Heart of Evil (Krewe of Hunters) (edition 2011)

Cardboard characters, predictable plot line, gore for the sake of gore, utter and complete rubbish. If you want a good horror book look elsewhere. ( )

Heart of Evil
Rating: 3 Stars

Synopsis:
When a man is found murdered following a civil war reenactment, Ashley Donegal seeks the help of an old flame, Jake Mallory, a member of the FBI's paranormal investigative unit. It soon becomes clear that a madman with a grudge is on the rampage and Ashley and her family are his target.

Review:
The idea of a killer with a historic score to settle is interesting and constitutes a strong foundation for the story. Nevertheless, the plot is poorly executed. The prologue provides no preliminary information and could easily have been another chapter. The division into chapters is problematic in the sense that the narrative begins from the POV of one character and switches to another in the same chapter with no warning, which can be confusing at times.

The characters are like cardboard cutouts and their characterization lacks substance. Even though the romantic couple has more of a connection than the pair in the first book; there is still a serious absence of chemistry in their relationship. The secondary characters are not sufficiently developed and the suspects are merely candidates for a police line-up. Very few clues are provided for the reader to follow, and the villain is ultimately revealed after everyone else is either killed or has an alibi. I would like to point out that I enjoyed the plot in this book more than in the first.

Ms. Graham has many fans out there. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. Her writing does not appeal to me as I do not enjoy having the story spoon fed to me as if I am unable to follow a narrative thread.

I can only recommend this for Graham devotees but I will not be continuing with the series.

Heart of Evil is scheduled for release on June 28, 2011. An advance copy of the book was provided to me for review by the publisher and NetGalley.com. ( )

Second book in the Krewe of Hunters series. The team is at an old plantation in Louisiana. This is Jake's story and together they must figure out who is killing people, with the help of a few ghosts. I loved this book and got sweep up in the sotry. ( )

Outside of New Orleans, Donegal Plantation is known for its unsurpassed dining, captivating atmosphere, haunting legends …and now a corpse swinging from the marble angel that marks the Donegal vault. The corpse is discovered in nearly the same position as that of Marshall Donegal, the patriarch killed in a skirmish just before the Civil War.
Desperate for help traditional criminologists could never provide, plantation heiress Ashley Donegal turns to an elite team of paranormal investigators who blend hard forensics with rare, —often inexplicable, —intuition. Among the "Krewe of Hunters" is an old flame, Jake Mallory, a gifted musician with talent stretching far beyond the realm of the physical.The evil the team unveils has the power to shake the plantation to its very core. Jake and Ashley are forced to risk everything to unravel secrets that will not stay buried —even in death (desc. by Amazon.com)….

This is a great series if you like romance, murder, and ghosts. Very entertaining and suspenseful. ( )

Read for Fun/June is Audiobook Month/June 2012 Series Read!
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.50

Audio Rating(Not part of the overall rating): 4.50

First thought when finished: I am really enjoying the Krewe of Hunters! Plus, this one is set in New Orleans!

What I Loved: Anytime you even hint that you are going to have historic re-enactments tied in with a murder mystery--you pretty much have me interested. I love that Heart of Evil weaves in historic events with a present day murder investigation. Throw in the hot chemistry between Jake and Ashley and a very fun cast of characters, this was just a downright good read!!

What I Liked: The Donegal Plantation was a great setting for Heart of Evil. It had ghosts, graveyard, swamp, and a vastness that made you feel like you had stepped back in time. I felt like the plantation itself was a character in the story. I loved Grandpa and M. Donegal--both were strong men and great characters.

Audio Specific Review: Luke Daniels hit it out of the park. I think I am officially a fan girl!

Final Thought: I recommend this series to Paranormal Mystery Readers--it only has a bit of romance (that is not the focus). ( )