Crossroads Blues

by Ace Atkins

(Robinson, £6.99)

THOSE of us who have, for years, been having a steamy affair with an even steamier Deep South will rejoice at the publication of this second Nick Travers mystery.

Let's not beat about the bayou. This has everything a blues novel should contain - a heavy voodoo mix of mojo hands, black cat bones and Little John The Conquer Root. It oozes more mud than a Louisiana levee and has twice the bite of a swamp 'gator. Yup, it's that good.

This is a fast-paced yarn that spans time and distance. However, the author's jive-talk style of prose may not be everyone's cup of iced tea. John Phillpott