*Rating* 4.0*Genre* Dark Fantasy/Demons/Witches/Other*Review*Evil Ways is the second story in the Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigation and follows a really nasty warlock named Pardee and his ultra-rich boss Walter Globius, as they ready themselves for the coming of Walpurgis Night and the event that will change the course of history. Globius was first introduced in Black Magic Woman as the man behind the scenes guiding his murderous followers in their attempt to gather body parts for his ceremony. Pardee has declared war against the Sisterhood of the Right Hand--also known as white witches because he doesn’t want them to interfere in his world domination plans. One of his main targets happens to be Elizabeth (Libby) Chastain who he had a prior confrontation with; one that ended badly for Pardee. In the meantime, Quincey Morris is taking care of some business at the home of a warlock that has been killing children and ends up being blackmailed by FBI Special Agent Dale Fenton and his new white witch partner Colleen O'Donnell into helping them with their case. Since the two cases are related, Quincey agrees. My favorite character over the course of this story was Hannah Widmark. Hannah, nicknamed the Widowmaker, hunts down and kills anyone, including supernatural beings that have harmed humans. She also has a personal stake in this story since Pardee took something truly valuable away from her. Hannah, Quincy, and Libby also have a prior history together which leads to differences of opinions on how to handle Pardee’s threat.The one thing that actually puzzled me over the course of this story was the fact that Pardee and his hired killers were able to sneak up on the white witches and eliminate nearly a dozen of them before the realization that something apocalyptic was happening around them. They didn't somehow didn't even realize that a major event was happening and they may have to be ready for it. In this case, Gustainis made the villains much smarter than the goody guys. In Evil Ways, the villains are already known to us from the first few chapters of the book. We know Grobius from Black Magic Woman and his intentions to lengthen his life. We know why they are going after a certain bunch of people and what Pardee has in store for Chastain when he captures her.We can only hope that the good guys show up in time to stop really bad things from happening before it’s too late to stop it. We also wonder to ourselves how many will fall by the wayside before the villains are finally stopped in their tracks.I often find myself surprised when I come across a story that has nearly everything I want and enjoy out of my reading: suspense, mystery, fantastic lead protagonists, big bad villains that are hard to kill, and an ending that leaves me chasing after the next book in the series to see where Quincey and Libby go from here. Then I wonder if I am reading the same book as others after seeing DNF or ratings less than 2 stars or those who say to avoid the series at all costs because it’s nasty and dirty. I guess we all strive to get something out of the books we read, and when we don’t, like constant sexual escapades between the two main characters, we turn away from the series and attack it. I respect your opinions; always will. We can just agree to disagree on this series and move on.Gustainis definitely knows how to create a dark universe with fun and interesting characters who struggle against the dark forces surrounding them. I would wholeheartedly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys the Dark Fantasy genre, yet at the same time, warn that there may be some disturbing aspects to this storyline. Justin GustainisQuincey Morris Supernatural Investigation1. Black Magic Woman (2008)2. Evil Ways (2008)3. Sympathy for the Devil (2009)
GizmosReviews
*Rating* 4.0*Genre* Dark Fantasy/Demons/Witches/Other*Review*Evil Ways is the second story in the Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigation and follows a really nasty warlock named Pardee and his ultra-rich boss Walter Globius, as they ready themselves for the coming of Walpurgis Night and the event that will change the course of history. Globius was first introduced in Black Magic Woman as the man behind the scenes guiding his murderous followers in their attempt to gather body parts for his ceremony. Pardee has declared war against the Sisterhood of the Right Hand--also known as white witches because he doesn’t want them to interfere in his world domination plans. One of his main targets happens to be Elizabeth (Libby) Chastain who he had a prior confrontation with; one that ended badly for Pardee. In the meantime, Quincey Morris is taking care of some business at the home of a warlock that has been killing children and ends up being blackmailed by FBI Special Agent Dale Fenton and his new white witch partner Colleen O'Donnell into helping them with their case. Since the two cases are related, Quincey agrees. My favorite character over the course of this story was Hannah Widmark. Hannah, nicknamed the Widowmaker, hunts down and kills anyone, including supernatural beings that have harmed humans. She also has a personal stake in this story since Pardee took something truly valuable away from her. Hannah, Quincy, and Libby also have a prior history together which leads to differences of opinions on how to handle Pardee’s threat.The one thing that actually puzzled me over the course of this story was the fact that Pardee and his hired killers were able to sneak up on the white witches and eliminate nearly a dozen of them before the realization that something apocalyptic was happening around them. They didn't somehow didn't even realize that a major event was happening and they may have to be ready for it. In this case, Gustainis made the villains much smarter than the goody guys. In Evil Ways, the villains are already known to us from the first few chapters of the book. We know Grobius from Black Magic Woman and his intentions to lengthen his life. We know why they are going after a certain bunch of people and what Pardee has in store for Chastain when he captures her.We can only hope that the good guys show up in time to stop really bad things from happening before it’s too late to stop it. We also wonder to ourselves how many will fall by the wayside before the villains are finally stopped in their tracks.I often find myself surprised when I come across a story that has nearly everything I want and enjoy out of my reading: suspense, mystery, fantastic lead protagonists, big bad villains that are hard to kill, and an ending that leaves me chasing after the next book in the series to see where Quincey and Libby go from here. Then I wonder if I am reading the same book as others after seeing DNF or ratings less than 2 stars or those who say to avoid the series at all costs because it’s nasty and dirty. I guess we all strive to get something out of the books we read, and when we don’t, like constant sexual escapades between the two main characters, we turn away from the series and attack it. I respect your opinions; always will. We can just agree to disagree on this series and move on.Gustainis definitely knows how to create a dark universe with fun and interesting characters who struggle against the dark forces surrounding them. I would wholeheartedly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys the Dark Fantasy genre, yet at the same time, warn that there may be some disturbing aspects to this storyline. Justin GustainisQuincey Morris Supernatural Investigation1. Black Magic Woman (2008)2. Evil Ways (2008)3. Sympathy for the Devil (2009)
