Darkest Journey (Krewe of Hunters)

I have purchased, read and enjoyed Heather Graham's books for years. However, I have cancelled my pre-orders for her upcoming books. This book was sooo disappointing. I love history but this was too little plot and way too much history. Her books have become boring. I have purchased two other books of hers that I will probably not bother reading they have become a chore rather than an enjoyment.

Love the Krewe of Hunters series and this one was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. If you like the series, it's another good installment. If you haven't read it before, it can be a tad confusing, because there are some references to the Krewe and who is married to who, etc, but overall? Fabulous read!

For the very last moments, this story is filled with danger, action, history, and romance. It is addictively alluring with the intriguing characters, both dead and alive, and the murder mysteries, that seem to come too close to home for the brave heroine.
I was in awe with this story. I have read several books from the series, and absolutely love them, the characters and mystique around the tales are fascinating. But this one took the eerie effect into a new dimension, giving me chills several times as I was reading it.
The murder mysteries are well plotted, and the clues are a rare commodity, just a lot speculation that makes Charlie and Ethan uncomfortable. The map to the culprits was not an easy task to draw, it seemed that Ethan and his team had to fight for each and every step on the way.
Charlie and Ethan had a connection that has no comparison. Their past might be a painful memory, but they don't dwell on it beyond the necessary. The development of their relationship happens on the background of the murder mysteries, yet it is evident that those two have deep feelings for each other, have had them for years, and the desire to build a future together is evident, even if it is left for an assumption.
Haunting, gloomy murders, detailed accounts of the civil war, the Krewe of hunters yet on another cruise ship trying to solve the crimes in a dark and danger-filled tale, with glimpses of passionate romance between old friends
~ Four Spoons and A teaspoon on the side

If you enjoy history, especially Louisiana or civil war history, you will like this story. No, it's not a historical, but it does delve deep into the area's history in order to try to solve a mystery with the help of a few civil war ghosts and some reenactors.

Charlie is an actress, an actress who sees ghosts. When she discovers the body of one of the area's popular reenactors, she seeks help from the only man she knows will believe that she had help from a ghost. Ethan was the object of Charlie's youthful affections after he saved her life. He never saw her as more than a kid, and they grew apart. Charlie is no kid now, and Ethan notices. Charlie doesn't want too get hurt again, but her attraction to Ethan hasn't lessened. If anything, now that they're adults, she wants him even more. As the two of them work together, they inevitably grow closer. With a killer on the loose, Charlie goes undercover as a singer on a historical cruise. It will take Ethan, the Krewe, and a few helpful ghosts to keep her safe.

I have been a fan of the Krewe of Hunters series for quite a while. Several characters from the previous books showed up to help in this story, and the other secondary characters were also interesting. I especially liked the ghostly soldier who always showed up to help Charlie. The Krewe always makes for an interesting out of the ordinary read.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

When you combine Civil War reenactors, historical cemeteries, ghosts, and author Heather Graham, you know you’re in for a captivating tale.
Narrator Luke Daniels does a superb job giving each character their own unique voice. His expressions of emotions heighten the story. His timing is spot on.
The story is filled with suspense, action, and an abundance of history. Moving at a steady pace, the story has a number of surprises in store for you before it comes to its heart-stopping end.
The characters are likable and well-developed. The author makes the ghost characters intriguing and engaging. While several characters from prior stories were involved, new readers/listeners to the series won’t be left in the dark.
The author blends the present with history and adds a touch of the paranormal to create a mesmerizing story. The budding romance of old friends adds depth to the story. A tantalizing tale of ghosts, murder and mystery that will hold your attention from beginning to end. A perfect story for history lovers and mystery buffs alike.
DARKEST JOURNEY may just entice you to explore the area along the Mississippi River and Louisiana (without the ghosts, of course).
FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this audio book was sent to me by the publisher. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

The writer has become too formulaic in her writing. Girl meets boy in horrific circumstances, boy irritates girl, boy and girl fall into bed having the same sex as in every other Heather Graham book, boy and girl are in love and solve the mystery. While solving the mystery girl runs off into possible danger, boy has hero complex and must constantly tell girl she is an idiot and he must protect her. End of story.

I enjoyed the history part of this book more than the actual lame mystery. I don't think it is a bad think to learn something while pursuing some fictional entertainment.

The audio version of this book would have lost points just for the narrator. His southern folks are just short of banjos strumming in the background, I was looking around for my mint julep. The hero of the piece seemed to be channeling John Wayne most of the time. Charlie's father was just short of Beauregard T. Beauregard.

Harry Bosch meets the Mayfair Witches

So ghosts help the FBI solve crimes.
Uhm...ok... my first Heather Graham book.
Not bad. A bit formulaic. Writing was simple so made it easy to finish.
I felt no real connection to Ethan or Charlie plus the motive for 3 murders was not believable.
This is her 20th 'Krewe Of Hunters' can anyone recommend her best book?

Oda Mae Brown: He's stuck, that's what it is. He's in between worlds. You know it happens sometimes that the spirit gets yanked out so fast that the essence still feels it has work to do here.

I normally really like the Krewe of Hunters series; however, I found this book to be just okay. As I recently found her books of the Krewe, I find in binge reading that her characters somehow change personality from book to book--really intense in their premier, and mellow in the following books. (Maybe it's just being in a relationship with someone who really understands you and negates the need to pretend you don't really see ghosts.) One of my absolute pet peeves is the inconsistencies between a book and the next in the series. In the previous book, Deadly Fate, FBI agent Thor Erickson had two huskies, Boris and Natasha. In this book, he and his partner Clara Avery, claim in several different places that they only have one. And as with other reviews, I was disappointed in the very abrupt ending.

This is one of my favorite Graham series. The Krewe unit are all able to see the dead and converse with them. In this one the heroine also has that ability. The plot moves quickly and begins a decade before the current events. I recommend this book to any one who likes the paranormal type of story.,

I always look forward to Heather's books, especially the Krewe series but this wasn't up to her normal standard. Key aspects of the plot were rushed while others dragged. the ending was so abrupt that i thought maybe a part of the book was missing. Overall ok but not what I expect from Heather.

Please, Ms. Graham, enough with the Civil War history lessons! You may find this topic interesting, but I don't read your books to learn about the Civil War. A LITTLE history to back up the plot is more than enough. I did enjoy the first two books in this series, but this one was a skimmer.