Publication Date: 09/02/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Books
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 0425259390
ISBN-13: 978-0425259399
(Received for an honest review from Berkley Books)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound
Kay Hooper on the WEB: website, facebook, goodreads
Books in the series:
Bishop Special Crimes Unit
1. Haven
2. Hostage
3. Haunted
Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.
Excerpt from, Haunted, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature
Synopsis:
How do you make peace with the dead if the dead aren’t ready to forgive? In New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper’s new novel, the answer lies in the twisting shadows of a small town, and its secrets yet unearthed...
When Deacon James’s younger sister Melanie calls him, terrified, he goes to her aid in the small Georgia town of Sociable. What he finds is a scared young woman in the grip of what she insists is a paranormal nightmare—and murder. Two local men have been killed under mysterious circumstances. And Melanie is the prime suspect.
Trinity Nichols left a high-stress job for quiet, small-town life. But news of the murders has left her—and the town—on edge, especially when there is nothing remotely ordinary about how the men died. And her investigation is yielding more than she bargained for, including a group of strangers who have descended on Sociable, some with abilities Trinity finds hard to believe, and agendas she refuses to trust. For some reason, they know a lot more than they should about what’s happening in town. And what’s happening is growing stranger by the minute.
Now Trinity, Deacon, and this odd band of FBI agents must work together to solve a series of disturbances so incredible that Trinity, and the town of Sociable, will be changed forever. She just isn’t certain who—or what—will be left standing when it’s all over.
Thoughts:
Kay Hooper is an author that knows how to bring the thrills. Her latest book, Haunted is a supernatural thriller that will have readers up late, and checking every corner with a flashlight. It's gritty, it's gripping and holds on for dear life. This is the fifteenth book in the overall Bishop series, but is also the third book in an off-shoot of the series about the SCU (Special Crimes Unit). Hooper fans know what to expect with this author, but if you've never tried her writing, you are in for an amazing ride!
What I liked:
I have read a few other things from Kay Hooper in the past and liked them a lot but this is my first book in the Bishop series, and I have to wonder... How did I miss this series? Hooper's writing style is rich and full of detail. Her characters are multi-faceted and have some pretty amazing abilities. This is a series that will appeal to readers who believe in psychic gifts and it will also draw in readers who love a good thriller. Hooper's style is reminiscent of another favorite of mine, Heather Graham.
Haunted is not a book that has to be read in series order, though I always feel that the reader gets so much more out of it, if they do read it in succession. It is set in a small Georgia town that has had a recent rash of murders. The evil that pervades this story is chilling. From the fantastic cover art to the final page of this book, it raised the hair on my arms. I almost wondered if I should read it at night... LOL! And that never happens to me. It was just that good. Hooper has a great sense of place and time in this book and every piece of the puzzle is well placed and necessary to the book, no filler here. It's all about the story!
I loved the characters in this one. They each had their own story to tell and they way their stories intertwined was really amazing. I loved the local sheriff, Trinity and her rescue dog, Braden. What an amazing team these two made. I liked the fact that Hooper gave readers a woman who had some experience with this kind of darkness and a dog who had abilities of his own. Being an animal advocate myself, that little addition to the story added so much to my overall enjoyment of this book.
Hollis, was a wonderful character as well. Finding out her story and what she had been through was both interesting and gripping. Her abilities have not always been what she would consider a gift. I thought Hooper did a great job with all the members of the FBI team. You have everything from mediums to empaths here and every single one of them is needed in this one. The characters each have a part to play and it couldn't have been the same had Hooper left out any of them.
What I didn't like:
There were some passages that got a little too descriptive. I don't mean gore or anything like that. They were just a little longer than was necessary to get the point across. I didn't consider that filler, it was more like a bit of ramble once in awhile. Nothing that took away from the book, just a thing I noticed from time to time.
Bottom Line:
If you like mysteries and thrillers, have a taste for the paranormal, and love shows like CSI and NCIS, I think you have found a new favorite. Kay Hooper's writing is smooth and seems so effortless. I can't believe I haven't read any of the other books in this series. It was a just an excellent story and I can't wait to read the others. Strong characters, gritty action, and hair raising thrills. A very good book!
Haunted is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
About the Author:
Giveaway Details:
The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Haunted by Kay Hooper.
~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, October 6th.
1. Please leave a comment about what you think about haunting's. Real, imagined? etc.
2. Please fill out the FORM.
17 comments:
i think they are real; i am glad i have never experienced it, though :)
I don't think that they are real. Never experienced this phenomenon. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
I doubt that they are real but those that believe in them, really believe.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
both!! i think a lot of the time people make something out of nothing but sometimes they are real
kmichellec87(at)yahoo(dot)com
Real. Too many stories to not be real.
I do believe they are real. I hope so anyway.
lag110 at mchsi dot com
An excellent question, I'm of two minds on the subject. In the bright light of day I tend to think that hauntings are just a fantasy but in the dark of night when things go bumpety-bump I'm not so sure. I do like to read the stories, though. Thanks for the chance to win this book.
I think that strange things happen on occasion. I don't necessarily think hauntings or being able to commune with the dead is real. But I agree that those who do believe it, really believe it. Perhaps it only happens to some people. I personally would not want to be haunted.
We had a resident ghost for years. It was my partner's maternal grandmother. She'd passed away while living down the hall in my in-law's apartment... My partner and her sister always knew she was still there. They'd toss our ripped or run tights and find them washed and returned to their dressers. Then when we moved in together and had a family she joined us to watch over the babies.
She was last felt just before the last one married and moved out.
I think they are real. Members of my family have seen relatives that have pasted away.
Some are real, my Grandma passed 2 was before my eldest was born, but she has been with us consistently. He even identified her without being asked to as a toddler. Others I'm pretty sure are creatures of the imagination. The mind is much more powerful than we know, but it is also quite easy to see a reflection or shadow or have a squeaky floor be a ghost too.
When I was a child I thought our house was haunted. When I'd wake up in the middle of the night I would see all kinds of creepy people that weren't really there. I've never had the same problem after we moved out of that house though and that was 20 years ago.
Haunted Houses are fun during Halloween, but they can creep me out sometimes. this book sounds scary but really gripping too.
I believe hauntings are real. Years ago my son said there was a strange woman standing next to his bed. She had long dark hair and was wearing a white dress. The weird thing is my nephew saw the same woman suddenly appear in the doorway while he was talking to his girlfriend on the phone. My nephew refused to sleep in that room after it happened.
I think there is something else out there...what it is? That I'm not sure.
I use to think that they were imagined, until my husband and I rented this house back in 1978 when he was in the Army. Every night in this house you could hear a woman screaming, even though we didn't live near anyone. My husband would go outside and check around and when he was out there he couldn't hear the screaming even though I still heard it in the house. We feel that a woman must have died a terrible death there. We moved out of the house the following month. We just couldn't take it. Thanks for having the giveaway.
ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com
they could be possible
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