Coming Soon: The Uninvited (Krewe of Hunters series) by Heather Graham

This is Book 8 in the Krewe of Hunters series. I only read book 4 (The Evil Inside) in August last year, also as an advance review copy, so I had to go and double check I was right that this was the 8th. And it is, Heather Graham is a machine!

This book is set in a Philadelphia mansion that is a feature of the city's tourist trail. There are plenty of ghost stories attached to the house, and a number of curious deaths in recent decades, but head guide and academic Allison is sceptical. When she finds a colleague dead, having apparently impaled himself on his replica bayonet, she certainly doesn't believe ghosts were involved. When there is another mysterious death and a former visitor falls into a coma rumours are flying that ghost of Butcher Bedford is the culprit but Krewe member Tyler Montague is convinced otherwise. Both Allison and Tyler believe there is an earthly explanation, and the time they spend together begins to change Allison's view of the world of the paranormal, and her initial distaste for the Krewe's involvement evolves into an overwhelming attraction for Tyler. Allison and the team have to work together to get to the bottom of the strange events and prevent more untimely deaths.

Having read two of the books in the series it appears that the members of the Krewe who mainly feature change with each book, so not having read previous stories is no handicap. This book is narrated largely from Allison's point of view and this allows the reader to discover how the Krewe work through her eyes. The writing is fluid and makes for an easy read.

I liked the overarching story in this book and was wondering which of two prime suspects would turn out to be the real villain. The book serves up a good helping of the paranormal combined with a little bit of romance and that's obviously a successful formula for this author. However I definitely preferred The Evil Inside. While I learnt a little history that I didn't already know and enjoyed the descriptions of the mansion it wasn't as thrilling as I'd like and I never really felt any sense of peril threatening the lead protagonists.

This was a good read, and I can imagine reading further books in the series but they won't be heading my To Be Read list.

Format: Kindle, ARC, anticipated release 28th August 2012
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
My Rating: 3*

Coming Soon Book Review: The Evil Inside (Krewe of Hunters series) by Heather Graham

The Krewe of Hunters is an FBI special unit and paranormal forensics team. Team member Jenna Duffy has been summoned back to Salem by her uncle after two murders, and she arrives just as a teenage boy, Malachi Smith, is arrested, covered in blood, for slaying his family. They lived in the notorious Lexington House, which has a history of violence and a reputation for evil. Defence attorney Sam Hall is in town to try and figure out what to do with his late parents' house. Having been the one to find the boy he feels a connection and agrees to take on his case. Both Jenna and Sam become convinced Malachi is innocent but use very different methods to try and uncover the real killer.

This book is the 4th in the Krewe of Hunters series, but the first I have read. I didn't feel I was missing out having not read the predecing books, possibly because Sam's side of the story is slightly more dominant and the FBI team aren't heavily involved until later in the book. The story is told in the third person from a few viewpoints, allowing the reader a good overview of everything that is going on surrounding the case, and all the efforts being made to uncover the truth.

Sam is set up at the start as a bit of a wealthy playboy but we soon see a softer side. It is almost the other way round with Jenna, who is the dutiful niece at the start but moves into the role of hard-hitting FBI agent later on. I liked both characters, and found the other minor players an interesting bunch. Jenna's ability to see ghosts, or postcognition as she refers to it, added a paranormal element that I really liked, as I'm open-mided about that sort of thing (unlike Sam)

I found the setting, and the history of the house and Salem, a very good backdrop for the story. With nuggets of information about the witch trials, and the different faiths and beliefs of the people of Salem, I felt like I learnt something as I read. I enjoy reading about other religions and faiths so it was a good match for me.

This book hit the spot in a lot of ways, crime - tick, a historical element - tick, religion/faith - tick, a not too out there paranormal element - tick. All good. However although there were moments when members of the team were in peril I never felt the level of tension was as high as I would like and I didn't have that feeling of needing to press on to find out how they would fare. I did really enjoy it and will at some point try and get my hands on the other books in the series.

Format: Advance review copy, e-book. Anticpated release date 30th Aug 2011
My Rating: 4*