River Woman, River Demon

October 10, 2022
Eva Santos Moon, the narrator of this captivating whodunit from Givhan (Jubilee), is haunted by the drowning of her childhood best friend, Karma Marquez, when they were both 15. Years later, Eva still can’t remember whether she tried to save Karma or pushed her under the water. Consequently, Eva suffers from PTSD, marked by severe nightmares and blackouts. One night, Eva hears her husband, Jericho, screaming from the direction of the river near their New Mexico home. When she runs to help him, she finds him holding the bloody body of a close family friend, Cecilia Trujillo, who was apparently left to drown in the river by an attacker who smashed Cecilia’s face. Jericho is promptly accused of murder. When Eva later discovers texts between Cecilia and Jericho that suggest they were intimate, she feels betrayed. The coincidence of two friends dying by drowning doesn’t escape Eva. She again wonders whether she was somehow involved. In her effort to uncover the truth, Eva relies on the bruja spirit, an ancient spiritual art that she inherited from her late mother. But who can she trust? Givhan keeps the surprises coming. Psychological thriller fans will be well satisfied. Agent: Rebecca Friedman, Curtis Brown.

March 1, 2023

After her husband, Jericho, is arrested for the murder of her friend Cecilia, Eva Santos Moon must confront her past to determine what really happened on the night of Cecilia's death. A Chicana artist who practices the ancient spiritual healing paths of brujer�a and curanderisma, Eva uses her powers to explore her traumatic past, remembering a time 15 years earlier when her childhood best friend, Karma, died under similar circumstances. Plagued with PTSD and slivers of memories, Eva must clear both her name and that of her husband and embrace the powers given to her by generations of women before her. Award-winning Mexican American and Indigenous author Givhan's (Belly to the Brutal) latest explores the ways in which culture, family, and personal choices determine the course of one's life. Narrator Kyla Garcia gives a stunning performance of a woman who is finding herself, reckoning with her past, and struggling to survive in a world that does not understand her power. VERDICT Interwoven with magic of both Mexican and Indigenous origins, this haunting tale will sweep up listeners. Recommended for fans of Rudy Ruiz and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.--Elyssa Everling

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Starred review from August 1, 2022
A murder mystery with organic roots in the otherworldly. Eva Santos Moon is a glass blower by trade and a bruja by heritage. Her husband, Jericho, a college professor, also runs a Magick shop, and they have two wonderful children whose names begin with X. But no amount of protection they can summon will help when they discover the body of Eva's friend Cecelia in the river behind their house and Jericho is immediately arrested for her murder. Evidence emerges that suggests he may have been having an affair with Cecelia, but when Eva tries to talk to him about it, he suggests he may plead guilty to protect her. After all, it's not the first time someone close to Eva has died; when she was 15, her best friend drowned, and she was believed by some to be responsible. The trauma of this most recent death, and her suspicions about Jericho, instantly sends Eva back to a place of trauma; drinking and blacking out, she also begins to experience visitations from Cecelia's ghost. Then a former love reenters her life, and Eva has to decide where her path of happiness lies--and how far she will go to find out the truth about Cecelia's murder. There are all the expected thrills and chills as well as some unexpected ones, but the real gift here is Givhan's command of language. She employs gorgeous metaphors and crass slang with precision. In a similar way, the mystical and the earthly are seamlessly intertwined, in place as well as in plot. It's not often that we get a story of hoodoo and conjuring that presents these as religious elements rather than sensational ones. Eva embodies these complexities as well; she's a memorable and multifaceted heroine. Sharp as glass shards and lush as the desert after the rain, the writing is the true magic here.

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