"My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.
It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims—lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next."
(from Goodreads)
my thoughts:
What a terrific paranormal story and a very promising beginning to the Graveyard Queen trilogy!
The Kingdom, book 2, and
The Prophet, book 3, are to be published this year.
Lots of thrills and chills with southern gothic elements of crumbling cemeteries, ghostly apparitions, murder, and ancient secret societies set in sultry Charleston, South Carolina. Add in a spunky taphophile (graveyard restorer) who sees ghosts and a dark, attractive, enigmatic police detective with a tragic past and you've got a great sensual thriller/murder mystery. If you are a fan of Karen Marie Moning's
Fever series, you'll likely enjoy
The Restorer as it had that same kind of dark, sexy vibe with a spirit world intermingling with the main players.
I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this read, and I'm so glad I won't have long to wait for the continuation!
4.5/5 stars
Title: The Restorer (Graveyard Queen #1)
Author: Amanda Stevens
paranormal/southern gothic
2011
MIRA
kindle edition
