Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab is the first book in the new “Mind For Murder” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin), November 2011

WHO DO, VOODOO? the first novel in Rochelle’s thrilling new Mind for Murder Mystery series features no-nonsense Liz Cooper, a Los Angeles psychologist forced to embrace the occult to clear her best friend of murder.

When Liz Cooper’s friend Robin Bloom finds an unusual tarot card tacked to her front door, Liz writes it off as a prank. Robin refuses to ignore the omen—her late husband drew the same card, the three of swords, in a reading the night before he was killed in a car accident. As more cards and darker threats appear, Liz realizes someone very dangerous is upping the ante.

Liz turns to her brother’s ex-college roommate, occult expert Nick Garfield. As Nick leads her into the voodoo community to locate the origin of the deck, she can’t ignore their attraction to each other. Then a woman is found murdered and Robin becomes the prime suspect. Determined to clear her friend, Liz joins forces with Nick to unravel otherworldly secrets and seek help from beyond—or risk being outwitted by a cunning killer.

What a great debut! Tarot cards, spells, mystical illusions are what non-believer Liz faces when her best friend is accused of murder. Working with an occult expert, Liz determination to clear her friend exposes her to an unknown entity. This well-crafted mystery was a fun read that snagged my attention from the first sentence to the delightful end. The page-turning and could not put down book kept me engaged in the mystery as it unraveled to reveal the killer. The burgeoning friendship and banter between Liz and Nick was entertaining and I can’t wait to see how their relationship progresses. The supporting casts are lovable and the snippets of movie dialogues woven into the story were enjoyable. The cards have been played for a long and terrific future for this charming and appealing entry into the cozy mystery genre.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book