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wondernikel's review against another edition
2.0
2! All of these books are becoming the exact same...just a little cut and paste here...but the exact same! The best part of the novels is the history within them...I wanted more from past characters...AND by more I mean not just mentioned by name! How many teams will there be? Why can't past teams work new investigations? Together? It is getting repetitive and boring!
rogueblackwood's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The best part of Heather Graham's books is that they are reliable. You know what you're getting. It's never going to be groundbreaking but it will be entertaining and enjoyable. Her mysteries aren't phoned in and you get swept up in the investigation. These books are always my go-to after a bad book or a DNF has me in a slump.
literaryfeline's review against another edition
This is my second full length novel by Heather Graham as well as my second in her Krewe Hunters series (the 14th book in the actual series), and I have to say I liked it even more than The Hexed, which I read in August. And what a perfect way to open October, I might add, given the setting of Sleepy Hollow.
FBI agent Aiden Mahoney is new to the Krewe Hunter team and is not sure why he was selected for such an elite unit, one that is known for dealing with "weird" cases--or more simply put, the paranormal. Although he doesn't deny that some people can talk to ghosts, he is sure he isn't one of them. One night, in a dream, however, he hears the voice of an old friend who Aiden is fairly certain is newly dead.
Sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the disappearance of his friend who is also a popular rising politician, Aiden arrives too find his friend has, in fact, been murdered, his head severed from his body. Maureen "Mo" Deauville and her dog, Rollo, discovered the head. Mo and Rollo often help the police find missing people and have an extraordinary track record. Mo has her own special gift, but lets Rollo take the credit. Aiden and Mo, along with the other Krewe members and the local police, join forces to solve the murder, hopefully before the murderer strikes again.
Aiden is dedicated to his job and persistent in the hunt to find his friend's killer. He is also in denial of his ability to communicate with the dead. He soon discovers, however, he is going to have to tap into the part of him he's kept buried if he is to solve the crime. His friend's death is tied to history, he's sure, and the ghosts are the only ones who can help him connect all the pieces together.
I took to Mo instantly (and Rollo too!). She had long ago moved out of the city, tired of always being called upon to find the dead, wanting instead to find the living. Search and rescue isn't her main job, however. It's something she does as a volunteer. She earns her living making greeting cards and is quite good at it. Mo, like Aiden, can communicate with the dead. Only, she's been using her ability all her life. Her role in the investigation is key given its tie to the area's history.
I love history and so was quite excited to read a little more about the Hudson Valley, Sleepy Hollow included. I did feel at first that some of the history, told through dialogue among friends, seemed too obvious and forced, but as the story went on, the author was better able to insert historical tidbits here and there in a more natural way. Washington Irving isn't exactly a new name to me, nor the legends of Sleepy Hollow. There were other aspects of the areas history I did not know, however, and I enjoyed learning about them, especially by way of meeting the ghosts.
Through the area history and descriptions of the valley and its various landmarks, Heather Graham was able to create an atmospheric setting for the novel. I felt like I was right there alongside the characters and in the midst of a sadistic killer. With Halloween fast approaching, it seemed a perfect setting for murder--headless horseman displays everywhere, the cemeteries full of tourists and actors playing their parts.
Heather Graham's cozy paranormal mysteries wouldn't be what they are without a little romance as well, and Aiden and Mo are quite suited for each other. They took a while to warm up to each other, more because they were fighting their feelings rather than a lack of attraction, but I did appreciate how natural their relationship progressed (even if still fast--it is a novel, remember, and everything happens quickly in novels like this).
The mystery was intriguing, and I enjoyed seeing how the pieces all fell into place. The motive isn't something that is immediately known and clues to what it might be are dropped right in the middle of the novel in a rather obvious way. Still, it didn't stop me from trying to guess who the murderer could be right from the start.
The Betrayed is an entertaining novel, and one that has me wanting to continue with the series. Now to go back and start from the beginning . . .
Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review. Review also posted on my blog, Musings of a Bookish Kitty.
FBI agent Aiden Mahoney is new to the Krewe Hunter team and is not sure why he was selected for such an elite unit, one that is known for dealing with "weird" cases--or more simply put, the paranormal. Although he doesn't deny that some people can talk to ghosts, he is sure he isn't one of them. One night, in a dream, however, he hears the voice of an old friend who Aiden is fairly certain is newly dead.
Sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the disappearance of his friend who is also a popular rising politician, Aiden arrives too find his friend has, in fact, been murdered, his head severed from his body. Maureen "Mo" Deauville and her dog, Rollo, discovered the head. Mo and Rollo often help the police find missing people and have an extraordinary track record. Mo has her own special gift, but lets Rollo take the credit. Aiden and Mo, along with the other Krewe members and the local police, join forces to solve the murder, hopefully before the murderer strikes again.
Aiden is dedicated to his job and persistent in the hunt to find his friend's killer. He is also in denial of his ability to communicate with the dead. He soon discovers, however, he is going to have to tap into the part of him he's kept buried if he is to solve the crime. His friend's death is tied to history, he's sure, and the ghosts are the only ones who can help him connect all the pieces together.
I took to Mo instantly (and Rollo too!). She had long ago moved out of the city, tired of always being called upon to find the dead, wanting instead to find the living. Search and rescue isn't her main job, however. It's something she does as a volunteer. She earns her living making greeting cards and is quite good at it. Mo, like Aiden, can communicate with the dead. Only, she's been using her ability all her life. Her role in the investigation is key given its tie to the area's history.
I love history and so was quite excited to read a little more about the Hudson Valley, Sleepy Hollow included. I did feel at first that some of the history, told through dialogue among friends, seemed too obvious and forced, but as the story went on, the author was better able to insert historical tidbits here and there in a more natural way. Washington Irving isn't exactly a new name to me, nor the legends of Sleepy Hollow. There were other aspects of the areas history I did not know, however, and I enjoyed learning about them, especially by way of meeting the ghosts.
Through the area history and descriptions of the valley and its various landmarks, Heather Graham was able to create an atmospheric setting for the novel. I felt like I was right there alongside the characters and in the midst of a sadistic killer. With Halloween fast approaching, it seemed a perfect setting for murder--headless horseman displays everywhere, the cemeteries full of tourists and actors playing their parts.
Heather Graham's cozy paranormal mysteries wouldn't be what they are without a little romance as well, and Aiden and Mo are quite suited for each other. They took a while to warm up to each other, more because they were fighting their feelings rather than a lack of attraction, but I did appreciate how natural their relationship progressed (even if still fast--it is a novel, remember, and everything happens quickly in novels like this).
The mystery was intriguing, and I enjoyed seeing how the pieces all fell into place. The motive isn't something that is immediately known and clues to what it might be are dropped right in the middle of the novel in a rather obvious way. Still, it didn't stop me from trying to guess who the murderer could be right from the start.
The Betrayed is an entertaining novel, and one that has me wanting to continue with the series. Now to go back and start from the beginning . . .
Review copy provided by publisher for an honest review. Review also posted on my blog, Musings of a Bookish Kitty.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Another fantastic book in this series! I loved these characters, they were so interesting! And that it's set in Sleepy Hollow, yeah, headless horsemen abound!
bookwormbritt's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like these characters as much as I have others. They seemed to dance around each other too much.
judythereader's review against another edition
4.0
FBI Agent Aiden Mahoney has not met even one member of his new unit, known around the Bureau as the Krewe of Hunters, when an old friend appears to him during the night to say "they got me". Once Aiden saw ghosts, but not in a long time. However he knows what the visitation means and learns that his friend, a candidate for Mayor of New York, has disappeared in Sleepy Hollow. As he is traveling there, Maureen Deauville and her Search and Rescue dog find the candidates head. Soon another body is found and the Krewe is needed because there's a missing child.
It may be time for me to take another break from the Krewe because the formula is starting to wear on me again, but it's still a really good formula. These are good characters and the addition of Mo's dog is a nice touch. Too many of the love interests hooking up with the Krewe and joining the FBI have not been law enforcement for my tastes, so Mo's history works a little better, even though she's an artist by day.
This was an easy and fun read, with interesting characters. There is a formula, so if you know her books, you will recognize many arch-types, but I enjoyed it.
It may be time for me to take another break from the Krewe because the formula is starting to wear on me again, but it's still a really good formula. These are good characters and the addition of Mo's dog is a nice touch. Too many of the love interests hooking up with the Krewe and joining the FBI have not been law enforcement for my tastes, so Mo's history works a little better, even though she's an artist by day.
This was an easy and fun read, with interesting characters. There is a formula, so if you know her books, you will recognize many arch-types, but I enjoyed it.
dtaylorbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I requested this title from NetGalley while I was still reading the last book in the Krewe of Hunters series because Sleepy Hollow is a neat little place and I really enjoyed THE HEXED. If this book was anything like that one then I’d probably enjoy it too. It’s a fair enough assumption, I think.
Except THE BETRAYED didn’t really live up to the last book’s standards, in my opinion. While Graham’s pretty much mastered setting and Sleepy Hollow and the surrounding area were their own characters within the story, they were so vivid, I felt the interactions of the protagonists was gawky and awkward and the dialogue just subpar. The over use of the exclamation point was extremely distracting and a lot of the time unnecessary. The actions in THE BETRAYED were far more about moving from Point A to Point B without developing a whole lot of ambiance or really allowing the characters to grow at all.
Mo was a stagnant character throughout the story and while she served a major purpose in finding bodies and people as the plot unfolded she was rather wooden. Not unlikeable but she didn’t offer up anything that I would like either so let’s just say I’m ambivalent about her. Not the greatest place to be. As for Aiden he seemed to be a copy of Rocky from THE HEXED, right down to needing to see Mo to the door, protecting her, the sex, making breakfast in her house, pretty much everything except the pertinent backstory. Although Aiden did have his connections to the area, just like Rocky did so there was that. The relationship between Mo and Aiden developed in much the same way as Rocky’s and Devin’s did so there was little excitement there for me. To add to that Aiden was a dick to Mo in the beginning for no good reason except to keep his distance from her for emo reasons. That didn’t make much sense.
I’ve noticed that Graham, from the two books I’ve read, has a bad habit of introducing a condom into a sex scene, neither of the characters actually having one, the female saying she’s on birth control, it makes things all better, and the sex commences. I overlooked it in THE HEXED but now that it’s cropped up again in THE BETRAYED I can’t ignore it. Please. If you insist on bringing a condom and various other methods of birth control into a fictional sex scene don’t stop at it just preventing pregnancy (the condom). These two people were strangers. You have them fumbling for a condom that doesn’t actually exist and I guess in this world birth control not only stops babies but stops STDs too. Yeah, no. Stop it. Either remove the reference altogether, have them stop sex because they have no idea where each other has been (for the sake of realism, since we’re talking condoms), or have one be available. Don’t, well, half-cock it.
I found myself very distracted while reading this one and I didn’t feel as invested in the story as I did the last. Aside from the setting, the stark formulaic similarities between characters and plots of the two books it was kind of hard to get invested in the same rehashed story under the guise of an entirely new book. To be honest it makes me a little weary to dive into the rest of this series if these last two books are any indication of the repetition I’m going to encounter. I’d like more of the Krewe as a whole, their beginnings and how the constant characters were put together. This being book number fourteen I doubt I’m going to get any of that going forward. Still, I’m going to go back. Graham loves her settings and she does an incredible amount of research to make them come alive. I lived in Connecticut for 29 years and I never once went to Sleepy Hollow (or Salem, for that matter) and she’s gotten me to put those places on my list for when I make it back there. Because I have to. Because I’m missing that quintessential New England feel and what better places to get it?
I still want to read this series. I do. But I won’t lie. My buzz has been killed a little at the copy THE BETRAYED was of THE HEXED in terms of plot and characters. The fact that I’m picking up a formula off of two books doesn’t bode well but I won’t give up yet. I like what I read here enough to keep at it.
2 1/2
Except THE BETRAYED didn’t really live up to the last book’s standards, in my opinion. While Graham’s pretty much mastered setting and Sleepy Hollow and the surrounding area were their own characters within the story, they were so vivid, I felt the interactions of the protagonists was gawky and awkward and the dialogue just subpar. The over use of the exclamation point was extremely distracting and a lot of the time unnecessary. The actions in THE BETRAYED were far more about moving from Point A to Point B without developing a whole lot of ambiance or really allowing the characters to grow at all.
Mo was a stagnant character throughout the story and while she served a major purpose in finding bodies and people as the plot unfolded she was rather wooden. Not unlikeable but she didn’t offer up anything that I would like either so let’s just say I’m ambivalent about her. Not the greatest place to be. As for Aiden he seemed to be a copy of Rocky from THE HEXED, right down to needing to see Mo to the door, protecting her, the sex, making breakfast in her house, pretty much everything except the pertinent backstory. Although Aiden did have his connections to the area, just like Rocky did so there was that. The relationship between Mo and Aiden developed in much the same way as Rocky’s and Devin’s did so there was little excitement there for me. To add to that Aiden was a dick to Mo in the beginning for no good reason except to keep his distance from her for emo reasons. That didn’t make much sense.
I’ve noticed that Graham, from the two books I’ve read, has a bad habit of introducing a condom into a sex scene, neither of the characters actually having one, the female saying she’s on birth control, it makes things all better, and the sex commences. I overlooked it in THE HEXED but now that it’s cropped up again in THE BETRAYED I can’t ignore it. Please. If you insist on bringing a condom and various other methods of birth control into a fictional sex scene don’t stop at it just preventing pregnancy (the condom). These two people were strangers. You have them fumbling for a condom that doesn’t actually exist and I guess in this world birth control not only stops babies but stops STDs too. Yeah, no. Stop it. Either remove the reference altogether, have them stop sex because they have no idea where each other has been (for the sake of realism, since we’re talking condoms), or have one be available. Don’t, well, half-cock it.
I found myself very distracted while reading this one and I didn’t feel as invested in the story as I did the last. Aside from the setting, the stark formulaic similarities between characters and plots of the two books it was kind of hard to get invested in the same rehashed story under the guise of an entirely new book. To be honest it makes me a little weary to dive into the rest of this series if these last two books are any indication of the repetition I’m going to encounter. I’d like more of the Krewe as a whole, their beginnings and how the constant characters were put together. This being book number fourteen I doubt I’m going to get any of that going forward. Still, I’m going to go back. Graham loves her settings and she does an incredible amount of research to make them come alive. I lived in Connecticut for 29 years and I never once went to Sleepy Hollow (or Salem, for that matter) and she’s gotten me to put those places on my list for when I make it back there. Because I have to. Because I’m missing that quintessential New England feel and what better places to get it?
I still want to read this series. I do. But I won’t lie. My buzz has been killed a little at the copy THE BETRAYED was of THE HEXED in terms of plot and characters. The fact that I’m picking up a formula off of two books doesn’t bode well but I won’t give up yet. I like what I read here enough to keep at it.
2 1/2
marinaluna's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Even after 14 books in this series, I still love them!!! Heather Graham has a gift for writing characters and making them unique and interesting. Not only does she keep coming up with new characters and plots, she manages to weave them all into the existing KreweVerse and give them their own unique voice. You could talk about a character without mentioning their name and I would still be able to tell you who you are talking about. Yes, there is a bit of a formula to her books: Murder, Krewe, two main characters who not only solve the crime together but also get their HEA. But here is the thing: It WORKS and it is still as refreshing and interesting as the first book. I absolutely cannot get enough of these and I am glad I still have 15 or so more to go! This book was especially fascinating because I love Washington Irving and the Headless Horseman. The setting was beautiful, the history fascinating and the murder gruesome! I have a feeling this set of novels is a bit more brutal and explicit than the last, which is not a bad thing!
mousegoddess's review against another edition
2.0
Well...that was disappointing. I got my hopes up because there were SO MANY suspects. But, sure enough, it was the ones I was thinking "Oh, please don't let them be the ones." I don't know, I just find the whole "social outcasts as murderers" thing super cliched. Not Heather Graham's best.
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