Grave Intent

by Deborah Leblanc

In all their years at the funeral home, Janet and Michael Savoy had never seen anything like the viewing for nineteen-year-old Thalia Stevenson. That's because they had never seen a Gypsy funeral before, complete with rituals, incantations and a very special gold coin placed beneath the dead girl's hands... — During a chaotic gypsy burial service at the funeral parlor of Michael and Janet Savoy, a ritual gold coin is stolen from the corpse of the teenage daughter of an egomaniacal Roma gypsy chief. The theft unleashes a curse on the Savoys, unwitting unbelievers who come to realize their own five-year-old child is doomed to a gruesome death if they can't unravel a foreign culture's arcane mysteries in time to return the coin "before rising of second sun [sic]."

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Ghosts, Fiction, Supernatural, Mystery, Thriller

1186 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2005

About the author

Deborah LeBlanc is an award-winning, best-selling author and business owner from Lafayette, Louisiana. She is also a licensed death scene investigator, a licensed private investigator and has been a paranormal investigator for over twenty years. Deborah is currently the house ‘clairsendium’ for the upcoming paranormal investigation television show, Through the Veil.

She served four years as president of the Horror Writers Association, eight years as president of the Writers' Guild of Acadiana, and two years as president of Mystery Writers of America's Southwest Chapter. In 2007, Deborah founded Literacy Inc. a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting illiteracy in America’s teens.
For more information, visit www.deborahleblanc.com and www.literacyinc.com
To support Deborah please visit https://www.patreon.com/deborahleblanc

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

LeBlanc's second novel builds up a nice spook factor up until the denouement and her prose really pushes this along smoothly. The story revolves around a Gypsy curse and a stolen coin. The prologue (rather lengthy) introduces the Gypsy clan if you will preparing to celebrate the birth of their leader's new daughter with a special, new rite involving a strange coin/medallion. There is some mysterious juju involved for sure! We then flash forward 19 years to now (this was first published in 2005) to the Savoy family, who live in a small town in Louisiana. Michael runs a funeral home and his wife Janet a florist business locally and they have a little daughter. Shortly after we are introduced to the Savoys, the Gypsy clan arrive at the funeral home to arrange for funeral for Thalia, the little baby in the prologue, who met her death at age 19...

LeBlanc started this with some Gypsy juju and the juju has a punch! The Savoy family and the locals at the funeral home are a neat group of characters-- working class really, trying to make a go of life. Michael has had a rough go of it the last three years after his father, the owner of the funeral home, up and split with most of the operational cash; he finally has turned the business into the black. Yet, just as the Gypsy funeral is being discussed, the father Savoy shows up looking for a handout from Michael. You know the father will steal the coin (blurb on the back), but what we don't know is how the Gypsy curse will play out, and that is the real spooky part of the book.

This is my first read by LeBlanc, and I will definitely be checking out her other work. This could have used a better editor and some parts were a little cliche, but she has a great voice and her prose really pulls you in, even if the situation takes a little disbelief. 3.5 stars, rounding up.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gypsies have always fascinated many, and apparently continue to do so, as is evident by the steady supply of written and filmed stories surrounding them. From the ominous warnings uttered by Bela Lugosi at the beginning of the Wolf Man, to King’s cinematic flop ‘Thinner’, which took a somewhat comical over the top approach to the traditional curses, some rules – as with vampires, werewolves, etc. – remain consistent. Deborah LeBlanc, in her second novel, opens Grave Intent with a desperate mother cradling her young baby, mindfully resentful toward her husband, who is about to bestow upon their daughter an act she feels is unjust and unneeded. Forced to participate in the hideous ritual, the novel then charges up with modern-day events, introducing the reader to the main characters, and from there propelling toward relentless horror, strange occurrences, and explorations of the all too common human trait: greed, and it’s eventual result: revenge.

Characters are believable and to be cared about on multiple levels, with dialogue being rich and convincing, particularly when showcasing the southern culture. The plot itself works, fitting like a comfortable and slightly familiar shoe. Events were paced quickly, not pausing overly much, keeping the book open in my hands. There were enough creepy moments to signal this is rightfully a horror novel, but nothing blood-curdling. (Then again, getting the blood-curdling effect from horror books can be hard once you’ve read enough of them. The old jaded effect, ya know).

Suspense is backed with ample build-up and well-sketched tension, not feeling out of place. It always helps that it’s easy to relate to the characters when something does happen (or almost does). Sadly, suspense and horror aren’t there from the start, having the reader needing to exert a bit of patience to get there. There are some aspects of the novel that are slightly melodramatic and overdone, as well as the ‘hauntings’ themselves – slightly over-the-top with the aftertaste of Kraft. Most chapters end with cliffhangers, which is effective with R.L. Stine and children/teen novels, but can grow tiresome and predictable with the adult crowd after so many years of seeing it.

Overall nothing too memorable – you won’t remember plot details a year from now – but it’s a good way to pass the time, especially for those who enjoy the classic gypsy curse type atmosphere. LeBlanc continues to please with her writing, earning her title as a Bram Stoker nominee. I’m eager to give her next book a shot.

[K.L. Burnham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this but was ready for it to end. ....Maybe because I purchased Stephen King's novel yesterday and couldn't wait to dig into that..lol.

[Rosemary Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. I was especially fascinated by the Gypsy lifestyle. I would love to know more about that. The character descriptions were great. I liked the story. I almost wish it were longer and even more detailed. It ended too soon for me. You could do more of that for me.......it gave me chills.

Write faster, Deborah....

[Jennifer McMurrain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deborah LeBlanc weaves a tale full of curiosity, curses, and chills. I couldn't put it down, because I had to know how it was going to end. How they were going to break the curse. It all seemed so hard to overcome, yet she made it believable and vividly creepy. Highly recommend.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free book came bundled with another I bought. Was very pleased, I enjoyed it.

[Reva Nowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I did think that some of it went on and on.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is so good. This book was actually scary enough that I had to put it aside and read in the morning. Great.

[Фъстъчко · Rating 5 out of 5]

Изумителна невидима притегателна нишка ме привлече към книгата и нейното тайнствено съдържание.Бях силно изненадана от специалната връзка заключена в редововете и историята свързана с церемониалното поклонение на едно семейство роми и тяхните обичаи.Буквално бях заклинателно изкушена да се въвлека в мистериозният свят на духовното и ритуалното възнасяне на най-скъпото на едно семейство,а именно погребването на тяхното най-мило и обичано дете.Когато отдаваш тленното тяло и извисяваш духа на душата поднасяш дарове и то едни от най-красивите и най-ценните за онзи небесен очакван път. Циганският ритуал граничи с кич и пир в почест на мъртвото и със същата си тази парадност отрупват мъртвият с всичко необходимо за неговото въздигане над физическият свят. Отрупани разноцветни цветя за разкош и заклинания се леят и ковчега се пълни с пари и злато. Богатствата ти дават мир и на онзи свят от,който никой не се е върнал.Това някак ми напомня за фараоните и тяхното полагане с всичките им принадлежности включително и близките доверени хора в дебрите на неизвестното,но с идеята за пълно Божество. Умираш ти и умира всичко твое с теб!
В недоумение обаче прочетох,че ромите не докосват мъртвите никога по никакъв повод,защото смятат,че не е редно и,че това ще допринесе за отключването на връзка с отвъдният свят. Никога не съм се замисляла дали в действителност циганските обичаи стигат до такива подробности,когато те превръщат един човешки край във величествено угощение и триумф над смъртта и както празнуват всяка сватба така празнуват и за всяка смърт силно, шумно и гръмко. Много нестандартно възприемане на завършека на една житейска история включително и това,че до всеки умрял циганин винаги има чаша с вода сипана до ковчега в тип високо столче и тя е до него в случай, че е жаден и реши да отпие, а формата на чашата не случайно е такава.Много чудна догадка е в детайли същността....и...,но да се върна към книгата за мен тя е наистина много Яко четиво. Има супер много трепет, възхищение, динамика и краят е пълна лудост граничеща с реалността и фантазията.
Книгата е за мен ТОП!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grave Intent is an edge of your seat thriller that was intense to the last page. A great supernatural/horror novel, the author does a great job of drawing in the reader, making you care about the characters, and rooting for the good guys to win. Excellent writing, great storyline. Highly recommend!

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast and easy read that's a slightly above-average ghost story that doesn't fall into the overused tragic haunting trope so many of these types of novels often do. Harkens back to the stories of the searching dead, "where's my head?" sorts of tales.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit slow to begin, got confusing but overall a fun read.

[Karen Berriman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Fast paced read with an interesting plot. Felt it could have benefited from a little more editing. The middle of the book seemed to drag a bit but all in all a fun read.

[John Bruni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've only ever read one other book by this author (Family Inheritance), but the two books have the same problem: the characters are very bland, and the plot is pretty typical. The only standout character for me was a guy who only showed up for one chapter. He's a biker who talks about the Master Dude and makes decisions with Bible passages. I'd love to see more about him, but everyone else were kind of blah. The story is your basic Gypsy curse story. Not much to it. That said, there were some really great scenes. The one involving a Ferris wheel is tension at its finest. There's also Michael's frantic, nightmarish drive to get out to his wife and daughter. It's the perfect moment of frustration. Anyone who has ever been in a desperate hurry to get to somewhere will recognize the feeling. And then Janet's battle to save two little girls will keep you on the edge of your seat. There is one more problem, though: the curse itself. It starts because of a stolen gold coin and a dead girl's soul. It makes sense to me that the coin needs to be returned or the girl's soul will be lost forever, but if that's the case, why make it so difficult for the Savoys to get that coin back to where it belongs? That doesn't make sense at all. I can't really recommend this book, but those who give it a shot will find a few cool things in it.

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really liked the prologue, but found the first few chapters boring. I wanted to know more about the Roma/gypsy people. In the end with the characters not being able to hold my attention I gave up, not the book for me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Really suspenseful, right up until the end. I never read this author before, and was pleasantly surprised to find another horror author I like. Really ratcheted up the suspense throughout and kept me eagerly turning pages. I would really give it four and a half stars

[Brett]

Horror

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so scared while reading this book, but it keep me wanting more

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

way to predictable horror read.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read, about the customs of gypsy's. It gets spooky...

[Karyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but not as creepy as her other books. Became a little drawn out towards the middle.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author had a great idea but parts were much too long and some were on the verge of boring....

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read through this in one day, so a short, fairly entertaining read.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gypsy curse run amok.