Waiting on Wednesday (17)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.  So here's a thing I'm looking forward to: Elysian Fields, by Suzanne Johnson, third in her Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series (due out August 13, 2013, from Tor Books).

New Orleanians are under attack from a copycat killer mimicking the crimes of a 1918 serial murderer known as the Axeman of New Orleans. Thanks to a tip from the undead pirate Jean Lafitte, DJ Jaco knows the attacks aren't random - an unknown necromancer has resurrected the original Axeman of New Orleans, and his ultimate target is a certain blonde wizard. Namely, DJ.

Combating an undead serial killer as troubles pile up around her isn't easy. Jake Warin's loup-garou nature is spiraling downward, enigmatic neighbor Quince Randolph is acting weirder than ever, the Elders are insisting on lessons in elven magic from the world's most annoying wizard, and former partner Alex Warin just turned up on DJ's to-do list. Not to mention big maneuvers are afoot in the halls of preternatural power.

*****

I have been following the consistently brilliant Tor.com blog for years now, almost since its inception, and I have found more cool things to read there than I can well remember. Suzanne Johnson is one of their regular bloggers --she does a monthly roundup of upcoming releases in science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal romance, among other things--so I was interested when I read she had a novel coming out. It helped that the novel was an urban fantasy, that it was set in New Orleans, and that it dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

I live in south Louisiana, and I know how easy it is for authors to get New Orleans wrong, but Suzanne Johnson lives in NOLA and I had high hopes she'd get it right; hopes that were entirely borne out. The second book in the series goes on to get Plaquemines Parish right, which is even more impressive. I like the plots, I mostly like the characters (though the romantic subplot makes me grind my teeth) and I'm really looking forward to the third book.