Member Reviews
Heather Graham writes great characters, great dialogue and great suspense. Her books have such strong appeal that everyone will want in their beach bag.
The Seekers by Heather Graham was a fun read. It is pretty far into a well established series about The Krewe, a group who hunt ghosts. I have not read the previous and was a little overwhelmed at the beginning of the book sorting everyone out. I will definitely go back and read the previous books. This book was a great mix of paranormal, mystery, and romance. You should definitely check this book and the series out! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was really hoping to enjoy this book but sadly it was not for me. Perhaps its starting late into a series. Thank you for the chance to read and review, Many will probably enjoy it and I hope they will give it a shot.
The backstory of a television crew that is investigating a haunted house for a tv series is a unique setting for a murder mystery. It comes with a set of characters ready built to keep the story moving quickly. Add in a new murder that is discovered by the tv crew and you've got the perfect reason to bring in an investigative team that specializes in paranormal.
Heather Graham has blended these two casts of characters perfectly. Their differences color the first few chapters until they find they have much more in common than anyone of them might have thought. Combining their efforts keeps the investigation on track. This was a great read with the central characters' questions answered at the end. Is there a ghost or not?
Interesting gruesome murder mystery. Are the present day murders connected to the past? Good characters and fast moving story.
I have only read one other book in this rather long series, but I have started seeking them out :) I had no problems getting into this book and didn't feel like I was missing anything (although there clearly are recurring characters) - it works fine as a stand-alone.
This book takes place at a historic inn where a gruesome murder took place many years ago. Paranormal investigators are doing a show on the place (we've all seen similar shows), when events start repeating themselves. I liked the mix of mystery and ghosts, and I liked the setting. There is a bit of romance, but it is not overdone. I've already purchased several other Krewe of Hunters books because I enjoyed this one.
I haven’t read any of Heather Graham’s previous Krewe of Hunters books, but it was easy enough to pick up that the Krewe are a team of FBI agents who work on crimes outside the usual and who have abilities that are more than the usual as well. Joe, the male protagonist of this book, is a former Savannah cop in the process of joining the Krewe after a ghost helped him solve his last case. Acting as a consultant at the moment, he’s sent with a more experienced Krewe agent to investigate the murder of another FBI agent in a supposedly haunted inn, in the middle of an investigation by a team of paranormal Youtube hunters. Keri, the female protag, is an author of historical crime nonfiction, who sees a ghost and discovers the murdered agent’s body at almost the same time.
Joe and Keri get off to a pretty bad start but soon come to respect each other, and there are obvious sparks of attraction flying between them from the beginning. I liked that Keri was the one to actually make a move and do something about it finally; Joe was very much a gentleman.
It’s a really interesting storyline with events of the 1920s leading to clues to the present-day crime, but the author does tend to infodump at times with what felt like entire Wiki entries being dropped into the text to explain things like the Amish Rumspringa, the Salem witch trials and other events and traditions. It got very tedious about the time that Joe was telling Keri that Benjamin Franklin was the only man to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris and the US Constitution. Seriously? A former Savannah cop explaining that to a historical researcher? Infodump to the audience to show off the author’s knowledge at best, condescending by a male character at worst. From there on in, I practically winced every time any character said “Did you know…?”
I’m giving this one three stars. Decent storyline, an ending which was difficult to predict, but all of it made frustrating by constant infodumping. I’ve no doubt the author does do a lot of research to help make her fiction feel more authentic, but she really doesn’t need to share all of her knowledge with the audience.
I finished this book a week ago and was waiting to write the review until some inspiration struck. Alas, no luck. This book was fine. It wasn't bad, and it wasn't awesome. Before this one I haven't read any Heather Graham novels, but I had been wanting to do so. I will often read a random book in the middle of a series as a way to find out if I like it and want to commit to the series, so that wasn't abnormal for me. When I do like the random volume, I then go back and start the series from the beginning. If book 1 in this series happened to just land in my lap one day, I would probably read it. But I don't plan to seek it out.
So the Krewe of Hunters are apparently paranormal investigators for the Federal government. I did not realize that at first, but it's helpful context. This book opens with an eerie, haunted hotel in the middle of Pennsylvania, where the new owner, an historic crime writer, and a team of paranormal investigators that I could for some reason only picture as Zak Bagans from Ghost Adventures (check it out if you like this book), all gather at the hotel for some good old fashioned paranormal investigating. The crew want to create new videos for their YouTube channel, the author wants some additional publicity for her books and the chance to look through some old documents from an historic murder spree, and the new hotel owner wants... well, unclear.
But when a real-life person turns up very much dead, the Krewe of Hungers come in and try to find the link between the present day crime and the very old crimes committed at the hotel. Crimes, ghosts, romance, mystery ensues. You get it.
I want to thank the publisher Harlequin-Mira (US and Canada) and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this very good novel by Heather Graham!
This is a stand-alone novel and although it was #28 in the series if you enjoy the paranormal with some historical crime background and a touch of romance, then don't hesitate to read this book.
The story revolves around Keri Wolf, a historical crime novelist, Carl, a successful young and handsome actor who has purchased a historical tavern and inn (allegedly haunted) in Pennsylvania. Carl wants to renovate the inn but before he begins the work, he wants to call in a paranormal investigation team "The Truth Seekers" to see if they can find anything supernatural or be able to disclaim many of the ghostly rumors. Before the first night is over, a dead body is discovered (savagely murdered ) in the basement. Carl called his acquaintance Dallas who works for the FBI in a special sector named "The Krewe Of Hunters" who specialize in the strange and unusual cases of the FBI. This murder will take all involved on a trip into the past as well as the present with many twists and turns and a large assorted group of characters who will all play a part within the story when it reaches the final climax.
I enjoyed this story very much and will definitely read more of the "Krewe Of Hunters" series. I am a fan of Heather Graham's, although I haven't read one of her books in a few years ( not sure why ) since I always enjoy them. I noticed there are many mixed reviews about this one. If you don't enjoy paranormal stories and a lot of characters, maybe this is not your forte`. I found it very easy to follow and I also enjoyed the smidgen of romance thrown in, and I am not a big romance reader. This was a solid and entertaining story and I will be back for more!
I highly recommend and have given a rating of 4 Sinister 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!
Thank you to NetGalley & Mira for the widget of The Seekers!
Sadly, as hard as I tried I just could not attach myself to this story. I was deeply confused through out the entire book. I think I did the author, the story, and the characters a disservice by reading this as a standalone; especially after 27 other books.
I really couldn't keep everyone in line, and that overshadowed anything else that happened which left me extremely detached. I didn't have any major complaints, other than I was the outsider! I shouldn't have agreed to read this story at this time,
I would not suggest reading if you are not caught up in this series.
I have been a fan of the author's work for decades, since I read the Florida historical romance novels in the early 1980s, under her alias, Shannon Drake. Her novels are all well researched and written with fascinating details, intriguing plots and captivating characters. So it is with the Krewe of Hunters. While this book can be read as a stand alone, since the author provides in the dialogue a short history of the Krew of Hunters, it is better to read a series from the beginning.
The Truth Seekers is a show that searches for paranormal phenomena. Keri Wolf is a writer, who researches and investigates old crimes and is invited by Carl Bentwood, a young actor who was introduced in the previous book, to joined the crew to investigate the Miller Inn and Tavern of York County, Pennsylvania on the road between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, which he had recently purchased. While the Inn had been open in 1770 and had seen many a historical figure in its rooms, in 1926 it was the scene of a mass murder. But the first night, it is not ghosts, but a dead FBI agent that turns up in the basement of the Inn. Since Carl had recently worked with Dallas Wicker and Joe Dunhill,in the McClane House investigation, he requests their help. It was in the last book, that Joe discovered he can see and talk to ghosts, so he can connect with Keri who discovers that she isn't hallucinating, but also has that ability. Joe and Keri connect in other ways too. The story moves at a fast pace, the course is twisted, with clues added along with some red herrings. This action packed page turner is hard to put down.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
This just didn’t work well for me and perhaps I should have started earlier in the series rather than at #28. I wanted more paranormal, greater mystery, steeper thrills, tighter storytelling, weirder details and far fewer characters. To me, the characters were indistinguishable. I could not remember which generic name went with which bland personality. So, this story is not terrible but it is average. I know the author has a devoted fan base and that made me really curious. I was hoping to join it. I’m sorry to miss out on the experience. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.
When I received this book I did not know it was part of a series. I was worried that I would not be familiar with the characters or the Krewe of Hunters.
It wasn’t a problem at all. I was quickly brought up to date on the characters and on how the Krewe functioned. Paranormal books aren’t usually ones that I read.
However, as a murder mystery and with FBI agents trying to solve the case, I quickly got into this book. It takes place in an old inn in Pennsylvania with a history of murder and mayhem, which originally took place in 1926. It appears that the first and even the second of the recent murders has something to do with a cult of some kind, dating back for many years. Is history trying to repeat itself?
The Krewe of Hunters is a group, part of the FBI, that deals with cases having an element of ghosts or the paranormal. The characters were interesting and likable and the story was well written and it actually kept me guessing till the end about who were the bad guys and who were the good ones! I look forward to going back and reading some earlier books in this series. It actually piqued
my interest. You never know I may end up becoming a fan of paranormal adventures.
I have never read a Heather Graham novel before and now I think I understand why. I made it about 45% of the way through and I couldn't force myself to keep going. Nothing was keeping my interest and I didn't connect with the story in any way. I might try another one of her books in the future but this one wasn't for me.
While I did not realize this was number 28 (!) in a series when I requested it, The Seekers held up as a stand-alone novel. This story had so many things that I love: true crime writers, history, cults, and a mystery to tie it all together. You will need to enjoy paranormal stories to enjoy this as it is a focus, but despite not normally being drawn to that type of story, I really enjoyed this.
I was sent an invitation to read this book, and was initially hesitant to even accept it. The plot sounded interesting, and it was well rated and reviewed. I read a couple of the reviews, and they indicated that, though this was book 28 in the series, it could be read as a stand-alone, so I decided to give it a go.
As you can see from my two-star rating, I was not a fan. I think, in general, this book/author is just not for me. I didn't give it a one-star rating because it was well-written to an extent (meaning, structurally and grammatically, it was okay. Generally, for me, a one-star rating is reserved for something offensive, or so poorly written that you wonder if anyone even ran it through a spell-checker).
Technically speaking, this book was well-written. You can tell that the author did her research. Creatively speaking, however, this book was not so well-written (in my humble opinion). I felt that it relied way too heavily on "tell" and not at all on "show." I like to see things happening in a book, not just be told everything. To me, that makes a boring book. And that's what this book was for me unfortunately - very boring. The plot sounded interesting, and the set up in the beginning of the book was good - I was initially hooked. But after the first exciting/shocking scene happened, it was all downhill for me.
The book was extremely dialogue heavy (the "tell" with very minimal "show"), and the dialogue itself wasn't very natural sounding. It was all very technical...if you read the dialogue out loud (which I did at times to hear what it would actually sound like), it was very clunky, awkward, and overly formal sounding. For example, not using contractions (this is hard to explain without a bunch of examples, and I really don't want to get that into the weeds here - just imagine people using few to no contractions when speaking, and you'll get the idea). Based on the dialogue alone, the characters just didn’t seem realistic or natural. They often sounded either completely obtuse/naïve, or like walking encyclopedias.
And the characters themselves - they were ALL totally flat (and unlikable) for me, unfortunately. I hate being so negative about a book, but I can’t describe it any other way. Not a single character came off likeable to me. I wasn't rooting for any of them in any way. The romance seemed incredibly forced - like each book needs to have a happy couple in the end, so they were mashed together. Literally - the woman hated the man (kind of inexplicably, I might add), until suddenly all she could think about was having sex with him. Then they're talking about basically starting a life together. And I think this book took place over like a week? Not that I can't buy into that kind of insta-romance, but this just didn't work for me at all, I'm sorry to say. It was unnecessary and didn't do anything for the plot/story.
So, this one wasn't for me, unfortunately. I appreciate the opportunity to have read it, and I can see that the series/author clearly has a following, so maybe it's just me on this one. Again, this is all just my humble opinion and thoughts.
*This review is posted to GoodReads, and will be posted to my personal blog and retail sites."
This is the first Krew of Hunters books that I have read and I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Ms. Graham brought the characters to life and made them believable. The setting was also very interesting and it was a great page turner. I would like to read more of her books.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.
When I first heard of this book, I was super intrigued. However, I found the plot to be somewhat slow and confusing. It was just very hard for me to get into this book. I'm sure that there are other people who would like it more, this just wasn't for me.
It’s always hard to just jump into a series. Unfortunately I have not read any of the previous books in this series, and as a result I felt lost right from the start. Many reviewers mentioned that it can be read as a stand-alone but it just didn’t work out that way for me. I struggled to keep all the characters straight. As a result the storyline took a backseat for me. I was just not the right reader for this book. If you have been a fan of this author and series then I’m sure you will enjoy this latest installment.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin-MIRA and Heather Graham for an ARC to read and review.
I've never read this series or this author but I thought I would give it a try. Unfortunately, upon starting "The Seekers," I quickly became lost and had no idea what was going on and hard a hard time figuring out who the characters were. I think unlike many series, this is one where you actually have to start from the beginning, not just jump in mid series.! I tried, it just didn't work for me this time.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin and Heather Graham for the arc.