Dark Rites - Romantic Suspense Review

Dark Rites (Krewe of Hunters #22) by Heather Graham

Rating: Very Good
Source:  NetGalley

Description: A series of bizarre assaults is mystifying Boston police: an unknown attacker is viciously beating random strangers and leaving a note quoting an old warning about witchcraft. History professor Alex Maple was one of the victims, and now he's gone missing. Vickie Preston is certain that someone has taken her friend for malicious purposes. She's having blood-drenched visions that seem to be staining her waking life, and the escalating attacks suggest that a dangerous cult is at work behind the scenes—a cult so powerful that its members would rather die than be apprehended.
Vickie is grateful to have Special Agent Griffin Pryce and the FBI's elite Krewe of Hunters on her side. Vickie and Griffin are finding their way in an increasingly passionate relationship, and he's keeping her safe and sane amid the disturbing investigation. The search for Alex will take them deep into the wilderness of Massachusetts on the trail of a serial killer, where an ancient evil is waking.

Genre:  Romantic Suspense 

Why I Picked This Book:  I can't resist a Heather Graham - especially when it's a Krewe of Hunters book and I really liked Vickie and Griffin in the last book.

My Impression:  I really love the Krewe of Hunters series.  The stories are always so creepy and interesting and I love how they books are only loosely connected so you don't have to keep up with all 21 previous books!  This one is a little different as the main couple here is the same main couple in the previous book Dying Breath but I really liked them and am looking forward to seeing more of their relationship develop.

This one felt a lot darker to me than the previous book.  Graham takes kind of a fade to black approach to violence and gore - we know someone got attacked, we know there's blood but it's not really talked about in detail - but the level of fear seemed higher.  I actually started to read this when I was home by myself one night and after page 3 had to put it aside.  And there was one incident when I was reading in bed in the dark (reading on my Kindle) and my 7 year old got right next to the bed without me hearing and took about 10 years off my life.

As usual there's a lot of history woven into the mystery of the random street attacks and the disappearance of Vickie's friend Alex.  I liked that this wasn't just a satanic cult but one that is based off historical events.  I think that kept it from getting too dark though it didn't diminish the creep factor!  I also really enjoyed seeing more of Devin and Rocky who were from my favorite Krewe book The Hexed.  However, no worries if you haven't read that one as you don't need to know there backstory to enjoy this one.  While not absolutely mandatory it would be best to read Dying Breath before this one so you can get to know Vickie and Griffin a bit better.

This series always delivers on serious creep and a good bit of history which makes for an entertaining read that never fails to pull me in.   If you like romantic suspense heavy on the suspense with a dash of paranormal this is one not to miss!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I already have the next book on my Kindle ready to go and am looking forward to one day tackling all the previous books I've yet to get around to reading.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you like romantic suspense this series is a great one though I do recommend you read Dying Breath first.