Book Review: The Cursed by Heather Graham

18528417Title: The Cursed

Author: Heather Graham

Genre: Paranormal Mystery, Romance

Age Group: Adult

Rating: 3,5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A haunted house in Key West 

Hannah O’Brien, who grew up in the house and now runs it as a B and B, has always had a special ability to see a pair of resident ghosts. But when a man is murdered in the alley behind her place, she’s dismayed when his spirit appears, too, asking for help.

FBI agent Dallas Samson has a passionate interest in the murder, since the victim’s a colleague whose death is connected to the smuggling ring known as Los Lobos—the wolves. Now Dallas is even more committed to chasing them down….

Unaware that Dallas has certain abilities of his own, Hannah calls her cousin Kelsey O’Brien, a member of the FBI’s Krewe of Hunters, an elite unit of paranormal investigators. The present-day case is linked to a historical mystery involving salvagers, a curse and a sunken ship. Danger and desire bring Hannah and Dallas together, but to survive, they have to solve the mysteries of the past—and stay alive long enough to solve the crimes of the present!

I love Heather Graham’s books, so of course I requested a review copy of “The Cursed“. While I did like the book, I felt like it was missing something, some of the originality I found in the other, previous books in the Krewe of Hunters series.

Hannah O’Brien, one of the main characters, owns and runs a Bed and Breakfast in Key West. The B&B is situated in a Victorian mansion she inherited from her great uncle. The mansion is haunted by a variety of ghosts, all of them friendly. Hannah sees the ghosts and communicates with them. But when a man is murdered in the B&B, and his spirit shows up on her doorstep, asking her to help him find out who murdered him, she learns there’s more to seeing spirits than she hoped for. When she finds herself in danger, FBI agent Dallas Samson must come to her rescue. Mix mystery, suspense, a smuggling ring, romance and ghosts in one package, and you’ve got the plot for this book.

It’s interesting, sure, and the combo smuggling ring, FBI, and ghosts, is still intriguing, but I felt like something was missing. Maybe the plot just didn’t sound intriguing enough. What was interesting, however, was the setting for the book, and the rich history of Key West. Heather Graham never ceases to amaze me with how much she knows about history, and how adequately she pours this knowledge into her books.

The writing, as usual, was great, and the characters… I certainly found Dallas entertaining, but Hannah came across as a little bland.

Either way, The Cursed is a solid paranormal mystery read with a large dose of romance. It’s a good book if you’re a fan of Heather Graham’s writing, and you don’t need to read the other books in the series to enjoy this one, as it can be read as a stand-alone.

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