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Bishop/Special Crimes Unit #19
Hidden Salem
"A town shrouded in the occult. An evil that lurks in the dark. The SCU returns in a hair-raising novel from New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper. Nellie Cavendish has very good reasons to seek out her roots, and not only because she has no memory of her mother and hardly knew the father who left her upbringing to paid caregivers. In the eight years since her twenty-first birthday, very odd things have begun to happen. Crows gather near her wherever she goes, electronics short out when she touches them, and when she's upset, really upset, it storms. At first, she chalked up the unusual happenings to coincidence, but that explanation doesn't begin to cover the vivid nightmares that torment her. She can no longer pretend to ignore them. She has to find out the truth. And the only starting point she has is a mysterious letter from her father delivered ten years after his death, insisting she go to a town called Salem and risk her life to stop some unnamed evil. Before her thirtieth birthday. As a longtime member of the FBI's Special Crimes Unit, Grayson Sheridan has learned not to be surprised by the unusual and the macabre--but Salem is different. Evidence of Satanic activities and the disappearance of three strangers to the town are what brought Salem to the attention of the SCU, and when Gray arrives to find his undercover partner vanished, he knows that whatever's hiding in the seemingly peaceful town is deadly. But what actually hides in the shadows and secrets of Salem is unlike anything the agents have ever encountered"--
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2020
953 people are currently reading
1426 people want to read
About the author
Kay Hooper
171 books2,439 followersKay Hooper (aka Kay Robbins) was born in California, in an air force base hospital since her father was stationed there at the time. The family moved back to North Carolina shortly afterward, so she was raised and went to school there.
The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay's personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay's sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation.
Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College — where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas.
Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats — Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel — of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay's desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.
The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay's personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay's sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation.
Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College — where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas.
Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats — Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel — of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay's desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
February 6, 2021
Paranormal Suspense/Thriller
New characters, except for Bishop. Basic introductions to each, no real development. Atmospheric read, fast paced. Predictable after 19 books, but still I enjoyed it.
New characters, except for Bishop. Basic introductions to each, no real development. Atmospheric read, fast paced. Predictable after 19 books, but still I enjoyed it.
July 21, 2020
I expected it to be a good book, but nonetheless I'm surprised how much I actually liked it.
I've read the books in this series before, so I know the overall concept. And this story does not deviate too far from a well-known pattern. This is, in fact, a fairly simple story in which not much is surprising. You know who the villain is right from the start, and you know he needs to be stopped. I think that's why I'm so surprised by how much I liked this book. Usually I prefer more mystery. But this is definitely a fast read and I enjoyed it a lot.
The characters, although I doubt I'll remember them in a month or so, are very well constructed. I haven't read all the books in this series, so I don't know if these characters, especially Gray and Geneva, also appear in other books by this author. It was the first time I met them and I had no problem getting attached to them. Even though it is a rather short book, the characters are well-developed. They are intelligent and behave rationally. I wouldn't mind reading more books with them.
The plot, although as I said, is not full of surprises, is also very good. There aren't many twists and turns but there is undoubtedly the action. The author has definitely managed to create an atmosphere of creepy uniqueness and mystery in a small town. The final confrontation with the villain could have been a tad more elaborate, but I didn't have any great sense of disproportion. Overall, it is a very coherent story, there aren't too many unnecessary scenes and everything fits into a very neat whole. This leaves you with the impression of reading a well-written book.
Perhaps what surprised me most was the total lack of romance. We have two pairs of potential lovers here, including Geneva and Gray, who apparently share a history. But none of these couples are romantically involved. Not that it bothered me, I was just surprised. I guess I'm used to having a romance in my books of this type. A big plus for the author for the fact that she managed to create two pairs of characters that fit together so well that you see them as lovers even though they never go in that direction. Now I'm even more curious if these characters will reappear in other books.
Overall, it is a very enjoyable read, which I definitely recommend. Also for people who have not read any book in this series yet. If I remember correctly, sometimes the books in this series are quite gloomy and violent, and while there are also dark themes here, including child abuse, it could be a good starting point for those looking to start this series. It's also a great story for the summer. Especially if it's hot where you are, LOL, because the story takes place during the cold winter.
I've read the books in this series before, so I know the overall concept. And this story does not deviate too far from a well-known pattern. This is, in fact, a fairly simple story in which not much is surprising. You know who the villain is right from the start, and you know he needs to be stopped. I think that's why I'm so surprised by how much I liked this book. Usually I prefer more mystery. But this is definitely a fast read and I enjoyed it a lot.
The characters, although I doubt I'll remember them in a month or so, are very well constructed. I haven't read all the books in this series, so I don't know if these characters, especially Gray and Geneva, also appear in other books by this author. It was the first time I met them and I had no problem getting attached to them. Even though it is a rather short book, the characters are well-developed. They are intelligent and behave rationally. I wouldn't mind reading more books with them.
The plot, although as I said, is not full of surprises, is also very good. There aren't many twists and turns but there is undoubtedly the action. The author has definitely managed to create an atmosphere of creepy uniqueness and mystery in a small town. The final confrontation with the villain could have been a tad more elaborate, but I didn't have any great sense of disproportion. Overall, it is a very coherent story, there aren't too many unnecessary scenes and everything fits into a very neat whole. This leaves you with the impression of reading a well-written book.
Perhaps what surprised me most was the total lack of romance. We have two pairs of potential lovers here, including Geneva and Gray, who apparently share a history. But none of these couples are romantically involved. Not that it bothered me, I was just surprised. I guess I'm used to having a romance in my books of this type. A big plus for the author for the fact that she managed to create two pairs of characters that fit together so well that you see them as lovers even though they never go in that direction. Now I'm even more curious if these characters will reappear in other books.
Overall, it is a very enjoyable read, which I definitely recommend. Also for people who have not read any book in this series yet. If I remember correctly, sometimes the books in this series are quite gloomy and violent, and while there are also dark themes here, including child abuse, it could be a good starting point for those looking to start this series. It's also a great story for the summer. Especially if it's hot where you are, LOL, because the story takes place during the cold winter.
April 13, 2020
Unique and creative.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Even though this book is a part of a series, I was not lost too much in the direction of the story. This series is intriguing and I plan on grabbing more from it.
Do you enjoy reading about paranormal instances? Hooper has developed a story that will keep you reading late into the night. With tales of witchcraft and powers no normal human has, that we know of, Hidden Salem is a story that leaves us wondering if these abilities and Talents can really be true.
Power can make people do evil things and this book is a perfect showcase of creepy crows and subtle manipulation that can overtake and change an entire town. Who do you trust when everyone seems to know your business and who you are?
With chilling twists and well placed turns this story ended with an explosive climax that I wish would have built up just a bit better. It seemed fast compared to the buildup but was satisfying and so unique.
The character build up could have been a bit better in some instances, but I think that could be due to the fact this is a series. Favorite character is definitely Leo, who softens the creepiness, just a bit.
Interesting, captivating, and definitely unique! Hidden Salem is a great choice for the paranormal twist you are looking for.
* Copy received for review consideration
Full Review - https://amidlifewife.com/hidden-salem...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Even though this book is a part of a series, I was not lost too much in the direction of the story. This series is intriguing and I plan on grabbing more from it.
Do you enjoy reading about paranormal instances? Hooper has developed a story that will keep you reading late into the night. With tales of witchcraft and powers no normal human has, that we know of, Hidden Salem is a story that leaves us wondering if these abilities and Talents can really be true.
Power can make people do evil things and this book is a perfect showcase of creepy crows and subtle manipulation that can overtake and change an entire town. Who do you trust when everyone seems to know your business and who you are?
With chilling twists and well placed turns this story ended with an explosive climax that I wish would have built up just a bit better. It seemed fast compared to the buildup but was satisfying and so unique.
The character build up could have been a bit better in some instances, but I think that could be due to the fact this is a series. Favorite character is definitely Leo, who softens the creepiness, just a bit.
Interesting, captivating, and definitely unique! Hidden Salem is a great choice for the paranormal twist you are looking for.
* Copy received for review consideration
Full Review - https://amidlifewife.com/hidden-salem...
July 13, 2020
Hidden Salem by Kay Hooper is book 19 in the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series. A big fan of this paranormal series , it was a good suspenseful read
I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
April 24, 2020
As hard as I tried, I couldn't finish the book. With that Kay Hooper gets regulated to the "retired" section of my reading.
Kay Hooper has been writing the same type of books for almost 30 years. What I loved about them, the psychic portion that made them new and different. The modern gothic scenery, which makes her books more mystery than murder. Became tired and stale. I didn't realize this until I started this book and realized that she was not the writer for me any longer.
For me it's sad when I have to retire an author. In ways I feel that the author and I have let each other down in some way. But if you are interested give her a try, but start where the books begins and work your way forward. You might find the books are written to your liking.
Kay Hooper has been writing the same type of books for almost 30 years. What I loved about them, the psychic portion that made them new and different. The modern gothic scenery, which makes her books more mystery than murder. Became tired and stale. I didn't realize this until I started this book and realized that she was not the writer for me any longer.
For me it's sad when I have to retire an author. In ways I feel that the author and I have let each other down in some way. But if you are interested give her a try, but start where the books begins and work your way forward. You might find the books are written to your liking.
June 12, 2020
This book is 280 pages of people talking about what to do, 10 pages of The Bad Thing Happens, and then it’s over. It was disappointingly not suspenseful or ominous in any way. No idea how it has such good ratings.
March 26, 2020
Hidden Salem by Kay Hooper is book 19 in the Bishop Series. I recently picked up reading Kay Hooper again. I will say her world is slightly difficult to pick back up but doable. Honestly this book was not what I was expecting. I was really confused at who the main couple was at first. I enjoyed that this didn't follow the first instinct formula. It was still a formula but not the obvious one. Fast pace, murder, mystery and romance. There were really three main characters and I liked that the third main character did not have a love interest or need one. This was a well written book and enjoyable. I give it a solid 3 stars.
April 7, 2020
This book is about what you come to expect from this series, but with a twist of a town being physic. And like normal you have one person that takes those talents and twists them, twists them so bad that Bishop and his guys need to come in and clean things up. Along the way the agents discover new things about themselves and their talents. I'm wondering though, how many people from the town Bishop tries recruit to his team.
July 9, 2020
2.5
Bishop's agent, Geneva, is in the little town of Salem because something hinky is going on. She's been in town for 2 weeks investigating undercover and already discovered a body that was ritually dismembered and subsequently cleaned up by the local militia. She's soon to be joined by her partner, Grayson, but he's not due for another few days. At the same time, Nellie Cavendish (another psychic) and her dog Leo, arrive in town because of something in her father's will...something about her being necessary to destroy an evil. While investigating, Geneva discovers a little girl has gone missing and goes off to investigate, but she gets caught and imprisoned. At the same time, Grayson shows up in town and worries about Geneva's disappearance, but she manages to escape and reunite with her partner...then, they recruit Nellie and work together with a local, Finn Deverell to figure out what's going on and how to rescue that missing girl.
This was pretty darn disappointing. I'm actually really glad I got this from my library because if I'd payed 13.99 for this, I'd be wanting my money back. This isn't a bad suspense story...it's adequate. It feels kinda formulaic I guess, but it doesn't put you to sleep and it is a more or less exciting story. But that's all it is. Otherwise, it's kind shallow and doesn't really have any depth...kinda the perfect beach read.
The characterization and lack of any development in this is where it suffers the most. For example, Duncan Cavendish is the villain, which is not a spoiler because we know this pretty much straight on through the story. He's your cardboard whackadoodle megalomaniac who wants more power and goes to insane lengths to get it. His intentions towards his niece (Nellie) aren't exactly clear - at some points I think he means to kill her, maybe absorb her power, but other times it's suggested he wants to run her out of town so he can have more time to get stronger. But he knows he's running out of time because she's about to turn 30 and that's when she gets powerful...I guess. So why he sits around and waits for her to make a move when he knows exactly where she is and that she's alone, is beyond me. He has the means and resources to have her killed, take her out, what have you...but for some reason he wants a showdown. I would have believed this much more if he'd had no idea who she was. Then you've got Nellie herself. She's pretty shy and retiring, not very confident in her powers and hesitant to use most of them. We learn a lot about her family history, but next to nothing about her life....nor why she's so scared to use her powers. We get no understanding of what makes Nellie tic (other than Leo who is absolutely frickin adorable). And then out of the blue one day she decides to confront her uncle and discovers all kinds of untapped and completely controllable powers. Okay... but why? and how?
And then you have Geneva and Grayson. Apparently these two have a history, but we get hints about it and nothing more. I suspect they slept together and somebody got scared or angry and this affected their working relationship. Except this isn't obvious because these two never really delve into the personal. They remain entirely professional throughout. I get the sense that they have been working together for a while and know each other well and that they have professional respect for each other's ability and that's where it ends. No chemistry, no UST, no personal sharing. They don't address any of their issues, they don't resolve any of their issues. (So why is this book tagged as a romance, huh?). We also don't learn anything about what makes these two tic. Grayson gets migraines and Geneva shuts down electronics. Nothing more about them. Who are they? What are their backgrounds? Why are they doing this? How do they feel about each other? And what was the point of Geneva getting kidnapped? From what I got, Finn, for some reason, imprisoned Geneva...why? To stall her? To fool everyone into thinking he was on their side? Maybe I missed it, but I never did get an explanation and she never did smack him for it (which would have been in character).
So I ended up with more questions than answers about all these boring characters...but at least the suspense kept moving (only a few slow spots) and Leo was frickin adorable. So I'm not sure if the author meant this as a start to another trilogy within the series, but she gotta step up her game if she's gonna keep us interested.
Bishop's agent, Geneva, is in the little town of Salem because something hinky is going on. She's been in town for 2 weeks investigating undercover and already discovered a body that was ritually dismembered and subsequently cleaned up by the local militia. She's soon to be joined by her partner, Grayson, but he's not due for another few days. At the same time, Nellie Cavendish (another psychic) and her dog Leo, arrive in town because of something in her father's will...something about her being necessary to destroy an evil. While investigating, Geneva discovers a little girl has gone missing and goes off to investigate, but she gets caught and imprisoned. At the same time, Grayson shows up in town and worries about Geneva's disappearance, but she manages to escape and reunite with her partner...then, they recruit Nellie and work together with a local, Finn Deverell to figure out what's going on and how to rescue that missing girl.
This was pretty darn disappointing. I'm actually really glad I got this from my library because if I'd payed 13.99 for this, I'd be wanting my money back. This isn't a bad suspense story...it's adequate. It feels kinda formulaic I guess, but it doesn't put you to sleep and it is a more or less exciting story. But that's all it is. Otherwise, it's kind shallow and doesn't really have any depth...kinda the perfect beach read.
The characterization and lack of any development in this is where it suffers the most. For example, Duncan Cavendish is the villain, which is not a spoiler because we know this pretty much straight on through the story. He's your cardboard whackadoodle megalomaniac who wants more power and goes to insane lengths to get it. His intentions towards his niece (Nellie) aren't exactly clear - at some points I think he means to kill her, maybe absorb her power, but other times it's suggested he wants to run her out of town so he can have more time to get stronger. But he knows he's running out of time because she's about to turn 30 and that's when she gets powerful...I guess. So why he sits around and waits for her to make a move when he knows exactly where she is and that she's alone, is beyond me. He has the means and resources to have her killed, take her out, what have you...but for some reason he wants a showdown. I would have believed this much more if he'd had no idea who she was. Then you've got Nellie herself. She's pretty shy and retiring, not very confident in her powers and hesitant to use most of them. We learn a lot about her family history, but next to nothing about her life....nor why she's so scared to use her powers. We get no understanding of what makes Nellie tic (other than Leo who is absolutely frickin adorable). And then out of the blue one day she decides to confront her uncle and discovers all kinds of untapped and completely controllable powers. Okay... but why? and how?
And then you have Geneva and Grayson. Apparently these two have a history, but we get hints about it and nothing more. I suspect they slept together and somebody got scared or angry and this affected their working relationship. Except this isn't obvious because these two never really delve into the personal. They remain entirely professional throughout. I get the sense that they have been working together for a while and know each other well and that they have professional respect for each other's ability and that's where it ends. No chemistry, no UST, no personal sharing. They don't address any of their issues, they don't resolve any of their issues. (So why is this book tagged as a romance, huh?). We also don't learn anything about what makes these two tic. Grayson gets migraines and Geneva shuts down electronics. Nothing more about them. Who are they? What are their backgrounds? Why are they doing this? How do they feel about each other? And what was the point of Geneva getting kidnapped? From what I got, Finn, for some reason, imprisoned Geneva...why? To stall her? To fool everyone into thinking he was on their side? Maybe I missed it, but I never did get an explanation and she never did smack him for it (which would have been in character).
So I ended up with more questions than answers about all these boring characters...but at least the suspense kept moving (only a few slow spots) and Leo was frickin adorable. So I'm not sure if the author meant this as a start to another trilogy within the series, but she gotta step up her game if she's gonna keep us interested.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2020
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have enjoyed this Bishop Special Crime Unit series for a long time. Sometimes the stories feature long known members of the team and some are completely new characters. With well known characters, there is the advantage of already knowing them and having better developed characters who then further progress. With new ones, it makes it easier for new readers to jump into the story.
Hidden Salem is a story with new characters. So even though this is book 19, it could be read out of order or possibly even standalone. I would read a few of the earlier books to understand the leadership and forming of the team, especially Bishop and Miranda, and also to know the inside terms and jokes.
I see this series as romantic suspense but there was no romance here. It followed a similar path to other books in the series. There's a big bad and the team has to figure out who it is and take them down if necessary. I liked Geneva and Grayson but they were not particularly well developed. This was also true of Nellie and Finn. Leo is my favorite character. Hidden Salem would have benefited from more emotional development of these characters perhaps with a romance or more of a "team" feeling with a few more characters from the series or updates on their current situations.
The investigation was suspenseful. Determining who were good guys vs. bad guys was tricky. I also kept wondering if there was going to be a romance. When things came to a showdown, it was over in a flash.
You will want to read the character bios, psychic terms and abilities, and author's note whether you are an old or new reader. These are at the end but I would read them first. Since all the key players in this book are new to the series, I would say the characters should have been developed here so they wouldn't need bios. But with this many books, I do appreciate the info verifying this is their first appearance in the series.
I love this series, along with Hidden Salem, as this is my favorite kind of paranormal, a specific kind of magic. The series is uneven with some books more romance, others more mystery. There are characters like Hollis, who is not in Hidden Salem, who is key in many other books. Bishop, and less so his wife, Miranda, are in nearly every book with varying degrees of involvement.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have enjoyed this Bishop Special Crime Unit series for a long time. Sometimes the stories feature long known members of the team and some are completely new characters. With well known characters, there is the advantage of already knowing them and having better developed characters who then further progress. With new ones, it makes it easier for new readers to jump into the story.
Hidden Salem is a story with new characters. So even though this is book 19, it could be read out of order or possibly even standalone. I would read a few of the earlier books to understand the leadership and forming of the team, especially Bishop and Miranda, and also to know the inside terms and jokes.
I see this series as romantic suspense but there was no romance here. It followed a similar path to other books in the series. There's a big bad and the team has to figure out who it is and take them down if necessary. I liked Geneva and Grayson but they were not particularly well developed. This was also true of Nellie and Finn. Leo is my favorite character. Hidden Salem would have benefited from more emotional development of these characters perhaps with a romance or more of a "team" feeling with a few more characters from the series or updates on their current situations.
The investigation was suspenseful. Determining who were good guys vs. bad guys was tricky. I also kept wondering if there was going to be a romance. When things came to a showdown, it was over in a flash.
You will want to read the character bios, psychic terms and abilities, and author's note whether you are an old or new reader. These are at the end but I would read them first. Since all the key players in this book are new to the series, I would say the characters should have been developed here so they wouldn't need bios. But with this many books, I do appreciate the info verifying this is their first appearance in the series.
I love this series, along with Hidden Salem, as this is my favorite kind of paranormal, a specific kind of magic. The series is uneven with some books more romance, others more mystery. There are characters like Hollis, who is not in Hidden Salem, who is key in many other books. Bishop, and less so his wife, Miranda, are in nearly every book with varying degrees of involvement.
April 7, 2020
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Thrillers / Suspense / Supernatural
*Rating* 3.5
*Thoughts*
Hidden Salem is the 19th installment in author Kay Hooper's Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series. After a very long time away from this series, I chose to see what I missed. In this story, Salem, a little, spooky town off the Appalachian trail, is the backdrop for the story. The story actually features (4) different characters: Geneva Raynor, Nellie Cavendish, Grayson Sheridan, and Finn Deverell. Geneva and Grayson are both members of the FBI's Special Crime Unit. They are both psychics who are called on by Bishop to investigate Salem.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Thrillers / Suspense / Supernatural
*Rating* 3.5
*Thoughts*
Hidden Salem is the 19th installment in author Kay Hooper's Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series. After a very long time away from this series, I chose to see what I missed. In this story, Salem, a little, spooky town off the Appalachian trail, is the backdrop for the story. The story actually features (4) different characters: Geneva Raynor, Nellie Cavendish, Grayson Sheridan, and Finn Deverell. Geneva and Grayson are both members of the FBI's Special Crime Unit. They are both psychics who are called on by Bishop to investigate Salem.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
April 24, 2020
An intriguing read that takes readers on another carousel of psychic world as some unique abilities come to light. Although most of the talents could be viewed as extantions of those seen in previous books it still manages a few surprises and offers its own set of questions. Still I prefer Kay Hopper's books that don't reveal the identity of the villain to the very end specifically in her Bishop stories.
It was never less an interesting edition to a remarkable series.
It was never less an interesting edition to a remarkable series.
March 11, 2020
So many agendas in this latest in the Bishop SCU series. The focal for this book in a small town named Salem which seems to be harboring evil but that said evil is is doing all it can to mask what is really going on.
SCU Agent Geneva Raynor has been uncover in the small town trying to get a feel for what's really happening in the town where 3 people have gone missing. Her psychic senses are only picking up static which in and of itself is very strange. Another SVU Agent, Grayson Sheridon is also sent to Salem to help Geneva but when he arrives she is missing.
Running perpendicular to that – a stranger named Nellie Cavendish is holed up on the outskirts of town with her pit bull. She has powers she doesn't fully understand and after receiving a letter from her father ten years after his death telling her to go to Salem she goes in hopes of figuring out her heritage. She can feel they evil in the town but has no idea how connected to it she really is.
I don't think this was the strongest of the series but captivating nonetheless. Would love to get more face time with Noah and Miranda in future books.
SCU Agent Geneva Raynor has been uncover in the small town trying to get a feel for what's really happening in the town where 3 people have gone missing. Her psychic senses are only picking up static which in and of itself is very strange. Another SVU Agent, Grayson Sheridon is also sent to Salem to help Geneva but when he arrives she is missing.
Running perpendicular to that – a stranger named Nellie Cavendish is holed up on the outskirts of town with her pit bull. She has powers she doesn't fully understand and after receiving a letter from her father ten years after his death telling her to go to Salem she goes in hopes of figuring out her heritage. She can feel they evil in the town but has no idea how connected to it she really is.
I don't think this was the strongest of the series but captivating nonetheless. Would love to get more face time with Noah and Miranda in future books.
April 22, 2020
90 percent of the book is just talking about what could be happening with disappearances and set up. The action is only a few pages at the end. I’m disappointed. No romance, not much character development. Not really much mystery. I haven’t read Kay Hooper in a long time, but remember really enjoying the Bishop group. It was ok, but I struggled to find enough interest to finish it.
May 23, 2023
Easy read. A little suspenseful.
Empaths, Clairvoyant, Dream-projecting, Telekinesis, Telepathy —-all called a Talent in the characters.
Lots of crows watching you, spying, thinking….creepy!
I loved Leo…a pit bull with a Talent!!!
Empaths, Clairvoyant, Dream-projecting, Telekinesis, Telepathy —-all called a Talent in the characters.
Lots of crows watching you, spying, thinking….creepy!
I loved Leo…a pit bull with a Talent!!!
Read
November 25, 2020Not rating this because it was definitely not my thing but it's in a popular series, so I'm sure it's good at doing its thing.
April 30, 2020
These Bishop books are always so clever and fascinating. I admit the Bethany story made me nervous for a bit. Each new “talent” is a revelation!!
December 4, 2020
There was a whole lot of build up for a confrontation that ended up a bit of a let down. I expected more from it. I do like the whole concept of the Bishop series but the last few books just haven't caught me the way the earlier books did. Also there is zero romance in this book and I miss that a bit.
November 27, 2020
I'm a fan of the series as a whole and that's why I keep reading them. This book was fine. It was an interesting set up. Nellies abilities were unique. But I felt like almost the whole book was talking. No action until the very end. I guess I like a bit of actual FBI work along with the psychic abilities.
July 18, 2020
This is the 19th Bishop/SCU book of the series. Yes, I remember them when they used to be good. This one...not so much.
Hooper spends 60% of the book getting the characters all in place in the sleepy North Carolina town of Salem. The characters include Genevea and Grayson who are SCU agents. They arrive at different times...not sure why...and eventually hookup. Nellie Cavendish is potential SCU agent. She has received a note from her dead father on her 29th birthday telling her that she must come to Salem to help solve someone unspoken problem (not sure why there was no sharing by dead Dad of the problem). She was also told to trust no one but Finn.
All get together eventually and try to figure out why people are disappearing and being sacrificed. It turns out Salem is run by 5 families with one guy being the manipulative psycho.
Story was very flimsy and the ending was rushed after going nowhere for 200 pages.
Hooper spends 60% of the book getting the characters all in place in the sleepy North Carolina town of Salem. The characters include Genevea and Grayson who are SCU agents. They arrive at different times...not sure why...and eventually hookup. Nellie Cavendish is potential SCU agent. She has received a note from her dead father on her 29th birthday telling her that she must come to Salem to help solve someone unspoken problem (not sure why there was no sharing by dead Dad of the problem). She was also told to trust no one but Finn.
All get together eventually and try to figure out why people are disappearing and being sacrificed. It turns out Salem is run by 5 families with one guy being the manipulative psycho.
Story was very flimsy and the ending was rushed after going nowhere for 200 pages.
September 27, 2020
I thought this was gonna be some sort of mystery thriller with a strong True Detective Season 1 vibe. Seriously, all the pieces were in place for that sort of quasi-southern-rural spooky woods-vibe occult thing.
Yeah, no.
There was a lot of build up and then, well, nothing really happened. A LOT of telling and not a lot of showing. A lot of preparation for an extremely anticlimactic and easy resolution. I was disappointed. This was my first Kay Hooper and I just don't think she's a good match for me. Also, I am really not sure why anyone is labelling this a romance, there was literally no romance in it AT ALL. Unless you're counting the weird boss guy and his wife, one scene total, talking over a case after having been woken from sleep.
Yeah, no.
There was a lot of build up and then, well, nothing really happened. A LOT of telling and not a lot of showing. A lot of preparation for an extremely anticlimactic and easy resolution. I was disappointed. This was my first Kay Hooper and I just don't think she's a good match for me. Also, I am really not sure why anyone is labelling this a romance, there was literally no romance in it AT ALL. Unless you're counting the weird boss guy and his wife, one scene total, talking over a case after having been woken from sleep.
December 14, 2020
This was my first Kay Hooper, but not her first book. Perhaps in the before times, she had an editor. This book sorely needed one.
I found myself re-reading whole paragraphs in the beginning because of all the grammatical errors. Throughout the book, there were extremely long sentences, six or seven phrases strung together that made no sense. In some instances, after re-reading several times, a meaning could be reached that fit the rest of the page. I prefer fluidity when reading fiction.
This was my last Kay Hooper.
I found myself re-reading whole paragraphs in the beginning because of all the grammatical errors. Throughout the book, there were extremely long sentences, six or seven phrases strung together that made no sense. In some instances, after re-reading several times, a meaning could be reached that fit the rest of the page. I prefer fluidity when reading fiction.
This was my last Kay Hooper.
August 4, 2020
I love the series but this book just wasn't for me.
April 3, 2023
This book is boring. There is no suspense, no mystery, we know who’s doing the murders from the beginning. Characters talk to each other, but no action until the very end. Dull.
March 20, 2020
4.5 Stars
This is the 19th book in the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series by Kay Hooper.
Kay Hooper is always a favorite read of mine. When I need a guilty pleasure book, she is an author I turn to in a pinch.
Basic premise: Nellie Cavandish has a history in Salem. She is a descendant of one of the five founding families. She barely knew her parents who left her in the hands of caregivers. On her 21st birthday she began to notice strange things. Crows always surround her and storms come and go depending on her moods. She has come to Salem on the eve of her 30th birthday looking for answers to all these unusual happenings.
Bishop, head of the Special Crimes Unit, has sent in Grayson and Geneva separately to investigate. Geneva gets kidnapped by a faction in town who are aligned with this book’s Big Bad. Geneva, Grayson and Nellie have to work together to bring down this Big Bad and free the crows and the townspeople from his villainy.
The backstory in this was pretty intense and lengthy. While I understand you need to relate a lot of this to have the book make more sense, I felt like so much was overkill. It seemed like the story didn’t really start until halfway through. By then I was finally getting a grasp about what this premise was about and who the main players were. With these Bishop novels, there are usually different main characters even though Bishop does always play a significant part as the boss of the unit.
For the people who have never read a Bishop novel, I thought a bit more should have gone into that particular backstory since the whole premise of his group is a little bizarre.
But overall, a very good read that I highly recommend you trying!
If you love a good mystery/thriller with some supernatural/paranormal aspects, definitely try this one on for size. You won’t be disappointed.
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
This is the 19th book in the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series by Kay Hooper.
Kay Hooper is always a favorite read of mine. When I need a guilty pleasure book, she is an author I turn to in a pinch.
Basic premise: Nellie Cavandish has a history in Salem. She is a descendant of one of the five founding families. She barely knew her parents who left her in the hands of caregivers. On her 21st birthday she began to notice strange things. Crows always surround her and storms come and go depending on her moods. She has come to Salem on the eve of her 30th birthday looking for answers to all these unusual happenings.
Bishop, head of the Special Crimes Unit, has sent in Grayson and Geneva separately to investigate. Geneva gets kidnapped by a faction in town who are aligned with this book’s Big Bad. Geneva, Grayson and Nellie have to work together to bring down this Big Bad and free the crows and the townspeople from his villainy.
The backstory in this was pretty intense and lengthy. While I understand you need to relate a lot of this to have the book make more sense, I felt like so much was overkill. It seemed like the story didn’t really start until halfway through. By then I was finally getting a grasp about what this premise was about and who the main players were. With these Bishop novels, there are usually different main characters even though Bishop does always play a significant part as the boss of the unit.
For the people who have never read a Bishop novel, I thought a bit more should have gone into that particular backstory since the whole premise of his group is a little bizarre.
But overall, a very good read that I highly recommend you trying!
If you love a good mystery/thriller with some supernatural/paranormal aspects, definitely try this one on for size. You won’t be disappointed.
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
July 7, 2020
This was a very chilling book. It takes place during January in a small town deeply hidden . It seems charming on the out side, but holds dark secrets wound around the five starting families of three hundred yrs ago that dug out a new home, and life. People are disappearing though in the last months. Hikers from the trail, or visitors, and even a young person from the town. A FBI paranormal team is placed there, not officially invited in due to danger, but needed all the same. An untried psychic is on her way , drawn there by her fathers letter, delivered ten years after his mysterious death. The characters were all believable, and the story tight, and filled with suspense. It is hard to stay hidden though in a town full of talents. The final evil they must face must revolve around two members of the same family. One filled with uncertainty , and disbelief, the other a sick and serial killer. I have loved this writer, and followed this series with pleasure. The ending was as forceful as you would expect, and it also contained a bit of an epilogue. 5 stars.
July 28, 2020
I had ordered the newest Kay Hooper from the library with a bit of trepidation as the last few books have been pretty bad. This one was better- not one of her best, but with newer characters Geneva Raynor and Grayson something (can't remember) from the SVU, a new Appalachian town filled with psychic families and their descendants, including good guys Nellie Cavendish and Finn Deverell- she has a clean slate to start fresh with these characters and the family history and settings that she's good at creating. The story itself is standard fare of good vs evil, missing people, vaguely occult aspects, and the quest for power by an unscrupulous villain with special powers who is willing to do terrible things to grow and keep his power. Nothing very new for this author/series in the plot. But I did really like the incorporation of the animals in this book--I think that new ability to understand animals as an empath/telepath is pretty cool. Am glad this one wasn't terrible. 2.5 stars rounded up.
April 3, 2020
This is easy, breezy romantic suspense with a little creepy paranormal thrown in for good measure.
Fun characters you really like, some dangerous situations, and a character straight out of a 1970’s horror movie round out the fun.
The read is fast, suspenseful and purely entertaining.
This was a very enjoyable read.
Also, though it’s book 19 in this series, you can start anywhere.
*ARC Provided via Net Galley
April 4, 2021
Nellie Cavendish received a letter from her dead father 10 years after his passing telling her she needed to go to Salem before her 30th birthday. She has no idea why but as the date draws closer she feels a pull she can't explain. She has buried her physic abilities her whole life and now she might need the to save her life and the town.
If you enjoy reading paranormal suspense I recommend this book for you.
If you enjoy reading paranormal suspense I recommend this book for you.
August 14, 2021
A fast paced read, continuing on the adventures of the psychic FBI unit. While some characters overlap from other entries in the series, it's easy to follow if this is your first Hooper novel. That being said, as a long time fan of the series, I find the series gets more and more ridiculous in terms of the psychic abilities.
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