Caffeinated Reviewer

An island, creepy murders and New Orleans pulled me into The Forbidden by Heather Graham. While this is the thirty-fourth book in the Krewe of Hunters, readers and listeners alike can dive right in….

She is someone’s darkest desire

Playing the victim of a vampire king on an island off New Orleans is actress Avalon Morgan’s creepiest role to date. It’s also scary good fun—until the victim of a real killer is discovered on set, laid out for all to see. With production shut down, Avalon can’t stop thinking about the chilling crime scene, or Grayson Avery, the investigator working the case.

With a rising body count and zero leads, Gray can’t help but be impressed by Avalon’s amateur sleuthing, which takes her to the darkest corners of the internet, where killers confess their crimes. One such account is a dead ringer for the murders, but when the evidence vanishes, nobody believes Avalon—except for Gray. With no one they can trust, Avalon and Gray are determined to unbury the truth at any cost, but a return to the deadly island could be the last thing they do

I have read all the Krewe of Hunters books and love slipping away to a location, meeting an agent of the Krewe of Hunters, a special division of the FBI and solving an intriguing case with paranormal help. Along the way we learn tidbits and enjoy a side of romance. The familiarity of a stand-alone mystery in a long-standing series makes these comfort reads.

In The Forbidden, we are on a privately owned island near New Orleans. It’s rumored the pirate Jean Laffite buried his treasure on a nearby island. A group of friends is producing a low-budget vampire film, when one of the production cast is found dead in the islands cemetery. Krewe of Hunter agent, Grayson Avery, is called to head up the investigation. Actress Avalon Morgan catches his eye when he discovers she can see the dead.

The romance was a slow burn with a twist and served on the side. I like this aspect as it allows the case to develop. Through the romance we get to know the detective, area, and backstories of the characters.

From the overgrown mansion to the perspective of the killer, I was quickly pulled in. The group of friends making the movie and the owners of the island, along with a local businesswoman, created suspense, a suspect pool and more. Before the case is solved, there will be several murders and a few red herrings.

As always, I loved the historical tid-bits, from speakeasies to local landmarks. Grayson worked with the local PD on this case, and most of his interaction with the Krewe was via telephone. The dark web angle was creeptastic.

The next novel, The Unknown, takes place in New Orleans as well and will release in September 2021.

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About Heather Graham

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake. New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

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About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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