Darkest Journey Series: Krewe of Hunters #20 on 9/27/16
Pages: 368
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Also in this series: Phantom Evil, The Hidden, Heart of Evil, Haunted Destiny, Deadly Fate, Dying Breath, Echoes of Evil, The Summoning, The Seekers, The Unholy, The Dead Heat of Summer, The Unforgiven, The Forbidden
They say it's about the journey, not the destination…
Charlene "Charlie" Moreau is back in St. Francisville, Louisiana, to work on a movie. One night, she stumbles across the body of a Civil War reenactor, the second murdered in two days. Charlie is shocked to learn that her father—a guide on the Journey, a historic paddle wheeler that's sponsoring the reenactment—is a suspect.
Meanwhile, Ethan Delaney, new to the FBI's Krewe of Hunters, is brought in on the case. He and Charlie have a history of their own, dating back to when he rescued her from a graveyard—led there by a Confederate ghost!
Charlie arranges a Mississippi River cruise so she and Ethan can get close to the reenactors, find out who knows what, who has a motive. They discover a lot more as they resume the relationship that ended ten years ago…but might die, along with them, on the Journey.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
Review
In the world of the Krewe of Hunters, it’s the living you should fear, not the dead. That proves true once again in Darkest Journey, as Charlie Moreau and Ethan Delaney try to solve a series of murders involving Civil War reenactors. This is familiar territory for author Heather Graham, but this time she mixes it up with the boats-and-theater theme of the two previous books (Haunted Destiny and Deadly Fate)—and pulls in a few of the characters from those books, as well.
Charlie and Ethan have a history, but not exactly in the way you’d expect: he saved her life when she was a teen. Nonetheless, neither of them has been able to forget the other, and there’s a fair bit of chemistry between them, along with more than a few prickles on Charlie’s part. Those prickles, and Charlie’s anger that her dad is considered a suspect, account at least in part for a few of Charlie’s choices, which aren’t always the smartest. Withholding information is rarely a good idea in the middle of an investigation. Other than that, I found Charlie quite sympathetic; she’s intelligent, gutsy, and loyal. For his part, Ethan is a typical Graham hero: smart, sexy, and highly competent.
I’ve come to expect the ghosts in a Krewe book to be rather…gabby, so I was surprised when the earliest sightings were mute. Some of them remain that way, but they’re still able to be helpful. If I’m going to read a ghost story, that’s what I want; I’m fine with eerie, but scary-as-heck I can do without. And that’s just what I got in this book.
The Krewe of Hunters books are like M&Ms or potato chips—as soon as I finish one, I want the next. They’re fast, formulaic, and fun. If you’re a fan of Jayne Ann Krentz, or you enjoy a few ghosts with your romantic suspense, you should definitely give Graham’s Krewe a try.
About Heather Graham
NY Times best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell’s Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette’s Shadows, and for Harlequin’s mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.
Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children’s charity. She has been published in approximately twenty languages, and her books have won awards from Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, and Romantic Times, as well as major bookstore chains.
Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.
Heather is also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library
I’m a little behind on this group of Krewe novels. I read the first one and really enjoyed it but have the 2nd (Deadly Fate?) and this one to go and they look really good. I’m glad to see you enjoyed this one!
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library recently posted…Beyond the Books: Do You Believe in Ghosts?
Lark_Bookwyrm
I did indeed! Have fun catching up. 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
Review twins today 🙂 I enjoyed this one, although I felt the ending was rushed.
kimbacaffeinate recently posted…Darkest Journey by Heather Graham
Lark_Bookwyrm
I think you’re right; it was a bit rushed. But she’s always fun to read.
Laura Thomas
This is my favorite series by Heather and you can bet I’ll be grabbing this one! LOL
Laura Thomas recently posted…Cover Reveal ~ Shadows Of The Forest by Emma Michaels.
Lark_Bookwyrm
It’s the only series I’ve read by her so far, and I haven’t read all of them by a long chalk, so I have plenty of them to look forward to. 🙂 I did read “Flawless” and kind of missed the paranormal element, though I enjoyed the book anyway.
Lola
This sounds like a fun one. I like how you describe it as fast, formulaic and fun. In some series I think the formulaic nature can really work and even add to the enjoyment. I haven’t read a lot of romantic suspense so far, but the ones I’ve read I enjoyed. I might keep this series in mind.
Lola recently posted…Review: His to Protect by Karen Rock
Lark_Bookwyrm
One benefit of formulaic is that you know what to expect. Granted, that can be a drawback, but there are times when knowing what the book will be like, while not knowing the characters or the exact plot, is exactly what I want. It gives me a good mix of the familiar and unfamiliar, and lets me know that I’ll be safe in my comfort zone. Of course I want to push outside my comfort zone sometimes! But sometimes, when I’m stressed or anxious, I need the reassurance of something that is, if not totally familiar, at least reasonably predictable. So yes, “formulaic” can definitely add to my enjoyment at times!