Phantom Evil by Heather Graham

Phantom Evil is the first book in the Krewe of Hunters series, a group led by skeptic Jackson Crowe that consists of individuals from different backgrounds who have some level of paranormal ability. In this novel, a state senator from Louisiana requests their services after his wife is killed in a house inhabited by ghosts—at least the senator wants to prove there are ghosts and that his wife didn’t commit suicide. Angela, the former cop who has an ability to see the dead, immediately makes a connection with the ghosts of the house, many of whom were killed by a serial killer from the post-Civil War era.



There were things I liked about this novel. I liked the mix of characters that composed the Krewe of Hunters. I liked the setup to the story and the mystery that they had to solve. Where the novel really falls short is in believability. The believability issues have nothing to do with the paranormal elements. It’s the real world aspects of it that make it fall apart. Namely, the cast of characters surrounding the senator, their actions, motivations, and the fact that the news media in Louisiana or the police could not even get a sniff of some of the things that they were doing strike me as being a bit ridiculous. I could only stretch my suspension of disbelief so far. As things unfolded, I had a hard time staying in the story because it was too hard to swallow.