This is a great start to a new(ish) series. I love the historical call back to "America's first serial killer." This is a spin off from the (super fun) Krewe of Hunters series.

Familiar characters are back in this entry and we also get introduced to some new ones. The action is fast-paced and, my favorite part, the mystery has a dash of the paranormal thrown in. The Krewe of Hunters series is a long one and you don't have to read it to enjoy this, but if you ARE a Graham fan, this will be right up your alley!

Highly recommend.

This is a paranormal mystery. I should’ve read the synopsis more carefully, because I’ve found that I just can’t quite get into this genre. If you do enjoy books like this, it will be a good read for you!

Blackbird unit of the Krewe of Hunters are on the job in Scotland trying to find the head of a murderous society. Carly and Luke are partners, both professionally and personally and they work alongside Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency. As usual, bad guys are very very bad and good guys are very very good. It doesn’t hurt to be assisted by ghosts.

Paranormal Police Procedural Romantic Suspense about two FBI agents, who are members of a unit who all have "unique abilities", as they travel to Scotland on the trail of a web of killers mimicking HH Holmes.

4/5 stars: This is the first entry in Graham's Blackbird Files series, which is a Paranormal Police Procedural Romantic Suspense that takes place in Scotland and features two FBI agents, who are members of the European branch of a special unit whose members all have some kind of psychic abilities, as they travel to Scotland on the trail of a society of killers mimicking HH Holmes. With plenty of twists and turns, Graham has crafted a police procedural mystery that fast-paced yet balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you on the edge of your seat until the final reveal. I really appreciated how Graham weaves the crimes of HH Holmes, the 19th century monster regarded as America’s first serial killer, into the modern crimes by a society comprised of a twisted web of killers. And of course Graham's character work is stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. I very much enjoyed seeing Luke and Carly working together as partners and getting to know each other. This is very much a police procedural mystery with the romantic relationship in the background (the sex scenes are face to black). I love the paranormal elements, especially the attention paid to the history of the ghostly sidekicks. Due to the sensitive topics tackled, take care and check out the CWs. This is a spin-off of the Krewe of Hunters series (Phantom Evil, BK 1) and the Blackbird series (Whispers at Dusk, BK 1), although you don't have to read either to enjoy this book.

I received this eARC thanks to Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

"In the shadows of a Scottish castle, something deadly is lurking in every corner...

When FBI special agent Luke Kendrick discovers chilling evidence of dozens of victims at a crime scene in London, he recognizes the calling card of the notorious H. H. Holmes Society. Named for the eighteenth-century monster regarded as America's first serial killer, the society is comprised of a twisted web of killers, working to carry out heinous murders in Holmes's memory. And now the group's been linked to a Scottish castle turned B and B - where guests check in but never check out.

Arriving at the sinister Graystone Castle posed as a tourist, Luke is joined by Special Agent Carly MacDonald, and the pair is immediately confronted by dangers hidden in the castle's depths. With guests disappearing and a network of killers closing in, Luke and Carly have only each other to rely on - and they'll have to race to cut off the head of the snake before the blood trail of the past can culminate in a very real and deadly present."

Oh, H.H. Holmes acolytes! Time for me to check in.

I have read other books by this author, and they tend to be hit or miss for me. Sadly, I was not able to connect with Luke or Carly. Neither one was very developed. This is the first book in the series, but it does appear to be a spinoff of another series. Thankfully, there was not much of a romance angle. The pace was much slower than I prefer for this genre. Sadly, the dialogue felt very stilted, but the history angle was interesting. The overabundance of exclamation points was annoying. Key points were somewhat predictable. I am not sure that I will continue with this series.

I had a difficult time with this book. I enjoyed all the historical information given about both the killers and environs but that seemed to be the majority of the book. I did not feel any romantic connection between Carly and Luke. And the suspense aspect was not drawn out. Carly exposes a murderer in the first chapter after just having arrived at the hotel! While there are certainly more murderers to be found, from where I got to, the 2 MC’s were such good investigators that they figured out the bad guys within a day or two of arriving to the areas of the crime. DNF at chapter 5.

I read my first books, The Bone Island Trilogy, by Heather Graham not that long ago and loved them. I've yet to read any of the Krewe of Hunters Series books, from which this series is a spin-off of. The dialogue in "Death Behind Every Door" is stilted, and the characters are stiff and one-dimensional. The history this book is based on was fascinating, but very overused. The plot moved quickly from one location and scene to another not allowing for any build up and little resolution before moving on to the next place. Losey transitioning and very choppy. And, lose all the exclamation (!) points. It was so annoying!

The FBI has a special unit, the Krewe of Hunters, which is made up of agents with "unique" abilities. Special Agent Luke Kendrick is a part of this unit and was the original agent who uncovered the infamous H. H. Holmes Society, based on an infamous 1800's seral killer, in the US. Now the Society has moved across the pond and set up Murder Castles in Europe. Luke is determined to track down the person behind the Society and end their murderous spree once and for all. The group has been linked to a medieval Scottish castle that has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast that several tourists have disappeared from.

Graystone Castle is steeped in history and is a wonderful façade which hides a sinister purpose. FBI Special Agent Carly MacDonald is on her first Krewe Hunters assignment and will be posing with Luke as a couple. When they check in, Carly checks in she has a distinctive vibe from the owner, and it isn't a good one. She and Luke must work together, and they do, very, very well. But routing the evil from Graystone Castle isn't their primary mission, they need to track and uncover the evil genius behind the H. H. Holmes Society and deal with them.

My thanks to the Publisher and Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

I could not for the life of me get into this book, but I am not someone who can quit a book once I've started so I pushed through...
After looking at some other reviews, I found this was a spin off series of the authors & maybe that's why I couldn't get into it or felt lost? But here's my review:
Death Behind Every Door is about two detectives/agents, Luke and Carly who are working together to try to end the H.H Holmes Society. As they are tracking the H.H Holmes Society site, more murders keep happening and they are trying to catch who is behind it before someone else or themselves end up dead. The storyline could've been good but there were so many characters and as I keep mentioning, there was always so much going on that I just felt lost. There was never any character development, so I didn't feel attached to anyone. The biggest thing the characters had going for them with the little fling that Carly & Luke had. I'm a lover of slow burns but this happens so suddenly. The pace of the book was so slow to me but so much was thrown at you. I feel like there was never any build up, everything was just thrown at you. It was too "easy" for them to solve things. I wanted to not be able to predict what was happening.

I don't think I will be continuing with the Blackbird Files series.
———————————————————————
Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for a prerelease of Death Behind Every Door. This story drew me in at the beginning. There was mystery, suspense, intrigue, etc. However, it became like groundhog’s day - visit after visit to castle hotels where the main characters ‘played the victim’. I wish there would’ve been a way tell the storyline without the repetitiveness.

new-series, first-in-series, paranormal, action, romance, mystery, witty, Scotland, FBI, undercover, international-crime-and-mystery, disappearance, suspense, intrigue, historical-places-events, historical-research****

The author still crafts an excellent tale filled with action and suspense. BUT. It was a real trial for me to read as it is NOT TTS ENABLED. As a history geek, I enjoy the repetitive retelling of some historical facts.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA via NetGalley.

Death Behind Every Door is the first installment of the Blackbird Files by Heather Graham.

I am no stranger to Heather Grahams writing and her Krewe of Hunters series, but I do feel like an introduction to some of the characters would have benefited new readers, as this is a new spin off series and I could see how readers could possibly feel like they have been thrown into the middle of a storyline that they have no background on.

I really enjoyed the main premise of the book, which is tracking down the leader of the H.H. Holmes Society, which in turn would stop the murder and disappearances of tourists in and around Scotland. With a little bit of romance and some paranormal elements, this book had all the right elements to be a great read, it just needed a little bit more of both for me to really love it.

One of the issues I had with this book was the massive amount of unnecessary history lessons. I do appreciate the backstory on H.H. Holmes, but the Scottish history was a bit much and unnecessary to the plot. I found myself putting the book down and reading something else because it wasn’t as fast paced as some of her other works.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and will not give up on the Blackbird Files just yet.

"Heather Graham's new series, 'The Blackbird Files,' offers a thrilling dive into the world of espionage and intrigue. While it promises an exciting premise, it might not captivate every reader. Despite its potential, it wasn't my personal favorite. Graham's signature style shines through, but the execution might leave some longing for more depth and character development. Nonetheless, for fans of the genre, it's worth exploring for its fast-paced plot and engaging narrative." I’ve loved all her books but this one did not reel me in like her other ones. Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

“People check in—and they don’t check out”. This book will keep you on a journey through history, the countryside and old castles. Luke and Carly will be paired up on a search for a society on a killing spree.

Will they be in time to prevent more deaths or will they end up dead themselves?

The book is a quick read. It is an unusually action packed story for this series. Generally you find out what happened and then have time to sit and learn about what is going on and the characters. In this book hero and heroine were dealing with bad folks every day and sometimes twice a day. It was interesting as it drew parallels to historic events. It is worth the time with the expectations it has a different rhythm from other books in the series.

Death Behind Every Door by Heather Graham

Story had a good premise and plot and the characters were likable.

My issues with the story are that it seemed to be rather repetitive. The H&h go from one place to another and quickly catch the bad-guys. Seemed rather easy for them. Also, Everyone is oh so nice and complementary to everyone else… international organizations that have absolutely no issues with each other! Amazing! Last issue is that every other person had auburn hair! I’ve lived in Scotland and while there are more redheads per capita there, it’s not that many!

All in all, I was left with a great knowledge of Scottish history and also, an in-depth knowledge of the serial killer HH Holmes murder organization’s history but was left wanting… wanting a meatier plot line and one where all the confrontations weren’t so rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this earc

Sadly, this one wasn’t great. I’ve read a few Krewe of Hunters books so I thought this one would be just as good. But there were just too many things I couldn’t overlook.

One, even if a series is a spin off, author can never assume that the reader read other book. Especially when this technically is a first book in a series. We’re thrown in the middle of the scene without any explanation.

The first 40% of the book was all over the place. All the scenes were rushed and choppy. I couldn’t understand how they were catching every bad guy within a hour of getting there.

The history was interesting but took over the story at many points. There were bunch of the characters added to every scene, so you don’t feel like you have time to get to know any of them enough to care about them.

The relationship between the main character didn’t feel like anything. So when they “got together” I couldn’t care less.

And of course, one thing that drove me crazy the most was how many times characters were told to “get some sleep”. Honestly it just felt like bad editing.

Overall all the issues took away from what could have been an interesting story.

Death Behind Every Door (The Blackbird Files #1) by Heather Graham
This was a great start to a new trilogy/spinoff series. Carly and Luke are both part of the American Krewe, they are sent to Scotland to take down a network of killers. I liked that this was a different format than the regular mystery book. There was interesting history, angst, some romance and some heat, Can’t wait to read the next!
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Haunting Great world building Page-turner Romantic Twisted Unpredictable Witty Action-packed Easy-to-read Informative Wonderful characters Scary.

A thrilling new spin-off series from Heather Graham's Krewe of Hunter books. FBI agent Luke Kendrick is determined to find the leader of the H.H Holmes society who slipped through his fingers last time. Society is using the dark web to recruit people to emulate the infamous H.H. Holmes, America's first serial killer and owner of the notorious "Murder Hotel." Working internationally with the new Blackbird branch of the Krewe of Hunters, he finds himself in beautiful Scotland, where tourists are disappearing. Also working the case is FBI agent Carly MacDonald; she is relatively new to the Krewe but believes in their mission and is happy to have a work environment where she can be herself. All the Krewe can see and communicate with spirits like her. With the help of the Scottish authorities, can these two agents bring down the leader of a murder society and stop his acolytes from killing more innocent people?

Heather Graham has once again masterfully blended the paranormal, action, and romance genres, creating a unique reading experience. Perfect for readers who love mystery, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat, guessing who the mysterious H.H. Holmes is. A quick and exciting read, it's sure to leave you wanting more from the Krewe and the new Blackbird group of the agency.

Disclaimer: While I received a free advanced reader copy of this novel, my thoughts, and opinions on it are solely my own.

History is a fascinating thing. Sometimes is way darker than others. H. H Holmes was Americas first serial killer. So a secret society of followers dedicated to following in his footsteps doesn’t surprise me a bit and oh boy are they crazy evil.

Graystone Castle is now a bed-and-breakfast. But from what we’re hearing…” “What?” Luke asked. “It’s just like ‘Hotel California,’” Mason said dryly. “From what we’ve learned so far, people check in—and they don’t check out.”

Luke Kendrick has come in contact with this society before and it scared him.

Carly MacDonald did help when it came to tamping down the demon monsters that plagued his mind.

Carly is upbeat and full of historical knowledge. A undercover FBI agent with roots in Scotland.

I’m be been reading this author for many years and have enjoyed her dedication to history and great stories. The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the repetitive retelling of some historical facts. I just didn’t feel like that was necessary.