The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp

I have always associated The City of Lost Fortunes with Las Vegas. Not anymore. Bryan Camp has forever changed that for me. His debut novel is packed with magic, the supernatural and occult of New Orleans and all of these other worldly elements come together to effect the fortunes of the characters in the most unanticipated ways.

Jude, a demi-god and would be magician, living in New Orleans, has been hiding and drifting ever since Katrina left New Orleans broken and a shadow of her former self. He has lost control over his magical gift that allows his to find lost things. That is until one day when the Fortune God, Dodge, calls in a favor that Jude owes him.

When Jude responds to the call, he finds himself suckered into a card game with Gods, a fallen angel, and other magical beings. When he realizes that the stakes of the game are his future, he runs for the exit, literally, in an attempt to escape. Jude quickly discovers that he cannot escape his future when Dodge is found dead. He will have to figure out who at the card game is the killer and with it he will have to make his own future and fortune.

New Orleans is such a captivating city and has a very real magical presence that Mr. Camp has taken and wove into this mesmerizing story. I especially loved his spot on descriptions of New Orleans. It is obvious that he loves the city and with his descriptive prose he has managed to make the city a prominent character in the story. The human, and no so human, characters are well thought out and fit the plot and setting perfectly. Then to top it off, the plot is full of twists and turns that you will not see coming. I was pulled into this supernatural story from the start and I am already looking forward to more good things from this author.

In short, this is a very well written ode to New Orleans. I loved this book from beginning to end. I highly recommend The City of Lost Fortunes to everyone; but, especially those who love New Orleans.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.