Early Review: The Unholy

The Unholy (Krewe of Hunters 6)

-       Heather Graham

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA - Released on 19th June 2012

E-Arc received courtesy of Netgalley and MIRA Publishing

A Hollywood shrine hides unholy deeds... The 1940s: hard-boiled detectives and femmes fatale are box-office gold. In one iconic scene, set in a deserted museum, the private eye arrives too late, and the buxom beauty is throttled by an ominous Egyptian priest. Now: the Black Box Cinema immortalizes Hollywood's Golden Age in its gallery of film noir tributes. But the mannequin of that Egyptian priest is hardly lifeless. He walks-and a young starlet dies a terrifying death. Movie mogul Eddie Archer's son is charged with the grisly murder. Eddie calls agent Sean Cameron, who specializes in...irregular investigations. As part of an FBI paranormal forensics team, Cameron knows that nightmares aren't limited to the silver screen. Working with special-effects artist Madison Darvil-who has her own otherworldly gifts-Cameron delves into the malevolent force animating more than one movie monster

This is the second book with the second krewe of hunters and once again I feel like I don’t know these characters at all. In The Unseen I assumed it was because the team hadn’t been ‘officially’ formed yet but this time hardly any time was spent on any characters who weren’t the main couple – Sean and Madison. It doesn’t really feel like a team – and I can barely remember the names of the rest of the ‘krewe’. The good news is that Madison is an interesting character – someone who has always been able to see ghosts but hiding her ability. She’s not the most kick-ass, but is a vulnerable but stead-fast woman and I liked her. Sean is a typical alpha male and his over-protective nature kicks in almost straight away. Together they are a sweet couple, even if not that memorable.

The locked room mystery of the murder is interesting and I confess I spent a lot of time trying to figure out who the murderer was. It’s not immediately obviously – neither is the motive. Hollywood is always an interesting place to set stories with so many people trying to make it – fake is real a lot of the time. However, even with that in mind so many people in the game were ‘good’ people – there are very few shades of grey at all which in a town as fake as Hollywood I found a little bizarre! The ghostly element is downplayed for much of the story – only Madison’s ghostly roommate really adds much as he adds a lot of colour to the story.

The writing is easy to relax into and speed through. This is a light murder mystery with some romance added in but little depth that will allow you to remember the details in six months time. That said I enjoyed the break from heavy reading and will pick another Krewe of Hunters book – but let me see this team as a team sometime!

Recommended for fans of Nora Roberts and Linda Howard. 6 out of 10