Niki’s Review: Bishop’s Crossing by Don Mewha

Bishop’s Crossing is a magical dive into New Orleans. It doesn’t rely on the typical New Orleans Voodoo (though there is some there, it’s far from the typical and far from the only magic), and instead asks ‘what if the whole world was full of magic, and demons, and witches, and vampires, and whatever else, but years ago they’d all made an agreement with the church to live amongst humans instead of against them?

It’s a really fun question and amazingly executed.

This is one of the best new releases I’ve read in a long time and I’ve already read it several times.

Follow Bishop as he navigates through trying to win back the woman he loves - who divorced him agreed to marry someone else. His only goal is to get his wife and daughter back, even if it means cutting out all his friends and his former career (of demon hunting). Human, though touching on the world of magic, Bishop’s been retired since his family fell apart and has been working hard on getting on the straight and narrow. Except for all the booze and women.

Until he finds out someone he loves is in danger from the magic he left behind. Dragged back into the life, he has to reunite with the friends he’d dropped like a bad habit and find a way to keep his loved one safe.

He’s far from safe in the process as he almost gets eaten by vampires and later gets in a fight (almost to the death) with some not so nice beasties. There are also the several fellas along the way just sore at the treatment they got last time Bishop was around.

In the end, he saves the day and finds the family he was looking for, though not the one he expected.

It’s a great book and I truly don’t understand how it hasn’t been found by more people and devoured for the amazing work that it is. Grab a copy and read it. I just love it, and this is me shouting from the rooftops.

“GO FORTH AND READ BISHOP’S CROSSING BY DON MEWHA!”

***Spoilers Below***

We start off with Bishop being a scumbag. Some woman is in his bed and he can’t be bothered to remember her name. He just wants her out. Nice. Sadly, she can’t make her escape fast enough and Mary, his 8 year old daughter, pops in for her scheduled visit and finds her with Bishop. She is less than impressed but makes a comment that “she curses less than the last one”. Even his 8 year old knows he’s got issues. And she totally calls him out mentioning that her mom and the guy she’s seeing are getting married and his chances are almost out.

Honestly, Mewha writes Scumbag Bishop so well at this point, I’m actively rooting against him. It’s not everyday I find a book that makes me so strongly dislike the main character so early but feel so compelled to keep reading. It’s happened a few times though and I love it when it does. This is one of those times it really works.

We then dive into the world of Bishop. He owns a bar in New Orleans that keeps him very comfortable, and he lives above said bar. He’s been retired from his 10-year career of being an occultist (‘demonologist, occult researcher, and sometimes investigator’) because it wrecked his marriage and took away his wife and daughter.

He alludes to a past event with his father that got him into the business, and it’s hinted at a few times before we figure out what it was and it’s a real kick in the pants. I’m not going to tell you what it is. You’ll just have to read it to find out. It’s really a doozy.

Something I love about Mewha’s writing style is the way Bishop so easily breaks the fourth wall. Bishop knows he’s telling you a story and I so often see this done poorly, but I so love it when it’s done well (books and TV. This is a total love of mine). Mewha does this very well.

We meat Dave, the only hang on from Bishop’s crazy ex-life. He’s now a bartender for Bishop and hands him a cure for the hangover he must have from the night before. Because if I’ve forgotten to mention it, Bishop retired to try to get his life back and the way he’s going about it is by being a drunken womanizer. Who wouldn’t want that back for their children? *Sarcasm font*

Turns out, Mary needs a Halloween costume and her mom, Jackie, thought Bishop should be the one to help with this because he’s so good with the ‘Halloween stuff’. Jackie might not know exactly what he was doing, but she’s no idiot.

But why doesn’t she know exactly what he’s doing? Wouldn’t it have saved some fights and trouble if Bishop had just told her the truth? I mean, maybe. But ‘the gloaming’ can only be shared and seen by certain people. Because of a pact made with all supernaturals and the church thousands of years ago, normal humans can’t know. Jackie is a normal human. Bishop, while human, can tap into magic. He can read auroras and other such things. Some humans can. Those humans can be made aware of the gloaming.

So Bishop and Mary are off to find a Halloween costume. She wants to go to Papa Ivé’s store. It’s a name Bishop is shocked she knows. See, Papa Ivé isn’t a store. He’s a huge deal in New Orleans and the gloaming. So big, he’s the Voodoo king and he’s been around for a long time. Bishop’s not sure if he’s immortal, but he’s certainly long lived and extremely powerful. But fear not, Mary only knows the name from having heard Bishop talk about him. He weasels into a good excuse about why his store isn’t the best and suggests other places they could go, and the father daughter bonding is going great.

When he takes her back home and hits on Jackie and gets promptly turned down, she mentions that Mary is in trouble at school. They have a meeting scheduled. Bishop brings up her engagement and Jackie talks about it as asks if he’s ok. He smells her hair and says ‘Nope, but I don’t think I’m out of the game yet, milady’. She politely tells him he’s ‘delusional’ and he makes another comment before walking away.

It’s one of those things where if this was a mystery of some sort, Mewha would be absolutely setting Bishop up to be a murder suspect in Jackie’s death. But fear not, this isn’t that type of story. Bishop is just an annoying creep who doesn’t know how to let go.

Bishop goes back home and someone from his past is waiting for him. A priest. Oh, because before all the demon stuff, Bishop was in the seminary. Shocking, I know. Father Raimond Fortier is no ordinary man of god. He’s an Erinny with the order. Remember that pact the supernatural world made with the church? The Order is what watches the supernaturals to make sure all is well, and people don’t know about the gloaming. The Erinnys are the soldiers who take down anyone out of line. They take no chances. They kill anyone threating the pact.

Raimond tells Bishop that Ivé’s daughter has gone missing. It’s a big deal and Raimond worries the city is about to explode in chaos. He politely asks Bishop to help find her. In return he will earn a favor from the Order. It’s a huge deal, but Bishop is out and he declines.

It’s time for Mary’s meeting with the school. The principal informs Jackie and Bishop of Mary’s misdeeds and that she’s a bully. The accusations are that she just ‘knows’ sensitive things, like someone died or is getting divorced or is having a hard time at school. She knows it about all kinds of people and the principal thinks she’s hacking into their files or something. But Bishop knows the truth. She can see what’s going on because she’s like him. Not quite a normal human…special. And that makes her a danger to (guess who) the Order. What are the odds? Now he’s faced with taking Raimond’s offer before they figure out what Mary is. He’s going to have to find Papa Ivé’s daughter to keep his own safe.

Bishop makes his way to Ivé and confronts a sore person from his past (only angry because Bishop almost got him killed) and has another confrontation with Ivé where he learns he’s maybe been out of the game too long and has lost his edge (you know, because of course the Order knew about Mary), but he makes it out alive. So there is that. He also learns that if he doesn’t move fast, Ivé’s going to war and if that happens, Mary is doomed.

Without a lot of options, it’s time for Bishop to get the old gang together. He starts with Ava, a lounge singer who’s amazing and beautiful and a past romantic partner of Bishops. Oh, and a half succubus. NBD. Ava fills Bishop in on what’s been going on in the Gloaming since he left and who the culprits likely are and agrees to join him.

Their first stop: The head vampire. They won’t let Ava in, so Bishop’s on his own. And he almost gets killed. Literally. The vampire is draining his blood when he uses Angel Fire (a gift from an actual Angel to Bishop once upon a time). It doesn’t kill the vamp, but it gives Bishop the upper hand so he can (literally) stagger away. He wakes up in the hospital with Ava and a few units heavier on blood (partial demon blood) and away they go.

The next past groupie they find is Nero, a psychic who is a fun and sarcastic character. He’s none too keen to help until he hears Mary is under threat from the church. He’s all on board after and tried to use his powers to see who have Ivé’s daughter. The problem is, whoever is hiding her is strong and they really get to Nero. Whoever it is sees him and knows they are looking.

Bishop gets a call from Mary. There is a priest outside the school watching her. Scaring her and the staff. Bishop rolls up and gets in a fight with him (not Raimond) and that’s it. He’s sure now they know about Mary and their threats have been made.

Now it’s time to get the last member back in the fold. A young girl named Nat who was particularly hurt upon being unceremoniously dumped by Bishop and forgotten thereafter. She only agrees to help on Mary’s behalf and because Ava helps talk her into it.

So that’s it. Dave, Ava, Nero, and Nat join Bishop and the band is back together. Now they just need a plan.

Nat, who is about the same age as Ivé’s daughter, sheds some light on what the young woman is like and who and what she’s into. It gives them a starting point.

They are going to the club Ivé’s daughter frequented before she vanished. Bishop, who apparently doesn’t know how to dress, needs help from Ava. They end up kissing and Ava gets pissed, rightfully so, because he left her for Jackie and then dumped the whole group to fix things with her. Which he didn’t do. She throws him across the room with her demon strength and leaves him to get dressed alone. They get to the club and Nat’s goal is to get taken by the same folks who took Ivé’s daughter so the gang can track her and find both. Nat gets kidnapped and things are going according to plan.

And then they aren’t. The scary priest from Mary’s school calls from Jackie’s house while the group is tracking Nat and tells Bishop he’s got Mary. Bishop and Ava split from the rest of the group to save her. The two get there and find…nothing. Everyone is fine. Until they start getting shot at. So…less fine. Ava gets hit hard and she’s dying. Normally as half daemon, she’d be fine. But the bullets were blessed and she’s a goner. Bishop has to spill the beans to Jackie and Mary taps into her (stronger than they’d realized) magic and removes the blessed bullets from Ava, curing her and proving the crazy tale to Jackie. With everyone better, it’s time to meet up with the rest of the group and save Nat.

She’s in a warehouse and Ivé’s daughter is there too. They fight through an army of reanimated dead guys and get thrown around and destroy a bunch of stuff and they make it out. They get Nat and Ivé’s daughter and they are headed away and Bishop can’t help but think it was all too easy (though extremely difficult, not enough, he thinks).

But they have the girl and take her back to Ivé. All is well. Or is it? I’ll give you a hint. It’s not but I don’t want to spoil this really cool twist that I didn’t see coming. You’ll just have to read for yourself. And you should. Go read it.

Also, follow Don Mewha on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to keep up with his current writing. Bishop’s Crossing is his debut novel and he absolutely knocked it out of the park. I know he’s working on more and I’m prepared to be just as amazed. Jump on board and read this amazing book!