Whispers at Dusk

Blackbird Trilogy #1

by Heather Graham

When serial killers run rampant across Europe it’s up to Blackbird , the Krewe of Hunters ’ international  operatives, to stop them.

When darkness falls, there’s nowhere to hide.
Four bodies have been discovered along Europe’s riverbanks, placed with care—and completely drained of blood. Pinpricks on their throats indicate a slender murder weapon, but DNA found in the wounds suggests something far more sinister. Tasked with investigating, the FBI recruits Agents Della Hamilton and Mason Carter to Blackbird, an international offshoot of the Krewe of Hunters. If you want to catch a vampire killer, you need agents who can speak with the dead.  

The pair travel to Norway, where the shadowy forests of Lillehammer reveal a gruesome scene. The killer is thirsty for more victims, and the bloodless trail soon leads Della and Mason to a group that believes drinking blood is the key to immortality. To catch the culprit of such an intimate crime, the agents will have to get close. Mason’s already lost one partner; he’s not ready to risk Della as bait. But sometimes justice requires a sacrifice…

The Blackbird Trilogy

Book 1: Whispers at Dusk
Book 2: Secrets in the Dark
Book 3: Cursed at Dawn

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

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 27, 2023

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

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as smooth. Loads of history and repetition bugged me. Good potential but it didn’t capture me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have never read any of Graham’s books dealing with the paranormal before so I was looking forward to reading this one. It seems like a fascinating twist for an FBI agent and it was!

Do you know how you feel the flow of a story and character development just come together? I’m going to have an unpopular opinion here but I have to say I struggled with fully connecting to this story.

I’m not sure what it was but I did not feel overly connected to the two main characters. I like the two of them separately, as co-workers. But the romantic hints here and there were certainly downplayed, which I missed.

The plot was fabulous and totally unique for me, but the flow felt off. Plus, it felt like her normal level of excitement and suspense was missing that extra bit of sparkle that would suck me in.

Graham also included loads of history and repetition that bugged me, frankly. Whispers at Dusk has good potential but it didn’t capture me as some of her other books have.

Will I read more of this trilogy? Absolutely, because I think she has something special going on with this story thread and I can’t wait to see how it develops.

* copy received for review consideration
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/whispers-at-...

["Avonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com

WHISPERS AT DARK (The Blackbird Trilogy Book #1) by Heather Graham is an intriguing first book in a trilogy spinoff of the Krewe of Hunters series featuring a group of international law enforcement agents being led by two FBI agents who are able to see and interact with ghosts. This book is a mash-up of paranormal mystery/international crime suspense and a romance between the two FBI agents, but the emphasis is on the crimes and chase with not a lot of depth to the romance. You can pick this book up and easily read it without having read any of the Krewe of Hunters books.

Dead bodies are turning up of young American tourists and students laid out peacefully besides bodies of water drained of blood with two puncture wounds in their necks in England, France, and Norway. A member of the Krewe of Hunters, FBI Agent Della Hamilton is paired with FBI Agent Mason Carter who both have the ability to communicate with ghosts.

Della and Mason discover there is a “Master” training others to kill with the promise of immortality. Working with an international group of law enforcement personnel, some of the Krewe of Hunters back in the States, and a few friendly ghosts, they follow the Master back to New Orleans. As the investigation heats up so does the relationship between Della and Mason. Della needs to put herself out as bait since the Master wants her as a mate, but Mason has already lost one partner and is not willing to lose Della, too.

I enjoyed this new international spin-off from the Krewe of Hunters series. The crime mystery and suspense are paced well and kept me following along with the muti-country chase and there are a few surprising twists. The historical facts scattered throughout are interesting and the ghosts were benevolent. The romance between Della and Mason felt just a little thin to me. When they came together and interacted as a couple, it was believable, but I just wish there had been more emotion and not just trust between partners although that was important, too.

Overall, a good beginning for this new paranormal mystery/international crime suspense spin-off. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written, fast paced, entertaining, paranormal suspense novel. It has a likable, strong and capable female protagonist, an engaging, former military male protagonist, a touch of romance, vividly described historical settings, murder, mystery, ghosts, and a satisfying conclusion. My favorite quote from the book is, "I think we all talk to the dead in our hearts." I am looking forward to reading the next entry in Ms. Graham's outstanding new Blackbird Trilogy with great anticipation. I listened to the audio version of this novel, and the narrator, Mr. Roger Wayne, has a captivating voice and does an excellent job depicting the characters and their personalities.

[Tara Hearn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not up to par as what I'm used to reading by her. Interesting story but 3 stars mostly due to the weird narrative and mistypes. It was hard reading with so many stop/start conversations with entirely too many elipses to make it flow.

[Rhonda 🌒🌕🌘 🐈‍⬛ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 🌟 *rounded up

This was a very interesting and highly entertaining book. I very much look forward to the next book in the series. I enjoyed the take on this serial killer’s method. I’ve not encountered this killer’s M. O. before and found it very ingenious and creative.

[Trisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish this book, the dialog was amateur, annoying and awful. This should not have a 4+ rating on Good Reads.

[Dana]

Not leaving a rating (I don’t feel it would be fair to the author). I picked this one up at the library; I was drawn to it because 1) it takes place in Europe and 2) both the H/h had “abilities”.

This was honestly a DNF for me; the writing was a bit disjointed (I loved the authors historicals from years ago, Pirates and Civil War series), this one fell flat for me. There was a lot of repetition of words in parts of the dialogues and I just didn’t connect with the characters.

I was really hoping that I would enjoy it, alas, I didn’t.

[Natalie M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started with a bang and some zing and then….

An interesting concept and what could become an incredible specialist investigative team. A little help from the paranormal, some gothic vibes and a smattering of ghosts in a police investigation. All sounded good and worked well in the first 8 or so chapters. Then the hard-slog kicked in and the story went in circles, with a few cliches thrown in for good measure too.

For a book that’s not too long, it felt really long. That said and my rating, I’ll try the second part of the trilogy and see if it is worth reading further.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full RTC

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whispers at Dusk is the first book in the Blackbird Trilogy, but it is a spinoff from Heather Graham's Crewe of Hunters' series. In this book we meet two new recruits to this elite FBI group, Agents Della Hamilton and Mason Carter. Both of them can see and talk to the dead, if they want to be seen. Blackbird is an international group that works all over the world. In this case they are off to Europe where four bodies have been found completely drained of blood. Apparently there is someone out there who thinks he is a vampire and he needs to be caught before any more bodies show up. The Crewe heads to Lillehammer, Norway where the most recent body was found. As Della and Mason investigate, they find a group that think they will receive immortality if they drink blood. Della wants to become bait for this group, but Mason has already lost one partner. Can they catch this group and their leader while remaining safe and keeping them from killing anyone else?

Whispers at dusk is a mixture of genres. You have some paranormal, a mystery, crime, suspense and a bit of a romance between Della and Mason simmering under the surface. There is also a chase and thriller aspect, which made this story fun, quick moving and tense at times. I loved meeting Della in the prologue and getting her background as to how and why she became a member of the Crew of Hunters. She was a smart, tenacious and strong agent with her special skill of talking to the dead giving her the edge. Mason is the same, but he also has that macho element of taking care of Della. He lost his previous partner and blames himself, so he doesn't want it to happen again. I never really connected to Mason, though, as I didn't feel I got to know him, and his overprotective macho streak bothered me just a bit. I really enjoyed the various ghosts that popped in and out of the story. They wanted to help and prevent anymore deaths, which I thought a bit different. The search was interesting and took them on a merry chase from Norway to the UK and back to the US. The crime mystery is well paced and kept me listening intently. There weren't a lot of clues for me to follow, as many came from Della and her conversations with the ghosts, so I just sat back and enjoyed the action as it was presented. As the trust between Della and Mason grew, their relationship became more than partners. I am looking forward to seeing where this goes in the next two books. Overall, this was a fun story, with a nice pace. Although I enjoyed it, there was just something that kept me from loving it. It is a good start to the trilogy and I am looking forward to seeing what is next from the Blackbird International Group.

[Matt. · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the heck did I just read. I threw in the towel at 75% and skimmed through the rest of the book.

At first even though the chapters are 30 minute reads this book had me engaged and wanting more but as the book went on the author went away from the ghost part of the plot and the dialogue sounded like a non pro writer like myself wrote it.

To make matters worse we didn’t fully close this story so I wasted hours of my life reading this to no real conclusion.

Reading a book isn’t like watching a tv show or movie where you can end not answering the main plot. Reading a book takes hours and days while watching a show takes 1-2hrs.

I may continue this series if it’s in audio form but I will never read this series again.

[Monnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because of originality and potential.

The concept of this new series is both original and intriguing - a special, almost clandestine FBI investigative team of agents who can "see" and interact with ghosts who, in turn, provide historical clues and other assistance that's possible coming from someone who can walk through brick walls. But the finished product reminded me of that TV ad for spaghetti sauce: It's in there. But it could use a little more blending.

What I mean, I guess, is that it just didn't "flow" - and thus really didn't grab me. Having ghosts telling tales is unique, in part because they can provide up-close-and-personal looks into the history of wherever the main characters find themselves - but the history part was repetitive and almost overwhelmed the thrill of the chase.

That chase, though, is one that can't help but draw readers in: Carefully laid-out bodies turn up along rivers devoid of blood, suggesting the impossible: a vampire killer is on a rampage. That's when Blackbird, a subdivision of the Krewe of Hunters, gets called in; all the members are cognizant of, and conversant with, dead folks. Two of the agents called in, Della Hamilton and Mason Carter, haven't met before; as might be expected, there's an attraction that goes beyond respect for each other's investigative skills. As partners - with help from several other police officers and agents from whatever country the leads take them - they work hard to identify the person - or persons - behind the growing number of blood-letting murders.

The trail eventually leads to the New Orleans bayou, where Della and Mason get help from a special, and quite likable, ghost who knows the area well. Things there take a turn for the worse in more ways than one, but readers are left with fodder for the next book in the trilogy. And while I had a few reservations about the book, it's good enough that I'm looking forward to what comes next. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to get in at the beginning of what I think will be a good series.

[Angelator · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horrendous. Weak plot, boring characters. I'm not sure how you make federal agents who are also people who "see dead people" boring but this author did. So... the psychic detectives are chasing a killer that is masquerading as a vampire. And they find him. The end.

[Vakaris the Nosferatu · Rating 3 out of 5]

all reviews in one place: night mode reading ; skaitom nakties rezimu

Deeply irritating when annotations and descriptions are so vague that it’s too hard to comprehend why exactly is a book marked to be of Dracula. Such was Whispers at Dusk by Heather Graham, first in The Blackbird Trilogy. Of course, if it was good, all would be forgiven.

My Opinion: Greeted with “Dracula Lives” I had hope. A cult in full belief that blood will make them immortal, because their mysterious master told them so. And yet, what a deeply disappointing story this was. Two-dimensional characters, dull romance blooming between them, whilst they trauma bond in the foreground of serial murders that were much too elaborate to suit the dim-witted killers behind them. Detective part of this suspense mystery wasn’t very detectiving either, no plot twists, no big reveals. Just a very mediocre detective romance. Good if you just want to read something light, but bloody. But nothing beyond that.

A 3 out of 5, being generous.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Graham's latest brings us a new division in the Krewe of Hunters: the European team.

We see not only how the international law enforcement officers are assembled, but an interesting and unusual serial killer case involving an apparent vampire (as always, there's more to this than meets the eye).

And, of course, there are Mason and Della. They're the American agents with "a little something extra:" they can both see and communicate with ghosts. Also, their chemistry is palpable right from the start, even as Mason tries to avoid getting close to his attractive partner.

Set in Norway, Scotland, Romania, and New Orleans, this book is a non-stop look at the scenery in which the crimes take place, as well as the cultures involved and how they affect the investigation. I'm looking forward to reading more about this new Krewe.

[Marisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

A DNF for me. Can anyone explain the need for all! the! exclamation! points! ? Every other sentence seemed to have one. I actually thought this was written by someone else; not up to her usual level. Oh well.

[Michelle Delorey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much dialogue, painful to continue reading, was there an editor for this book? Interesting characters, need more development, guess that's why it's a trilogy.

[Bridget Vollmer · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 40%....this is just bad.

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stopped at page 53. All the talk and no action. The two main characters are putting me to sleep. It's always a hit-and-miss with the books by this author. This is definitely a miss.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like another reviewer, I thought this had lots of potential but the dialog was too awkward for me to enjoy it.

[lexactuallyreads [surviving off vibes ftm] · Rating 4 out of 5]

They see ghosts, and now must hunt down a vampiric serial killer…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🪦🩸 Whispers at Dusk (Blackbird Trilogy #1) by Heather Graham 🩸🪦

“Human beings are capable of the greatest kindness—and the greatest evil.”

Four bodies have been discovered along Europe's riverbanks, placed with care and completely drained of blood. Pinpricks on their throats indicative of a slender murder weapon but DNA in the wounds suggesting something far more sinister at play. The Krewe of Hunters task recruits Della Hamilton and Mason Carter to Blackbird, an international offshoot of their unit, to catch the killer - and to do that, they need to speak to the dead. The pair travels to Norway, where the shadowy forests of Lillehammer reveal a gruesome scene. This killer is thirsty for more victims, and the trail leads Della and Mason to a group that believes drinking blood grants them immortality. To catch the culprit, the agents will have to get close. Mason has already lost one partner, and he’s not ready to risk Della. But sometimes justice requires a sacrifice…

“I think we all talk to the dead in our hearts.”

“I believe in what we’re doing, and the fact we can get help sometimes from those who are gone… is amazing.”

The specialized force within the FBI has gotten a new branch, and now they get to go across the pond to find a vampire-inspired serial killer. I’m a huge fan of Heather Graham’s work. Her Krewe of Hunters series is holds most of my favorite paranormal thrillers - they’re quick and easy reads; packed with action, a little bit of romance and some ghostly friends. Whispers is like the rest, but now our Krewe gets a little revamp and is now going international (Think FBI: International)
As always, the main characters are always so good, set up to fall in love. The new international team, with set characters branching over multiple books, are great and give the international feeling that much more flair. I will never not recommend HG’s books because while they’re predictable, that’s the point and I enjoy them that much more because I know what to expect going into it - and she never fails.

Genre: Paranormal, Suspense, Mystery, Romance

[Barb Lie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whispers at Dusk by Heather Graham is the 39th book in her Krewe of Hunters series, and the 1st book in her new Blackbird trilogy series. I am a big fan of Heather Graham, as her romance suspense books are always exciting and action packed.

Della Hamilton (our heroine) and Mason Carter (our hero), are FBI special agents that have been recruited by Adam Harrison and Jackson Crow (Krewe Leaders) to head up the new Blackbird Team; which is an expansion of the Krewe of Hunters going international, with a new team. The team is called Euro Special Assistance, who will work with different groups throughout Europe. Both Della and Mason have unique abilities, as they see ghosts and talk to the dead.

Della and Mason are sent to Norway, to look into 4 bodies found with pinpricks on their necks, totally drained of blood. The killer claims to be a Vampire, and convinces others to do his deeds, to become immortal. The team besides Della and Mason, are investigators from various countries, and they work closely together to find the so-called Master, who continues to drain the blood and kill innocent women. A powerful vicious killer is still at large, and Della puts herself as bait to lure the killer, who is enamored with her.

What follows is a tense exciting thriller that will have Della, Mason and all working together to save the women. To say too much more would be spoilers, and you need to read this from start to finish, as there are some twists and surprises. It was a wild tense book, as we raced to the climax, which had me holding my breath to see who will survive. Whispers at Dusk was an exciting, intense, suspenseful, dark story of murder, with a slow burn romance, great couple and lots of action throughout.

Once again, Heather Graham gives us a wild, mind-boggling thriller, that kept our attention from start to finish. I did like that both Della and Mason together. If you like intense supernatural thrillers, which is written so very well by Heather Graham, then I suggest you read Whispers at Dusk.

Barb
The Reading Cafe

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some years ago I discovered the Krewe of Hunter and fell in love with the storytelling, the characters and the world building. Fast paced, action packed and tense romantic suspense with a strong paranormal side. There’s some parts that are more on the horror side and I think that Ms Graham could also write excellent horror, urban fantasy and thriller
I’m a sort of addict to the series, I pre order each of them in advance as I pre ordered this series as I found the blurb intriguing.
It was a fast read, a page turner I couldn’t put down.
Della and Mason are a strong couple with an interesting chemistry and a strong work ethic. I loved how their relationship was part of the story but I didn’t felt it as an interruption nor a sort of tension killer. It was pleasant and well done.
I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and I thoroughly enjoyed this novel
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to MIRA for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So when I started reading this book, I didn't really know it was about, the main character talked to ghosts. I thought oh God it's going to be one of the books that are all about ghosts and stufl. I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't. It was actually a pretty good story. The ghosts were there to kind of give information and only popped up a couple of times. I think there were only three ghosts. Little bit more in the end. But I wouldn't say this was a book about detectives who could speak to ghosts. This was just a good detective story. And they could have actually left the ghost part out. I feel like they were putting the ghost stuff in to be the thing that the book has. But it's hardly anything

[Diane Saul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Krewe of Hunters is expanding into Europe. They are on the trail of serial killers who drain the victims blood then pose the bodies. This is the first book in a new series of an off shoot of the original Krewe Of Hunters, and I look forward to reading future books. There is a new cast of characters to follow and as usual, plenty of suspense. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on a total whim from my library because all three books in the trilogy were available. While these three books are considered a standalone trilogy, what I did not realize going in is that they are books 39-41 in an ongoing series of books by this author. So I'm going to blame my lack of previous knowledge of this universe for my total disconnect with these characters.
Personally I didn't find this storyline engaging enough to continue with the next two books.

[JimF · Rating 3 out of 5]

There appears to be a lot of potential in the general story and characters. However, I found the writing in this book to be a bit clunky. I’m assuming the other books in the series will improve as they appear to be popular. At least, getting to the other books in the series is what gave me the incentive to keep reading this book.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the storyline in this book was cleaned up and turned into a movie or a tv series. That could be interesting.

[Sheila Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Blackbird Trilogy and the the first book by Heather Graham that I've read. It was well-written, well-paced, creative, and entertaining. I'm glad my library has (most of) this series. This book kept my attention all the way through, and was very hard to put down. Definitely worth the time to read.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was difficult to keep reading this book. It is not a typical read about the Krewe. It was boring and as much as I love history this was not well done. I will not read the rest of this trilogy.

[Tracy Hebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Mason and Della's story. And love the Blackbird trilogy, I hope the series continues to more than 3 books.