Blood on the Bayou by Douglas J. Wood Book Spotlight and Review!

Blood on the Bayou

By Douglas J. Wood

Plum Bay Publishing

ISBN: 9781734884869

Publication Date: April 2022

The Murder Accountability Project, a nonprofit that analyzes FBI data, estimates that there are as many as 2,000 serial killers responsible for the 185,000 unsolved murders in the United States. According to the FBI there could be as many as fifty active serial killers prowling for victims every day. Most of them will never be caught. - Douglas J. Wood

“Another body was found in the French Quarter, throat slit. The report was void of much detail except for one fact that made Broussard’s stomach turn. The victim held a crude wooden cross in his hand and had “XXX” carved in his forehead. The reporter wrote that it was the mark of the so-called Bayou Slasher, New Orleans’s name for its latest serial killer.”

 

When a third murder in the French Quarter forces New Orleans police to confront the fact that they have a serial killer on their hands, Captain Raleigh Broussard puts his top detective on the case. The last two murders have led to dead ends, without any DNA evidence and only a loose connection to Voodoo to work from. While Detective Rebecca Simone and her team are investigating the third murder the killer strikes again, this time killing two victims at once. With DNA evidence finally found at the newest scene, all signs point to a local man who quickly becomes their top suspect. Between the forensic data and Voodoo trinkets found at his apartment, Simone is certain they have the right guy.

Farther north, however, it seems the FBI has been keeping close tabs on this case from their offices in Washington D.C. Enter Special Agent Christopher DiMeglio. Fearing Simone and her team have arrested an innocent man, he packs his bags and heads for uncharted territory.

What DiMeglio lacks in familiarity with the culture of New Orleans, he makes up for in knowledge of serial killers. Combined with Simone’s local expertise, the two form a tentative rapport under the common goal of keeping the city safe. With doubt about their initial suspect’s guilt mounting, it’s a race against time to either prove his guilt or find the real killer. After all, if they do have the wrong man, the Bayou Slasher can, and will, strike again.

The latest thriller from Douglas J. Wood, Blood on the Bayou (Plum Bay Publishing, March 2022, ISBN: 9781734884869, Trade Paperback), showcases his ability to build a suspenseful and thought-provoking story. With a mix of complicated characters and insightful commentary on the state of policing, Wood brings the reader right into the difficult world that public servants must navigate. Dealing with pressure from the public, internal corruption and racism, and the constraints of the legal system, Wood allows for a glimpse into the frustrating conditions police often find themselves working under. Rather than shying away from difficult topics, Wood fully and rightfully explores them through the narrative of a gripping murder mystery that will leave readers dying to know what happens next.

 

“And how do you do that? How would you take care of the racists?’

 

“Another good question that haunts us every day. Education is one way. But dealing with racists under our laws is a challenge, including those among our fellow officers. Look at Guidry. He’s as racist as they come and he’s the top cop. We all too often give him and others like him embedded in society rights beyond what they deserve, even electing them to office.”

 

“You sound frustrated.”

 

“Find me a cop who isn’t.”

My Thoughts

I love a good murder mystery, that said, Blood on the Bayou was a book that kept my interest from page 1. 

"The man lay in the decaying gutter of a New Orleans French Quarter alley. Blood oozed from the slit in his throat, mixing with the puddles from the hot September night drizzle, and blending in the rancid stench of vomit and sewage. His killer stood over him, smiling. He tried to ask why, why him? Bourbon street was alive with miscreants of all types who deserved to die more than he did."

Got your attention? It should. A serial killer is on the loose in the French Quarter. Police chief Captain Raleigh Broussard is tasked with the job of finding the killer, sooner rather than later too. The last two murders leave very little in the way of clues, no DNA, but did leave a claim to voodoo. Was it possible that these are ritualistic crimes? A suspect is found, is he really the killer, sniper expert is arrested for the crime. But did he really do it or was he set up?

Because of the lack of clues, Broussard brings in Special Agent Christopher DiMeglio, an expert in serial killers. He forms a romantic attachment to Detective Rebecca Simone, one of two detectives assigned to the cash. They work closely together to try to figure out the murders hoping to beat the Bayou Slasher at his own game. They need to find the killer before Mardi Gras takes place with a lot of people roaming the streets, prime victims for the killer.

This book is written with a lot of expertise in the serial killer department. Racism, internal corruption, and an often corrupt legal system put the police system at odds. How do you solve a serial killer case when the odds are stacked against you? Then there is the voodoo aspect that adds to the mix.

I read the book in a few sittings and the book pulled me in, from page one like I said. A good police procedural book, I was floored when I found out who the killer really was and why.

If you enjoy a good murder mystery, go get your copy of the book, you won't be disappointed.  I give it 5 stars, which I don't give out freely.

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only.

About Doug Wood

Douglas J. Wood is the author of the award-winning Samantha Harrison political trilogy. In 2018, he published his memoir, Asshole Attorney: Memories, Musings, and Missteps in A 40-Year Career (winner of the 2019 Independent Press Award for Best Humor and Wit). In the following year, he added Dark Data: Control, Alt, Delete, a thriller about cyberwar and financial terrorism and winner of the 2020 Independent Press Award for Best Political Thriller. Doug’s newest novel, Dragon on the Far Side of the Moon, a thriller that pits China and the United States in the conquest of the Moon, was published this past summer to rave reviews. His other non-fiction titles include 101 Things I Want to Say…the Collection, a book of fatherly advice to his children and the best-selling text Please Be Ad-Vised: A Legal Reference Guide for the Advertising Executive, now in its seventh edition and described by Bob Liodice, CEO of the Association of National Advertisers, as the legal bible for the industry. He is currently working on his next novel, Blood on the Bayou, a criminal thriller set in the sultry streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter. Look for that in 2022.

Senior Counsel at the law firm of Reed Smith LLP, he has over 45 years of experience practicing entertainment and media law, often imparting knowledge gained from his career in his books. Listed among the leading global specialists in advertising law in Chambers, the Legal 500, The Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers, he is known and respected worldwide and is a member of the Legal 500 Hall of Fame. He received his BA from the University of Rhode Island, his Juris Doctor from the Franklin Pierce Law Center, a Masters of Law in Trade Regulation from New York University School of Law, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of New Hampshire. Doug has been adjunct professor of advertising law at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law and the University College Cork in Ireland.

Doug lives in North Carolina with Carol Ann, his wife of 48 years. They are blessed with three grown children and four adorable grandchildren.

https://douglasjwood.com/