Heather Graham, Deadly Night

Deadly Night

Mira, Oct 2008, $7.99

ISBN: 9780778325857

The Flynn brothers inherit a plantation near New Orleans from their late elderly Aunt Amelia. They know nothing about the estate and very little about their deceased aunt. One of the siblings, private investigator Aidan Flynn, travels to see the new property. He meets Amelia's caregiver Kendall Montgomery, who tells him about his aunt and about the estate, including that many locals believe the house is haunted.

Though attracted to Kendall, Aidan distrusts her as he does all women. However, when skeletal remains are found on the estate, Aidan investigates to the chagrin of local law enforcement. He soon uncovers a series of vanishings over the past decade that has been unresolved; in his mind a serial killer is on the loose, a predator who has no compunctions of killing Aidan and Kendall.

Even with some rotation to what happened on the Flynn Plantation in 1863, the haunting investigative storyline remains fast-paced and filled with action especially after the bones are found. Aidan is so hard and distrusting, he is unlikable; but he makes the tale with its ghosts seem plausible as he does not change personality abruptly not even for that 'second hand emotion' love and in turn Kendall seems somewhat pale next to him. Fans of Heather Graham will enjoy her latest ghostly Bayou romance due to this somewhat obstinate refreshing lead male.

Harriet Klausner