Well, Lesa, you have all those books, and you’re isolated, and didn’t have time to write a book review? Actually, I did finish two books last evening, one for deadline, and one for here, but I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with my mother, so I haven’t written the review. I’ll have it tomorrow. Promise! That’s one more reason I’m glad Sandie Herron sends reviews of audiobooks. Thank you, Sandie.
The Restorer
Written by Amanda Stevens
Narrated by Khristine Hvam
Series: The Graveyard Queen, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Harlequin Books (3/1/2012)
Listening Length: 10 hours 48 minutes
AudioFile magazine Earphones Award Winner
Audie Award Nominee for Fantasy in 2013
Never acknowledge the dead. Never stray far from hallowed ground. Never get close to the haunted. Never, ever tempt fate. These were the rules Amelia Gray lived by. When she was nine years old, and she saw her first ghost while helping her father in an old cemetery, he taught her these rules, for he, too, saw ghosts. It meant a somewhat lonely existence, since it was difficult to get really close to another human being while keeping your guard up at all times.
Amelia Gray is a cemetery restorer. And she sees ghosts. She has followed her father’s rules all her life, until now. She has just started working in a cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina. She has walked the cemetery and photographed it, but then heavy rains stopped her until the ground could dry. She gets a call from police detective John Devlin that could not wait. He must see her photographs that night. They meet but Amelia’s car is broken into and her briefcase stolen. Someone doesn’t want the detective to see those photos. Since they were taken with a digital camera, Amelia is still able to share the pictures but wonders why the urgency. The police found a recently deceased woman in the cemetery and wonder if Amelia caught any clues in her work.
Amelia feels a deep attraction for John Devlin, but he is haunted by a woman and a child who are draining his life force. She cannot acknowledge their presence or they might latch onto her. She tries to avoid seeing him after twilight when the veil is dropped, but that isn’t always possible. Devlin asks Amelia to walk the cemetery with the police looking for evidence. Amelia teaches Devlin about tombstones and inscriptions and the art upon them. She teaches us as well in her southern drawl with a quiet passion in her descriptions. She may only be 27 but her knowledge is vast. Amelia writes a blog where she has become known as “The Graveyard Queen” to the many taphophiles (cemetery enthusiasts) who read it.
Another recently deceased body is found in the cemetery. Amelia and Devlin make a gruesome discovery in one of the mausoleums. They both have their own sets of friends, but they overlap in many ways. Devlin doesn’t believe in the paranormal yet Amelia looks for answers in the field. In her quest to learn more about Devlin, she discovers who his ghosts are and continues to learn more about them. And still more bodies are found.
This is a gothic romantic ghost story that pulled me in with its slow Southern appeal and the accent of the narrator. Khristine Hvam seemed to roll the words about in her mouth before releasing them with a sensual, hair raising quality. The team of author and narrator made this a spooky, tingling, leave the lights on ghost story that was very compelling. The pace didn’t seem fast, but there was a lot of action, emotion, and twists in this story. The ultimate solution was a surprise. Completely riveting.
