The Unseen
3 Stars

Series note: This is Krewe of Hunters book #5. The focus is on a completely new set of characters although two of the original cast appear as supporting characters. As with all of the books in the series, the plot is standalone.

US Marshal Kelsey O'Brian and Texas Ranger Logan Raintree are recruited for a second team of FBI paranormal investigators. Their first case revolves around the discovery of several sets of human remains linked either to the city's historic Alamo memorial or to the recently reopened Longhorn saloon and hotel, which is infamous for the murder of a woman in the late 1880s as well as the more recent disappearance of another. How are the Alamo and room 207 at the Longhorn related to the murders?

It seems that 2022 is my year for returning to stagnating series. Despite the long interval between installments, it is easy to return to Graham's world with the introduction of a completely new set of characters. Nevertheless, my issues with her writing remain as there is still unnecessary and annoying repetition of wording, phrasing and plot points.

While Graham's research into the history of the Alamo is excellent and the details are interesting, these sections read like a history lesson and are not merged well within the dialogue or the narrative.

The serial killer storyline plot is good; however, the identities of the victims are only revealed toward the end, which makes it difficult to care about their fates. Unlike some of the previous books, the paranormal elements work well in the story as the ghosts contribute both to the background on the murders as well as to the investigation. Even though it is easy to guess the culprit, the climax and resolution are suspenseful and satisfying.

Finally, it is evident from reading this as well as the first four installments that romance is not Graham's forte. Kelsey and Logan's relationship feels forced and lacking in emotional intimacy. Moreover, the issue of his late wife arises often and Kelsey's fear that he is still in love with her is never fully addressed.

Overall, this series has such potential but it consistently misses the mark. One final observation regarding the audiobook - Luke Daniels has a broad vocal range and his voices for the female characters are well done, which is not always the case for a male narrator.

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When San Antonio becomes a dumping ground for the battered bodies of young women, Texas Ranger Logan Raintree must use his powerful ability to commune with the dead and lead a brand-new group of elite paranormal investigators to solve this disturbing case.

I always enjoy these light, suspenseful paranormal romances. ( )

"In the last month, San Antonio has become a dumping ground for battered bodies. All young women, many of them long missing, almost all forgotten. Until now."

Wow! What a hook! Texas Ranger Logan Raintree has a knack, a gift, for solving cases, although his biggest regret is not being able to prevent the death of his own wife at the hands of the brother of a man who Logan arrested and sent to death row. He's spent the last year trying to move on with his life, after taking two years off to mourn his wife, when he is approached by an FBI agent, a member of the Krewe of Hunters, an elite group of paranormal investigators. He's not sure if it's the right fit for him, but he agrees to investigate the string of murders happening in his own town.

Kelsey O’Brien, a U.S. marshal, has a gift of her own, and is approached by the same FBI agent to join the new team he is putting together, and has her own reservations, but she, too, agrees to stay long enough to find the person kidnapping and killing women.

I enjoyed this book very much. I hadn't realized it was part of a series when I started it, but it worked very well as a stand-alone book. It was well written with an interesting mystery, and the characters were all fleshed out and given room to learn and grow throughout the story. I loved that the romance didn't overshadow the mystery of the missing women. The setting was described beautifully, and I was able to imagine it clearly even though I've never been to San Antonio, Texas. I really want to go visit the Alamo now, though, after reading this book.

In summary, although I haven't read the other books in this series, I enjoyed this book very much and had no problem following along. I can definitely recommend it and look forward to reading the other books in the series.

5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Love how much history (real and imagined) is in this book. ( )

3 ½ Stars

The Unseen is the latest book by Heather Graham. I can say this book belongs in some part to the Krewe of Hunters series or at least it runs parallel to that series.

Jackson Crow, the leader of the original Krewe of Hunters is in Texas organizing a second crew, since his original group is already too busy working many cases and they are not enough for all the demand of work they have. They need more people and here is where Texas Rager Logan Raintree and U.S. Marshall Kelsey O’Brien come. Raintree will be the director of this new group and will work with Kelsey and other members that will come along the way.

After that blurb I think adding more than this will be telling the whole book.

There were things I liked about this book and others I wasn’t so sure. Let’s start with what I liked.
I really liked the historical facts and the description of the locations. I have never been in Texas let alone in The Alamo, but after reading this book I feel somehow as if I’ve been there and seen it. I did know about the Alamo, but not with much detail, what I didn’t know about it I learned with this book; I loved history so that was good, maybe if you already know the history of The Alamo all the historical mentions can be too much for you, but for me it was just perfect. Another thing I also liked was the Native American references, especially when the difference between Comanche and Apache beliefs were explained. I’m an admirer of Native American culture, so for me this was a special treat.
Another thing I liked was that the whodunit wasn’t predictable. I had my suspicions but I wasn’t a hundred percent on it. I liked that very much, I liked when an author surprise me a leaves me with an “I didn’t see that one coming”.

Now to what I didn’t like, first, the case in itself felt put together by force. I didn’t feel there was any connection between the murders to think that they were all related. Ok, I don’t know anything about police procedure but that was just my impression. In my opinion the case in general felt a bit farfetched.
Another thing I had a problem with was Logan and Kelsey’s relationship, for sure there was an attraction between them, but I really didn’t feel a deep connection. It felt more as if they were having a fling than really getting into a serious and long lasting relationship.

Despite the things I didn’t liked I can honestly say I enjoyed reading The Unseen. As I said before I loved the historical aspects of the story and I loved the ghost’s factor and the mystery behind the murders. I really want to know more about the other members of this new Krewe of Hunters and I’m planning to read future books in this series.
I recommend you this book if you like mystery books with a paranormal touch and lots of history behind them. ( )