Poison Makers 

Author: Jimmy Olsen

Unique and tantalizing…

Jimmy Olsen sits you on the edge of the seat and watches as his characters thrust you off – into the oblivion of an all night read.  He does this judiciously, without premeditation; but before you pick up Poison Makers, know that this author twists you into not only his fascinating plots and subplots – but then introduces you to characters that throw such an impact they prove unforgettable.

I haven’t read a crime novel I’ve liked as much as Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer in ages, and Poison Maker hit that spot:  that SPOT in every crime reader’s addictive search for something – well, just a little bit DIFFERENT.  And Poison Makers delivers.

It’s not usually a good thing to pick up a novel about voodoo, unless you are sitting in the bayou throwing ‘bad novel pages” into the swamp for the Crocs.  Poison Makers has that crucial element – credibility – that knocks you off your feet, and sets you down with tempestuous twists, an endearing protagonist, and characters that fulfill their roles and are pitch perfect.  OK OK, I’ll get to the plot!

EJ Edgar Espinosa-Jones, Dominican/American, is a part time scuba diver and a part time investigator given assignments by his mentor, Garrett Yancy.  When the Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, American Adam Quist is found dead,  Yancy gives EJ the assignment to find the killer, for the American government is sure that Quist has been murdered.  And Quist was a powerful man, involved in a lot of – THINGS.  As EJ and his friend, a crooked Dominican cop named Lt. Mickey Alba, start to get involved the “murder” is questionable also.  Can Adam Quist still be alive?

EJ’s first stop is to Haiti to talk to Adam Quist’s daughter Olivia, who seems to feel that Quist’s death is intentional.  In Port Au Prince, EJ and Olivia meet and Olivia feels that the death is political.  It is the 70’s and the climate is torrid with political rife, revolution and superstition.  As EJ and Mickey fall into the volcanic turbulence, they endanger themselves, flee a Voudon cult, engage with real zombies and reel themselves in time after time.

This is not your normal mystery story. 

With great detail, Jimmy Olsen verifies the reality of Voodoo in the Haitian culture, and creates a whirling dervish of a story.  As EJ falls into love and death, and we follow EJ, Olsen creates a miasma of a novel that stuns and quivers through every chapter.  Not so much a mystery story as an exquisite view of political intrigue, Olsen’s characters steal the novel.  One of the best of the year as far as I am concerned, and I have left the plot for you, the reader, to investigate, as this is one of those novels that not only clamors to be read but clamors to be noted as A Best Read of the Year.  Totally enchanting, scary, and real, Olsen sets his own spin on an Angels and Demons plot distinctly his own.  Intricate, mesmerizing and absolutely fantastic read!

Ratings are based on a 5-star scale

Overall: 5+

Review by Broad “A” – Ava

We received a copy of this title for our book review. All opinions are our own

Poison Makers is available on Amazon.com and booksellers nationwide