Synopsis (from Goodreads):
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’ 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: Heather Graham is one of my favorite adult paranormal authors! I think her books are spooky and fun to read and Phantom Evil is no exception!
Jackson Crow is recruited by Adam Harrison (whom you will recognize if you've ever read any of Graham's other series) to head up a unique team after losing members from his old team. Jackson is not sure if this is a promotion or a demotion but decides to go along with it and heads to New Orleans to meet his new team and try to solve the question of whether a Senator's wife committed suicide or was murdered.
Once in New Orleans, Jackson meets Andy, the detective in charge of the case. While at the police department, another team member, Angela arrives. Jackson returns to the Senator's house to find Angela digging up the bones to a body in the basement. From there, the story speeds up as the other members of the team arrive and the whole team discovers that they each have some talent of speaking with or seeing the dead.
The house has it's own sordid history of murder and tragedy. The Senator wants to know whether his wife, distraught after the loss of their only child, jumped to her death or whether ghosts killed her. There were many avenues and characters to check out and that had me guessing until the very end!
The romance between Angela and Jackson was pretty predictable (especially if you are familiar with Graham) but was still fun and sexy. In fact, by the end of this series, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole team was paired up into couples.
I loved the setting! New Orleans is obviously a perfect place for a haunted story and the author does an amazing job in describing the city so you feel that you are right in the middle of things. The characters are well developed as well and while some of the parts seem a little over the top, well...it is about ghosts right?
I really enjoyed this fast read! I think it was well developed and loved that it kept you guessing until the very end. I will be picking up the other two in this series for sure!
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