Although I’ve read all thirty of Heather Graham’s previous Krewe of Hunters books, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy Deadly Touch. I like the books that are set in historic settings such as Salem or New Orleans or Baltimore. But, I should trust Graham to  handle that issue beautifully. She concentrates on the Everglades as an environment, the river of grass with its wildlife. But, she incorporates pirates, and lightly touches on the history and culture of the Miccosukee and Seminoles who make the area their home.

Thirteen years ago, Raina Hamish was a fourteen-year-old camper with her school group in the Everglades. Axel Tiger was the storyteller, who told of pirate ships, and one cursed one. He was getting ready to leave for the Marines and then college. Like the other girls, Raina thought Axel was hot. But, she had the chance to talk to him late at night when she left her tent, and, in the lighting and the fog, saw the pirate ship. Axel knew she saw it, as he did.

Now, Axel Tiger is an FBI special agent with the Krewe of Hunters, the division that specializes in unusual crimes. He’s back in his home territory in Miami because, like thirteen years earlier, a woman has gone missing. And Raina Hamish sent the police directly to the body in the Everglades. While the police think she was involved in the abduction and murder of Jennifer Lowry. Axel’s interested in her story. Raina was trying on a dress in a boutique, looked in the mirror, and saw Jennifer Lowry’s death. Unlike the others, Axel is willing to believe her. And, he hopes to tap into her gift to help with the investigation.

Raina and Axel remember their previous meeting, and that they both saw that pirate ship. Now, although Raina wants to deny her gift, she can’t. She’s now an animal trainer, with an unusual rapport with her dog, Titan. Somehow, she also has an unusual rapport with Jennifer, the dead woman. Once she realizes the murders may have been going on for thirteen years, and the killer uses the Everglades as a dump site, she’s determined to help. She has to help law enforcement stop what’s going on. She wants to make a difference.

Graham successfully brings the past and the present together, with the help of the dead. She also brings together three groups of law officers. The paranormal elements, along with the romantic elements, are always essential in these crime novels. As I said, though, I’m always looking for the historical elements to fill in gaps. With the stories of the Seminoles and Miccosukee, Deadly Touch doesn’t disappoint.

Heather Graham’s website is www.theoriginalheathergraham.com

Deadly Touch by Heather Graham. Mira, 2020. ISBN 9780778360957 (hardcover), 316p.

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