It’s time for me to turn to Sandie Herron for another review for Have You Heard? The Prophet is book three in The Graveyard Queen series. Maybe some of you are looking for an audiobook to listen to right now. Check it out.
Thank you, Sandie.
The Prophet
Written by Amanda Stevens
Narrated by Khristine Hvam
Series: The Graveyard Queen, Book 3
Unabridged Audiobook
Harlequin Books (6/1/2012)
Listening Length: 10 hours 23 minutes
Cemetery restorer Amelia Gray finds herself spun into a spider’s web upon her return to Charleston, South Carolina. After the physical and mental trauma of her stay in Asher Falls in THE KINGDOM, Amelia’s life is returning to normal when the ghost of murdered cop Robert Fremont asks for her help in finding his killer so that he can move on. Amelia knows better than to acknowledge the dead or interact with them; her father taught her from a young age how to deal with the ghosts they both saw. Now Amelia has broken all four of his rules and finds herself at the mercy of this ghost who can appear as real as any man, at any time of day. Her interactions with him have opened a door for all sorts of evil to come forward.
It is no wonder that Amelia finds herself craving the closeness of Detective John Devlin whom she pushed away when the ghosts of his wife and daughter overwhelmed her. Amelia stumbles across Devlin’s path walking her dog Angus but hides in the shadows. Seeking him out late one night, she goes to his home only to find another visitor already there and overhears a conversation about Grey Dust, a substance used by root doctors to stop the heart so a person can cross over the veil and visit the other side. However, just the mention of its name seems to conjure dark forces. The root doctor Darius Goodwine who brought Grey Dust from Africa just happens to be the cousin of John Devlin’s wife Mariama. As we learn more about the relationships between characters, familial or not, they become tangled and twisted.
Deep in the shadows, Fremont’s ghost oversees Amelia’s efforts to find out what, and who, killed him. Without any training or guidance, Amelia stumbles in her efforts to investigate. She uncovers more than she bargained for and discovers a blackmail scheme, a possible mercy killing, and even a dead body covered in the beetles she dreamt about the night before.
Despite the romantic overtures and spooky circumstances, the first half of the book moved cautiously. It focused on creating the eerie atmosphere that flowed through every page. The prose pricked at our senses with its lush descriptions of scents, sounds, and tastes. We went through raw emotions of fear and dread as the spirits flowed around Amelia. The chemical attraction between Devlin and Amelia was palpable. Yet as the root doctor seemed to have Amelia in his grip and Devlin came to her rescue, the pace quickened and held me tightly in its grip. Unable to fall asleep near the end, I realized I should have just stayed up late and finished the book rather than tossing and turning with that eerie atmosphere pervading my own dreams.
Third in the Graveyard Queen series, THE PROPHET expounds on the story and atmosphere promised in THE RESTORER, answering some questions and posing more. Khristine Hvam added immeasurably to this book with her narration. Her Southern drawl and pacing added the right amount of spookiness to an already haunting story.
