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A review by bookwyrm_lark
The Unforgiven by Heather Graham
3.0
3.5 stars: Not my favorite Krewe book, but still fun
If you like this series—and I do—you’ll probably like The Unforgiven, but that’s about the best I can say for it. I didn’t find it particularly memorable or gripping. It’s not that there’s anything significantly wrong with it, and it is still fun, but it feels formulaic and a little flat in comparison to some of Graham’s other Krewe books.
The mystery starts with a well-written prequel: the grisly multiple murder of Kaitlyn’s parents in the Florida Keys. Twelve years later, an elderly couple and their housekeeper are murdered in a similar fashion, a thousand miles away in New Orleans, where Katie now lives. Not only is the current case similar to the death of Katie’s parents, it also resembles a case six years earlier in Orlando, and a spree of attacks a hundred years earlier—attacks which were never solved. Soon the whole city is awash with rumors that the notorious Axeman has somehow returned. From there, the plot goes in a direction I admit I didn’t see coming (although I did figure out several things along the way.) Without giving anything away, I found the overall solution a bit far-fetched, although to be honest, that’s often part of the fun of this series.
Katie and Dan are likeable, believable characters individually, particularly Katie, but I didn’t really feel much spark between them. I also didn’t really buy Daniel’s turnaround re one of the suspects. (Neither did Katie, so I was in good company there!) Other aspects of the book didn’t quite ring true, either—and I don’t mean the ghosts! When you have two witnesses to multiple murder claiming there were other parties present at the time of the murders, and one of the witnesses can describe them as clearly as Katie can, it’s hard to believe the official law-enforcement response would be to assume one witness is lying and the other is confused. Granted, this was a necessary backstory device to make part of the plot work, but I just couldn’t believe in it.
On the plus side, it was nice to see a little of Krewe founder Adam Harrison. Krewe agent Axel Tiger (Deadly Touch) plays an active role, and there’s a cameo from fellow agent Andre Broussard (The Stalking). And I enjoyed the collegial relationships between the various law-enforcement figures and the overall police concern for the safety of New Orleans’ citizens. It’s an ideal I devoutly wish was more of a reality.
As usual, the author offers plenty of present-day description and historical information on New Orleans. While much of it is interesting and helpful in immersing the reader in the setting, and it’s justified by the fact that Katie works as a carriage tour guide, the sheer amount of it begins to feel like unecessary info-dumping.
If you’re new to this series, there are other books in the series with stronger plots, more suspense, a greater sense of creepiness or menace, and more compelling romantic relationships; I’d advise you to seek them out instead of starting here. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll find probably find it fun, but a bit lackluster in comparison to those better installments.
Review originally published on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
If you like this series—and I do—you’ll probably like The Unforgiven, but that’s about the best I can say for it. I didn’t find it particularly memorable or gripping. It’s not that there’s anything significantly wrong with it, and it is still fun, but it feels formulaic and a little flat in comparison to some of Graham’s other Krewe books.
The mystery starts with a well-written prequel: the grisly multiple murder of Kaitlyn’s parents in the Florida Keys. Twelve years later, an elderly couple and their housekeeper are murdered in a similar fashion, a thousand miles away in New Orleans, where Katie now lives. Not only is the current case similar to the death of Katie’s parents, it also resembles a case six years earlier in Orlando, and a spree of attacks a hundred years earlier—attacks which were never solved. Soon the whole city is awash with rumors that the notorious Axeman has somehow returned. From there, the plot goes in a direction I admit I didn’t see coming (although I did figure out several things along the way.) Without giving anything away, I found the overall solution a bit far-fetched, although to be honest, that’s often part of the fun of this series.
Katie and Dan are likeable, believable characters individually, particularly Katie, but I didn’t really feel much spark between them. I also didn’t really buy Daniel’s turnaround re one of the suspects. (Neither did Katie, so I was in good company there!) Other aspects of the book didn’t quite ring true, either—and I don’t mean the ghosts! When you have two witnesses to multiple murder claiming there were other parties present at the time of the murders, and one of the witnesses can describe them as clearly as Katie can, it’s hard to believe the official law-enforcement response would be to assume one witness is lying and the other is confused. Granted, this was a necessary backstory device to make part of the plot work, but I just couldn’t believe in it.
On the plus side, it was nice to see a little of Krewe founder Adam Harrison. Krewe agent Axel Tiger (Deadly Touch) plays an active role, and there’s a cameo from fellow agent Andre Broussard (The Stalking). And I enjoyed the collegial relationships between the various law-enforcement figures and the overall police concern for the safety of New Orleans’ citizens. It’s an ideal I devoutly wish was more of a reality.
As usual, the author offers plenty of present-day description and historical information on New Orleans. While much of it is interesting and helpful in immersing the reader in the setting, and it’s justified by the fact that Katie works as a carriage tour guide, the sheer amount of it begins to feel like unecessary info-dumping.
If you’re new to this series, there are other books in the series with stronger plots, more suspense, a greater sense of creepiness or menace, and more compelling romantic relationships; I’d advise you to seek them out instead of starting here. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll find probably find it fun, but a bit lackluster in comparison to those better installments.
Review originally published on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.