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An Unremembered Grave
Danni Telfer, abandoned as a toddler, has no idea what the fading tattoo of a white rose on her left shoulder means. Nor does she want to remember the peculiar perceptions that disturbed her childhood. A talented historian, Danni’s focus is on the Louisiana research project she hopes will land her a job that doesn’t involve teaching bored college freshmen. But she’s walking into a confluence of events that will change her life forever. His story preserved only in a threadbare quilt fashioned by a slave during the Civil War, the Vampire Grimaud has slept for a century and a half beneath the soil of a Louisiana plantation called Angola. The place is now a prison of over six thousand men locked in sweltering isolation. One of these, Antoine Dupre, is innocent of the decade-old murder for which he is imprisoned. Yet now he must kill or be killed, unless, impossibly, he can prove his innocence. When a prisoner crew back-hoeing the warden’s latest project, a golf course, unearths the vampire’s grave, Stéphane Grimaud wakes to a future beyond his imagination. Without help he will be vulnerable. How fortunate that an adept, a mortal gifted with the ability to see beings who exist in shadows, is nearby. Yet how strange that she fears him! These three – historian, prisoner and vampire – have only a moment in time in which to alter a future already written. And the cost to each will be immeasurable.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 3, 2014
216 people are currently reading
539 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
August 28, 2014
An Unremembered Grave weaves the stories of three, richly textured characters in scenes so real, you’ll feel you’re part of the story rather than reading a book. You’ll greedily drink in the backstory of Danni Telfer. She wants to forget an embarrassing affair in her recent past. She knows she is different, and she is just waking up to her aptitude as an Adept.
You’ll forget to breathe when Stéphane Grimaud, a real vampire (not the sparkly kind!), arrives on the scene. Buried for 150 years in the dirt of a plantation called Angola, he wakes up weak and ignorant of, but amazed by, all the trappings of present-day life in Louisiana. It’s hard not to fall for this gorgeous, seductive, sensitive, intelligent being with a penchant for colored silk waistcoats.
Then there’s Antoine Dupre, wrongly accused and convicted for murder, living out his days as prison counsel, more terrified by new hope awakening in his chest than the goons who threaten his very existence.
If you’ve read the Bo Bradley series, you already know how deftly Abigail Padgett sets characters in their locale, using just the right details. When Bo is in a Louisiana thunderstorm, you’re watching a filament of light stretch across a darkened sky, you’re hearing the thunder rumbling and cracking, and you’re breathing the moist, dense air. When someone standing beside Antoine’s desk in the prison library spins around and stomps off, you’re there with Dupre, watching dust motes swirl in displaced air. When Danni, in Las Vegas, steps from air conditioning into the street, you’re there, baking with her, in the heat mirage.
February 23, 2018
I'm hoping there's a series about the vampire in this story!
August 27, 2014
I’ve long been a fan of Abigail Padgett’s writing, so I was delighted a while back when she came out with a couple of new books, a stand-alone mystery, “Bone Blind,” and a wonderfully quirky contemporary fantasy called “The Paper Doll Museum,” both of which I loved. Her newest book, “An Unremembered Grave,” is also in the fantasy genre, a deliciously moody vampire novel set against the backdrop of Angola Prison.
The Louisiana location is as much a character in the book as the three individuals, a historian, a prison inmate, and a vampire, whose stories intersect in “An Unremembered Grave.” You can feel the heat, the humidity, and the oppressive weight of history in this isolated corner of the deep South, where a former sugar plantation is now a maximum security prison for six thousand men.
Staying in nearby St. Francisville, where she is doing research, historian Danni Telfer finds herself drawn to two very different men, Antoine Dupre, who is serving a life sentence in Angola for a murder he didn’t commit, and Stephane Grimaud, a vampire, who has just awakened from a hundred-and-fifty-year sleep to a world he doesn’t recognize. Danni has always known she was different, but she doesn’t understand what that difference means until the Vampire Grimaud recognizes her as an Adept, and awakens her awareness. He needs her help, but so does Antoine, a decent man who will die in prison unless he can enlist the aid of someone on the outside to prove his innocence.
This is such an enjoyable book on so many levels. It posits a unique and poetic idea about what vampires are and why they exist—why, in fact, humanity needs them. The writing is gorgeous, conjuring the decayed beauty of the landscape with its oppressive heat, swamps, and Spanish moss. The scenes inside the prison are rendered with an attention to detail that is utterly convincing, and rather different from the stereotypical stuff one usually sees about prisons.
Best of all are the characters. Grimaud, the vampire, born in the time of Charlemagne, is courteous and cultured, frighteningly intelligent, but also oddly childlike, and, when need be, a ferocious predator. Antoine is a good man caught in a nightmare and struggling to retain his humanity. Danni, born with a special gift that she is just beginning to understand, is courageous and complex as she knowingly walks into the most dangerous situation of her life.
The only problem with this book is that it ends! I’m not complaining. It’s a good, satisfying ending, but I’m just not ready to part company with these characters. I’ve got my fingers crossed for a sequel.
The Louisiana location is as much a character in the book as the three individuals, a historian, a prison inmate, and a vampire, whose stories intersect in “An Unremembered Grave.” You can feel the heat, the humidity, and the oppressive weight of history in this isolated corner of the deep South, where a former sugar plantation is now a maximum security prison for six thousand men.
Staying in nearby St. Francisville, where she is doing research, historian Danni Telfer finds herself drawn to two very different men, Antoine Dupre, who is serving a life sentence in Angola for a murder he didn’t commit, and Stephane Grimaud, a vampire, who has just awakened from a hundred-and-fifty-year sleep to a world he doesn’t recognize. Danni has always known she was different, but she doesn’t understand what that difference means until the Vampire Grimaud recognizes her as an Adept, and awakens her awareness. He needs her help, but so does Antoine, a decent man who will die in prison unless he can enlist the aid of someone on the outside to prove his innocence.
This is such an enjoyable book on so many levels. It posits a unique and poetic idea about what vampires are and why they exist—why, in fact, humanity needs them. The writing is gorgeous, conjuring the decayed beauty of the landscape with its oppressive heat, swamps, and Spanish moss. The scenes inside the prison are rendered with an attention to detail that is utterly convincing, and rather different from the stereotypical stuff one usually sees about prisons.
Best of all are the characters. Grimaud, the vampire, born in the time of Charlemagne, is courteous and cultured, frighteningly intelligent, but also oddly childlike, and, when need be, a ferocious predator. Antoine is a good man caught in a nightmare and struggling to retain his humanity. Danni, born with a special gift that she is just beginning to understand, is courageous and complex as she knowingly walks into the most dangerous situation of her life.
The only problem with this book is that it ends! I’m not complaining. It’s a good, satisfying ending, but I’m just not ready to part company with these characters. I’ve got my fingers crossed for a sequel.
June 20, 2019
Not horrible but not my type of book
There stars because it IS well written and has good, very good characters if they are your style.
But this is very much not my type of book. I have actively avoided supernatural books for years, and when we start with a vampire and an Adept (think some kind of psychic), I should have stopped.
I guess it's good for what it is, but what it is seems to be just grown-up Twilight.
There stars because it IS well written and has good, very good characters if they are your style.
But this is very much not my type of book. I have actively avoided supernatural books for years, and when we start with a vampire and an Adept (think some kind of psychic), I should have stopped.
I guess it's good for what it is, but what it is seems to be just grown-up Twilight.
October 20, 2015
Now, I haven't read too many vampire-related novels, as the genre in general usually doesn't appeal much to me, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much this novel reminded me of
Beloved
by Toni Morrison, another of my favorites, with its historical and cultural connections to the South, people involved in the sad reality of slavery, and people who are alive who naturally wouldn't be.
I found the idea of vampires existing to "preserve the human story" intriguing and the way it surrounded the three central characters (none of which had much, if any, romantic interest in each other - this was actually indicated within the story a little too much, I thought, to the point of thinking, "I get it, they're not going to be together", but that's a minor complaint) original. The ending was somewhat predictable, yet still enjoyable to read. Grimaud's reactions amused me (I even reread some of them!) and felt, well, realistic for a vampire.
If you enjoy intricate stories with well-developed, relatable characters whose backgrounds and lives become excitingly involved at the conclusion, I would highly recommend checking out this book, which I arbitrarily came across and downloaded for free on my phone.
At the first chance I had, I'd buy the sequel.
I found the idea of vampires existing to "preserve the human story" intriguing and the way it surrounded the three central characters (none of which had much, if any, romantic interest in each other - this was actually indicated within the story a little too much, I thought, to the point of thinking, "I get it, they're not going to be together", but that's a minor complaint) original. The ending was somewhat predictable, yet still enjoyable to read. Grimaud's reactions amused me (I even reread some of them!) and felt, well, realistic for a vampire.
If you enjoy intricate stories with well-developed, relatable characters whose backgrounds and lives become excitingly involved at the conclusion, I would highly recommend checking out this book, which I arbitrarily came across and downloaded for free on my phone.
At the first chance I had, I'd buy the sequel.
July 27, 2016
This really is a vampire story with a difference, a world in which vampires are not evil, but instead the custodians of human history.. The characters are interesting in this book, the girl with no family, no idea of her history, the fact she is a witch and what she is capable of.
The vampire who has been asleep for 150 years, trying to get used to and fit in with the modern world and the highly educated man wrongly convicted of a murder he did not commit, desperately looking for a miracle before another inmate kills him.
Danni, our main character has to try and lrean about herself and her powers as well as helping Stephane, the vampire acclimatise to the world today and help him fit in, while also solving the murder case that sent Antoine to Angola for Life, and on top of that she has her research project to finish.
Phew what a busy girl!
The story is well thought out and nicely written, the book is easy to read and flows smoothly, all the characters are well defined and their differences clear and this does cause some interesting conflicts, a lovely story, well worth a read. I hope Abigail Padgett will continue Danni and Stephane’s story soon.
The vampire who has been asleep for 150 years, trying to get used to and fit in with the modern world and the highly educated man wrongly convicted of a murder he did not commit, desperately looking for a miracle before another inmate kills him.
Danni, our main character has to try and lrean about herself and her powers as well as helping Stephane, the vampire acclimatise to the world today and help him fit in, while also solving the murder case that sent Antoine to Angola for Life, and on top of that she has her research project to finish.
Phew what a busy girl!
The story is well thought out and nicely written, the book is easy to read and flows smoothly, all the characters are well defined and their differences clear and this does cause some interesting conflicts, a lovely story, well worth a read. I hope Abigail Padgett will continue Danni and Stephane’s story soon.
May 18, 2015
Danni Telfer is a history professor doing research in Louisiana. Stephane Grimaud is a vampire who was buried during the Civil War and is awoken from his grave which is now situated in a prison yard. Antoine Dupre is an innocent man convicted of murder in the same prison. How these the lives of these three people (or not) intersect is the basis of this engrossing story.
The plot moves along with interesting sidetracks to Louisiana's cotton industry, slave trade, and Southern living in general. All three of the main characters are interesting as well as the many minor characters. I really enjoyed this book and I hope the author has plans to continue Danni's story.
The plot moves along with interesting sidetracks to Louisiana's cotton industry, slave trade, and Southern living in general. All three of the main characters are interesting as well as the many minor characters. I really enjoyed this book and I hope the author has plans to continue Danni's story.
June 2, 2015
Wow
I don't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much! All I have to say is there better be more to come. So many books are more sex scenes than story. And I have to waste time moving past them. If I want sex, I know where my husband sleeps! Authors shouldn't have to include sex to build a story, or sell their books!
Anyway this book grips you and glues you to it. The author has an original storyline that follows some of society's beliefs on vampires but brings a great twist that I really enjoyed reading and hope to see more of in the future. I strongly recommend this book. .......I don't go over the story, that's what the description is for.
I don't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much! All I have to say is there better be more to come. So many books are more sex scenes than story. And I have to waste time moving past them. If I want sex, I know where my husband sleeps! Authors shouldn't have to include sex to build a story, or sell their books!
Anyway this book grips you and glues you to it. The author has an original storyline that follows some of society's beliefs on vampires but brings a great twist that I really enjoyed reading and hope to see more of in the future. I strongly recommend this book. .......I don't go over the story, that's what the description is for.
July 22, 2015
Best read a long time
Beautiful story. Drama, intrigue, horror? Well written and very entertaining. If you like vampires, convicts....you will enjoy this book. There is so much more to the story and I don't want to give anything away. Even the ending was great. I usually don't read books by women authors, but this will be the exception. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Beautiful story. Drama, intrigue, horror? Well written and very entertaining. If you like vampires, convicts....you will enjoy this book. There is so much more to the story and I don't want to give anything away. Even the ending was great. I usually don't read books by women authors, but this will be the exception. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
June 13, 2017
It was okay. Some parts kept me interested while others I felt disconnected. Since I'm a fan of vampire stories, Grimaud was not my favorite for some reason. Also, it was hard to connect to the writer's portrayal of prison since I read this book within a book club I have with those currently incarcerated. I know prison in LA is different than CA but too much of it just seemed unrealistic of the actual system.
April 10, 2015
Fantastic Read
I devoured this book in an afternoon, neglecting everything else to do so. I could feel the Louisiana heat and the suffocating humidity. The characters were well done and while everything was tied up at the end there is enough left to learn about the characters to merit a sequel or even a series.
I devoured this book in an afternoon, neglecting everything else to do so. I could feel the Louisiana heat and the suffocating humidity. The characters were well done and while everything was tied up at the end there is enough left to learn about the characters to merit a sequel or even a series.
July 11, 2015
Wonderful
I would recommend this book to anyone. A fantastic story line, well written. I look forward to more from this author. Having lived in Louisiana, it captures the essence of the way the landscape and people are. Also, how notorious Angola prison is and life inside the walls (first hand knowledge as a correction s officer).
I would recommend this book to anyone. A fantastic story line, well written. I look forward to more from this author. Having lived in Louisiana, it captures the essence of the way the landscape and people are. Also, how notorious Angola prison is and life inside the walls (first hand knowledge as a correction s officer).
May 16, 2015
Captivating
I was entranced with this story. Having just finished reading this book non-stop, I feel overwhelmed. I want the story to continue. I want Danni to reconnect with the "vampire," and with Monk. You will not be disappointed.
I was entranced with this story. Having just finished reading this book non-stop, I feel overwhelmed. I want the story to continue. I want Danni to reconnect with the "vampire," and with Monk. You will not be disappointed.
May 16, 2015
Wow
Very interesting read. It shows the cycles that all our lives can take and the misfortunes that we can all come across. But this book also shows the reader there's hope to all.
Very interesting read. It shows the cycles that all our lives can take and the misfortunes that we can all come across. But this book also shows the reader there's hope to all.
May 31, 2015
A very remembered book
I rated this book high as it was so intriguing I could not put it down. I recommend this book to all who want to believe in the magic of the supernatural and the secrets of the unknown.
I rated this book high as it was so intriguing I could not put it down. I recommend this book to all who want to believe in the magic of the supernatural and the secrets of the unknown.
June 7, 2015
Wonderful story!
I chose this rating because I was almost immediately drawn to the characters. I had no idea it was another "vampire" story until it was too late. That being said, I still recommend this book to anyone that enjoys getting lost in a book
I chose this rating because I was almost immediately drawn to the characters. I had no idea it was another "vampire" story until it was too late. That being said, I still recommend this book to anyone that enjoys getting lost in a book
July 10, 2015
Wow,who as t a story!
Loved this story, especially because it was such a surprise! I wasn't expecting to read straight through, but I did , couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book.
Loved this story, especially because it was such a surprise! I wasn't expecting to read straight through, but I did , couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book.
Want to read
May 10, 2015Free 05-10-15 (Paranormal Fantasy: Vampires)(maybe pnr, not sure)
http://www.amazon.com/An-Unremembered...
http://www.amazon.com/An-Unremembered...
July 30, 2023
This was amazing. I had no idea what this would be about, I downloaded it for free a few months ago I think. I found it and started to read it on a whim.
I would never have thought that I would have enjoyed this novel about three disparate people, a long-buried vampire, a prison inmate and a university researcher. How would they connect? What's the story about?
I really enjoyed this novel and couldn't wait to get back to it. I'd like to re-read it in a year or two to see if I get more out of it. In the meantime, I wouldn't mind finding other books by this author to see if they are all this amazing or if this was a one-off.
I would never have thought that I would have enjoyed this novel about three disparate people, a long-buried vampire, a prison inmate and a university researcher. How would they connect? What's the story about?
I really enjoyed this novel and couldn't wait to get back to it. I'd like to re-read it in a year or two to see if I get more out of it. In the meantime, I wouldn't mind finding other books by this author to see if they are all this amazing or if this was a one-off.
October 25, 2020
In Unremembered Grave
Abigail Padgett’s historie of Grimaud, Darci and Monk reads and plays like Oscar winning material. This book had me hooked, couldn’t leave it alone until I was finished. The bayou setting always makes for a quaint and sorrowful backdrop of post-slavery noire but one that is strangely compelling. I hope we all meet our heroes again as I’m eager to know how Grimaud, with the help of his two new friends, conquers this brave new world and how Darci finds her past and hones her power.
Abigail Padgett’s historie of Grimaud, Darci and Monk reads and plays like Oscar winning material. This book had me hooked, couldn’t leave it alone until I was finished. The bayou setting always makes for a quaint and sorrowful backdrop of post-slavery noire but one that is strangely compelling. I hope we all meet our heroes again as I’m eager to know how Grimaud, with the help of his two new friends, conquers this brave new world and how Darci finds her past and hones her power.
April 28, 2022
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS ONE!
This wonderful tale that Ms. Padgett has created is not the usual blood sucking vampire. There are deep and lasting impressions of times past and present. The vampire in this story was not the typical blood thirsty ghoul lurking about waiting for anything with a beating heart. Do yourself a favor and read this book, you will not be disappointed with the characters that unfold and the amazingly epic background of Louisiana! I give In Unremembered Grave 5 solid stars.
This wonderful tale that Ms. Padgett has created is not the usual blood sucking vampire. There are deep and lasting impressions of times past and present. The vampire in this story was not the typical blood thirsty ghoul lurking about waiting for anything with a beating heart. Do yourself a favor and read this book, you will not be disappointed with the characters that unfold and the amazingly epic background of Louisiana! I give In Unremembered Grave 5 solid stars.
July 12, 2018
Great story & different!
I received this book free from one of the book sites. I do not remember which one! This is my honest review.
A fascinating read, different from any vampire story I've read. But, that is not all! Add in Angola prison and a wrongfully sentenced man, mystical carved cats, & an adept that does not know what she is & you have quite the book.
I highly recommend this book & could not stop reading.
I received this book free from one of the book sites. I do not remember which one! This is my honest review.
A fascinating read, different from any vampire story I've read. But, that is not all! Add in Angola prison and a wrongfully sentenced man, mystical carved cats, & an adept that does not know what she is & you have quite the book.
I highly recommend this book & could not stop reading.
July 28, 2018
Awesome!!!!
I loved this story!!! I was sucked in from the very beginning, and I love stories like that. I wasn't all that impressed with Stephane at first, but he certainly helped dispel some fears in a most unusual way.
I wanted Antoine out of prison almost as much as he did, and was so happy the way everything worked together.
The book held my attention, and I would love it if there were future stories of the vampire and his adept.
I loved this story!!! I was sucked in from the very beginning, and I love stories like that. I wasn't all that impressed with Stephane at first, but he certainly helped dispel some fears in a most unusual way.
I wanted Antoine out of prison almost as much as he did, and was so happy the way everything worked together.
The book held my attention, and I would love it if there were future stories of the vampire and his adept.
August 26, 2019
I loved this book
An historian, an innocent man and a vampire. What more could you want? This is a great story about a woman who discovers talents she never knew had. A vampire who recognizes those abilities. And an innocent man who benefits from the efforts of both of them. I hope you enjoy it. Oh and of course there are cats. Magical cats.
An historian, an innocent man and a vampire. What more could you want? This is a great story about a woman who discovers talents she never knew had. A vampire who recognizes those abilities. And an innocent man who benefits from the efforts of both of them. I hope you enjoy it. Oh and of course there are cats. Magical cats.
February 8, 2020
WOW--- I soo wanted to finish this book the night I opened it , but did not want to finish it because I did not want it to end. Abigail Padgett made you feel the heat of Louisiana and made you feel the soul of the 3 main characters. I cannot wait until Danni moves on to the next phase and see what else she discovers since she now knows what the white rose tattoo means..
October 26, 2020
I loved this book!!
I finished this book in one afternoon. I loved every line. It caught my internet from the first line. Loved the mystery, the misticism, the vampire all of it. This was the first book by this author I have read but I will read more. It needs a sequel to answer questions left hanging.
I finished this book in one afternoon. I loved every line. It caught my internet from the first line. Loved the mystery, the misticism, the vampire all of it. This was the first book by this author I have read but I will read more. It needs a sequel to answer questions left hanging.
July 15, 2018
An Unremembered Grave
Wow what a story! I stayed up almost all night reading it. The characters were so real, a person could picture them and long to have conversations with them all!
Wow what a story! I stayed up almost all night reading it. The characters were so real, a person could picture them and long to have conversations with them all!
June 11, 2019
Freedom
A historian, a vampire, and an innocent man. Can they help each other find the truth and free each other? Perhaps the past can be the path to the truth and free a wrongly convicted man and help a troubled woman. A great read.
A historian, a vampire, and an innocent man. Can they help each other find the truth and free each other? Perhaps the past can be the path to the truth and free a wrongly convicted man and help a troubled woman. A great read.
June 27, 2019
Can’t quite give it four stars simply because the resolution stuttered for me. However, this was a fun, quick, addictive read. I LOVED the setting and I liked the characters, even with their bristly edges.
July 27, 2019
Convergence
A murder mystery with a supernatural twist. Well written engaging page turner. Interspersed with historical references, music and literature. Particularly enjoyed the moods and arguments of the main characters. It would be a pleasure to meet these characters.
A murder mystery with a supernatural twist. Well written engaging page turner. Interspersed with historical references, music and literature. Particularly enjoyed the moods and arguments of the main characters. It would be a pleasure to meet these characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews