“I know I’m a kid and people don’t listen to kids, but…I think it’s going to matter. I know this isn’t over…Vickie, I’m afraid that it’s not over for you” Noah

Hello Everyone,

It is a few days after Christmas and I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. My home is overrun with toys and I am still exhausted, but that didn’t stop me from reading. At the start of the holidays ’til now, I managed to read three books in Heather Grahams Krewe of Hunters series. Although each book in the series can be read separately, the three I read are all interconnected.

 

 

In Dying Breath, the first of the three, we meet Victoria (Vickie) Preston, a teenager who is targeted and survives an attack by a serial killer while babysitting for a neighbor. It was also the first time she saw a ghost. Fast forward several years and Vickie is now a historian and nonfiction writer. While working for a private charity that gives a better chance of survival to young people after leaving foster care, Vickie is pulled into an investigation by a serial killer who is terrorizing Boston by kidnapping women and burying them alive, sending clues of their locations in the form of notes to the authorities, one of which mentions Vickie’s name. As a historian, she has the knowledge to help in the search. The spirit of one of the victims is also appearing in her dreams to help her catch the killer known as the Undertaker.

Enter Special Agent Griffin Pryce, part of the FBI’s Krewe of Hunters who investigates the paranormal. Griffin was a young officer when he saved Vickie from the attack by the serial killer in her teens. When his search for the victims of the Undertaker reunites him with Vickie, he feels the need to protect her because of their shared past and falls in love with her as they race against time to find the graves hidden around the city. This first introduction to the duo had me completely immersed in the book, I mean who doesn’t love a good ghostly love story? I fell in love with the two and wanted more.

“We really are amazing creatures. We are capable of so much that is horrible, and so much that is so good.” Alex

Their love story continues with Dark Rites. Another story set again in the historically enriched city of Boston. A series of assaults has the Boston police mystified.  The unknown assailant is attacking random strangers and leaving a note alluding to witchcraft. Vickie is drawn into the investigation when her new friend, history professor Alex Maple is badly assaulted and hospitalized. Vickie and Alex met when his knowledge of not only history, but Massachusetts history in particular, helped her and Griffin solve the Undertaker case. Weeks after his recovery, when Alex stands her up for a meeting at a coffee shop, Vickie is sure someone has taken her friend. Not only that, she is having dreams of being covered in blood and dirt and it is invading her waking life.

Vickie is glad to have Griffin by her side as the escalating attacks points to a dangerous cult, a cult where the members would rather die than be arrested. Griffin tries to keep her safe as they search for Alex and delve into the Salem witch trials and also work on their increasingly passionate relationship.

What struck me about this book is the deepening bond and chemistry between Vickie and Griffin as she comes to really accept being able to see ghosts and having people on her side who not only understands but has also experienced ghostly sightings. I enjoyed revisiting the lovebirds and seeing how their relationship has grown and continues to grow.  I also enjoyed seeing how Vickie becomes more and more involved with the Krewe of Hunters. Which brings me to the last book in this interconnected series within a series.

“Quoth the raven—Nevermore!” Edgar Allen Poe

Wicked Deeds is set in Baltimore. Vickie and Griffin have decided to start their life together in Virginia where Griffin lives and works with the FBI. En route to Virginia, they embark on a romantic weekend in Baltimore. Needless to say, the weekend doesn’t go as planned. How could it when a famous writer is found dead at the Edgar Allen Poe themed restaurant they visit? When other bizarre deaths with echoes of Poe’s horror fictions comes to life, Vickie is drawn into yet another case; especially when she dreams of the night Edgar Allen Poe died. When she wakes from her nightmare, she gets a visit from, wait for it, the great Poe himself, who appears with cryptic info on the crimes.

Griffin is naturally drawn to the case not only as a Special Agent for the FBI and Krewe of Hunters, but as the man who will do anything to protect the woman he loves. Solving not only the death of the famous author in the here and now, Vickie also strives to clear the mystery of Poe’s death. They are assisted by fellow Krewe of Hunters Jackson Crow (who appears in all three books) his wife Angela Hawkins,  Adam Harrison, the head of Krewe of Hunters, his ghostly son Josh (he and Adam are introduced in Haunted, part of the Harrison Investigation series). Vickie’s ghostly haunts also appears in the book.

Heather Graham has the extraordinary ability to blend romance with paranormal suspense into a perfect combination. Her characters are unique in every book. Vickie’s character development in each book was on point. Every facet was explored without bogging you down with useless details or emotions. You watch her grow from insecure and unsure if her ability to see ghosts is a gift or curse, to having the confidence to embrace her reality and the love of a man who accepts and understands what she has and will experience. Griffin is the perfect counterpart for Vickie. He is strong and protective, while letting her grow and keeping her safe. He is the kind of man every woman wants standing beside her and watching her back.

The history of Massachusetts and Baltimore lends the books just the right amount of ambience that drives the plot, coming closer to being a horror novel instead of just suspense. Good luck figuring out the identity of the killers. If you can figure it out, despite all the twists and false leads, you are a better person than me.

I recommend reading not just these, but all 23 books in the series (including the 8 Harrison Investigation series). Just don’t read them during the holiday season, or better yet, do. The experience will leave you stunned. (Think toys that randomly makes sounds in the middle of the night.) Just saying!

Happy Reading,

The Book Diva