bizarre secret society, in Ed Kovacs' Burnt Black.
New Orleans Homicide Detective Cliff St. James and his partner Honey are still trying to piece their lives together a year and a half after a killer storm decimated the city. Having fully recovered from near death at the hands of assassins, St. James is now in top fighting form and his sideline martial arts dojo is thriving. But physical ability plays little importance in the bizarre case he and Honey are now ensnared in--a succession of baffling deaths tied to a secretive occult group.
The investigation not only proves frustrating, but also drives a wedge between St.James and Honey, putting tremendous pressure on their relationship. As they probe the puzzling, ritualistic deaths, they uncover high strangeness in the freakish New Orleans netherworld of alternative spiritual beliefs.
Pushing forward an investigation fraught with strange occurrences and brutal death, St.James and Honey catch nothing but bad breaks as they struggle to determine which of their suspects is the killer, or perhaps the next victim.
New Orleans Homicide Detective Cliff St. James and his partner Honey are still trying to piece their lives together a year and a half after a killer storm decimated the city. Having fully recovered from near death at the hands of assassins, St. James is now in top fighting form and his sideline martial arts dojo is thriving. But physical ability plays little importance in the bizarre case he and Honey are now ensnared in--a succession of baffling deaths tied to a secretive occult group.
The investigation not only proves frustrating, but also drives a wedge between St.James and Honey, putting tremendous pressure on their relationship. As they probe the puzzling, ritualistic deaths, they uncover high strangeness in the freakish New Orleans netherworld of alternative spiritual beliefs.
Pushing forward an investigation fraught with strange occurrences and brutal death, St.James and Honey catch nothing but bad breaks as they struggle to determine which of their suspects is the killer, or perhaps the next victim.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published November 19, 2013
1 person is currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Ed Kovacs
11 books16 followersED KOVACS is the author of six novels, including the critically-acclaimed Detective Cliff St. James series set in New Orleans, post-killer hurricane.
LOCKED DOWN, Nicole Grant #1, is now available as an e-book at most of the online retailers.
"When a former NSA analyst is targeted for assassination by rogue elements of the Chinese and U.S. governments, she’s forced to team with a renegade CIA spy and fight back using technology to extract the ultimate form of justice. The tension and suspense locks in on the first page and doesn’t let up until the last."
------------------------------------------------------
THE RUSSIAN BRIDE from St. Martin's Press:
“Quick, entertaining action.” Kirkus Reviews
“Brisk, easy-to-read thriller... Readers who like their heroes fearsome and focused... will want to see more of (the hero) Kit Bennings.”
"This is a thriller packed so full of action, it leaves readers breathless. Kovacs does an incredible job at being technically accurate and easy to understand, so readers of all levels are engaged throughout. A must-read for fans of fast-paced stories that don’t let you go till the very end." RT Book Reviews
---------------------------------------------------
BURNT BLACK, Cliff St. James #3.
"The vibrant description of occult doings mixes well with the movements of the earthbound characters, making this Cliff and Honey’s best outing to date." -- Kirkus
"What lingers after the demons are downed is St. James’ obliquely funny personality. A fine, offbeat procedural." -- Booklist
"This series has a definite southern noir feel, and its rough around the edges locale will be catnip to some readers, like myself." -- Criminal Element
---------------------------------------------------
GOOD JUNK, Cliff St. James #2.
"The scenes of New Orleans are rich and real." --The New York Times Book Review
Publisher's Weekly gave Good Junk the rare honor of a *starred,* boxed review.
"Powerful prose elevates this well above most other contemporary P.I. novels." --Publisher's Weekly
"With so many twists and turns, even the most devoted noir fans may wish they had a map. But it’s well worth trying to find the way." --Kirkus
"Kovacs maintains a fast pace, and his descriptions of a steamy, seamy, badly managed city that is failing to recover from Katrina are jolting and plausible. Good Junk has plenty of action—and high-tech gadgetry, too--" --Booklist
----------------------------------------------------
STORM DAMAGE
"Powerful as a Category Five hurricane, Storm Damage is a riveting journey into murder, politics, and greed. Kovacs writes like a master." -- Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author
-----------------------------------------------------
UNSEEN FORCES
"A spellbinding thriller that will keep you riveted well past midnight." St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"A real page-turner rivaling The Da Vinci Code." --Phenomena Magazine
-----------------------------------------------------
Ed is a member of AFIO, Association for Intelligence Officers, American Legion Post 299, the International Thriller Writers organization, and the Mystery Writers of America.
"Ed Kovacs is a vivid addition to the thriller genre." –Steve Berry, NYT Bestselling Author
LOCKED DOWN, Nicole Grant #1, is now available as an e-book at most of the online retailers.
"When a former NSA analyst is targeted for assassination by rogue elements of the Chinese and U.S. governments, she’s forced to team with a renegade CIA spy and fight back using technology to extract the ultimate form of justice. The tension and suspense locks in on the first page and doesn’t let up until the last."
------------------------------------------------------
THE RUSSIAN BRIDE from St. Martin's Press:
“Quick, entertaining action.” Kirkus Reviews
“Brisk, easy-to-read thriller... Readers who like their heroes fearsome and focused... will want to see more of (the hero) Kit Bennings.”
"This is a thriller packed so full of action, it leaves readers breathless. Kovacs does an incredible job at being technically accurate and easy to understand, so readers of all levels are engaged throughout. A must-read for fans of fast-paced stories that don’t let you go till the very end." RT Book Reviews
---------------------------------------------------
BURNT BLACK, Cliff St. James #3.
"The vibrant description of occult doings mixes well with the movements of the earthbound characters, making this Cliff and Honey’s best outing to date." -- Kirkus
"What lingers after the demons are downed is St. James’ obliquely funny personality. A fine, offbeat procedural." -- Booklist
"This series has a definite southern noir feel, and its rough around the edges locale will be catnip to some readers, like myself." -- Criminal Element
---------------------------------------------------
GOOD JUNK, Cliff St. James #2.
"The scenes of New Orleans are rich and real." --The New York Times Book Review
Publisher's Weekly gave Good Junk the rare honor of a *starred,* boxed review.
"Powerful prose elevates this well above most other contemporary P.I. novels." --Publisher's Weekly
"With so many twists and turns, even the most devoted noir fans may wish they had a map. But it’s well worth trying to find the way." --Kirkus
"Kovacs maintains a fast pace, and his descriptions of a steamy, seamy, badly managed city that is failing to recover from Katrina are jolting and plausible. Good Junk has plenty of action—and high-tech gadgetry, too--" --Booklist
----------------------------------------------------
STORM DAMAGE
"Powerful as a Category Five hurricane, Storm Damage is a riveting journey into murder, politics, and greed. Kovacs writes like a master." -- Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author
-----------------------------------------------------
UNSEEN FORCES
"A spellbinding thriller that will keep you riveted well past midnight." St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"A real page-turner rivaling The Da Vinci Code." --Phenomena Magazine
-----------------------------------------------------
Ed is a member of AFIO, Association for Intelligence Officers, American Legion Post 299, the International Thriller Writers organization, and the Mystery Writers of America.
"Ed Kovacs is a vivid addition to the thriller genre." –Steve Berry, NYT Bestselling Author
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 17, 2014
It was a good book. I like books that take place in New Orleans. Really liked the occult and voodoo aspects of the book. Good reading.
June 1, 2020
Not a real page turner. Well written, though, I couldn't recommend reading it twice.
September 2, 2020
Awesome book!!
November 4, 2013
Voodoo/hoodoo/woowoo is as much New Orleans as crawfish boils and Abita Amber. Strange deaths--bizarre happenings--a little sex--it's either just another weekend in NOLA, or it's my new novel. Kirkus said it's my best to date, but then, I don't have a completely objective take on this, considering how close I am to the author!
Read
February 15, 2014Cliff St James is back on the NOPD but with a tight lease when hoodoo practicing gardeners come up dead on alter in local professor's living room
April 28, 2017
While the story kind of redeemed itself at the end, I wouldn't recommend this book. I'll never read another Kovacs book. The author spoke of political correctness twice as if it were a bad thing, his treatment of women was inappropriate, he slurred characters with a certain body type, and engaged in many stereotypes. I didn't get the impression that this was just coming from the main character, I got the impression that this author votes Republican. We didn't need for the head of Section 8 Housing to be black, all Hispanic characters to be illegal immigrants, all of the check cashing business' customers to be Mexican, or the owner of the "zero-star motel" to be Indian.
https://www.instagram.com/angeline_em...
https://www.instagram.com/angeline_em...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews