Waking the Dead (Cafferty & Quinn)

REVIEWED BY LIZ (originally posted on Kindles & Wine Book Blog)

WAKING THE DEAD was seriously creepy! I was hoping for a mix of romance and thriller, and wow, it delivered on the thriller part. The mystery/thriller aspects of the book were out of this world, and the paranormal part - a painting that seemed to be haunted - was crazy scary! I really felt a lot of dread every time the author mentioned the sun going down since bad things were happening at night. The reason behind HOW the painting came to be haunted or evil was so original and creepy. The two main characters, Danni and Quinn, were trying to solve all of the mysteries behind the painting before the painting could take even more lives, and man, I was on the edge of my seat! Not only did it have me on the edge of my seat, it may have kept me up a bit a night or two!

Overall, I liked the characters in this book. Quinn is a former cop turned private investigator. His background was briefly explained, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough for me to feel like I knew him well. One thing I did like was how Quinn just sort of jumped into the crazier, unbelievable aspects of this case. I wished more time was spent with his character because I felt like it was a little difficult to get a read on him. I think Quinn would have made more sense to me, and I maybe would have cared more about his relationship with Danni, the heroine, if I had read the first book in this series, Let the Dead Sleep.

Speaking of Danni, she was actually my least favorite character. I found her to be pretty irritating with her occasional sleepwalking episodes, which I felt were used as dramatic fodder rather than being a serious condition, and it took me out of the story in a big way. But I did like how clever Danni was in using a book in her antique shop to help move the paranormal investigations along. The book she uses is equally helpful and mystifying and it was fun to see Danni do what she could with the information she had from it.

The secondary characters really helped pull me into the emotional aspects of the story. Billie and Bo Ray, two guys Danni and Quinn pick up during their adventures, were funny, but at the same time, they were really sweet and obviously cared about Danni. Hattie, the current owner of the mystery painting, was crazy and bitchy and sweet and kind and motherly and, oh, she was too fun! Natasha is a voodoo priestess, and she was funky and cool too. Everyone came together and made this great group dynamic that I absolutely enjoyed!

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed there wasn't more romance in this book, and I think it really affected my enjoyment of it until the story started picking up the pace with the tension and scary aspects. Once I was on THAT part of the ride, I didn't care about the romance anymore. I was WAY too worried about the monsters under my bed! LOL! Okay, not really, but it WAS pretty scary and even a little gory. Not too much, but blood IS a major component to the story and some sensitive readers may not like how blood is used here. I didn't have any problem with it because I love horror stories - the more blood and guts, the better! :)

BOTTOM LINE:
I thought that WAKING THE DEAD was a good paranormal mystery/thriller. It would be a perfect read around Halloween! The thrills, chills, and paranormal scares were so much fun. I don't think it's a requirement to read Book 1 in this series first, but it might help to connect with the main characters a bit more than I did. I know I'll be going back to check it out!

Although I was a little disappointed there wasn't more romance in the story, that also means readers who aren't big fans of romance might really enjoy this book. However, beware of a little blood and gore.

RATING: B

WAKING THE DEAD
Written by Heather Graham

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

I thought people coming back from the dead were called Zombies. I could be wrong. I don’t know everything.

Ms. Graham style of writing tells an intriguing story about a painting that has powers which acts like some zombies do? It kills. Well, people think it kills.

A famous group of artist gets together during the eighteen hundreds. One is a painter that wants to fit in; all the others are writers – friends of Lord Byron. Hubert, the painter, rents a castle so he and his artist friends can produce horrific works in that privacy. One wrote Frankenstein.

#FF to the future; all that come in contact with Hubert’s, lost until now, painting seems to die under strange circumstances. This baffles the New Orleans’ police. So they bring help in from a private eye – Quinn.

A love story between Quinn and Danni is a sub plot to their sleuthing into the murdering events surrounding the piece of bloody art. The twist and turns of the investigation brings them and their group back to the castle’s crypt.

This novel is an adventure that shouldn't be missed by those who like paranormal mysteries. Heather Graham has done a fine job of pulling me in to almost belief.

Purchase at the store.

Waking The Dead
Heather Graham
Mira, Jan 27 2015, $7.99
ISBN: 9780778317449

In 1816 Henry Sebastian Hubert enjoys “year without summer” off Lake Geneva with friends George, Lord Byron; Percy and Mary Shelley; and Claire Godwin. As part of an artistic contest among the friends, Henry paints the haunting Ghosts in the Mind portraying a murder.

In present day New Orleans Danni Cafferty visits her friend Niles Villiers’ Image Me This Gallery. Ecstatic Niles shows her why he is elated; he received 100 computer-generated giclee prints of Ghosts of the Mind in which the current owner of the original resides in The Big Easy. Meanwhile former cop turned private investigator Michael Quinn returns from Texas to look into horrific harrowing homicides. Soon Quinn joined by Cafferty start to wonder if the Hubert painting is the malevolent cause.

The second Cafferty & Quinn (and Wolf) urban fantasy (see Let The Dead Sleep) is a taut paranormal murder mystery with a powerful cast entrenched in a vividly haunting atmospheric New Orleans and a seemingly seeped in evil Swiss castle. The case hooks readers from the opening nineteenth century Swiss scene and keeps its hold until the climatic confrontation. Although that final face to face fight is marred by the killer’s boasting soliloquy (pet peeve of mine), this remains an enjoyable supernatural thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Switzerland 1816, the year without a summer. Gather at a castle are Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, other friends including Sebastian Hubert. They all decided to write and tell the best horror story the could come up with. Sebastian was not a writer, he was a painter, so instead of telling a story in writing he decided to tell his in his art, though even in that he added the macabre, the paint included blood.
Now a hundred years later the painting reappears in New Orleans and the death that follows it.Danielle Cafferty collector of other world objects and Michael Quinn former New Orleans cop and now private investigator, are partnered in solving the puzzle. Though evil may follow an object, the evil done is usually done by man, and they plan on finding him, but will it be in time?

This was an excellent story, mixing historical fact and fiction in a way to create a captivating and gripping tale. Dani and Quinn are like old friends and was great to see them again, if you enjoy a great story with mixture of facts and fiction be sure to pick this up.

This book had just the right amount of creep factor along with the mystery element. I loved it. I loved the characters and the locations of New Orleans and Switzerland. I hadn't read the first book in this series and didn't even realize it was a series, but now I'm ready to go buy it. I've always enjoyed reading Ms. Graham's books and I'm glad I found this one and hopefully there will be more to come.

Three stars: A chilling ghostly murder mystery.

Danni decides to stop by the neighboring art gallery owned by her good friend, Niles. Niles is excited about his new shipment of 100 giclee prints, they are reproductions of a mysterious painting from the 1800s called Ghosts of the Mind. The painting was created by an artist, Hubert, who spent a summer with Lord Byron and Mary Shelley. His painting was part of the ghostly contest that produced Frankenstein. Danni learns that someone in New Orleans purchased the original. Outside the shop, Danni comes face to face with Quinn, who just returned from Texas. Quinn is called back to town because of a set of gruesome murders in the city. The murders are strangely suspicious and inexplicable. More murders follow, and Danni and Quinn begin to believe that the killings are somehow connected to the painting. Can a painting be possessed by evil?
What I Liked:
*This is my first venture with Heather Graham. Her book was sinister and creepy with a frightening demonic painting. I liked the ghostly atmosphere, the characters and the mystery.
*I appreciated that I was able to jump into this series with the second book and not feel lost. Of course by not reading the first book, I missed out on the development of some of the core relationships, such as the romance between Danni and Quinn, and the friendships formed with Billie and Bo Ray. Still the author provided plenty of details and information to fill in the gaps so I was never lost. After reading this one, I would definitely like to go back and read the first book in the series to learn more. This is a book that can certainly be read as a stand alone.
*I enjoyed all the characters. Quinn and Danni are the main characters and they are romantically involved. Quinn is a police detective who survived a near death experience which left him with some interesting abilities. Danni settles in New Orleans after the death of her father, and she is beginning to understand the paranormal that her father dabbled in throughout his life. Danni inexplicably from time to time engages in sleep painting, which is interesting and a bit creepy. I absolutely adored Wolf, their dog. He is intelligent, loyal and the best companion one could ask for.
*This book features a strong cast of secondary characters from Billie the aging Scotsman whom Danni inherits from her father. Billie is a loyal employee and friend. Bo Ray is a recovering alcoholic whom Danni and Quinn rescued. He now works in Danni's shop. Add in Father Ryan a catholic priest, Natasha, a voodoo priestess, Hubert a medical examiner and descendant of the artist who painted the painting, as well as an opinionated, wealthy and stubborn widow, Hattie, and you have a strong cast of characters who work together to solve a ghastly mystery. I liked each and every one of these characters and I loved watching them come together.
*The ghost/ murder mystery was definitely different and very creepy. The idea that a sinister painting could be possessed by evil was chilling. I liked that I was unable to pinpoint the person behind the killings, and that I was constantly guessing. Everything was resolved at the end with no lingering questions so this could definitely work as a stand alone.
And The Not So Much:
*Early on, it was indicated that Quinn possessed some type of supernatural ability to sense spirits? I am not completely sure, and I was expecting for him to at some point utilize these unique talents, but he never does. I wanted to know more about his ability, and I thought it was a bit strange that he never tapped into it.
The group ends up making two trips to Switzerland to visit the castle where the painting was created. The castle seemed to be steeped in horror and evil, and for the life of me, I could not figure out why the group would want to stay there. The author spends a great deal of time creating a ghostly atmosphere, and then it just kind of fizzles out. I was expecting more.
*When you finally get to the end, there is a big info dump the final pages. The unmasked villain steps forward threatening to kill one of the main characters, and of course, he waves his gun around and gives the long winded this is why and how I did it speech, which I thought was a bit trite. There was a lot to take in the final pages, and I am not sure that everything works. I was left scratching my head wondering how he knew how to activate the painting, it didn't seem like it was common knowledge.
*After the villain is apprehended, the book ends rather abruptly and with a line that I thought was a bit cheesy. There wasn't a cliffhanger, but I would have liked a stronger resolution.

Waking the Dead was a thrilling, chilling, atmospheric ghost tale that provides plenty of creepy moments. This book has a strong cast of characters and a solid mystery. If you are a fan of Ms. Graham, I am sure you will enjoy this book. I found it to be an entertaining read, and I won't hesitate to pick up another book this author in the future.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.

Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

Review Courtesy All Things Urban Fantasy

Those who spent years every Thursday with Elaine Benis will understand my fervent wish that she'd had a hand editing WAKING THE DEAD. Something about the use of exclamation points almost makes it inevitable. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind them in moderation - but that unfortunate habit carried over from the first novel. Since I can't help reading emphasis when I see them, it distracted.

The story itself is solid enough. I was unpleasantly reminded of Young Adult novel The Fine Art of Truth or Dare in the amount of time and book space spent fleshing out the life and career of a made up artist. Yes, the painting was integral to WAKING THE DEAD, but his anecdotal life stories as well as those of past murderers didn't add to the story. Stephen King can make that work...most of the time. In this story, it just felt like filler. Just as two trips to Geneva in a week felt like an unnecessary drawing out of the climax.

I did still enjoy reading about Quinn and Danni. Danni's sleep walking and sleep-painting continues to intrigue me and that carried over from the Let the Dead Sleep, but Quinn's ability (which I'm still trying to figure out) seems to have dropped off in WAKING THE DEAD. Not sure if that was intentional or if the plot in this book just didn't seem to lend itself to his "hypersenses." Something I didn't really like was the misdirection over their relationship at the end of the first book - them stating that they needed to slow things down. If that had continued into this book, fine. But it didn't. Outside of a mentioned three-week separation that happened in the interim between both books, they didn't waste a whole lot of time going fast again.

The main thing about WAKING THE DEAD that keeps me from bumping the rating up is that apart from a haunted painting and Danni's sleep painting, it doesn't have an urban fantasy feel to it. Meaning, with those elements taken out, the story would still be as solid. It is a good read and I'm sure there are plenty that will enjoy it, but it didn't push many of my buttons and it was a book I finished, but not a series I'll continue.

The latest Cafferty and Quinn romantic suspense begins with an evil painting in the 18th century and travels through modern New Orleans and Europe old and new. Heather Graham's gothic suspense with a touch of Romance is a fun fast read. I enjoyed it very much. Ghosts and murder are a winning combination

A rather bland read, I often found myself just trying to finish. Not necessarily a book that I would recommend unless the reader was looking for a "light mystery".
*Received an advanced copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.*

Since I love anything by Heather Graham I am really enjoying this new series. Danini and Quinn make a very interesting couple and their meeting and back ground was explained very well in the first book Let the Dead Sleep as all the characters were. This one actually kept me guessing until the end and I'm really looking forward to more in this series. Thank you Heather Graham for your Awesome Books.

A rather bland read, I often found myself just trying to finish. Not necessarily a book that I would recommend unless the reader was looking for a "light mystery".
*Received an advanced copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.*

Since I love anything by Heather Graham I am really enjoying this new series. Danini and Quinn make a very interesting couple and their meeting and back ground was explained very well in the first book Let the Dead Sleep as all the characters were. This one actually kept me guessing until the end and I'm really looking forward to more in this series. Thank you Heather Graham for your Awesome Books.