Review: Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson

Drusilla (DJ) Jaco is the young junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans. The title sounds big, but it isn’t. Her boss and mentor,Gerald (Gerry) St. Simon, is the wizard in charge of protecting the city from anything supernatural. The city was relatively safe until Hurricane Katrina hits, not only hammering the city’s levees but also crumbling the walls between the city and the supernatural Otherworld.

DJ is forced into action when Gerry goes missing. The devastated city is now overrun with the undead now able to cross into the city freely. If matters couldn’t be any worse, a voodoo serial killer is attacking soldiers sent to the city to aid in recovery. DJ is assigned a new partner, a gun-and-grenade-toting assassin.  DJ discovers quickly that lines of loyalty are easily blurred and she must rely on the most unlikely of allies to put an end to the killings and put an end to the supernatural devastation brought on by an equally devastating hurricane.

In this new urban fantasy series, the setting of New Orleans is simply outstanding, a city with a tremendous supernatural past. The author, a once long-time resident of New Orleans, pays a wonderful homage to the city. Jonson so expertly captures the overall feeling of the city, specifically after the devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina.

The cast of characters is impressive as well. DJ is a young, naive, impulsive wizard. She is forced to quickly get over herself and mature into a dependable young wizard. Adding the character of her new partner, Alex the enforcer, also added a bit of sexual tension to the story. An undead pirate out for revenge and Louis Armstrong, risen from the dead, round out the eclectic character roster.

As this is the first in a new series, there are some issues that need to be fleshed out but I have full confidence in this author. Royal Street is a fun and entertaining new series. I already have the second book in the series, River Road, in hand. Highly recommended.