The Unforgiven

Krewe of Hunters #33

by Heather Graham

A tragic past. An uncertain future.

Twelve years after the grisly murder of her parents, Kaitlyn Delaney has finally found peace. She has friends, a good job, a place to call home and a new life to live. But then a shadow creeps in from Katie’s past, reminding her that she will never completely escape its terrifying grip.

When private investigator Dan Oliver is called to the scene of a gruesome crime in New Orleans, he can’t help but hear echoes of the Delaney case, the unsolved murder that made him leave law enforcement. As he digs deeper, he unearths more chilling similarities—including mysterious letters connecting the killer to a string of murders that terrorized the Big Easy in 1919.

Now reunited after all this time, Dan and Katie scour the streets together, desperate to find answers before more lives are lost. But the otherworldly roots of this evil run far deeper than they ever imagined…and only the most precious of sacrifices will bring its twisted reign to an end.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2021

About the author

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Reviews

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

Audiobook read 9/22/21

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katie Delaney and Dan Oliver are enemies to lovers. The characterization is good, but not terrific. The secondary characters were, at times, more interesting than the protagonists. I really enjoyed the historical tidbits woven throughout the storyline. I feel like I know some of the legends of New Orleans. The plot is good, but at times meandered. The romance between the protagonists sometimes felt forced. The romantic spark, as I've read and enjoyed in previous novels written by Heather Graham, wasn't there. I have read the series out of order. I understand from other reviewers that the earlier books in the Krewe of Hunters series have stronger characterizations and plots. I will venture toward these earlier novels.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Unforgiven is a good paranormal romance suspense thriller featuring Graham's Krewe of Hunters, a division of the FBI comprised of young and attractive agents who can interact with ghosts, who aid them in saving young and attractive people from bloodthirsty, crazed serial killers. It's all rather formulaic, but quite well done, with dollops of very interesting historical facts mixed with very well drawn settings. Her writing style is quite slick and flows smoothly, the good guys are bland and pleasant (as are their occasional hook-ups), and there's an occasional spot of good humor. They're extremely dependable reads; not demanding or especially memorable, but enjoyable. This one is set in New Orleans and stars an enemies-to-lovers pair named Kaitlyn Delaney and Dan Oliver. I didn't figure out who the bad guy was until it was almost over. The story is partly framed around the number six (and three and twelve), which arises several times in the narrative. Not only that, but it's the 33rd book in the series, and the story ends on page 333 of the book, so three stars is the only way to go. Fun stuff.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was lowkey bad lol. Another find in my hotel room and I wanted to read in the beach and was out of books so here we are lol. The story was just okay and the dialogue was actually horribly written LOL but it was interesting I guess. The inclusion of ghosts was also weird and felt slightly unnecessary but I guess that’s what I get for randomly reading the 33rd book in a 40 book series with no context LOL

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graham’s Krewe of Hunter books offer a familiarity and escape I enjoy while weaving in historical events and tidbits in whatever city or town the FBI Krewe is working along with a side of romance and paranormal elements.

The Unforgiven opens with a grizzly murder in Florida where Kaitlyn Delaney lost her parents. Fast forward twelve years and private investigator Dan Oliver is called to the scene of a gruesome crime in New Orleans that closes matches the Delaney case. The news and locals declare that a murderer who terrorized the town in 1919 has returned. Katie is living and working in the city when she hears details about the murders and believes it might be her parent’s killer.

This was an intriguing case and of course I love the story about the 1919 murders and a strange group that may be involved. Katie is a tour guide in the city and soon finds herself, along with Delaney, pulled into the case. Both have we some ghostly help.

Twists and turns slowly led the way to the big reveal and resolution to the murders. The romance was a “hater to lovers” without the barbs as both characters are standup and resolved their issues. It lacked the sizzle I enjoy, but came through at the end.

While I loved the storyline and characters the story felt forced in a few areas and dragged in others. This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy my time in NOLA because I did, it just won’t be in my top ten list for the series. I already have the next two books set in New Orleans queued up on my kindle, The Forbidden and The Unknown. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[William Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really love this series, a good mixture of love, murder, mystery and ghost.

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is my first from Heather Graham. It is from her series "Krewe Of Hunters." In other words, "ghostbusters." The main protagonists are Kaitlyn Delaney and Private Detective Dan Oliver. Twelve years prior Kaitlyn was out scuba diving while her parents remained on their boat. When Kaitlyn returned she found her parents were grisly murdered. Dan Oliver, then, a New Orleans Police Detective was in charge of the case. The murders were not solved. Now 12 years latter similar murders are happening in Florida. Kaitlyn, as this point, starts having visions of the dead who try to lead her to the murderers. Kaitlyn and Dan Oliver team up to investigate. I found the story unbelievable due to the fact that I am not a fan of stories of this venue.

[Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars: Not my favorite Krewe book, but still fun

If you like this series—and I do—you’ll probably like The Unforgiven, but that’s about the best I can say for it. I didn’t find it particularly memorable or gripping. It’s not that there’s anything significantly wrong with it, and it is still fun, but it feels formulaic and a little flat in comparison to some of Graham’s other Krewe books.

The mystery starts with a well-written prequel: the grisly multiple murder of Kaitlyn’s parents in the Florida Keys. Twelve years later, an elderly couple and their housekeeper are murdered in a similar fashion, a thousand miles away in New Orleans, where Katie now lives. Not only is the current case similar to the death of Katie’s parents, it also resembles a case six years earlier in Orlando, and a spree of attacks a hundred years earlier—attacks which were never solved. Soon the whole city is awash with rumors that the notorious Axeman has somehow returned. From there, the plot goes in a direction I admit I didn’t see coming (although I did figure out several things along the way.) Without giving anything away, I found the overall solution a bit far-fetched, although to be honest, that’s often part of the fun of this series.

Katie and Dan are likeable, believable characters individually, particularly Katie, but I didn’t really feel much spark between them. I also didn’t really buy Daniel’s turnaround re one of the suspects. (Neither did Katie, so I was in good company there!) Other aspects of the book didn’t quite ring true, either—and I don’t mean the ghosts! When you have two witnesses to multiple murder claiming there were other parties present at the time of the murders, and one of the witnesses can describe them as clearly as Katie can, it’s hard to believe the official law-enforcement response would be to assume one witness is lying and the other is confused. Granted, this was a necessary backstory device to make part of the plot work, but I just couldn’t believe in it.

On the plus side, it was nice to see a little of Krewe founder Adam Harrison. Krewe agent Axel Tiger (Deadly Touch) plays an active role, and there’s a cameo from fellow agent Andre Broussard (The Stalking). And I enjoyed the collegial relationships between the various law-enforcement figures and the overall police concern for the safety of New Orleans’ citizens. It’s an ideal I devoutly wish was more of a reality.

As usual, the author offers plenty of present-day description and historical information on New Orleans. While much of it is interesting and helpful in immersing the reader in the setting, and it’s justified by the fact that Katie works as a carriage tour guide, the sheer amount of it begins to feel like unecessary info-dumping.

If you’re new to this series, there are other books in the series with stronger plots, more suspense, a greater sense of creepiness or menace, and more compelling romantic relationships; I’d advise you to seek them out instead of starting here. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll find probably find it fun, but a bit lackluster in comparison to those better installments.

Review originally published on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Hoard.

FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Unforgiven is the next entry in the long-running Krewe of Hunters series, and I will admit, is one of those series I turn to when I need something predictabl, but fun, to read. By about the fifth book, this series has developed a familiar pattern whereby the hero of the story begins to see something supernatural due to something traumatic happening, the FBI comes in to help, the two main characters develop a relationship, and we are treated to some interesting tidbits of history along the way. There is definitely something comforting when you know exactly how things are going to happen, but in a fun way.

First of all, why do I keep reading these books? As a history teacher, I love the interesting tidbits that are thrown into every book that is written. And it's not the usual stuff that everyone tends to know, but the small things that I absolutely love. This book took place in New Orleans, one of my favourite settings, and even though I know so much about its history, I still learned a couple of things I didn't know before so I always find that interesting. Unfortunately, the focus on the historical tidbits does tend to take away from the overall story line though, and some parts do seem to meander and lose focus.

Katie and Dan were ho-hum characters; it's not that I didn't like them, but I definitely didn't feel that sizzle between them and unfortunately, did not buy into their romance. They went from hating each other to all of a sudden becoming romantically involved, all because Dan decided he would keep an open mind about one of the suspects due to Katie's stubbornness. I was totally on Dan's side in that scenario and could understand why this person would be considered a suspect and didn't understand why Dan would drop it so easily without really investigating. Naturally, it all worked out in the end, but it left a bad feeling in my mouth and I almost wanted that person to be the suspect just so I could go, 'I told you so'.

The case itself was interesting and I liked the link to the 1919 murders, in particular the axe-murderer, but I did feel like the story meandered quite a bit and tried too hard with its twists and turns. I did figure out who the murderer was quite early on, and I didn't really buy into the reasoning for the murders as it felt forced and a bit silly. I definitely enjoyed my time in New Orleans, and loved visiting with characters from previous instalments, and, as always, was entertained by the ghosts.

The Unforgiven was fun, but predictable, with a slew of interesting information about present-day and historic New Orleans. I liked the characters individually, but thought their romance was forced and didn't quite work. I also thought the murder investigation meandered quite a bit as if the author couldn't decide exactly who the culprit should be which made the story less creepy and suspenseful than usual. This could be read as a standalone if you haven't yet read anything by this author, but I do recommend starting from the beginning simply because the earlier book are stronger in terms of plot and character development.

https://curlingupbythefire.blogspot.c...

[Bethany Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stopped reading at 170. Skimmed the rest to the end.

Holy mother of repetition. I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel that both showed us the tragic backstory in real time, then went on to explain it several times over and over and over and over again.

Then the Axeman thing. Holy crap. I get it. Good lord did it need to be told to me every chapter? It’s like the author didn’t trust that the reader would remember either the MC’s parents dying, and the fact New Orleans had a serial axe murderer.

The romance was just … awkward and juvenile in some parts.

Also the dialogue. Yikes!

In the scene where the killer in monologuing, he says “Oh, by the way—“ and “Oh, also by the way—“ in order to “fill the reader in” on parts of his motives that seemed forced—like the author forgot to include them in the ‘investigation’ part of the novel so she had to shoehorn them in somewhere.

Also, “Let’s see. You helped me get a good deal on my house too, didn’t you?” …?? Who the hell would say something like this when a man is about to bludgeon them with an axe? God, it was so bad.

Lots of “I’m a private detective, as you know bob.” And other unnecessary details added to dialogue that made it feel like the author was just holding my hand because she doubted I’d be able to remember the ‘Hero’ was a private detective.

This is apparently number 33 in a series? I didn’t know that as a I pulled it off the return cart—as usually I avoid authors who take up entire shelves at my local library. This just confirms I’ve been making the right call.

The story lacked the passion that some new authors put into their work. This was a work project, and you can tell.

Unfortunately, once you’ve read one, you’ve read them all. I won’t be picking up another book by this author.

[Kelly Closet Romantic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know how I missed that this was #33 in a series. If I had noticed that I probably wouldn’t have read. I am doubtful about a writer putting much originality and thought into 30+ books in a series.

This felt like an outline of a book that never got finished. Characters were under-developed, the New Orlean’s “shout-outs” were pretty cliche’. I didn’t think that the murderer motive ever made sense or really came together. I had never read any of these books, so the ghosts came out of nowhere and didn’t make sense with the story, but that probably would have been different if I have read any of the others.

It felt like there was a base of a possible good book here, that was never fully written and definitely not fully edited (there were several scenes where they repeated themselves almost verbatim from previous sentences or paragraphs) into its true potential.

[Katie Bun · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m tired of Heather Graham treating her readers like idiots.

“…he indicated one of the benches and pulled out his phone. That way he’d appear much less suspicious.”

That part was written after another scene where he pulled out his phone and the ghost even commented on it. Did we really need that explanation?

Well, I know that’s not enough proof, I meant to write more, but I’m just tired of the book. And of all the pauses, the wells, the !!!s…

I like the idea of the Krewe of hunters but not the spelling or the writing. I got this book as a final try, and am disappointed that I paid full price for it.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the Krewe books!

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

My favorite character was Sarah. She was the most believable!

[Marcy Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my first Heather Graham - and I am incredibly disappointed. It reads like an 11th grade fiction writing project. Does she refuse to work with an editor? Did not/could not finish.

[Mary Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book by Heather Graham that I've listened to. The plot itself was intriguing and fast paced. The villian was totally unexpected - plot twist! She brought me into the heart of New Orleans. I'll check out more by her. That all said, the narrator misprounounced several words and made it distracting. The most obvious one was "beignet." He pronounced it 'bay-net' instead of 'ben-yay.'

[Mysteryfan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know this book was part of a long series when I picked it up. If this is a sample, I think it might be running out of gas. I liked the paranormal bits and the history of New Orleans bits. SOme of the secondary characters were fun. The romance felt a little forced. I could see it being a nice comfort read series

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve decided this series is love story pies rapped in paranormal mysteries. All different with occasional overlapping characters and plots that are convoluted but which yield clues.. another good read.

[Roni Denholtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Krewe of Hunter series, and this was a suspenseful mystery. A little gory for my taste, but I still enjoyed it a lot.

[Sherri Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding addition to the Krewe of Hunters series!!! I loved the mix of paranormal, mystery, romance and the New Orleans flavor!!! Highly recommend!

[Diana Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am new to read Heather Graham books.
I love how she pulls you to the end.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is basically a romance, a genre I don't care for, combined with a mystery and a ghost story with New Orleans folklore mixed in as well.

[Darla Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaitlyn (Katie) Delaney has finally found some peace twelve years after the murder of her parents. She's living in New Orleans with a good job and wonderful friends including some ghosts. Former police officer, Dan Oliver, is now a private investigator but is called to the scene of a horrific murder by a friend on the New Orleans police force. The murder is much like one he worked six years earlier. Dan and Katie must now work together to find the answers that will solve all the murders. And some of their clues come from the ghosts of New Orleans.

I love the Krewe of Hunters series and this book is no exception. It's well-written with well-rounded characters and relationships that are well-done. The book's full of intrigue, suspense, and romance and it pulled me in from the beginning. I didn't want to put this fantastic book down. The murder mysteries will keep you guessing throughout and it has a happily ever after ending. I'm very eager for the next book and highly recommend both book and series. I do suggest that you read the series in order if possible for the most enjoyment and benefit but if you can't, just read the various trilogies within the series. This book is the first in its trilogy.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I love about Heather Graham's writing is how she pretty much defies genre. Like the rest of the Krewe of Hunters books, this one is part romantic suspense, part historical fiction, and part paranormal.

Kaitlyn's parents were murdered when she was a teen living in Key West, and she winds up living with an uncle in New Orleans. Dan is the detective who oversaw the earlier case, and is now working as a private investigator in NOLA. He's called in by the police as a consultant when a series of similar murders begin to happen in the Crescent City ... murders that are disturbingly reminiscent of the unsolved 1918-19 Axeman murders.

Thing is, both Kaitlyn and Dan can see ghosts. So, pretty soon they have some help from the proverbial other side.

I have to admit, I started to suspect who the culprit was in about the last third of the book, although I couldn't figure out the motivation. The eventual reveal was satisfying, because the reasons were made clear (everyone does things for a reason, even the "bad guys").

I've read the majority of this series, and it never fails to please.

[Marisa Turpin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The whole time I was reading this book, I kept telling myself that I should just stop. The Unforgiven is ME, because I did not listen to myself! Perhaps this type of genre is just not for me. I actually love the mystical aspects of an Alice Hoffman book. But, I had a hard time buying ghosts that help solve a murder. This will be the only book in this series for me (why are there 33 of them?!). I did give it two stars because I read the whole thing, despite thoughts of skimming from near the very beginning.

[K.Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just ok

Was not real thrilled with this book in the series. Kind of getting tired of the same story line of everyone falling in love. Plus I figured out who the bad guy was early on in this one. Hoping the next one has a better back story, this one was kind of hokey.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a gothic feel based on an old legend of a New Orleans killer. He was called the axe man. Twelve years earlier Katie had just been fifteen years old living in Key West, when her parents, and good friends, and an invited couple went out on their boat to dive. It was a special day for her. She had wondered away from the place where her dive partner had agreed to meet her. When she swam for the boat she new her dad, and mom would be upset, as well as her mom’s great friend, who had gone down one last time to appease her. The boat had seemed empty, as she took off her tank, and mask, and tried to get all her gear on the deck. She climbed up on the deck to see some blood. Had someone been fishing? Was there an accident? She called out to everyone this time in anxiety. She headed down the stairs, and that’s when she saw the blood bath. She ran backwards so fast, she was over the side, and back in the water. She began floundering, and sinking. She wanted to just go deep, and forget. The shock of seeing her parents, and her dive partner in pieces was to much. Then she was being pushed up, and the soothing voice telling her she had to live. Weak now, and shaking she managed to board the boat once more. She knew how to call for the coast guard, and she did. Now she had moved to New Orleans where a new life awaited . She loved being a tour guide, and her cousin was with her. He had encouraged her, comforted her, and helped her feel safe. The story goes on about the number six, and a vile human being who has killed people who were vulnerable with a knife, and axe. He has cult followers, but it is hard to find out anything , because they believe they are immortal. When new ones join, older members are killed by the axe. The whole murder mystery was enticing. It also had ghosts that helped as much as they could , which gave it a paranormal aspect. Dan had been a special agent, but when the man he was convinced had done some of the killing got off, he had left with notice, and returned to his hometown in New Orleans. Now there was other victims by a tall man, with boots, a slouchy hat, and a long coat, all in black. It did not take long to bring the Axe man to life. I kept having ideas about one person, but he was so kind, and concerned. Was he a sociopath? It turned out I was correct. Dan , and Katie start out as unlikely pair, but the more they work as consultants, and in close proximity, the closer the relationship becomes. There is a little steam, and a few cuss words, but neither take away from this excellent read. There is also an epilogue. It was 5 stars for me. I would gladly read it again, and recommend it to paranormal, creepy gothic murder, mystery lovers.

[Rhonda Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like mysteries. I like paranormal tales. I like light romance. As always, Heather Graham delivered all three, and delivered them well. I have read several of her other series, but have been trying to gather the Krewe books to read in order. As I was checking through the stack, I kept picking this one up and decided to see if it could stand alone. Four hours later, I was happily closing the book. Did I need to know the entire Krewe? No, all the necessary intros were provided. Was the read worth it? Yes!

I enjoyed the way she brought in so much history, so many stories, all to deepen and enrich her tale. Now, I want to visit New Orleans as much to see the places mentioned in the book as the ones I know from history, mythology, legend and cultural references! Seriously, a ghost tour, a history tour or two, and one of Krewe sites ... all would be fun.

As for the story, without spoiling the plot... Kaitlynn Delaney survives the attack and murder of her parents and a close family friend by sheer luck. At 15, the police are 100% confident of her as a witness. Dan Oliver is a private eye, but he had been a cop. As a rookie, he had been on the periphery of the Delaney case. As a homicide detective he had investigated an eerily similar case. Now both live in New Orleans. It is 12 years later and the killer is back, aiming for Kaitlynn.

The two do not start even slightly friendly. But both want the same thing, to catch the killer. Add to that both can see and communicate with the dead. The Krewe are recruiting Dan while investigating the murder. Dan is investigating while trying to protect Kaitlynn. Kait is doing her best to help, not hinder, while unravelling all kinds of small, simple mysteries that just seem to pop up. Little things that are normal mysteries because no one talks about everything to everyone. Or do they?

I think one of the best things about the book is how much it says about life, about truth, and about knowledge. How much do you know about your family and their pasts? About your friends, their pasts, their family histories? It can all add up and those little things can surprise you

[Noel Calvo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I paid $1 for this at Goodwill so I don’t feel too cheated. I really liked how the story began, I was gripped by how while Katie was diving, her parents and the rest of the people on the boat were murdered. This interested me and I liked the setting of Key West. Unfortunately it went downhill from there. I thought there were many cheesy aspects to this book, especially in the language such as the characters referring to the dogs as “the boys” about twenty times per interaction. Also, it was annoying how characters kept telling Dan to “get this guy,” like no shit. “The six” and “the Axeman’s Protege” also drove me insane, like the author couldn’t come up with anything better or less cringy to call them? I didn’t like how the two most important scenes happened ridiculously quickly which was when Dan and Katie spotted one of the killers in the restaurant immediately after sitting down at the first restaurant they decided to check out and then when the “big man” killer was finally revealed to be Monty, the whole scene was over in two pages. He captured Katie and then was being shot a paragraph later, it was ridiculous. There was so much build up wondering who the killer was for it to be revealed in one page, it felt so cheap to me. I also thought the entire reasoning for “the six” to exist was ridiculous. So a random man decided to kill a whole family just because the father wouldn’t let looting continue in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina? It’s laughable and utterly ridiculous. I don’t understand how we got from there to Monty convincing strangers that they’d be immortal if they followed him on a killing spree. Like it just doesn’t add up or make any sense at all. This story had real potential but I feel like the author tried to cram ten different stories into one and just made a huge mess. The only thing I liked about this story was the setting of New Orleans, I’ve been there many times and felt that the essence of the city was captured well. Otherwise, I found this story to be a very cheesy waste of my time.

[Barry Martin Vass · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is certainly an interesting mix of genres! The Unforgiven is a supernatural police procedural, based for the most part in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Twelve years ago Katie Delaney's parents were murdered on her father's boat while she was scuba diving in the Florida Keys. When she came back onboard, Katie was so shocked that she fell overboard, and would have drowned if not for the ghost of an old pirate who saved her life. But she survived, was taken in by a cousin, and is now working as a tour guide in the French Quarter. Katie has come to realize that she, and a few others, can see and talk with ghosts. To complicate matters, someone is now killing people in the exact same way that her parents were murdered, and Katie is beginning to feel that a serial killer might be targeting her as well. Author Heather Graham tells this in a light, breezy manner that is very easy to follow. Here's an example of the writing: "Mabel was strolling down the street, arm in arm with a man... The man was in breeches, a white shirt, vest, socks and short boots; he wore a jaunty tricorn hat... It was Gray Simmons, one of the ghosts of the city Katie had come to know... A man who had lost his life at the battle of New Orleans but remained to see that the city he had loved so much and died for grew and hopefully would prosper. A pirate, and a hero. That all depended on one's viewpoint, he had told her once." This is part of a larger series, but it works well as a standalone. And if you've ever visited the French Quarter, you'll find this a very entertaining story.