I'm a big fan of the "asshole gods and the way they mess up people's lives" genre, and this is a wonderful example. Jude Dubuisson, who has the gift of finding lost things from his father, one of New Orleans' myriad gods, gets drawn into divine schemes and squabbles when he finds himself at a card game, playing against trickster gods, with stakes that are both unclear and unimaginably high. When the Fortune god is murdered, Jude searches for the killer and uncovers a plot against the city itself; but this plot is less a murder mystery and more a hero's journey for self, as well as a tour through the varied mythologies of the many cultures of New Orleans.

The beginning's a little shaky, some overwrought prose with a lot of exposition dump about Jude's past that felt like it could have been a whole book in itself, but as the story begins to unfold it shrugs off its awkwardness and takes on life. I liked the careful structure around the tarot cards that form the hand Jude must play, the metaphor brought to literal life, and the various gods from many pantheons that all have an interest in the outcome.

Conceived as an idea in the backseat of his parents’ car as they evacuated Hurricane Katrina, there is denying that Bryan Camp’s debut novel “The City of Lost Fortunes” is a very personal tale for the author. Even with the inclusion of fantastical elements such as gods, vampires and magic; the central theme is on the destruction and loss that occurred in New Orleans during 2005, and how the community has attempted to rebuild itself in the aftermath. Speaking through his lead character, Camp illustrates this sense of bereavement for the pre-Katrina New Orleans, using the disruption to his magical abilities as a metaphor for the damage done to the Crescent City.

Camp’s vision of New Orleans is intoxicating, and while this is a highly fictitious interpretation of the city, it captures the very essence of the Louisiana city and its amalgamation of faiths and nationalities. It is a rich, vibrant location in which to set this tale of gods and monsters and Camp does the area justice with his evocative narration, making it just as much a character as the magicians and gods that populate the city streets. There is a smoky mysteriousness and darkness about Camp’s New Orleans that lends itself well to his murder-mystery adventure, as supernatural threats hide within plain-sight amongst the various seams and folds of the city.

Jude, the novel’s charismatic lead, finds himself on the hunt for a supernatural killer with the power to murder New Orleans’ god of fortune. However, the story is so much more than a standard whodunit – in fact, the identity of the murderer is revealed midway through the novel as Camp takes the narrative in surprising places, subverting expectations along the way. I was struck by how densely plotted this novel was, and how some characters were introduced in seemingly minor roles and ended up playing major parts in the narrative as the plot developed. There was a real sense of scale to Jude’s adventure, as he undergoes an odyssey akin to the Greece myths and legends of old. His character development is expertly done, and leaves the reader feeling completely satisfied, especially when he embraces his destiny.

While I’m aware of the Urban Fantasy genre through the likes of American Gods, Fables and Once Upon a Time, I haven’t actually read too much of the sub-genre and I have to say that “The City of Lost Fortunes” is a brilliant way to dip my toe into the water. Camp’s novel weaves a multitude of different mythologies and religions together to create his own distinct world that fits perfectly against its New Orleans setting. I love the clash of the mystical and the mundane, and how Camp populates his version of the Crescent City with mysterious tricksters and bloodthirsty vampires. Things take a decidedly more supernatural turn in the second-half of the book, prompting Jude’s development as a character as he embraces his own origins and abilities, but the novel unites the two worlds together before the end.

Supporting Jude on his journey to self-enlightenment is a myriad of quirky characters that straddle the line between both worlds. I particularly enjoyed Sal, the wise-cracking psycho-pomp, and Regal, Jude’s foul-mouthed former partner-in-crime. The characters are all extremely likeable and help form an eclectic cast of the good, bad and ugly of New Orleans – I’m surprised how well-established they all are, and how Camp fleshes them out with believable motivations and personalities. In the first half of the book, Jude and Regal’s banter helps draw the reader in and keeps them grounded, whilst Camp performs his world-building and establishing grand themes that will come into play in the second half.

“The City of Lost Fortunes” is an extraordinary read, filled with a surprising confidence from the first-time author. Enthralling from the first chapter, Bryan Camp’s novel drags the reader into the seedy secret alleyways of New Orleans and exposes them to the sinister underbelly of fate, fortune and the afterlife. Masterfully constructed, the plot is gripping from the outset and it was a genuine pleasure to witness the mystery unravel after each new chapter. Deftly switching gears from murder-mystery to fantasy-adventure, Camp’s narrative is unpredictable yet smooth – throwing a number of seemingly disparate plot threads together to produce a truly spectacular tapestry at the end. From a purely technical standpoint, I was impressed with how Camp structured this novel, and even more impressed how he managed to create something so intensely readable.

Long after I had bid farewell to Jude Dubuisson and the Crescent City, the events of the novel lingered in my mind – which is always the sign of a terrific read. While it is unclear whether “The City of Lost Fortunes” will kick off a series of Crescent City novels or not, there is no denying that Bryan Camp is a strong new voice in the field of Urban Fantasy, and one I expect to hear more about in the future. In fact, I’ve not felt this excited about a fantasy book since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and fans of that franchise who have long grown up and graduated from Hogwarts would do well to pick up this gem of a novel.

A magical book set in the magical city of New Orleans, six years after Katrina. Neither the city or its people, not even the demigods who control its fortunes, have fully recovered from the devastating storm.

I'm not big on the genre supernatural/fantasy or the South but Camp has challenged me to reevaluate my feelings toward both. I enjoyed the mythology, the characters, and the setting. I don't know how he managed to execute such a hit with his debut he hats off to Mr. Camp.

***Review***
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Title: City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: Sci-fi, fantasy
Release date: April 17, 2018
My rating: 5/5⭐️
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Synopsis:
The fate of New Orleans rests in the hands of a wayward grifter in this novel of gods, games, and monsters.

I recently finished an ARC copy of City of Lost Fortunes ( thank you, Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) and the following is my honest review.

Jude Dubuisson has been lying low ever since Katrina hit his home of New Orleans causing his magical ability to find Lost things to play havoc on his power. But, after six years of self induced “retirement” spent hiding from his own abilities, he’s thrown back into the game when the fortune god of New Orleans is murdered. From there on he is forced to open himself up to his magic once again and go on a quest to find out who killed Dodge, and what it means for him. The outcome is something Jude never expected and forces him to play a game he isn’t foreseen to win.


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I find the best word to describe this book is AWESOME. The protagonist Jude Dubuisson is, simply put, a badass of epic proportions. I loved everything about him. He is clever, dominant, and determined. He’s a trickster, a demi-god, and a magician with the amazing ability to find lost things. When he is suckered into a “poker” match that will name the winner the new god of luck of New Orleans, he finds he’s been out of the game to long and is possibly out of his league. The other fortune Gods are playing dirty and they don’t mean for Jude to have even the slimmest chance of winning or of walking away from the table alive. Against all odds, Jude finds his way out of the game before its conclusion but not without a cost. Dodge is dead and Jude’s hand is still in play. He sets out to find the killer and to reveal his fate once and for all... the soul of New Orleans is depending on him to not only survive, but to win.
Bryan Camp is on my new favorite authors list. His debut novel is absolutely amazing. Well written, edge of your seat stuff. The plot twists keep coming throughout the entire book and you find yourself rooting for the self proclaimed bastard the entire time. He’s got the perfect balance of good and evil, and he keeps very interesting company. Throughout the book you find Jude alive, dead, and weirdly enough, a woman for a short time. You spend time in the Elysian Fields and the underworld. The setting of New Orleans is the perfect backdrop to this book full of gods and myths and magic. It’s folksy, whimsical and amazing. I can’t even come up with a con to all the pros I’ve listed. I also would like to note that this book is listed as “a Crescent City Novel”, so I can only hope that means this book will be part of a series. I sincerely hope so, I cannot get enough of Jude Dubuisson! Congrats to Bryan Camp for this phenomenal piece of work!
-Summer, Loud Mind Reviews

This is a unique, fun read. In post-Katrina New Orleans, Jude is struggling with his power. He has the power to find things and experience feelings of loss from the people around him. Unsurprisingly, after hurricane Katrina, many people feel lost or have lost people/things dear to them which overwhelms Jude. But, Jude must come out of hiding to help solve a magical murder mystery.

I love the atmosphere in this novel. It felt like New Orleans, and I could feel the emotional trials the characters went through. Speaking of the characters, they were great-- fun, believable, and interesting. I had a good time with this, and I would recommend it to friends and students alike.

Absolutely loved it! After Katrina, demigod Jude has decided to lay low as his power of finding lost things has gone so haywire he is forced to seclude himself from most people. A fateful card game played with tricksters gods to become the Luck of New Orleans pulls Jude into a fight he wasn't ready for, and he is soon neck deep in a world he couldn't imagine and forced to push himself further than he ever thought possible. At each turn, Jude becomes less sure of who he can trust (these are tricksters, after all). With such a complicated plot, this story could well-have gone off the rails, but I'm happy to say that the rich details and complex characters were well-crafted. The comparisons to American Gods are well-deserved, but it is definitely a great story in its own right.