Southern Rites

Max Porter #7

by Stuart Jaffe

Old Power, Older Magic After spending years in North Carolina, Max and Sandra thought they knew how the world of ghosts, witches, and curses worked. With the aid of the ghost of 1940s detective Marshall Drummond, they had carved out a space to live, fought those who used magic to destroy others, and defeated the dreaded Hull family. Now, without the Hulls, control of magic in North Carolina is in free-fall. Some groups claim to be in charge while others vie for power. When graves from the 1700s start breaking through to the surface, Max and his team find themselves caught in the middle of the fight, and every decision he makes could have consequences that reverberate through the entire magic world. Then things take a truly dire turn - Max’s mother shows up for a visit.

Genres: Paranormal

254 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 27, 2016

About the author

Stuart Jaffe is the madman behind the Nathan K thrillers, Max Porter paranormal-mystery series, The Malja Chronicles, The Bluesman series, and much more. He has written numerous short stories in Fantasy, SF, and Horror. He was also the co-host of The Eclectic Review (http://eclectic.libsyn.com) -- a podcast about science, art, and well, everything.

Stuart lives in rural North Carolina, and for those who keep count, the latest animal listing is as follows: one dog, two cats, one albino corn snake, three aquatic turtles, assorted fish, seven chickens, and a horse. Thankfully, the chickens and the horse do not live inside the house.

Reviews

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This starts the Green Trilogy and takes the Max Porter story to a whole new level. Southern Rites picks up right where the Red Trilogy left off, but with new twists and turns that keep the story fresh and engaging. While I wasn't a fan of Max's mother's appearance, the growth and development of the other characters more than made up for it. The absence of the Hulls was definitely noticeable as protagoniss, but the introduction of new powers and factions kept me hooked even if they felt a bit hollow. Overall, this is a strong start to the Green Trilogy, and I'm happy to be along for the ride.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old Magic, New Tricks

This entire series is a lesson in magic and in history. I love how intricately the story is interwoven into the local stories, places and people. It makes it all come alive with that added touch of grounding in reality. I would recommend this series to everyone.

Max and Sandra have their lives turned upside down confronting witches, magic and mothers!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so dislike Mother Hope. This book has some other very wicked characters. But Max , Sandra and Drummond are up to saving the day.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the Hulls out of the way things should be settling down for Max and crew. There is now a power vacuum that needs to be filled and there are a couple groups aiming to do that. Unfortunately, Max and crew are caught in the middle. This was complicated with the arrival of Max’s mom! I am enjoying Max’s mom and hope we see more of her! I am enjoying these books and learning about the history of North Carolina. Looking forward to the next book!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Southern Rites Porter style.

Max, Sarah and Drummond get in another battle with a new would be warlock type. Mix in a relative and kids, and a lot of research on magic and you have a Max Porter take. As always, a get story.

[Ann Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful book.

[Clinton E. Nickell Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great books

I ran across these books 4 or 5 yrs ago 4 months or so ago I started reading them and I can't put them down

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Southern Rites (Max Porter Mysteries Book 7) by Stuart Jaffe is book 7 in the series but can be read as a stand alone. This is the wonderful series of Max, who is a researcher and his wife who can see ghosts and Drummond who is a ghost. These three solve mysteries and get into all kinds of trouble along the way. In this book, they are again dealing with a curse, more ghosts, witches, and skeleton bones with curses on them. Someone is does not want Max and his team to find out what is going on and is about to make Max and his wife ghosts too. To top everything off, Max's mom makes an unannounced visit. It is a fun, crazy, suspense-filled, action packed, great fantasy read filled with ghosts, magic, and witches.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I have to state upfront is I am a little behind on this series and was worried that would confuse me. Well, my fears were put to rest right away! I was able to dive right in and not miss a beat. In fact, the small times Max, Sandra, and Drummond mentioned something from the previous books I hadn't read, it intrigued me enough I'm anxious to get reading and catch up on what I've missed. The adventure doesn't take long to start with the mystery of the unearthed coffin, and Max is tasked with finding out what's going on by the antagonist whom I really did enjoy. I was also glad to see Sandra more in this book than in the ones before; Max and Sandra really do work well as a team and I do wish sometimes that there would be a little more affection between them, something to show why they are married in the first place. But that's just me. And, for some reason, this book solidified that Drummond is my favorite character. He is just a great character and adds a lot to the noir feel of this series. As with all of Mr. Jaffe's books, this book was a wonderful addition to a great series and I really enjoyed the humor Max's mom added to this book. If you like an excellent mystery with ghosts, magic, great characters and a great plot, give this book a try; you won't regret it. In fact, get the whole series. Highly recommend!

Thanks to the author for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review. This exact review will be posted on both Amazon and Goodreads.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read the first two books in this series up until now, so I was not up-to-date on the latest with Max and company. That being said I still enjoyed this latest…adventure(?).

A new case has been dropped in the laps of Max, Sandra, and Drummond (who technically doesn’t have a lap). A coffin has been found, well let’s say, ejected from its not so final resting place. How? Who? Why? Before much research can be done, another coffin makes an unexpected appearance. To make matters worse, Max’s mother also makes an unexpected appearance. Not exactly what Max needs with the Magi and Mother Hope breathing down his neck to figure out the connection between these coffins and their inhabitants. Also, Sandra and dear old Mom are far from bosom buddies. Way far.

A new nemesis, Wallace, has a thirst for the power that his family once held. Max and Sandra need to figure out how he plans to get it and stop him before they have to change masters once again. When J is kidnapped from their home they have to enlist even Mon’s help to save him and thwart Wallace’s power play.

How many times can Max get beat up by “Friends” and foes? Will Sandra’s quest to become a witch help or hurt their mission? Can they convince Mom that Max is not crazy when he talks to the invisible (to her) Drummond? These and more questions will be answered…or not! Join Max on his latest magical mystery tour and see if Mom gets him committed or his friends get him killed.

[stephanie scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Adventure...

Again we get to ride along with the Porters and Drummond. I love the way the characters have come to be so very special.
This flows well you know you back with friends that have adventurous lives. I cannot pretend to be a critic but I have always loved a good ghost story. To me this series is addicting. So again this ended way too soon for me. Hopefully I will be reading about the Porters in the future! Thank you, I am a fan.

[Diann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly a perfect blend of paranormal and mystery, with a little
history thrown in. Another great story in an amazing series.
Love all the wonderful characters (even Max's mom!), they are
so well written you can't help but be pulled into their adventures.
I enjoyed reading this book and I think you will too. Highly recommend.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great adventure with Max and the growing family. I received a free advanced review copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. I also bought this book because I believe in supporting authors I like, and I like Stuart's writing. As always, I didn't want to put it down until I finished. A solid blend of believable character interaction and the supernatural.