Graverobber Whiskey

by A.M. Kelly

Ashland Investigations has just been blackmailed into taking on their toughest case yet.

In the gloom outside Charleston, South Carolina, in 1881, Ashton and Dirty Henry finally have their own private investigation agency just waiting to tackle supernatural mysteries. But business has been as dead as the corpses buried in the cemetery next door and the bills are coming due.

When internationally renowned psychic medium, Madame Devereaux, shows up on their doorstep, asking help finding her missing brother, Ashton and Dirty Henry can't afford to refuse. Unfortunately for them, the case is open and shut—her brother is presumed dead. But the willful and relentless woman isn’t interested in accepting his fate or taking no for an answer. Worse, she unearths secrets that could ruin Ashton and Dirty Henry, not to mention the women they both love. With their reputations and relationships on the line, the pair are forced to take on the impossible task of finding a dead man and bringing him home alive and well.

With all signs pointing to their missing person being a member of the formerly living, Ashton and Dirty Henry scramble for a way to satisfy their blackmailer (and only client). But as they investigate, unsettling truths, unpredicable danger, and uncomfortable questions pile up around them. Ashton must reevaluate everything she thought she knew about her own magic. Madame Devereaux believes that a strong enough necromage can truly bring someone back from the dead. With a sinking sense of dread, Ashton is beginning to believe the woman might be right.

Fans of gothic fantasy and supernatural mysteries will be on the edge of their seats with this heart-pounding, spine-tingling adventure.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2026

Reviews

[Autumnally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great addition to a new favorite series. There are new kinds of mages that we get to see in action, and honestly I could probably read a whole book just detailing different rituals and magics in this universe.

I do enjoy Madame Devereaux's character despite the blackmail and other questionable choices. Although maybe it's because her and her husband remind me of Gomez and Morticia.

This was just as enjoyable as the first book, with even more fiery Rosheen. I honestly can't wait until we see Rosheen and Tilly meet, and that the two would be an unstoppable force together, bullying their loved ones every step of the way.

I will be very (im)patiently waiting for the next book in the series.

*Received an ARC copy of the book for an honest review.

[Savannah Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

*ARC received in exchange for review*

Although this plot is a tad better than its predecessor, it still felt like I was just plopped right in the middle of something with no real build up of how we got there.. nor were there any sort of flashbacks to divulge how we got there.

The characters have so much potential. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship that develops between Ashton and Dirty Henry.
I would have loved more back stories on the characters, so the reader can sympathize or empathize more.

Overall this story (and the previous one) felt like it needed more depth and that there was so much to be uncovered.

[Christina Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved. I was lucky to receive this book as an ARC read and I devoured every moment of it. It was so different from my usual picks but I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The world and characters are so rich and a beautiful expansion on the first book.

I loved letting myself get lost in the grit and difficult choices and harsh simplicity of simply doing what has to be done. This book will have your heart racing and keep you engaged page after page.

[Emily Bettencourt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graverobber Whiskey is the second book in this graverobber series by AM Kelly, following Graverobber Blues which I reviewed last week, and once again it follows Will Ashton and the motley crew of mages and mage-adjacents that comprise Ashland Investigations and associates. The book picks up less than a year after the events of Graverobber Blues, telling the story of an unexpected visit from a medium from overseas who seeks Ashton and Dirty Henry out for their assistance investigating the disappearance of her brother. The investigation, which feels like a bad idea from the start, ends up having unexpected consequences for all parties involved.

Thank you to the author, AM Kelly, who provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is where the spoilers start, beware!

I'm not surprised to say that I liked almost all the same elements in Graverobber Whiskey that I did in Graverobber Blues, but that the challenges I had with the book were also largely unchanged. I still found myself really enjoying the overall premise—I am always a sucker for a sapphic fantasy, and the fact that it involves necromancy is only a plus—and for the most part, the cast of main characters were enjoyable to read. Although the timeline of this story isn't quite as tight as the story in Graverobber Blues, it's still constrained to a fairly narrow window of time, which contributes to the pacing of the story in a positive way and makes sure that things feel like they're moving along without dragging. Although I noticed more typographical errors in this book than in the previous one, I still found that the sparser prose worked for the story and characters and that the "action" scenes were easy to follow. And lastly, I've said it before and I'll say it again, the found family characters that comprise the core of Ashland Investigations are really very likeable and there is a real sense that they'll go to war for each other if they have to.

In my review of Graverobber Blues I noted that I would have found it to be an interesting angle for Ashton's character development if she had done some confronting of her complicity with/the privilege she gains from the social structures that surround her—namely, what things were made possible for her only because society believed her to be a white man, and does it really serve her or anyone she associates with for her to blindly obey those social structures rather than challenging them. However, following the burning down of Ashton's university at the end of the previous book, it seemed that in Graverobber Whiskey all of Ashton's academic ambition has dried up, which means that she is no longer quite so concerned with maintaining her reputation in a way that lets her participate in schooling... and consequently means that she never does end up confronting any of those privileges or social mores. There is a bit of talk at the beginning of Graverobber Whiskey about how Ashton is no longer quite as welcome to court Rosheen since she's not making a decent living, and there's also some offhand references to how dangerous it is for Dirty Henry's Black wife Tilly (who, incidentally, is only ever talked about but never actually appears on-page as best I remember), but nothing else happens that would force Ashton into the position of confronting her privilege.

Instead, this whole story is about Anne Devereaux, née Valois, the younger sister of Gabriel Valois who was the primary antagonist of the previous book. I'll confess—as much as I like the core group of Ashland Investigations characters (Ashton, Rosheen, Dirty Henry, J.P., and Vic), I actually find it extremely difficult to care all that much about any of the Valois family. All three of them who appear in this book—Gabriel, Anne, and their younger brother Henri—are privileged, self-centered, and evil to a degree that actually at a certain point started to seem comical rather than actually threatening. Anne alternates between shrill and spoiled harpy who's dumb as a box of rocks, promiscuous femme fatale who is extremely free with her romantic attentions, and scheming blackmailer willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to get what she wants; Henri couldn't care less about anything except his own standing within the Valois family, and despite being the son of someone who seems to be a pretty notoriously powerful necromage, is simultaneously very powerful and very ignorant of the weight of his power.

Of the three it's Gabriel who has the most potential as an antagonistic character, but any potential depth and complexity is lost under how enormously unlikable he is in Graverobber Blues and also the fact that Ashton, as our point-of-view character, seems patently not interested in ruminating on the horrors Gabriel has endured and how that might inform his behavior. And that's a bummer, because we could have gotten some interesting character development out of it! Ashton could have seen parallels between both of their experiences being forced to play roles; she could have come to understand that Valois' extremely unpleasant outward behaviors are a defense mechanism after literal years spent being isolated from his family and abused by a much older man. Instead the extent of Ashton's reflections seem to be "damn, that's crazy. Anyway, Valois sucks!" She doesn't even really react to the very heavy insinuation that Hoffman was sexually abusing Gabriel, and it feel like it's going to come as an absolute shock to her in the next book that Gabriel and Johnson are in love.

All that said, though, overall I did enjoy this read! It gets a total of 3.5 stars from me, which is half a star lower than Graverobber Blues but which still means that I enjoyed the time I spent reading it and would recommend it to other folks who like stories like this one—sapphic fantasy, necromacy, and most importantly found family.

Pleasure: ★★★☆☆

Purpose: ★★★☆☆

Prose: ★★★★☆

Plot: ★★★☆☆

Personal: ★★★★☆

[Christie W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of both books in the series for review.
3.5 rounded up to a 4

I enjoyed this second book more than the first. Ashton and Dirty Henri are back and still dealing with the Valois family, this time Gabriel's sister, her husband and Henri a younger sibling. Anne, a medium, is convinced that because she never had a visit from Gabriel it means he is still alive and enlists the help of Ashland Investigations to find him and bring him home. Where the investigation leads is quite entertaining and a bit disturbing.

Things that worked for me:
-I LOVED the new characters! Terry was by far my favorite. Is he a simple character lacking any kind of real depth, yes. Did I care, no. He loves his wife Anne despite her not quite matching his energy in the relationship which was very confusing for the entire book. One moment they are adorable together and the next she is dismissive and indifferent. His golden retriever energy about everything was immediately endearing and I loved him from his first appearance. Anne on the other hand I couldn't quite understand. She was clever and unapologetically manipulative one minute and a shallow dim socialite the next. I did enjoy not liking her though.
-We get some more depth to characters. While the cast wasn't completely cookie cutter/2D in the first book of the series there wasn't a ton of character work or depth to anyone. In this second book a couple of characters are more fleshed out and you get to find out more about Dirty Henry's family and hopefully something that will be explored if there is a third book.
-The first half of this book in the search for Gabriel was engaging. The search for clues and hunting down leads was pretty fun.
-I appreciate that the author discussed the impact Dirty Henry and Ashton's bond was having on his home life and how dangerous it is for his family to be looking after baby Jack both because of the contextual issues of race and the fact that technically he's been kidnapped.

Things that didn't work for me:
-I wish we got more depth to our characters. The bond between Dirty Henry and Ashton is fascinating and frankly the most interesting thing about either of them. It gets explored here and there but I wish there was more. With the events of the last chapter in this book the impact wasn't as emotional for me because I haven't been deeply invested. Honestly I thought the event would occur much later in the series since the epilogue keeps it open ended for more books.
-While the relationship between Ashton and Rosheen is sweet it is more of a shown instead of told relationship. Without a lot of context for their connection it falls a little flat for me.
-The second half of the book I struggled with a bit. The pacing slows down since we are dealing the lead up to and the execution of a single event instead of a missing person investigation. The final event was engaging as a final climax should be. I can't decide how to feel about a couple characters are the end though. The relationship is either deeply creepy and disturbing or oddly sweet.

Overall it is more of a popcorn read than a complex story and that is ok. It was entertaining and I enjoyed my time with the characters and the story. Hopefully the author continues the series and Dirty Henry's familial loose-end and baby Jack get resolved.

[Carro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review to read in anticipation its release.

WOW! I am stunned. For me, it's a rare occasion when a sequel lives up to its predecessor, and boy, did Graverobber Whiskey live up to (and, in places, surpass) Graverobber Blues. This sophomore entry to the Graverobber Blues series was downright incredible. It's hard to talk about my favorite parts without spoiling the end of the first book and large swathes of this entry as well, I will touch on a few parts that I loved.

The growth that Ashton shows as an individual in this book is remarkable. I love how, at her core, she is still an arrogant, privileged dandy, but gone are the days she is looking down on others (particularly my man Dirty Henry) for their social stations. It is actually the relationship between her and Dirty Henry and the way that has grown and flourished since the events of book 1 that really touched me while reading this book; I loved watching them grow through the first book, but the turns and flavor of that growth that took place during the course of the 6 month time-gap between Blues and Whiskey, and then was further explored during the duration of this book, was fascinating and incredible.

BIG spoiler: Especially, it should be said, when their relationship is juxtaposed with the relationship shared between Valois and Johnson, which takes centerstage at the core of this novel, it is DEEPLY fascinating. Watching the lines between Ashton and Dirty Henry blur and, at times, erase altogether only to ultimately reject that connection in the face of the horror of losing oneself in that kind of all-consuming (non-r0mantic) love... which, itself, is a deep oversimplification of the truly incredible subject that is Making A Familiar within the lore of the world. I could chew on that dynamic and wax poetic about it all day. Also YESSS VALOIS AND JOHNSON ARE BACK!! Terrible. I love them both.

I neglected to mention another favorite from book 1 that even further engratiated herself to me through the course of book 2, and that is the ever-lovely Rosheen. I adore her nearly as much as Ashton does. She does something later in the book that made me laugh out loud in a way I haven't since the Soup incident in Harrow the Ninth. (iykyk)

I am deeply grateful I had the opportunity to read this in advance, and in general. I'm kind of obsessed with this series, and I can't wait to get my hands on more in the future!

5/5

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading “Graverobber Blues”, I was left with a lot of thoughts and feelings about the characters who I felt had been kind of shafted by the end of the narrative. Imagine my delight when I dove into “Graverobber Whiskey” and found out that those characters were central to the mystery. (Let me describe it. I was in the hair salon, getting my hair done, when I realized what was going on and I started paddling my feet with joy because YES!)

“Graverobber Whiskey” picks up a few months after the events of the first book. Ashton and Dirty Henry have started their detective agency, and promptly received… very little work. They’ve used up all of Ashton’s savings, the spell keeping the two of them physically close is pissing off Dirty Henry’s wife (love u Tilly), and the single job they have is at a standstill. So doth sweep in Madame Anne Devereaux, (in)famous psychic and medium. She’s not here to compete with Ashton’s necromancy, but rather, she has a job for them.

And oh boy, that job did not disappoint. It’s hard to not get excited and talk about everything that happens, because the truth of the matter is that several times I did get caught off guard by the turns the story took. I’m going to avoid dropping spoilers to the best of my ability - just know that if you, like me, were kind of left hanging at the ending of “Graverobber Blues,” this one is going to make everything feel better. Augh. My heart. My boy.

Ashton continues to be a fun and engaging protagonist, but oh boy, she has some anxiety. I feel bad for the poor thing, with all of her secrets and her fears of inadequacy, but every time I might have been frustrated by her I ultimately had to look at myself and go, “wow, she’s just like me, huh?” and that gave me significantly more empathy towards her. It’s funny how that works, huh?

Anyway, I would recommend this book. It expounds on the best qualities of the first book - the magic, the corpses, the relationship between Ashton and Rosheen, all of it - and I enjoyed it genuinely quite thoroughly.

*This book was provided as an ARC by the author!

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you very much to the author for giving me a copy of the series in exchange for a review.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Ashton and Dirty Henry are now running an private investigation business after the events of the first book, but business is...less than booming. After nearly exhausting her savings to keep the business running, Ashton and Dirty Henry find themselves intertwined in the drama that is Valois yet again. This time, it is Valois's sister Anne. She is convince that her brother did not perish in the fire at the end of the last book, as she has the ability to call to the dead and she has yet to sense her brother. So Ashland Investigations is on the case!
Of the two books, I liked Graverobber Whiskey much more. But many of the issues I had with Graverobber Blues were issues in this book as well.
Things I liked:
-I think the author really found her groove with this book as far as how the characters interacted. Things were quite stiff in the first book.
-It was good to get some new characters.
-I really enjoyed Ashton and Dirty Henry's friendship.
Things that didn't work for me:
-It still felt like lore was constantly missing. I had no frame of reference of how people's magic worked, so it was a common occurance for me to wonder if what they were doing was impressive. Also, it just seemed like people would whip out homebrewed spells like it was no big deal and then it would never be talked about.
-While it was fun to get new characters, Terry was an odd duck. I kept expecting to find out that he was bewitched or something. He came off more obsessed with his wife by magical coercion rather than a guy that just REALLY loved his wife.
-The pacing was a little wonky. I found myself at the halfway mark and wondering how there was still more book to happen. The first half of the book had a much brisker pace than the back half.
-I wish we'd gotten more time with just Ashton and Rosheen. I WANNA KNOW ABOUT THAT FIGHT IN THE GRAVEYARD!!!
Thank you again to the author for giving me the chance to read this series.

[The Nocturnal Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the first book in this series but I loved this one! This one added so much more depth to the story and the characters that I wanted from the first book. I really grew to love the cast of this universe, even Anne who annoyed me out the butt, and I was rooting for them from cover to cover.
We got a better glimpse into Ashton and Rosheen’s beginning and I am so happy we got to see more of their dynamic!
Our “foes” in this book were so complex and took the whole “ends justify the means” headspace to heart. I love when we have morally complex characters and the ones in this book were incredible!
The pacing was also a lot better in this book than it was in the first, in my opinion. I felt like we never lingered on events that weren’t too important, if there were any moments like that at all. The weight of what was going on was appropriate while there was also banter to lighten the mood when needed.
Reading the books of this series back to back really showed how much the author has grown as a writer! I was so excited while reading this and feeling how much more I got into this second story. I really am fond of this set of characters and the world they live in and hope we get to see them again in the future!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received this book as an ARC, so thank you for that!!!


To me this book was a lot better than the first and kept my interest the whole time. It also set itself up nicely for a third book so I applaud that as well. Pretty much all the characters are likable, and I found that even with characters you aren’t necessarily meant to like they are still complex in a way that makes you understand most of their reasonings for the things they do.

I think the bond between Ashton and Dirty Henry is one of the best things about this book and hope that continues being explored if there is ever a third book.

My one critique is that I feel there are a couple of unclear things happening in the story. For example, (unless I might have missed it) Rosheen and Ashton’s first meeting with each other is hinted at, but it is kind of confusing as the reader has no context to this beyond the couple of lines given. Hopefully this will be explored later, but for now it felt a little unclear as to how they met/what they were doing when they met.

Anyways, this was a solid read and I can’t wait to see more!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book and it's predecessor as an ARC - which I greatly appreciated!

I can tell you I would likely not have picked these books on my own, but I actually really enjoyed them! I thought the book(s) were well written with both humor and mystery elements.

What I liked:
- Low/no spice. Mind you I like spicy, but I enjoyed this story without it quite a lot.
- Graverobber Whiskey specifically: While again, Dirty Harry was my favorite character, in this book I really enjoyed how the previous books "villan" story was fleshed out and you could see them as a more multidimensional character rather than "just the bad guy".
- I enjoyed the humor/banter
- Again, the writing was well done as in the first book
- The author really understands how to make the reader dislike the villans in her stories, but also can make you see both sides of their story

What I didn't care for:
- Honestly, there isn't anything here because I can't say there was anything I disliked! I'd read more by A.M. Kelly in a hearbeat!

[Tia :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you so much to A.M. Kelly for giving me the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this fabulous book! 📚

i absolutely DEVOURED this book and was physically incapable of putting it down. the story was so captivating, thrilling and had me excited for each chapter to come!

i thoroughly enjoyed getting to learn more about all the characters and seeing their relationships with each other build as the story went on. i loved the relationships of the romance between Ashton and Rosheen and the father/daughter like bond of Ashton and Dirty Henry 🥹 also loved that we got even more different types of mages in this book! the way am kelly writes about magic is so enthralling and unique 🪄

i just absolutely loved and enjoyed this book and all of the depth of the characters, their stories and all of the crazy shit they got into. 10/10 recommend!!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️. I was lucky enough to be an ARC reader for this book and got the opportunity to read the first one as well. I try to pace myself with books so I don’t read too fast but I read this one in a few hours! I just couldn’t put it down. The pacing of the book was really nice and I didn’t feel like it dragged at all. I do have to say the French are always at the scene of the crime. I think this book served as a great reminder of how all consuming grief can become. The important part is to not let it and to remember you are never alone not truly. As well as the fact the “odd ones out” have always been around. What makes us unique makes us stronger as individuals and a community. I grew quite attached to these characters as the story progressed. I have to respect Terry for the love he has for his wife I get it! I am now also anxiously anticipating the third book whenever it may come.

[Kristy Buehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author, in exchange for my honest review.

This is a wonderful follow up to Graverobber Blues. This took the fantastic setup and characters from book one and built upon that foundation. New, interesting characters to go with the beloved ones. Questions answered. Lots of humor. Kept me engaged and trying to figure everything out. I loved it from beginning to end and I can't wait for book three. Come join this magical world, you know you want to.

[Maggie Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fun & quick fantasy read! I feel this is one of the few examples of the sequel being better than the original. All of the characters felt so much more fleshed out & explored in this book & I loved all of the deep dives into the familiar bonds. This book makes magic feel real & actually explains the magic system of the world in a way that makes sense. My only criticism is that all of the romantic relationships feel like they have the same dynamic but the dynamic is that they are all astronomically down bad for each other which isn’t a bad trope.

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to receive an advanced reader copy! I REALLY enjoyed the story and all of the characters. I am so happy I found A.M. on threads and was able to be selected to read her books! Cannot wait to read more from her!

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really fun read. The Graverobber Blues has become a series that I enjoy. The storylines are intriguing while at the same time adding horror and bits of comedy throughout. The characters are also very likable. I can’t wait to continue the series as it releases.

[Parker Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I liked it better than the first one! The character developments and arcs are fascinating. There were twists I didn’t expect and i couldn’t put it down!