Casting Bones

A Quentin Archer Mystery #1

by Don Bruns

Introducing New Orleans homicide detective Quentin Archer in the first of a brand-new mystery series.

When a prominent New Orleans judge is brutally murdered, former Detroit cop Quentin Archer is handed the case. His enquiries will lead him into a world of darkness and mysticism which underpins the carefree atmosphere of the Big Easy. Interrogating crooked police officers, a pickpocket, a bartender with underground contacts and a swamp dweller, Archer uncovers some troubling facts about the late judge’s past. But it’s only when he encounters a beautiful young voodoo practitioner that he starts to make headway in the investigation.

Voodoo queen Solange Cordray volunteers at the dementia centre where her mother lives. When she starts reading the mind of one of her patients, she learns that a secretive organization known as Krewe Charbonerrie may be behind the murder of the judge. And the second murder. And the third . . .

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2016

About the author

Don Bruns is a writer, novelist, musician, songwriter, painter, cook, advertising executive and stand up comic who has no idea what he wants to be when he grows up. He's the author of nine books and was editor of the mystery/music anthology A Merry Band Of Murderers.

Don's published novels cover two series. One, a Caribbean thriller collection and two, the Stuff series, a humorous look at two twenty-four year old guys in South Florida who start their own detective agency and end up neck - deep in trouble.

Jamaica Blue, Barbados Heat, South Beach Shakedown, St. Barts Breakdown and Bahama Burnout make up the Caribbean books. The Stuff series consists of Stuff To Die For, Stuff Dreams Are Made Of, Stuff To Spy For, and Don't Sweat The Small Stuff. Bruns is currently working on the fifth Stuff book, Too Much Stuff.

He currently resides on Florida's West coast.

Bahama Burnout/ Finalist, National Best Books Award - Mystery/Suspense 2009
South Beach Shakedown/ Winner National Best Books Award -Fiction/Suspense 2006
South Beach Shakedown/ Winner, Indie Excellence, 2006 Award - Mystery/Suspense
South Beach Shakedown/ Winner USA Book Award, 2006 - Mystery
Stuff Dreams Are Made Of/ Winner Indie Excellence Award 2009 - Mystery/Suspense
Stuff Dreams Are Made Of/IndieBound Notable, October 2008
Stuff Dreams Are Made Of/Winner Florida Writer's Association -
Stuff To Die For/ Starred review Booklist

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an atmospheric thriller set in the Big Easy and its attendant voodoo culture, mysticism, spells, and magic. It is swamped with murders. We are in post Katrina New Orleans where a grieving Detective Quentin Archer has recently located to escape his experience of elements of corruption in Detroit PD, his criminal family and the murder of his wife, Denise. In a city with corrupt politicians and police, Quentin is to discover that New Orleans is even worse than Detroit. It begins with Solange Cordray, who has an impeccable lineage in the practice of Voodoo, being made aware that a murder of a judge will occur and that it is connected with the powerful group that is Krewe Charbonnier. Her source is a important man with a questionable past suffering from dementia. Solange has no idea what to do with this information as months later a judge is indeed found dead.

Quentin's policy of keeping his head down is blown away with the brutal murder of the hardline judge, David Lerner, as he attempts to do the right thing by pursuing the truth. Only the NOPD is less concerned about following connections that lead to the most powerful men in the city than framing a young black man by planting evidence. The only leads Quentin has are gained from the most unorthodox of sources, Solange, who can forsee danger coming his way and supplies him with a gris gris bag to help protect him. She reads the future for her clients through the casting of bones and casts spells. To Quentin's consternation, the gris gris bag does save him. He is inexorably drawn to Solange, who has further information for him.

The evidence connects the dead judge with the private River Bend Prison. In a twisted trail, there are further murders including two more judges, an unwelcome suicide, corruption everywhere and ruthless killers. Quentin and Solange find themselves working together to get to the truth. The past rears its head for Quentin in terms of his family and the possibility that he is closer to discovering exactly who killed his wife.

The first in this series is a wonderful story, with great characters in Quentin and Solange. There are a number of other characters that add ambience who aid Quentin such as Matebo, a pickpocket, and Mike, the bartender. I look forward to the next in the series. Enjoyed this hugely and recommend highly. Thanks to Severn House for an ARC.

[Linda Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new series featuring Detective Quentin Archer and Solange Cordray, a psychic and practitioner of the darker arts of voodoo.

Archer is a former Homicide Detective in Detroit. Someone murdered his beloved wife there. He suspects it was either his brothers ..who are highly involved in drugs and drug dealing... or a crooked cop. He felt a need to get away ..so here he is in New Orleans.

He has been asked to lead the investigation into the murder of a very well-known judge. He finds crooked police ..even his own partner .... a homeless pickpocket, Samuel Jackson, a bartender who knows much more than he should and the very beautiful Solange.

Solange comes from a long line of voodoo practitioners. She volunteers at a home for dementia patients, where her mother resides. Reading the minds of those under her care, she learns there is a secret organization known as Krewe Charbonerrie is behind the murder of the judge. Krewe Charbonerrie is made up of the wealthiest, most powerful men in New Orleans .. and not even the cops want to know anything about them.

Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, Solange approaches Archer with the information she has. Being from Detroit, he originally dismisses her claims .. until a second judge is murdered ...and then a third.

Voodoo .. to me... brings visions of chants and curses and wild dancing in the middle of the night. Thoughts of zombies, magical religious practices. Dolls with pins stuck in them. Boy! was I wrong!

This book drew me in from the very beginning. I like Archer's backstory, giving me insight to the kind of man he is. He's honest, one of the good guys. He's suffered losses and even though he doesn't see it, it has made him a stronger person. Solange is a young practitioner, still learning the ropes since her mother is not healthy enough to help her sort her feelings. She is drawn to Archer, because she senses the goodness in him.

Parts of this book are very suspenseful, and I found myself caught off guard when certain things happened ... and since I am not a psychic ... I never saw it coming. It's an involved mystery that is well written and which flows seamlessly from character to character.

I look forward to seeing this series continued.

Many thanks to the author / Severn House / Netgalley for the digital copy of this most compelling book. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley for providing an advanced reading copy.

I think I have read all of Don Bruns' books, including the stuff series and the Caribbean series. I was excited to read something new set in New Orleans, which is a place I have never visited by really want to visit.

This book lacked the humor of the Stuff series and I missed that, but I suppose it would have been inappropriate in this more serious setting. I though the author did a very good job of setting the scene and giving the flavor of the city without bogging down in unnecessary detail. I also though he made good use of the setting by incorporating voodoo into the story.

I liked the mystery although there were a lot of characters and I felt like I got confused as to who was who at different points. I also liked the main character and his unfinished business in Detroit that may be the subject of a future book. Overall, I liked this book and will read the next in the series.

[Viki Ferrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don Bruns is one of my favorite authors. I discovered him when he wrote his Lesser and Moore private eye series. CASTING BONES is the first book in his new series, entitled A Quentin Archer Series, but it is a much more intense thriller. Quentin Archer comes from Detroit to New Orleans with baggage, and some of it follows him here. He’s a hard-nosed, not always by the book, cop but does stay on the right side of the law. Archer finds that there is plenty of corruption in New Orleans, just as there was in Detroit. There’s a real mix of characters in CASTING BONES, as you’d expect in the Big Easy, and Archer isn’t sure who he can trust or who’s on the take. There is a strange ghostly presence that surrounds this case, and it’s getting stranger by the minute. Organized crime, corrupt politicians and pick-pockets abound, but what do you expect where Voodoo is queen and Mardi Gras is king? This is a New Orleans thriller you do not want to miss!

[Victoria Allman · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Casting Bones, Don Bruns has taken his writing to a whole new level. His expert knowledge of the world of crime writing shines through the story and keeps readers on the edge of their seats waiting to see what will happen next.
One of the things I love most about Bruns stories is his thorough research and understanding of a sense of place. Casting Bones transports the reader to a side of New Orleans few tourists see, opening up the reader to a city that Bruns has obviously spent a lot of time in. His ability to make the reader feel like they are in New Orleans is remarkable.
Quentin Archer, is a new-to-the-city cop who must investigate multiple murders that may have a voodoo connection. He is a compelling new character in the crime series world that I look forward to reading more about. Casting Bones is the perfect introduction to what promises to be a fantastic new series.

Victoria Allman
author of: SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey with Her Captain

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of a new series of police procedurals set in what the publisher calls “one of the most fascinating cities in the world: New Orleans.” Bruns—with five books in his Caribbean series and seven in the popular “Stuff” series—delights in the Big Easy’s atmosphere and culture in creating his backdrops, colorful cast of characters, and the shenanigans that take place. It’s a story that could take place only there, which is a real plus—like a visit without so many calories.
Disgraced former Detroit police detective Quentin Archer has relocated to Nawlins to restart his career. His ability to stay in Detroit floundered when he fingered a fellow Motor City cop—and, by the way, his two policeman brothers—for drug dealing. Suffice it to say, he’s a man who has to watch his back.
His interpersonal relations aren’t that much better in his new job. He can’t trust his partner, who admits to selling information about cases to unknown parties, and the mercurial sergeant in charge overtly dislikes the Detroit man. In the way of supervisors everywhere, he can make Archer’s life miserable and does.
When the body of a New Orleans juvenile court judge is found floating in the Mississippi River, the principal question on Archer’s mind is, Why? Why shoot Judge David Lerner? Was it because of his notoriously harsh sentences? Or did it have to do with the mysterious printouts found in the back of his Jag? Before any of these questions can be answered, in a bit of piling on, two more judges are dead—one in a strange, possibly staged, motor vehicle accident, and the other in a mugging-gone-wrong.
In true New Orleans style, at least as much is hidden as is revealed. It’s as if the murky waters of the muddy Mississippi obscure the vision of the entire town, and no one seems to want the truth. Meanwhile, his partner—with the connivance of the higher-ups concerned about tourism—is on the verge of railroading a young black kitchen worker for Lerner’s death. Archer has only days to come up with an alternative scenario that sticks.
He finds help from an unusual ally when he encounters Solange Cordray, the beautiful daughter of a voodoo priestess. Because this is a multiple point-of-view novel, you read Cordray’s interpretation of events as well as Archer’s, his partner’s, and others’. It’s clear that her special knowledge of events past and future is not a cynical fabrication, and that, although what she perceives as messages from the spirits is not always clear, she sincerely believes them. Some loose ends, especially regarding Archer’s Detroit woes, are not totally tied up by this book’s end, suggesting sequels to come. The publisher under-invested in proofreading, but, bottom line, this is a fast-paced read with great atmosphere and interesting characters and situations.

[Crittermom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having lived in New Orleans, I can honestly say Don Brun's depiction of New Orleans with its culture, food and corruption rings true. Bruns introduces readers to a New Orleans where the rich feed on the poor, and African Americans are an easy scapegoat. Politicians, judges, and the police are all looking out for number one, while vast numbers of tourists are only interested in the decadent diversions New Orleans has to offer.

Quentin Archer is a rare cop, a straight cop who had to leave his job in Detroit when an attempt to out drug trafficking cops, including his two brothers went awry. His wife was murdered as a warning, and he daily receives threatening phone calls. Quentin isn't willing to take the easy "out" of accusing a young ex-con for the murder of a judge. He wants to find the truth. Quentin's integrity makes Solange, a talented mambo, willing to share what she has discovered of the crime spiritually, despite the risks.

Casting Bones captivates the reader, pulling them into a New Orleans at once dark and colorful, where magic still weaves its way through life and its residents remain loyal despite the corruption of leaders. Casting Bones is a magnificent mystery that focuses on a very pertinent topic - the issue of private prisons and the corruption they encourage. Take a trip to the Big Easy and explore its depths in Casting Bones - if you like serious police procedurals you won't be disappointed.

5/5

I received a copy of Casting Bones from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

[Garryvivianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quentin Archer, a detective that has been relocated from Detroit is in New Orleans, is not sure about all the happenings in the city. Many cops are on the take since Hurricane Katrina. He himself is trying to find out who murdered his wife in Detroit, with the secret help of some friends on the force in Detroit.

A judge is found murdered, and Archer's partner is anxious to pin it on a kid who the judge had found guilty in some other crime. There are many characters in this book, including a daughter of a voodoo priestess who has some powers. Archer is lucky to have her on his side.

Apparently there are more Quentin Archer stories. I would guess one would tell his story about Detroit & the mess he is involved with there. This story told bits & pieces, of his own family's entanglement with being the cause of his problems & his relocation.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Quentin Archer, newly arrived in New Orleans from Detroit, has caught a horrible case - the murder of a judge. And it seems that the local police are far more interested in closing it quickly, even if it means jailing an innocent man, than they are in actually investigating.

Then there's his own situation, with his wife having been murdered in the Motor City and the PTSD that comes with it.

Don Bruns has created a flawed and very believable character in Archer, and surrounding him with complicating factors that make figuring out the "whodunnit" tricky at best ... and yes, I was somewhat surprised.

The book is also a beautiful look at New Orleans, filled with actual places that lovers of the Crescent City will know immediately.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Bruns' work.

[Martha Brindley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very atmospheric thriller set in New Orleans. Very descriptive and captivating police procedural Throw in a little voodoo, a good plot and some twists and you can't lose. No cliffhanger ending but possible more to come in this series. Thank you Net Galley for my copy.

[Stephen Landstreet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it, didn't love it. Bruns has created a pair of interesting characters in Quinton and Solange, but the plot and the writing weren't quite up there with the best in the field. Still, just given the setting and voodoo element, many might find it worth a read.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author tried to give us a strong sense of place in regards to the Nola setting, unfortunately it's just copious scenes in restaurants and bars talking about the food and drink being eaten by the characters or mentioning the corruption and crime.

More time could have been spent on the characters and making us care about what happens to them. The author throws in a lightly described backstory for why Quentin is now in New Orleans, but it didn't make me care about him and when a pivotal moment from his past plays up, I was wishing the opposite result happened. The character of Solange was also woefully underwritten and we never truly understand her motivation. She literally could have been left out of the story and it wouldn't have had any impact. Lots of potential, perhaps the author is planning to develop it more through the next two books, but I needed more now to hook me. There's another character who provides Quentin with information, just works to get it, gives it and seems to expect nothing in return. What? Nothing???
Another character just gives up after something goes sideways...just gives up? We never find out the back story on another character, good guy, bad guy, definitely part bad guy, but who is the individual actually working for? Not enough answers to satisfy.

Then there the whole reason behind the murders. Who did not see this coming from the start? I knew the motive instantly.

I was able to finish the book, but was (obviously) unsatisfied by many things.

I received this book a few years ago from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Dawn Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casting Bones by Don Bruns

302 Pages
Publisher: Severn House, Severn House Publishers
Release Date:

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, New Orleans, VooDoo

In New Orleans, Solange Cordray is a Voodoo Priestess following in her mother’s footsteps. Quinton Archer is a detective recently located from Detroit. He and his partner, Adam Strand, were assigned the murder investigation of Judge David Lerner. His body was found shot and thrown in the river. Antione Duvay, a young juvenile offender, Lerner previously sentenced was charged with the murder although Archer did not believe him to be guilty.

Archer has his own issues to deal with. He is still trying to find who killed his wife Denise in Detroit. He had one brother arrested as part of a drug ring. Another brother is on the run and is stalking Archer. Solange is getting information from a nonverbal patient at the retirement house where she volunteers. She gives the information to Archer, but he has a hard time believing her.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. This is the first book in the series so I am sure the characters will develop more through the series. In this book, Archer has a hard time fitting in and spends a lot of time dwelling on Detroit. If you like books about New Orleans, Voodoo with a mystery, you will enjoy this book.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mystery. I love reading about Voodoo New Orleans style and this story tells it well. This book is supposedly the first of a series and I can’t wait to read more about the characters in this book.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the characters, by I was hoping for more voodoo.

[Westley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda stupid.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I look forward to reading more in this series.

[Craig Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly good book with a well developed mystery. I think it suffered a bit with the continual return to the main characters back story - which was interesting but sort of broke the flow.

[Jerry Hooten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind blowing.

Crimes of all levels and types . The story grabs you and takes you on a perilous journey. Caesar for the next in this series!

[Cherry Donaldson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to finish

I love reading books from my state but this one was hard to finish. It did not keep my attention as others have. I finished it but it took me a while.

[D. Wickles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has 2 mysteries for the price of 1. Quentin Archer brings his wife's unsolved murder with him to his new job at New Orleans police department. Loved it!

[Barry Fulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don Bruns knows New Orleans and brings you right along to witness its dark side and experience its corruption. Former Detroit cop Quentin Archer knows the seamy side of crime, but the murder of a New Orleans judge introduces him to a voodoo practioner and secrets that permeate the police force and the upper reaches of government in the Big Easy. The author of three mystery series, guitar-playing, stand-up comedian Don Bruns has a way with words and story telling that will hold your attention.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishing for an advance copy of Casting Bones, an everyday tale of murder, voodoo and graft in post Katrina New Orleans.

Quentin "Q" Archer, a homicide detective, has moved from Detroit to New Orleans after his Serpico type investigation into drug dealing in the DPD led to the death of his wife, the imprisonment of one brother, life on the run for his other brother and the prime mover behind it walking away scot free. So it is a slightly battered Q who is joint lead on the murder investigation of a dead judge. His partner, Adam Strand, is convinced the perpetrator is a disgruntled victim of the judge's harsh sentencing because he ran when the police approached, so convinced that he helps his case along. Q isn't so sure, especially when a voodoo priestess, Solange Cordray, points him in another direction - that of the rich and powerful. New to town Q doesn't know who to trust or exactly how the city works.

I thoroughly enjoyed Casting Bones. It is a long time since I was in New Orleans but I feel Mr Bruns has captured its louche and unusual nature very well and I could picture it all from the heat and locations to the beignets in the Cafe du Monde. On top of the excellent atmosphere it has a good plot with a few twists, some I expected, some were a surprise. I love a good police procedural and this meets my criteria - upstanding, moral protagonist, linear plot line and a certain adherence to the rule book. I did wonder before reading how accepting I would be of Solange's voodoo as I'm not keen on the paranormal in my reading but it seems to fit in seamlessly and adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the proceedings. It must be the setting and atmosphere created that make it work.

I don't think the characters are particularly well developed. Q is a moral man, obsessed with getting to the bottom of his wife's murder and solving his cases but apart from that he is a bit of a cypher. Solange works to her own moral imperative, that of helping her clients and looking after her mother who has advanced dementia. In any case I don't think it really matters as this is a plot driven novel about greed and how far it drives most of the characters, Solange and Q being the obvious exceptions.

I will be interested to see where Mr Bruns takes his characters next. The novel does not end in a cliffhanger (which I know a lot of readers don't like) but there are enough loose ends to imply a sequel, if not a series.

If you like police procedurals set in exotic cities with a good sense of location I do not hesitate to recommend Casting Bones as a good read.

[Pam Mcdaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casting Bones by Don Burns is a superbly written 1st book in a series intoducing Queten Archer as a detective in the Big Easy. Casting Bones was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review from Net Galley.
Quentin Archer was a former Detroit Detective, who left after the hit & run of his beloved wife . Her death occured shortly after his fight to correct the corruption of the Detroit PDwhich involved his own family.
So he moved to New Orleans & was hired by the NOPD .
His first assignment was the murder of a Juvinille Justice Judge and Q. Archer soon discovers some shady connections & dark secrets involving the murder & involvement of other prominent figures associated with a secret organization.
A young beauty who has many gifts of the Voodoo practice begins to help him in his investigation when she begins to read the mind of a patient. The patient never speaks & is the nursing & rehab center where her mother lives & where she volunteers.
This is one of those books that you will stay up reading & be glad you did!

[Alexia Chantel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casting Bones is an excellent fast paced mystery that will transport you to New Orleans. Archer is richly written and has great backstory. You feel his sense of loss and drive as you walk the streets with him. The search for answers is compelling and will have you flipping pages until the wee hours of the morning. A great start to the Voodoo Mystery Series.

[Jack Goodstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good idea spoiled by cluttered plot elements.

[Caroline Ingvaldsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent pacing, intriguing characters and plausible atmosphere enhance the readability of the first in a new series.