Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Between the evil and the deep blue sea…
A historic cruise ship, a haunted ship, the Celtic American Line's Destiny, sets sail from the Port of New Orleans—with a killer on board. He's known as the Archangel Killer because of the way he displays his victims in churches. And how he places a different saint's medallion on each body. No one knows exactly who he is or why he's doing this.
Jackson Crow—head of the FBI's Krewe of Hunters, a special unit of paranormal investigators—is assigned to the case, along with local agent Jude McCoy. Then Alexi Cromwell, who works in the ship's piano bar, is drawn into the situation when a victim's ghost appears to her—and to Jude. She and Jude share an attraction, and not just because of their mutual talent.
There are many suspects, but one by one they're ruled out… Or are they? In the end, Jude and Alexi have to rely on each other to catch the killer and escape his evil plans for Alexi.
A historic cruise ship, a haunted ship, the Celtic American Line's Destiny, sets sail from the Port of New Orleans—with a killer on board. He's known as the Archangel Killer because of the way he displays his victims in churches. And how he places a different saint's medallion on each body. No one knows exactly who he is or why he's doing this.
Jackson Crow—head of the FBI's Krewe of Hunters, a special unit of paranormal investigators—is assigned to the case, along with local agent Jude McCoy. Then Alexi Cromwell, who works in the ship's piano bar, is drawn into the situation when a victim's ghost appears to her—and to Jude. She and Jude share an attraction, and not just because of their mutual talent.
There are many suspects, but one by one they're ruled out… Or are they? In the end, Jude and Alexi have to rely on each other to catch the killer and escape his evil plans for Alexi.
My Thoughts:
Jude is partnered with Jackson Crow to find the Archangel killer who has just struck in New Orleans. As Jude and Jackson are looking over the crime scene of the latest victim, Jude notices a suspicious person and the two take off chasing him. Jude and Jackson end up on the Destiny, a cruise ship, after the follow the man on board.
Once on the ship, Jude and Jackson meet Alexi, a woman who is in charge of playing piano at the bar and who can conveniently see ghosts. With Alexi's help, and those of her ghost friends, the agents have to try to figure out who the killer is before anyone else dies.
I have always liked Heather Graham's books. They are an easy and fun read that you don't have to think a lot about. You can just enjoy the mystery and romance and of course, the paranormal. While I enjoyed this book, I wasn't crazy about the cruise ship setting. There is just something about New Orleans, where most of her other books are set, that adds to the paranormal and creepiness. This one just didn't have the same intrigue for me.
I also wasn't crazy about the romance in this one. Alexi is mourning the loss of her fiance, who died overseas. It's been a year but she's still having a hard time dealing with his death. Then Jude shows up and while it is mentioned that Alexi still loves Zach (her deceased fiance) and that she knows he wants her to be happy, it just seemed like she got over his death very quickly all of the sudden.
There were several suspects on the ship and I wasn't able to predict who the killer would be. I wasn't surprised at all when the killer was revealed but I hadn't narrowed it down to this exact person. I would have loved for it to have been someone that totally shocked me and wasn't one of the original suspects. It would have made the ending a lot more fun for me.
I also wasn't crazy about how almost everyone could see ghosts. Alexi could see them, Jude and Jackson could see them and then Alexi's friend sees them (even though she doesn't realize she is seeing the dead). There were just a lot of people that had the "sense" that made it slightly unbelievable to me.
With all that being said, I still enjoyed the book and the paranormal mystery. It is a fun and light read that will keep your attention.
**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book**
I really like the Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens that is also mystery/romantic suspense and I thought this series has a similar vibe. Can I start anywhere with this series or do I need to start with the first book?
ReplyDeleteYou can really start anywhere in the series. I haven't read any of them in order. There are overlapping characters but you really don't need to read in order to get the story. I'll have to try the Graveyard Queen series!
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