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Claire Legacy FBI Mystery #1
Lethal Legacy
Listen when the dead speak.
Ghosts don’t just haunt mystical and otherworldly New Orleans, where spirits linger in the lurid settings of past horrific crimes. They also follow FBI Special Agent Claire Legacy. And now she’s returned to the place where tragedy stains her soul as surely as blood stains the carpet beneath her grandmother’s rug.
But before she can face her past, she’s pulled into someone else’s nightmare.
Her new assignment in the New Orleans field office is stranger than fiction: four high-profile members of a paranormal investigation team are dead after a gas explosion decimates the haunted mansion they were filming in.
When another ghost hunter dies—and then another—each death more gruesome than the last, it becomes clear this is no coincidence.
In a city ruled by the macabre, something wicked is at play. But is the threat otherworldly... or all too human?
With three teams targeted in as many days and six people dead, the clock is ticking. And Claire must exorcise this real-life demon who’s turning ghost stories into brutal reality.
Lethal Legacy, the chilling first book in the Claire Legacy FBI series by bestselling authors Mary Stone and Alex Gates, will make you believe in ghosts—the real kind, and the ones we carry with us.
Ghosts don’t just haunt mystical and otherworldly New Orleans, where spirits linger in the lurid settings of past horrific crimes. They also follow FBI Special Agent Claire Legacy. And now she’s returned to the place where tragedy stains her soul as surely as blood stains the carpet beneath her grandmother’s rug.
But before she can face her past, she’s pulled into someone else’s nightmare.
Her new assignment in the New Orleans field office is stranger than fiction: four high-profile members of a paranormal investigation team are dead after a gas explosion decimates the haunted mansion they were filming in.
When another ghost hunter dies—and then another—each death more gruesome than the last, it becomes clear this is no coincidence.
In a city ruled by the macabre, something wicked is at play. But is the threat otherworldly... or all too human?
With three teams targeted in as many days and six people dead, the clock is ticking. And Claire must exorcise this real-life demon who’s turning ghost stories into brutal reality.
Lethal Legacy, the chilling first book in the Claire Legacy FBI series by bestselling authors Mary Stone and Alex Gates, will make you believe in ghosts—the real kind, and the ones we carry with us.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 9, 2025
1249 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Mary Stone
229 books2,169 followersTo download my FREE BOOK, click here: https://authormarystone.com/free-book...
Nestled in the tranquil Blue Ridge Mountains of East Tennessee, Mary Stone has transformed her peaceful home, once bustling with her sons, into a creative haven. As her family grew, so did her writing career, evolving from childhood fears to a deep understanding of real-life villains. Her stories, centered around strong, unconventional heroines, weave themes of courage and intrigue.
Mary's journey from a solitary writer to establishing her own publishing house marks a significant evolution, showcasing her commitment to the literary world. Through her writing and publishing endeavors, she continues to captivate and inspire, honoring her lifelong fascination with the mysterious and the courageous.
Nestled in the tranquil Blue Ridge Mountains of East Tennessee, Mary Stone has transformed her peaceful home, once bustling with her sons, into a creative haven. As her family grew, so did her writing career, evolving from childhood fears to a deep understanding of real-life villains. Her stories, centered around strong, unconventional heroines, weave themes of courage and intrigue.
Mary's journey from a solitary writer to establishing her own publishing house marks a significant evolution, showcasing her commitment to the literary world. Through her writing and publishing endeavors, she continues to captivate and inspire, honoring her lifelong fascination with the mysterious and the courageous.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
September 26, 2025
Very well written, lots of action. Lots of speculation on who did it. A very great and exciting read. New Orleans is hosting a paranormal investigations competition. The only problem is someone is killing the teams off in the competition. With several suspects that would benefit from the deaths, it's hard to narrow down the field of suspects. Special Agent Claire Legacy and her partner have their work cut out for them. This book is edge of your seat reading. I suggest you give it a try.
July 31, 2025
Lethal Legacy is book one of the series. This definitely is going to be a page turner. Had great character development and mystery. Looking forward to the next book.
July 13, 2025
Received ARC
What can be more enthralling than a ghost hunt in New Orleans?
A new start in one of the coolest places to call home. Claire Legacy, Special Agent with the FBI has come back to her childhood home and teamed up with another badass Special Agent, Nina Adriano. These two are going to keep us turning pages for a while.
What can be more enthralling than a ghost hunt in New Orleans?
A new start in one of the coolest places to call home. Claire Legacy, Special Agent with the FBI has come back to her childhood home and teamed up with another badass Special Agent, Nina Adriano. These two are going to keep us turning pages for a while.
July 26, 2025
C.E.W.
Don't think I'll even finish this book. The story is ok so far, but these two female agents are so unlikable. One puts hair in her mouth and chews on it, the other one thinks it's ok to floss her teeth at a table in the restaurant where they had lunch. The writers may think this is cute, but it's NOT. Most of the humor is also childish.
Definitely not up to the standards I've come to expect from Mary Stone.
Don't think I'll even finish this book. The story is ok so far, but these two female agents are so unlikable. One puts hair in her mouth and chews on it, the other one thinks it's ok to floss her teeth at a table in the restaurant where they had lunch. The writers may think this is cute, but it's NOT. Most of the humor is also childish.
Definitely not up to the standards I've come to expect from Mary Stone.
July 17, 2025
LETHAL LEGACY is another psychological thriller this time by Mary Stone and Alex Gates. This first installment in their new 'Claire Legacy Series. This is a suspenseful, fast-paced page turner that grips you from the start. You'll be kept guessing who's doing what right from the first page to the end.
If you like a hint of paranormal with your thrillers, you don't want to miss this new series by Mary Stone and her new co-author, Alex Gates.
Agent Claire Legacy has just relocated from the Seattle office to her hometown and the New Orleans FBI office. Her first day in the office she's assigned a case of four members of a local paranormal team that were found dead. How could this happen? Could it be an envious paranormal hunter, the decrepit house, or the ghosts rumored to haunt the house? Maybe it's just an unfortunate accident. The choices are wide open.
While this story is a different style from the typical Mary Stone tale, her partnership with Alex Gates is sure to produce an entertaining series. Mary Stone and Alex Gates, thank you for a great new series.
I received a free copy of this book from the author, and the above is my voluntary and honest review.
If you like a hint of paranormal with your thrillers, you don't want to miss this new series by Mary Stone and her new co-author, Alex Gates.
Agent Claire Legacy has just relocated from the Seattle office to her hometown and the New Orleans FBI office. Her first day in the office she's assigned a case of four members of a local paranormal team that were found dead. How could this happen? Could it be an envious paranormal hunter, the decrepit house, or the ghosts rumored to haunt the house? Maybe it's just an unfortunate accident. The choices are wide open.
While this story is a different style from the typical Mary Stone tale, her partnership with Alex Gates is sure to produce an entertaining series. Mary Stone and Alex Gates, thank you for a great new series.
I received a free copy of this book from the author, and the above is my voluntary and honest review.
July 2, 2025
Madame Genevieve Durant's ruined mansion in New Orleans and Ghost Hunters are familiar with each other. Chip Tolony and his crew were going to be part of a competition with other Ghost Hunter crews with the possibility of winning $100,000 dollars. Would they get what they were looking for? When entering the subterranean room where Madame Genevieve Durant had murdered many people, Chip and his crew saw mirrors on the walls, candles lit and reflecting in the mirrors. They didn't smell the gas until it was too late.
One member in their team had stepped out of the room and was injured in the blast.
FBI SA Claire Legacy and SA Nina Adriano are on the job investigating this accident or murder.
Do you think it was an accident or was it murder?
One member in their team had stepped out of the room and was injured in the blast.
FBI SA Claire Legacy and SA Nina Adriano are on the job investigating this accident or murder.
Do you think it was an accident or was it murder?
July 27, 2025
Claire Legacy has transferred from Seattle FBI to her hometown's office, New Orleans. She, along with her partners, investigate the deaths of a paranormal investigating team at a "haunted mansion." There is a contest being conducted to find which is the best, most authentic "haunted place." As other members of the different teams die while filming in their locations, it is up to Claire and her team to determine if the deaths are due to paranormal activities, accidental, or deliberate. I love that Mary Stone's characters usually have some type of psychic ability, and Claire is no exception. What I really LOVE about this series is that it is set in New Orleans which is only a hop, skip, and jump from where I live. Can't wait for more in this series!!!
July 9, 2025
This was not my favorite book. It is really heavy with metaphors and slowed down my reading quite a bit. The story line is about paranormal investigators entering a contest to find the most haunted places in New Orleans. I think that most of the time human beings are far scarier than ghosts. That turns out to be true when several crews in this contest are being killed off. Is it ghosts taking their revenge or is a human taking out the competition. A couple of rabbit holes but you'll figure out the killer if you watch for clues. This new character will take a while to get used to. And so will her partner.
October 16, 2025
New Orleans is home to Claire Legacy.
Claire Legacy is an FBI agent transferred from Seattle to New Orleans, her home town. Her partner Nina was already an agent there. Ghost hunters had a contest of $100,000.00 and notoriety and spiders for the winner. Claire and Nina are both strong characters that work off each other. They suggest theories of the deaths of the ghost chasers that are in contention for the prize. They tend to lean on one particular person, Philip Deverau. He has all the signs of a killer. Mary Stone leaves you guessing to the very end. When the dead speak, we listen.
Claire Legacy is an FBI agent transferred from Seattle to New Orleans, her home town. Her partner Nina was already an agent there. Ghost hunters had a contest of $100,000.00 and notoriety and spiders for the winner. Claire and Nina are both strong characters that work off each other. They suggest theories of the deaths of the ghost chasers that are in contention for the prize. They tend to lean on one particular person, Philip Deverau. He has all the signs of a killer. Mary Stone leaves you guessing to the very end. When the dead speak, we listen.
September 26, 2025
Good Introduction to new Players and Great Storyline
Claire is a new transfer from Seattle to New Orleans just in time for a ghost hunting contest to begin. Claire and her partner, Nina, are given the case. Four people from the contest are killed while doing their investigation of a manor house. That was the start of a contest no one will forget. The storyline is great with explanations as to why there is supernatural activity, who the players are, how they are involved. Keeps you guessing who dunit. Great job. Thank you.
Claire is a new transfer from Seattle to New Orleans just in time for a ghost hunting contest to begin. Claire and her partner, Nina, are given the case. Four people from the contest are killed while doing their investigation of a manor house. That was the start of a contest no one will forget. The storyline is great with explanations as to why there is supernatural activity, who the players are, how they are involved. Keeps you guessing who dunit. Great job. Thank you.
July 8, 2025
Claire is starting a new position with NewOrleans FBI. She is looking forward to being around family, at least most of them. When smhe reports I for work and meets her partner and the rest of the team, there is no time to really get acquainted, they are assigned to a case of possible murder. Four members of a local paranormal team are found dead. While they are working on this case, another group of paranormal meet trouble. This story builds quick and really goo.d. "
July 8, 2025
This is very different for Mary Stone but a masterly way to start a new series! Her collaboration with Alex Gates is going to be a great success. The authors have created a very descriptive tale that keeps the reader engrossed throughout the entire read. Lethal Legacy caught me right at the beginning and held me to the very end! Love Claire, her sweet family and her partner, Nina. Cannot wait for the next in this series especially with that cliffhanger!
July 9, 2025
Claire moves back home to New Orleans tranferring to a new FBI unit. She starts on the 1st day investigating the murders of a paranormal group competing in a contest. She seems to get along with her new partner as they put their wits together to solve this mystery. Before they get any answers, there is another murder in the paranormal group.Are there real ghosts interfering with the contest ? A good plot with wonderful new characters. This series is going to be great!
July 12, 2025
Lethal Legacy, book 1 in the Claire Legacy series, by Mary Stone and Alex Gates is great. We follow Claire, who has just returned to New Orleans, while she does her job as an FBI special agent. And her first case involves the deaths of four members of a paranormal team who had been investigating a haunted house. So…did ghosts do it? Read this story and find out. I’m really looking forward to book 2.
July 17, 2025
Lethal Legacy is the first book in the new Clair Legacy series by Mary Stone and it is a great start to a new series.
Claire is just coming back home to New Orleans and in her first case she is assigned to see why several paranormal investigators competing in a contest are dying. Her team must figure whether they are accidents or whether someone is murdering them.
The book is full of twists and turns and I can hardly wait for the next book in the series.
Claire is just coming back home to New Orleans and in her first case she is assigned to see why several paranormal investigators competing in a contest are dying. Her team must figure whether they are accidents or whether someone is murdering them.
The book is full of twists and turns and I can hardly wait for the next book in the series.
January 1, 2026
easy with five stars
I always love reading these kinds of books. I started with Mary Stone in the beginning in a blossom too for more authors. It was tough leaving some of Mary’s old characters but little by little I’m learning the new ones and fall in love with them just like a dead with the other characters. None of these characters will ever know me, but I will always know them.
I always love reading these kinds of books. I started with Mary Stone in the beginning in a blossom too for more authors. It was tough leaving some of Mary’s old characters but little by little I’m learning the new ones and fall in love with them just like a dead with the other characters. None of these characters will ever know me, but I will always know them.
July 6, 2025
Wonderful first novel in a, hopefully, new series. Mary never fails to disappoint. Claire Legacy has returned to her hometown in Nee Orleans to take a position with the FBI office there. Partnering with Nina Adriano, they are tasked with finding out who is sabotaging a Paranormal contest, killing off the contestants. Can they discover the culprit before they strike again?
July 15, 2025
Great start to a new series
This was not an.earth shattering new book but.one that sucked you in until... there you are.at the end. I like.the characters but am hoping there is more to.come as the author explores Agent Nina. I will look.forward to.the.next book. And I'm really.glad Mary has given us a new series to get into.
This was not an.earth shattering new book but.one that sucked you in until... there you are.at the end. I like.the characters but am hoping there is more to.come as the author explores Agent Nina. I will look.forward to.the.next book. And I'm really.glad Mary has given us a new series to get into.
July 21, 2025
Slow reading
I’ve read all the Mary Stone series and have very much enjoyed them. Unfortunately, I just wanted this book to end! I found the beginning and middle quite boring and I really lost interest. May read the next in the series, but if it’s anything like this one, I’m done.
I’ve read all the Mary Stone series and have very much enjoyed them. Unfortunately, I just wanted this book to end! I found the beginning and middle quite boring and I really lost interest. May read the next in the series, but if it’s anything like this one, I’m done.
July 28, 2025
Contestants in a ghost busting contest are being murdered
Haunted mansions, and other haunted placed have become, places of gruesome murders. Five different teams competing get the best footage of ghostly activity. From the first day though people are getting murdered in most unfortunate ways! Will there be a winning team for the contest, or will everyone be dead?
Haunted mansions, and other haunted placed have become, places of gruesome murders. Five different teams competing get the best footage of ghostly activity. From the first day though people are getting murdered in most unfortunate ways! Will there be a winning team for the contest, or will everyone be dead?
July 8, 2025
Mary and Alex started a very good new series with the great characters Claire and Nina as partners.
It’s different from previous Mary’s books, but I love it. Story develops fast and it’s very tense. And of course the cliffhanger!
Bravo. I’m looking forward for the next installment.
It’s different from previous Mary’s books, but I love it. Story develops fast and it’s very tense. And of course the cliffhanger!
Bravo. I’m looking forward for the next installment.
July 13, 2025
This is the first book in the Claire Legacy FBI series. I enjoyed the NO setting. So intriguing! This is a very entertaining plot. Participants in a a paranormal team’s competition are being murdered. Claire and her new partner are on the case. This is a great series starter.
July 25, 2025
Comment sense prevails. Maybe!!
A story that is situated right in our time, in a place we are familiar with, although we may never have been there. New Orleans! The mysterious ghost ridden city taking out it's revenge on the city.
A story that is situated right in our time, in a place we are familiar with, although we may never have been there. New Orleans! The mysterious ghost ridden city taking out it's revenge on the city.
July 30, 2025
Not the Mary Stone of the past!
This book was some what boring. The characters weren't as well developed as Autumn or Winter. Just couldn't get interested. I felt the same about Sky. Maybe if I hadn't read all of Mary Stone previous books I would feel different??
This book was some what boring. The characters weren't as well developed as Autumn or Winter. Just couldn't get interested. I felt the same about Sky. Maybe if I hadn't read all of Mary Stone previous books I would feel different??
September 25, 2025
Harsh
Well written mystery, bringing together the stories of a series of murders and a young FBI agent's anguish over her father's murder. A little love and thoughts of romance included!
Well written mystery, bringing together the stories of a series of murders and a young FBI agent's anguish over her father's murder. A little love and thoughts of romance included!
October 5, 2025
Ghost Hunter Nightmare
Great New Orleans setting showcasing a haunted plantation and Garden District mansion. Characters that are truly realistic for NOLA. This one really keeps you guessing.
Great New Orleans setting showcasing a haunted plantation and Garden District mansion. Characters that are truly realistic for NOLA. This one really keeps you guessing.
January 6, 2026
I love a great mystery, so I read on though not initially into their writing style. Claire the main character drew me in gradually, along with her big sister. Exciting ending! I’ll read on in the series.
July 8, 2025
Enjoyed the book and can’t wait for the next one. Keeps you guessing through most of the book as to who the killer is and who is next
July 9, 2025
Great new series
This book is really great, I didn't guess the killer till the end. It had mystery suspense and great characters. This series will be great as all the others.
This book is really great, I didn't guess the killer till the end. It had mystery suspense and great characters. This series will be great as all the others.
July 13, 2025
Lethal Legacy
I found it interesting, it's new with a different vibe. I look forward to the next book in the series. I found the characters new and interesting.
I found it interesting, it's new with a different vibe. I look forward to the next book in the series. I found the characters new and interesting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews