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cmorris109's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jazzrizz's review against another edition
4.0
Jackson & newbie Jude are literally hot on the trail of a serial killer "The Archangel Killer" and end up on a cruise ship "The Destiny". They have to widdle down the suspect list, while keeping potiental targets safe. All while dealing with a storm that affects all comminication.
Alexi is a muscian who works in the piano bar ... and she can see/talk to the dear. Jude has the ability, but has difficulty coming to terms with his gifts.
It was a great glimpse into the workings of a cruise ship, and how cast/crew operate on the boat. Clara is one of the actors for the ship's play. She also has sees the dead, but doesn't realize she can until Alexi clues her in.
GREAT story, awesome wrap up at the end. Great characters, and a wonderful addition to the Krewe!
Alexi is a muscian who works in the piano bar ... and she can see/talk to the dear. Jude has the ability, but has difficulty coming to terms with his gifts.
It was a great glimpse into the workings of a cruise ship, and how cast/crew operate on the boat. Clara is one of the actors for the ship's play. She also has sees the dead, but doesn't realize she can until Alexi clues her in.
GREAT story, awesome wrap up at the end. Great characters, and a wonderful addition to the Krewe!
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
3.0
This was just an OK read for me. I love this author's paranormal mysteries, but this one fell a little short for me. The setting was a haunted cruise ship. Which was fine, but I much prefer her books when they take place in New Orleans. This one didn't have the same mystique. Also, the paranormal element here, the ghosts, were actual characters that interacted with more than a few people, Which I wasn't overly crazy about.
I've also mentioned before in my reviews of this authors books, that I think her "romance" angle works best when the couple is already established (which seems to be just the novellas) Unfortunately, again with this book I felt the romance between Jude and Alexi felt forced, and mechanical, and without any passion.
All that said, I DID enjoy the mystery, and it kept me guessing with all the twits and turns and red herrings.
I've also mentioned before in my reviews of this authors books, that I think her "romance" angle works best when the couple is already established (which seems to be just the novellas) Unfortunately, again with this book I felt the romance between Jude and Alexi felt forced, and mechanical, and without any passion.
All that said, I DID enjoy the mystery, and it kept me guessing with all the twits and turns and red herrings.
terryt78's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
megs2kool's review against another edition
2.0
When I started this book, I was excited - it was fast paced, thrilling, and captivating. Then I got to page 22, and the book fell flat on its face. The story continued at a decent pace, but the second she started talking about "dead passengers" and "ghosts," that was it for me. It just got more and more corny as it went on. Was the story itself interesting? Yes, and it could have been a decent mystery - that is why I gave it 2 stars. However, using ghosts to hold the story together and come up with big revelations very conveniently? No thank you. I will not be re-reading this one.
*PS - the mention of ghosts is not a spoiler. It's on the back of the book!
*PS - the mention of ghosts is not a spoiler. It's on the back of the book!
tboofy's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable book. The romance was rather predictable and had the requite (for Heather Graham) steamy love scenes, but the whodunnit kept me guessing till the end. The Krewe of Hunters are an FBI-type group who investigate supernatural cases, which are usually related to ghosts. Sounds hokey, but they're enjoyable.
bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
Haunted Destiny is the newest in Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters series, and I really enjoyed it. “Destiny” refers to the cruise ship on which most of the action takes place, as well as its more conventional meaning of fate. The setting reminded me a little of Agatha Christie’s mysteries set in closed communities (ships, trains, planes, country houses), although of course Graham’s style is very different from Christie’s. Alexi and Jude make a good couple, and the secondary characters were interesting as well.
The ghosts in this one are unusually talkative for a Krewe book (though I admit I haven’t read that many yet.) That might bother some people who feel that ghosts should be more… ghostly, but I rather liked it. Especially the chanteuse and her boyfriend, who are around enough to be secondary characters in their own right. As in some of the other Krewe books I’ve read, the ghosts are integral to solving the mystery.
Speaking of mystery, Haunted Destiny kept me reading late into the night. Graham does a good job of introducing a number of suspects and eliminating them one by one, while slowly ratcheting up the suspense. Even as the book nears the denouement, I was still debating between two or three suspects. I wasn’t exactly surprised by the final reveal, but it wasn’t my top suspect. I sometimes find serial killer mysteries very disturbing, but this novel didn’t bother me, perhaps because while Graham does describe the deaths, she doesn’t dwell gratuitously on the violence and gore. And although her investigators certainly pay attention to the killer’s psychology in an attempt to figure out his motives and probable next moves, as a reader I didn’t have to spend a lot of time in the murderer’s head, which helped as well.
Where the plot falters slightly is in how quickly Jude zeros in on Alexi and her friend as the most likely target(s). He does this even before they have any evidence of the “type” the murderer is likely to go for next. And even when they have that evidence, there are plenty of other possible targets on the ship, yet his major focus is still on Alexi and her friend. It’s a relatively minor point, but typical of the sort of logical leap that I’ve seen in many of Graham’s books. Don’t get me wrong; I’ll buy an intuitive leap on the part of a character, particularly if they’re the sort to make intuitive connections. And that could have been the case this time. But sometimes it comes across more as a skipped step in the author’s chain of logic, and I got that feeling in this book. It didn’t keep me from enjoying the story, though!
I’m slowly working my way through the backlist of the Krewe of Hunters series, but I’m already looking forward to the next one. Deadly Fate came out on July 26, 2016 (and I enjoyed it!) [b:Darkest Journey|28507357|Darkest Journey (Krewe of Hunters, #20)|Heather Graham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1459127386s/28507357.jpg|48661709] will hit bookstores on Sept. 27, 2016.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
Haunted Destiny is the newest in Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters series, and I really enjoyed it. “Destiny” refers to the cruise ship on which most of the action takes place, as well as its more conventional meaning of fate. The setting reminded me a little of Agatha Christie’s mysteries set in closed communities (ships, trains, planes, country houses), although of course Graham’s style is very different from Christie’s. Alexi and Jude make a good couple, and the secondary characters were interesting as well.
The ghosts in this one are unusually talkative for a Krewe book (though I admit I haven’t read that many yet.) That might bother some people who feel that ghosts should be more… ghostly, but I rather liked it. Especially the chanteuse and her boyfriend, who are around enough to be secondary characters in their own right. As in some of the other Krewe books I’ve read, the ghosts are integral to solving the mystery.
Speaking of mystery, Haunted Destiny kept me reading late into the night. Graham does a good job of introducing a number of suspects and eliminating them one by one, while slowly ratcheting up the suspense. Even as the book nears the denouement, I was still debating between two or three suspects. I wasn’t exactly surprised by the final reveal, but it wasn’t my top suspect. I sometimes find serial killer mysteries very disturbing, but this novel didn’t bother me, perhaps because while Graham does describe the deaths, she doesn’t dwell gratuitously on the violence and gore. And although her investigators certainly pay attention to the killer’s psychology in an attempt to figure out his motives and probable next moves, as a reader I didn’t have to spend a lot of time in the murderer’s head, which helped as well.
Where the plot falters slightly is in how quickly Jude zeros in on Alexi and her friend as the most likely target(s). He does this even before they have any evidence of the “type” the murderer is likely to go for next. And even when they have that evidence, there are plenty of other possible targets on the ship, yet his major focus is still on Alexi and her friend. It’s a relatively minor point, but typical of the sort of logical leap that I’ve seen in many of Graham’s books. Don’t get me wrong; I’ll buy an intuitive leap on the part of a character, particularly if they’re the sort to make intuitive connections. And that could have been the case this time. But sometimes it comes across more as a skipped step in the author’s chain of logic, and I got that feeling in this book. It didn’t keep me from enjoying the story, though!
I’m slowly working my way through the backlist of the Krewe of Hunters series, but I’m already looking forward to the next one. Deadly Fate came out on July 26, 2016 (and I enjoyed it!) [b:Darkest Journey|28507357|Darkest Journey (Krewe of Hunters, #20)|Heather Graham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1459127386s/28507357.jpg|48661709] will hit bookstores on Sept. 27, 2016.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
lisadolak's review against another edition
3.0
This was a nice easy read. I liked that the paranormal aspect of it was seeing ghosts. There was a pretty major aspect of the plot that was beyond stupid but I can't go into that without spoiling it.
thesassybookworm's review against another edition
3.0
This was just an OK read for me. I love this author's paranormal mysteries, but this one fell a little short for me. The setting was a haunted cruise ship. Which was fine, but I much prefer her books when they take place in New Orleans. This one didn't have the same mystique. Also, the paranormal element here, the ghosts, were actual characters that interacted with more than a few people, Which I wasn't overly crazy about.
I've also mentioned before in my reviews of this authors books, that I think her "romance" angle works best when the couple is already established (which seems to be just the novellas) Unfortunately, again with this book I felt the romance between Jude and Alexi felt forced, and mechanical, and without any passion.
All that said, I DID enjoy the mystery, and it kept me guessing with all the twits and turns and red herrings.
I've also mentioned before in my reviews of this authors books, that I think her "romance" angle works best when the couple is already established (which seems to be just the novellas) Unfortunately, again with this book I felt the romance between Jude and Alexi felt forced, and mechanical, and without any passion.
All that said, I DID enjoy the mystery, and it kept me guessing with all the twits and turns and red herrings.
rogueblackwood's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Another wonderful romantic suspense. I had a flop for my first book of the year and Heather Graham's books are such a safe place. Whenever I hit a slump her books are perfect for me to get back at it. And I love it with these I can finish it in a night easily like a nice movie.