Audiobook Review: Voodoo Killings by Kristi Charish

For the first time since we launched Bitten by Kelley Armstrong, Random House Canada is thrilled to announce the debut of a new urban fantasy series. Kristi Charish's The Voodoo Killings introduces Kincaid Strange, not your average voodoo practitioner...
For starters, she's only 27. Then there's the fact that she lives in rain-soaked Seattle, which is not exactly Haiti. And she's broke. With raising zombies outlawed throughout the continental USA, Kincaid has to eke out a living running seances for university students with more money than brains who are desperate for guitar lessons with the ghost of a Seattle grunge rocker--who happens to be Kincaid's on-again, off-again roommate.
Then a stray zombie turns up outside her neighbourhood bar: Cameron Wight, an up-and-coming visual artist with no recollection of how he died or who raised him. Not only is it dangerous for Kincaid to be caught with an unauthorized zombie, she soon realizes he's tied to a spate of murders: someone is targeting the zombies and voodoo practitioners in Seattle's infamous Underground City, a paranormal hub. When the police refuse to investigate, the City's oldest and foremost zombie asks Kincaid to help. Raising ghosts and zombies is one thing, but finding a murderer? She's broke, but she's not stupid.
And then she becomes the target...As the saying goes, when it rains it pours, especially in Seattle.

Voodoo Killings is a fun and refreshing urban fantasy featuring ghosts and zombies. At the center of this story is Kincaid Strange, a voodoo practitioner struggling to make ends meet in Seattle. Now, what makes her story fun is a combination of her personality (and snark) and the people we encounter through her.

First, there is the ghost she shares her apartment with (when he is around). He was a super star of the 90s grunge scene, and being supernatural has certainly not hurt his celebrity. I found the dynamic between Kincaid and him to be quite a bit of fun. They seem like quite an unlikely pair in many ways, but it works very well.

Now, evidently there are certain ways that are approved or standard for raising zombies. When a lost new zombie crosses paths with Kincaid, she feels compelled to help him (against her better judgement). When she discovers he was not raised in a typical or approved way, it opens many questions and Kincaid is determined to get answers. She just has to make sure she is not caught with him, because this is a dangerous game she is playing. And to make it worse, there is a murder targeting zombies and practitioners.

Kincaid is definitely the type of protagonist I enjoy. She’s had a life that keeps her expectations and outlook on things in check and from getting too crazy (in other words, she is a realist rather than an idealist). She also has a knack for finding herself in the middle of chaos.

The pacing in this book works very well. The story just keeps going and entertaining until the end. I found the rainy, grunge-y setting of Seattle to be fun change of pace. It added to the general down and out feel of the story.

The narration of this was very good. The story, like most urban fantasy, lent it self well to the audiobook form.

Overall, I really don’t have any complaints. It was an enjoyable start to a new series, and I look forward to the next one. I also think perhaps I should bump the Owl books by Charish up my TBR a bit.