Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Review: Phantom Evil by Heather Graham

Phantom Evil by Heather Graham
Pub. date: 3/29/2011

Pre-order the Hardcover version for $14.17 at Amazon.com
I got this book as an e-book ARC from Netgalley.com

Amazon Product Description:
A secret government unit is formed under the oversight of Adam Harrison, famed paranormal investigator. The six members he's gathered know a little of the otherworldly—each has honed a psychic talent of their own.
Jackson Crow, part English, part Cheyenne, heads the group. Haunted by his experience with an ancestral ghost who saved his life as a child, and the recent murders of two previous teammates, Jackson can't tell if Adam's demoted him or given him an extraordinary opportunity. Despite his link to the realm of spirits, he's well aware that the living commit the most heinous crimes, with spiritualist charlatans existing merely to fool and seduce the unwary.
To counterbalance Jackson's careful skepticism, Adam Harrison has paired him with Angela Hawkins, a young woman who learned the painful lesson of loss at an early age. A police officer utilizing her paranormal intuition in Virginia, she already has her hands full. But Adam's call to New Orleans is strong.
The case: In a historic mansion in New Orleans's French Quarter, a senator's wife falls to her death from a balcony. Most think she jumped, distraught over the loss of her young son. Some say she was pushed. And yet others believe she was beckoned by the ghostly spirits that inhabit the house—once the site of a serial killer's grisly work.
Whether supernatural or all too human, crimes of passion, greed and desire will cast the pair into danger of losing their lives…and their immortal souls.

My thoughts:
This was an edge of the seat thriller, ghost story with a romance on the side!  The characters are wonderful and the setting is fantastic.  I fell in love with the characters in the first few pages and couldn't wait to find out what happened next.  The author takes the reader through the wringer with the emotional rollercoaster that is this story.  This is a story of good vs. evil, life vs. death, real vs. unreal, natural vs. supernatural and the power of goodness and love.  If you enjoy ghost stories, love stories, mysteries, or thrillers - this is a must read!!!


New Orleans is the perfect setting for a ghost story and the author takes full advantage of that fact, using religion, folklore, and legend to add their own edge to her wonderfully written tale.  The descriptions of the city and the people are colorful, imaginative, and complete.  You feel as though you are right there with them as part of the team.  


The plot is thick and twisted - which is what we are all looking for in a great thriller/mystery. The author keeps you guessing and then second-guessing what you think you know and what you think you have figured out for certain.  


The characters are carefully created and realistic.  Each appears to have been developed with the others in mind so that they work together seamlessly.  The storyline is character driven and both the characters and the story have been meticulously maintained throughout the book.  

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