Macumba
J.A. Terry
Aventine, Oct 2004, $14.95, 250 pp.
ISBN: 1593301499

Abandoned as a baby in the Louisiana Bayou, Jade Devlin has become a mixed up adult running from one affair to another and one hair-raising adventure after another. To ease the inner torment, her latest escapade, which pays very well, is to break into the computer at Fortune Pharmaceutical, the company owned by Charles Fontaine and download a specific file to give to her client. Her helper is Kitty, Charles' wife and Jade's lover. They succeed, but Jade also later steals a vial containing an unknown liquid.

The vial breaks and the go-between who hired Jade, takes her to his client Benito Marcelli who masterminded both crimes. Benito is Jade's lover and is able to make her feel things that never felt before. He brings her into his world of Macumba, a religion practiced by the descendents of African slaves to include helping people through spirit possession. Benito wants to recreate the liquid that Jade lost so that he can go beyond spirit possession to spirit control.

Ben is not the only man in Jade's life, but he has been most influential. Still her recent horrible experiences have changed her outlook to live life to the fullest without the destructive habits. MACUMBA is a great paranormal romantic thriller that proves J.A. Terry rivals Bentley Little for tales of paranormal suspense. Ben is not an evil man but his thirst for power makes him do evil things including murder. This is a must read for lovers of the paranormal.

Harriet Klausner