Never acknowledge the dead.
Never stray far from hallowed ground.
Never associate with those who are haunted.
Never, ever tempt fate.
My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.
It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer--and to his other victims--like in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.
Review:
I'd spent most of my life in cemeteries- my graveyard kingdoms. Each a calm, sheltered, self-contained world where the chaos of the city seemed anathema. Tonight, reality had stormed the gates, wreaking havoc. ~Amelia
This book got better and more intriguing with each electronic turn of the page! Having never read a book by this author before I didn't know quite what to expect but she does a brilliant job of creating and capturing the mood. Old cemeteries celebrating the past, translucent fingers combing through your hair, a cold touch from a soul gone from this world...it's nearly impossible to explain just how easy it was to become engrossed in the story.
The relationship between Amelia and Devlin reminded me of Castle and Beckett from my favorite tv show. The characters start out reluctantly working together on a murder case and every new lead or piece of evidence brings them closer together. Only Devin has more baggage than an airliner and he isn't exactly Mr. Chatterbox, so don't expect open and easy. Nope. Amelia and Devlin make for a complicated couple but I have hope for them.
This is one of those books that stays with you for a long time after the reading is done, and for all the right reasons. A next installment would be fantastic!
Read chapter 1 here.
Other books by Amanda Stevens:
Abandoned
(ebook prequel to The Restorer)The Whispering Room
The Devil's Footprints
The Dollmaker
2 comments:
I have read several of Amanda Steven's books and loved all of them. I really can't wait to get to this on my TBR shelf.
Glad you liked it so much.
I've never read any of Amanda Steven's books before but a lot of people have been saying that this book is great!
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