Monday, May 29, 2017

Dying Breath - Paranormal Romantic Suspense Review

Dying Breath (Krewe of Hunters #21) by Heather Graham

Rating: Very Good
Source: NetGalley

Description:  As a teenager, Vickie Preston survived an attack by a serial killer. That was the first time she saw a ghost. Now the city of Boston is being terrorized—someone is kidnapping women and burying them alive, but cruelly leaving a glimmer of hope for the authorities by sending a clue about their location. Vickie is pulled into the investigation when her name is mentioned in one of the notes. And as a historian, she has the knowledge to help uncover the graves the killer known as the Undertaker is choosing. But she also has another, unique lead: the spirit of one of the victims is appearing to her in dreams.
Special Agent Griffin Price is on the case for the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI's special unit for paranormal investigators. He feels particularly protective of Vickie, since their shared past is connected to the threat that currently surrounds them. With the killer accelerating his plans, time is running out for more victims hidden around the city. Vickie is becoming closer with Griffin, but she's getting too close to the danger, and every breath could be her last.

Genre: Romantic Suspense - Paranormal

Why I Picked This Book:  I can't resist Heather Graham's books and this one has ghosts!  I love ghosts!

My Impression: I love the Heather Graham Krewe books!  I mean who doesn't love solving mysteries with paranormal means?  The only trouble is that Graham can be on the inconsistent side.  I never know quite what to expect when I pick up one of her books.  I mean I always enjoy them but some just don't quite click quite as well as others and at times you have to suspend belief more than a little.  This was one of my favorites.  For starters there are ghosts!  And the main character, Vickie is a historian who loves research.  Vickie and the FBI are racing a serial killer who leaves historically based clues which was pretty awesome.

I really loved Vickie and Griffin's relationship.  They had a prior history and so their instant connection worked.  They also worked well together and weren't immediately declaring their undying love and devotion.  I thought Jackson was a good grounding presence and while he is very much a background character he added a little bit of calmness to the investigation.

The mystery was pretty well done.  There were a few red herrings sprinkled about and I had several different theories going into the final showdown.  There were a few things I would have liked explained a bit more but on the whole I was satisfied.

While this is the 21st book in the Krewe series it's a very easy series to read out of order.  While I've met Jackson before the rest of the characters are new.  Each book is essentially a stand alone with some of the same background characters and a connection to the same FBI unit.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Definitely!  I have several of her books just waiting to be read already and Graham has a book coming out in September that will feature Vickie and Griffin again.  I'm really looking forward to it!

Would I Recommend this Book?: I would if you enjoy ghost stories.  The book isn't flawless but it's a lot of fun!

8 comments:

  1. I used to read a lot of mystery/thrillers, but I've been trying to read lighter books lately. It does sound good though!

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  2. Oh, I'm glad you liked it so much! How does it stack up in terms of darkness and/or gore, compared to the rest of the series? I love her books, and I have the ARC of this one, but haven't read it yet. Sometimes her books push the edge of what I'm comfortable with, so I put this one off while I was coping with being sick.

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  3. It's been awhile since I last read a book in this series. I must get back into it! I really do enjoy these books and am glad to hear they are still going strong.

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  4. I'm getting behine on her books. She writes so fast! This looks excellent.

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  5. I've read the first two in this series and then skipped to one in the middle. I agree with you about inconsistency, and not sure what to expect. Of the 3 books I read, I liked them all okay, and one I really liked. I do like an occasional ghost story so sure, sounds good to me. #21, wow! She's on a "Nora Roberts-like" streak here.

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  6. I have been wanting to try a Heather Graham book so this is a positive review, and good to know this series could be dipped into with this book.

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  7. Every single time you post about her books I'm all OMG I NEED THIS!! lol I have got to start reading them for sure. 21 books? Holy cow.

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  8. I really need to read more Heather Graham. I have so many of her books but have only read a couple. I love ghosts so this one sounds really good to me.

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