Tim Madden, author of Outbanker, has returned with a new book entitled The Bruja’s Tale. Madden has stepped away from the science-fiction genre and plunged right into mystery thrillers. His latest effort was inspired by the society and culture that he experianced first hand in Guatemala, a place where shamanism and witchcraft combine and meld together seamlessly with the 21st century – this is his inspiration.

The Bruja’s Tale is the first book in a series of mystery thrillers that pit the heroes against the spiritual as they struggle to solve the case. Sounds interesting doesn’t it? The protagonist of this tale, Tomas Guzman Schoen, is a European-educated bachelor who boasts a home in Guatemala City, a ranch in the Peten, and a lover who “resembles Salma Hayek”. Guzman is basically a guy who has it all. That all changes when his uncle, the Chief of Police in El Paraiso, asks him to investigate two deaths before he himself dies under suspect circumstances. Throw in a Mayan bruja who seduces him in an attempt to possess his soul and you have a story that is ripe for the picking.

For more information about the book you can visit the book’s homepage, and if your interests run like mine, you’ll be please to note there is even a link at the top of the site where you can buy the book. When you order online through the website there is a code on the checkout page that you can use to apply a 25% discount to your purchase. I tried to add this book to my wishlist at Paperback Swap, but alas, it didn’t show up on their radar. :(

Now while this book sounds like it could be the beginning of a promising new series, I can already see some aspects that have the potential to turn this gripping read into something less than amusing. After all, the basic premise of taking a well educated man and plunking him down into a society steeped with magic and shamanism is a very common one. There are many trappings that the author could fall into that would bring the story down, so it may be interesting to see how this tale plays out.