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Harrison Investigation #9
Unhallowed Ground
When Sarah McKinley is finally able to buy and restore the historic Florida mansion that she has always loved, she dismisses the horror stories of past residents vanishing and a long-dead housekeeper who practiced black magic. Then, in the midst of renovations, she makes a grim discovery. Hidden within the walls of Sarah's dream house are the remains of dozens of bodies—some dating back over a century.
The door to the past is blown wide open when Caleb Anderson, a private investigator, shows up at the mansion. He believes several current missing-persons cases are linked to the house and its dark past. Working together to find the connection and stop a contemporary killer, Sarah and Caleb are compelled to research the history of the haunted house, growing closer to each other even as the solution to the murders eludes them.
But there is one who knows the truth…a spirit who follows every move they make. Soon Caleb begins to fear that if he can't stay a step ahead, he could lose Sarah to a killer with an ability to transcend time in a quest for blood and sacrifice.
The door to the past is blown wide open when Caleb Anderson, a private investigator, shows up at the mansion. He believes several current missing-persons cases are linked to the house and its dark past. Working together to find the connection and stop a contemporary killer, Sarah and Caleb are compelled to research the history of the haunted house, growing closer to each other even as the solution to the murders eludes them.
But there is one who knows the truth…a spirit who follows every move they make. Soon Caleb begins to fear that if he can't stay a step ahead, he could lose Sarah to a killer with an ability to transcend time in a quest for blood and sacrifice.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 2009
366 people are currently reading
2340 people want to read
About the author
Heather Graham
583 books6,900 followersAlso published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.
Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.
She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.
Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.
Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.
She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.
Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
February 21, 2016
3.5 Stars
I really enjoyed this one. The history and details about St Augustine were interesting and the mystery kept me guessing right until the end. In fact, I was really rather gobsmacked at who the baddie(s) ended up being!
This would have been a 4 star book had it not been for Sarah, who was pretty much a bitch to Caleb for the first half of the book for no apparent reason at all. It was bizarre to say the least, and I just never warmed up to her character. Also, the sex scenes were ridiculously overly flowery in there descriptions. I admit I pretty much laughed out loud when reading them!
Overall though I love how this author writes her mysteries, so she has a fan in me!
I really enjoyed this one. The history and details about St Augustine were interesting and the mystery kept me guessing right until the end. In fact, I was really rather gobsmacked at who the baddie(s) ended up being!
This would have been a 4 star book had it not been for Sarah, who was pretty much a bitch to Caleb for the first half of the book for no apparent reason at all. It was bizarre to say the least, and I just never warmed up to her character. Also, the sex scenes were ridiculously overly flowery in there descriptions. I admit I pretty much laughed out loud when reading them!
Overall though I love how this author writes her mysteries, so she has a fan in me!
July 15, 2018
This is one of the better Harrison Investigation books. The couple are good together and I liked the ghost story. Very nice it wasn't set in New Orleans. (Sometimes, I really get tired of New Orleans.)
These books are always kind of fun because you have a paranormal element, but the real evil is being done by flesh and blood people.
Heather Graham is my go-to for a nice quick but suspenseful read.
These books are always kind of fun because you have a paranormal element, but the real evil is being done by flesh and blood people.
Heather Graham is my go-to for a nice quick but suspenseful read.
January 1, 2022
As much as I really wanted to love this book based on the blurb, it really fell short for me. The characters seemed shallow and thrown together. You have Sarah who goes from wanting to arrest Caleb to sleeping with him???? What's that all about? I felt there was more time put into the sex scenes fully described instead of the plot.
So many of the times the friends were just hanging out in the bar and it just seemed like excessive words. I did enjoy the back stories on the history of the house and town and wish more had been said to develop that.
The killer/s at the ending were very disappointing as the main killer played such a tiny part in the book. Plus there was no description really pulling the two characters together.
Too much that was just way to over the top for me and not enough character or story building.
So many of the times the friends were just hanging out in the bar and it just seemed like excessive words. I did enjoy the back stories on the history of the house and town and wish more had been said to develop that.
The killer/s at the ending were very disappointing as the main killer played such a tiny part in the book. Plus there was no description really pulling the two characters together.
Too much that was just way to over the top for me and not enough character or story building.
November 14, 2009
This is a great little ghost story. When Sarah buys her historic house and begins to renovate it, she finds out that there are bones in the walls. Along with that comes a ghost and the handsome new guy in town. She must find out more history on the house to try and figure out what happened in her house, and why there are girls in town disappearing. I really loved the history in this book. It was really interesting to read the memoir excerpts in the novel from the women of the past. It is a good novel if you like reading about legends.
July 24, 2013
sarah yg baru pindah ke rumah antik kaget dengan ditemukannya ratusan kerangka di balik dinding perpustakaannya yg mau dia restorasi....
ternyata rumah tempat sarah tinggal punya cerita msalalu yg berhubungan dengan pembunuhan berantai, penyihir dan gadis2 yg menghilang dan gak pernah ditemukan seratusan tahun lamanya...
caleb semacam detektif swasta yg ditugaskan oleh bos nya buat mencari anak temen bos nya yg menghilang selama 6 bulan tanpa kabar berita...
caleb pergi menyelidiki ke kota tempat sarah tinggal dimana si gadis yg dicari terakhir terlihat menuju kota itu..
di kota tsb juga terjadi kegemparan dengan menghilangnya seorang gadis lokal...
dan ada desas desus bahwa pembunuh berantai itu mengincar gadis berambut pirang...
sarah punya seorg sahabat yg cantik dan berambut pirang, caroline.
caleb dijuluki magnet penarik mayat krn dimanapun dia, selalu bertemu mayat...
pada saat mencari jenny (si gadis hilang) di danau, dia menemukan mayat laki2 di dalam mobil yg kondisinya sudah rusak parah..
walau keliatannya gak ada hubungannya dengan gadis2 yg hilang tapi caleb punya intuisi bahwa mayat laki2 tsb berhubungan dengan kasus yg dia cari jawabannya..
caleb merasakan ketertarikan instant kepada sarah...
sarah terkenal sebagai pribadi yg lumayan tertutup karena 3 tahun lalu dia kehilangan tunangannya akhibat perang...
sarah bekerja di museum lokal bersama caroline dan teman2 nya...
suatu malam sarah melihat penampakan hantu yg wajahny mirip sekali dengan caleb, sarah marah pada caleb karena dikira caleb menakuti dia menggunakan kostum kuno...padahal saat itu caleb sedang tidur dikamarnya..
akhirnya berdasarkan foto kuno yg caroline temukan, diketahui bahwa cato mc tavish, laki2 yg pernah memiliki rumah sarah berwajah sangat mirip dengan caleb dan ada kemungkinan merupakan moyang caleb..
cato di tuduh membunuh tunangannya sendiri (eleanora)dan juga gadis2 yg hilang pada masa perang saudara...
beberapa kali sarah dalam bahaya tapi muncul hantu cato buat menolongnya, so sarah gak percaya kalo cato seorg pembunuh...
sarah menemukan jurnal yg bercerita ttg seorg penyihir, martha tyler yg dulu sekali juga pernah tinggal di rumah itu...
martha penyihir jahat yg mengorbankan gadis2 muda buat diambil darahnya demi kepercayaan utk awet muda..
sampai khirnya penduduk menggantung martha yg di duga membunuh anak majikannya...
sebelum meninggal martha mengutuk kalau jurnal nya suatu hari akan ditemukan dan pembunuhan serupa akan terjadi..
so sarah dan caleb mencari jurnal tsb..
siapapun yg memilik jurnal tsb pasti si pembunuh yg meniru pembunuhan martha yg dilakukan ratusan tahun lalu dengan cara memeras darah korbannya sampa habis...
yg pasti si pembunuh adalah org di sekitar sarah yg sama sekali gak di curigai..
heather graham bagus banget dalam membuat novel thriller yg sarat hantu2 an...baca nya sampe menggigil..tapi tetep lanjut krn penasaran..
akhirnya semalam gak bobo sampe sahur dan sholat shubuh buat namatin buku ini...
gw kasih 4 bintang :)
March 30, 2013
I just started reading this author and I love her so far. This book was one of those I had a hard time putting down for the evening. The story was captivating, the characters were wonderful. I thought I knew "who done it" until it was revealed, and I was wrong. Very well written. Gotta get the rest in this series. Great book, but give yourself a lot of time to read it as you will not want to put it down.
February 11, 2010
The story was interesting but I didn’t feel involved with the characters. They are all so flat. I had a hard time keeping the secondary characters straight – which is a shame since they play such an integral role in the end. The villain came out of left-field and was rather disappointing.
meh... it was just okay. I won't be recommending it to others – either to read it or stay away from it.
meh... it was just okay. I won't be recommending it to others – either to read it or stay away from it.
October 19, 2015
Awesome book, great mystery, and who the bad turned out to be! Though the mystery of who put the bodies in the walls wasn't definitively figured out, we don't know for sure who did it!
October 12, 2018
The history and the suspense storyline were interesting. The romance was not. Sarah is a bitch for no apparent reason the first several times she and Caleb meet. Then suddenly, they have sex, she has a personality transplant, and they're in love ever after. It made no sense, was poorly explored and explained, and frankly, Caleb deserved better. This book actually would have been better if the romance had been left out altogether.
August 1, 2019
First I was going to mark this as DNF because I skipped from 42% to the end, but the ending wrapped up everything so perfectly that I actually didn't need to read anything from like 43-90%. So it's been read, bitches.
The mystery was a good one and had I not hated Sarah, I probably would have thoroughly enjoyed the story. But god damn she was just a dumb as shit, rude person. It's a thing for me. It might not be a thing for you. So I won't discourage anyone from reading it, but if you decide this isn't for you I'd still suggest giving this author's Krewe of Hunters series a shot. She has greatly improved since writing this book.
The mystery was a good one and had I not hated Sarah, I probably would have thoroughly enjoyed the story. But god damn she was just a dumb as shit, rude person. It's a thing for me. It might not be a thing for you. So I won't discourage anyone from reading it, but if you decide this isn't for you I'd still suggest giving this author's Krewe of Hunters series a shot. She has greatly improved since writing this book.
February 12, 2021
This was a pretty good book. I loved the characters, the twists, the creativity and imagination. This was written well with plenty of emotions, a little action, suspense, personalities (...entities) and has a good ending that will leave you with a smile on your face. Great for reading anytime, nighttime, passing time or just to while the day away. Enjoy!
June 25, 2018
Ahhhh.....my guilty pleasure! Such an enjoyable light summer read! Actually did make me almost want to go to St. Augustine, though.
July 19, 2019
An absorbing ghost story.
A serial killer that goes on for 150 years. Only Heather Graham could not only pull it off but make sense of all of it. The mystery is twisted and full of surprises.
A serial killer that goes on for 150 years. Only Heather Graham could not only pull it off but make sense of all of it. The mystery is twisted and full of surprises.
October 12, 2017
Repetitious drivel. Don't waste your time on this book or author.
October 31, 2011
Ok, I usually like Heather Graham, and this was no exception, but it wasn't up to her usual level. Normally I love the paranormal aspect of her mysteries, and the fact that she manages to write without needing vampires to make her paranormal, well paranormal. There are some really interesting side plots here that could have been far better developed, and of course a couple of steamy sex scenes.
This book felt a little unfinished to me, and I wonder if, as is too often the case, the usual rules of plot were set aside in favor of the romance aspect of the story, which was admittedly, well done, though I have some reservations about someone who goes from ready to have the hero arrested to ready to go to bed with him in a 30 second turn around. what works in romance novels would be seen very differently in real life.
It seemed that many of the characters did a lot of walking around and worrying, there was not a lot of actual action in the book, the main events being a recurring scene with several characters gathered in their favorite bar. What could have been a fascinating set of character studies, really seemed to just be waiting for something to happen. Even the MC seemed impatient with these scenes, as if there were something else the author wanted to do but for some reason had to slog through the bar scene first. I found myself wondering if there had been things cut from the first draft that would have made me feel less impatient. There was a very intriguing in the past storyline taking place in the civil war era, and a very intriguing storyline that happened in present day, but not a lot of continuity as to why the past was causing actual murders today, or what the antagonists were actually doing.
And that brings me to why I really don't recommend this book. Spoiler alert here people:
In the end, it is not any of the developed characters that are the villains. They are apparently still sitting at the bar. Nope, the villain is a character who is mentioned at the beginning of the story, who is such a minor character that I had to actually flip back to the front of the book to remind myself of who it was. The accomplice is equally unsatisfying, because there was nothing at all to indicate that the person was actually involved other than her apparent lack of concern. Even then, she was far less developed than a couple of other characters who it turned out, had nothing to do with the story. What WERE they actually doing with the victims? (Other than being dead, and apparently looking mauled, it was never explained that there was a point to the deaths.)It was never explained why there was a connection between the antagonists, the past and what was the deal with the old guy's daughter in between?
This book felt a little unfinished to me, and I wonder if, as is too often the case, the usual rules of plot were set aside in favor of the romance aspect of the story, which was admittedly, well done, though I have some reservations about someone who goes from ready to have the hero arrested to ready to go to bed with him in a 30 second turn around. what works in romance novels would be seen very differently in real life.
It seemed that many of the characters did a lot of walking around and worrying, there was not a lot of actual action in the book, the main events being a recurring scene with several characters gathered in their favorite bar. What could have been a fascinating set of character studies, really seemed to just be waiting for something to happen. Even the MC seemed impatient with these scenes, as if there were something else the author wanted to do but for some reason had to slog through the bar scene first. I found myself wondering if there had been things cut from the first draft that would have made me feel less impatient. There was a very intriguing in the past storyline taking place in the civil war era, and a very intriguing storyline that happened in present day, but not a lot of continuity as to why the past was causing actual murders today, or what the antagonists were actually doing.
And that brings me to why I really don't recommend this book. Spoiler alert here people:
In the end, it is not any of the developed characters that are the villains. They are apparently still sitting at the bar. Nope, the villain is a character who is mentioned at the beginning of the story, who is such a minor character that I had to actually flip back to the front of the book to remind myself of who it was. The accomplice is equally unsatisfying, because there was nothing at all to indicate that the person was actually involved other than her apparent lack of concern. Even then, she was far less developed than a couple of other characters who it turned out, had nothing to do with the story. What WERE they actually doing with the victims? (Other than being dead, and apparently looking mauled, it was never explained that there was a point to the deaths.)It was never explained why there was a connection between the antagonists, the past and what was the deal with the old guy's daughter in between?
October 2, 2014
I first read Unhallowed Ground before I started writing reviews. I loved it. I re-read it a few months ago and I still enjoyed it even after approaching it with a reviewer's mindset. Heather Graham is great at ghost stories, and from what I can tell, good with the romance genre. I enjoy Unhallowed Ground for the ghost story; I invite all romance readers to chime in with their opinions!
Unhallowed Ground tells the story of Sarah, a young historian living in St. Augustine, Florida. She is happily working as a tour guide and restoring her historic home when Caleb enters her life. Caleb has a unique connection to the spirit world and is sent to St. Augustine in search of a missing girl. Soon the two are entwined in mysteries, both ancient and modern, and they must find the answers to keep Sarah safe.
I love Sarah's antique home and have begged my husband, to no avail, to let me have one of my own. He definitely wouldn't say yes after reading this story! Graham does a wonderful job of describing modern settings that are entrenched with history. This allows readers to feel connected to the ghost story throughout the novel and fuels the suspense. This writing style keeps me coming back to the novel year after year.
I also enjoy reading Sarah and Caleb. Caleb is the best written character in Unhallowed Ground and I found his straight forward personality refreshing. I easily connected with Sarah's passion for history (I am a historian after all). That is all I'm going to say about the characters because I feel that getting to know them as your reading makes Unhallowed Ground more enjoyable. My biggest complaint is that the ending read too fast. I like to soak in the 'who dunnit' revelation, so I was a little disappointed at the speed but happy to be totally surprised at the end.
Unhallowed Ground is a great spooky cozy mystery to take with you on a late fall vacation. Who else has read Unhallowed Ground?
Lindsay
Unhallowed Ground tells the story of Sarah, a young historian living in St. Augustine, Florida. She is happily working as a tour guide and restoring her historic home when Caleb enters her life. Caleb has a unique connection to the spirit world and is sent to St. Augustine in search of a missing girl. Soon the two are entwined in mysteries, both ancient and modern, and they must find the answers to keep Sarah safe.
I love Sarah's antique home and have begged my husband, to no avail, to let me have one of my own. He definitely wouldn't say yes after reading this story! Graham does a wonderful job of describing modern settings that are entrenched with history. This allows readers to feel connected to the ghost story throughout the novel and fuels the suspense. This writing style keeps me coming back to the novel year after year.
I also enjoy reading Sarah and Caleb. Caleb is the best written character in Unhallowed Ground and I found his straight forward personality refreshing. I easily connected with Sarah's passion for history (I am a historian after all). That is all I'm going to say about the characters because I feel that getting to know them as your reading makes Unhallowed Ground more enjoyable. My biggest complaint is that the ending read too fast. I like to soak in the 'who dunnit' revelation, so I was a little disappointed at the speed but happy to be totally surprised at the end.
Unhallowed Ground is a great spooky cozy mystery to take with you on a late fall vacation. Who else has read Unhallowed Ground?
Lindsay
June 22, 2014
I had to give the second star because the premise was interesting enough that I read it all the way through, but this book was badly written. The author had some real problems with continuity, pacing, and how the characters spent their time while the author was trying to tell the story. I thought the characters were inconsistent and the ending was unconvincing.
On the plus side, as other reviewers have said, I was totally intererested in the history. I thought the male lead was the most dimensional character, I wanted to know more about him and Harrison investigations. Goodreads has this listed as part of a Harrison Investigations series.
Conversely, I had no interest in the female lead. I thought she was fairly two dimensional and I didn't care what happened to her. She was banal and I had a hard time believing she was an intelligent researcher. I love research mysteries, and that's also where the author blew it. When the historian started reading diaries from history, the voices were so bland and modern that I didnt believe for a minute that they were people from 150 years ago.
And of course, I hate the sex scenes. Everyone's romances were like horny teenagers. The tension between the characters was more intriguing before they slept together, and even if their affair needed to be consummated, I think it would have lent to the complexity of the story if the author had kept it behind closed doors. Trying to describe it to us just made it all the more shallow. Once again, I don't read romance novels and if I had thought that's what this was, I would have left it alone.
I picked up this book just from browsing the library shelves. The ghost story sounded so interesting, but both it and the writing were disappointing. How does this author merit half a shelf of her books at the library?
On the plus side, as other reviewers have said, I was totally intererested in the history. I thought the male lead was the most dimensional character, I wanted to know more about him and Harrison investigations. Goodreads has this listed as part of a Harrison Investigations series.
Conversely, I had no interest in the female lead. I thought she was fairly two dimensional and I didn't care what happened to her. She was banal and I had a hard time believing she was an intelligent researcher. I love research mysteries, and that's also where the author blew it. When the historian started reading diaries from history, the voices were so bland and modern that I didnt believe for a minute that they were people from 150 years ago.
And of course, I hate the sex scenes. Everyone's romances were like horny teenagers. The tension between the characters was more intriguing before they slept together, and even if their affair needed to be consummated, I think it would have lent to the complexity of the story if the author had kept it behind closed doors. Trying to describe it to us just made it all the more shallow. Once again, I don't read romance novels and if I had thought that's what this was, I would have left it alone.
I picked up this book just from browsing the library shelves. The ghost story sounded so interesting, but both it and the writing were disappointing. How does this author merit half a shelf of her books at the library?
November 24, 2018
Stars: 3 / 5
Recommendation: A neat blend of history and paranormal folded with romance and murder is what we see with this plot
Unhallowed Ground is the eighth book in the Harrison Investigation Series by the paranormal author Heather Graham published in January of 2009. The plot is centered around Sarah McKinley - a restoration historian assigned to a mansion to restore - and Caleb Anderson - a private investigator assigned to a missing persons case.
Long before her Krewe of Hunters series (My review of the books I have read in that series so far are here (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...)), she had her Harrison Investigation Series headed by Adam Harrison. She credits him for starting the FBI special division called the Krewe of Hunters. While I was reading those books I was curious to read about Adam Harrison and books that came under his series. And so the book reviews continue in this series.
Caleb Anderson, a private investigator of the Harrison Investigations, comes to St. Augustine, FL in search of a missing girl and gets sucked into another missing girl's case. Sarah McKinley recently bought a home with historical significance and is getting it restored. Their paths cross when old bones are found in Sarah's home.
Somehow the restoration opened a door into the nether world for Sarah and now she is caught in the middle of a killer's twisted mind blending the past with present. And Caleb has to do everything in his power to save Sarah from the killer as well as the haunting past.
In this installment, Harrison Investigations is involved from the beginning of the plot as opposed to them coming on later on giving the company a more solid form rather than just being a discussion point. A more detailed explanation is also given about what the Harrison Investigations do exactly.
As always we get historical tour of the different houses and places around St. Augustine in this plot, with references to a paranormal past.
Sarah and Caleb form a good team in finding the truth and hunting a killer. However, I felt a couple of loose ends in the plot that Heather hasn’t closed it effectively as she normally does in her other plots.
Heather does have a slew of characters supporting the plot again. With so many characters, there would be repeat paraphrasing of having to explain a particular scene to the remaining characters. However, it was lesser compared to some of her other books I read. She tied up all the inconsequential details in neatly towards the end of the plot as usual.
Although I am surprised at the number of grammatical and sometimes character errors I see in the books as the series progresses. Clearly who ever edits for Heather Graham isnt doing a good job.
On a side note, in the copy of the book that I have, hard card inserts that gives reader an opportunity to either join a book club and win books, or buy a book and get a few free, were torn by someone who owned this book prior to me. Finally I found a book where someone used those cards for real.
Another intriguing paranormal plot heavily doused on history filled with murder, mystery, romance and ghosts. A tale that captures one easily till the end.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Plot Reveals:
a. Heather Graham talks about a serial killer in Chicago in the 1800s who was worse than Jack the Ripper. I believe she is talking about Dr. Henry Howard Holmes or more commonly known as H. H. Holmes.
b. Heather Graham also talks about a haunted castle in Ireland. That reminded me of the second book in this series, The Presence (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), which was set in a castle in Ireland that was famed to be haunted and the lead heroine Antoinette "Toni" Fraser restored it and managed the haunted tours while the lead hero Laird Bruce MacNiall was the owner of that castle.
c. The M. E. on the case is named Florence Benson and he jokes that his parents were huge fans of Ziegfeld Follies. And naturally I looked up as to what it was. They were a series of Boradway productions in New York City between 1907 and 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. More about them here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziegfel.... However if I find these shows online somewhere I would love to watch, quite an intriguing story they have.
d. Some of the classic and old films that Heather has her characters watch in the plot are: the 1951 American film The African Queen, the 1953 American film From Here to Eternity. And now they are added to my list of movies to watch.
2. Sub-Plots:
a. Another one of Adam Harrison's team is introduced in conversations - John, in the first book Hanuted. Will he become a main character in a future book is something we have to wait and see.
b. In Haunted, Adam Harrison mentions that the case in London is complex and would be solved another time, hence he has come to Stoneyville to aid Darcy Tremayne. I wonder if Heather Graham would make this little tidbit into a plot for a future book in this series or the Krewe of Hunters series.
c. In The Vision, Heather Graham has one of her characters, Jack, mention about a guy killing prostitutes around Eighth Street in Miami. I don’t remember any of Heather Graham's so far read plots that has this certain plot. Perhaps it is from one of the books I didn’t read or maybe it was just an off-hand instead mentioned for the sake of the plot.
d. In the Dead Room, Brent Blackhawk is shown to be out in Los Angeles on a case. Adam Harrison is scheduled to head to London from Manhattan the following day for a case. I wonder if Heather's next plot would be in Los Angeles or London.
3. Grammatical / Historical / Location / Character Errors:
a. On Pg. 25, Line 8, it should be "…couple of nights ago with a group…."
b. On Pg. 58, Line 2 from bottom, it should be "…who had been asked by…"
c. On Pg. 79, Line 6 from bottom, it should be "….It will be better once…"
d. On Pg. 89, Line 5, it should be "…wide selection of rolls and breads…"
e. On Pg. 107, Line 22, it should be, "…I could be of more help."
f. On Pg. 150, Line 14, it should be "..shook her head."
g. On Pg. 208 and 209, Heather shows Caleb Anderson and Sarah McKinley sitting on the couch. But on Pg. 210, she mentions that Sarah was standing very close to Caleb. When did they stand in between I couldn’t find.
h. On Pg. 249, Line 10 from bottom, it should be "…Let me tell you what I know…"
i. On Pg. 262, Line 19, it should be "..of the smaller of the old…"
j. On Pg. 282, Line 18, it should be "…keeps on repeating itself."
Recommendation: A neat blend of history and paranormal folded with romance and murder is what we see with this plot
Unhallowed Ground is the eighth book in the Harrison Investigation Series by the paranormal author Heather Graham published in January of 2009. The plot is centered around Sarah McKinley - a restoration historian assigned to a mansion to restore - and Caleb Anderson - a private investigator assigned to a missing persons case.
Long before her Krewe of Hunters series (My review of the books I have read in that series so far are here (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...)), she had her Harrison Investigation Series headed by Adam Harrison. She credits him for starting the FBI special division called the Krewe of Hunters. While I was reading those books I was curious to read about Adam Harrison and books that came under his series. And so the book reviews continue in this series.
Caleb Anderson, a private investigator of the Harrison Investigations, comes to St. Augustine, FL in search of a missing girl and gets sucked into another missing girl's case. Sarah McKinley recently bought a home with historical significance and is getting it restored. Their paths cross when old bones are found in Sarah's home.
Somehow the restoration opened a door into the nether world for Sarah and now she is caught in the middle of a killer's twisted mind blending the past with present. And Caleb has to do everything in his power to save Sarah from the killer as well as the haunting past.
In this installment, Harrison Investigations is involved from the beginning of the plot as opposed to them coming on later on giving the company a more solid form rather than just being a discussion point. A more detailed explanation is also given about what the Harrison Investigations do exactly.
As always we get historical tour of the different houses and places around St. Augustine in this plot, with references to a paranormal past.
Sarah and Caleb form a good team in finding the truth and hunting a killer. However, I felt a couple of loose ends in the plot that Heather hasn’t closed it effectively as she normally does in her other plots.
Heather does have a slew of characters supporting the plot again. With so many characters, there would be repeat paraphrasing of having to explain a particular scene to the remaining characters. However, it was lesser compared to some of her other books I read. She tied up all the inconsequential details in neatly towards the end of the plot as usual.
Although I am surprised at the number of grammatical and sometimes character errors I see in the books as the series progresses. Clearly who ever edits for Heather Graham isnt doing a good job.
On a side note, in the copy of the book that I have, hard card inserts that gives reader an opportunity to either join a book club and win books, or buy a book and get a few free, were torn by someone who owned this book prior to me. Finally I found a book where someone used those cards for real.
Another intriguing paranormal plot heavily doused on history filled with murder, mystery, romance and ghosts. A tale that captures one easily till the end.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Plot Reveals:
a. Heather Graham talks about a serial killer in Chicago in the 1800s who was worse than Jack the Ripper. I believe she is talking about Dr. Henry Howard Holmes or more commonly known as H. H. Holmes.
b. Heather Graham also talks about a haunted castle in Ireland. That reminded me of the second book in this series, The Presence (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), which was set in a castle in Ireland that was famed to be haunted and the lead heroine Antoinette "Toni" Fraser restored it and managed the haunted tours while the lead hero Laird Bruce MacNiall was the owner of that castle.
c. The M. E. on the case is named Florence Benson and he jokes that his parents were huge fans of Ziegfeld Follies. And naturally I looked up as to what it was. They were a series of Boradway productions in New York City between 1907 and 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. More about them here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziegfel.... However if I find these shows online somewhere I would love to watch, quite an intriguing story they have.
d. Some of the classic and old films that Heather has her characters watch in the plot are: the 1951 American film The African Queen, the 1953 American film From Here to Eternity. And now they are added to my list of movies to watch.
2. Sub-Plots:
a. Another one of Adam Harrison's team is introduced in conversations - John, in the first book Hanuted. Will he become a main character in a future book is something we have to wait and see.
b. In Haunted, Adam Harrison mentions that the case in London is complex and would be solved another time, hence he has come to Stoneyville to aid Darcy Tremayne. I wonder if Heather Graham would make this little tidbit into a plot for a future book in this series or the Krewe of Hunters series.
c. In The Vision, Heather Graham has one of her characters, Jack, mention about a guy killing prostitutes around Eighth Street in Miami. I don’t remember any of Heather Graham's so far read plots that has this certain plot. Perhaps it is from one of the books I didn’t read or maybe it was just an off-hand instead mentioned for the sake of the plot.
d. In the Dead Room, Brent Blackhawk is shown to be out in Los Angeles on a case. Adam Harrison is scheduled to head to London from Manhattan the following day for a case. I wonder if Heather's next plot would be in Los Angeles or London.
3. Grammatical / Historical / Location / Character Errors:
a. On Pg. 25, Line 8, it should be "…couple of nights ago with a group…."
b. On Pg. 58, Line 2 from bottom, it should be "…who had been asked by…"
c. On Pg. 79, Line 6 from bottom, it should be "….It will be better once…"
d. On Pg. 89, Line 5, it should be "…wide selection of rolls and breads…"
e. On Pg. 107, Line 22, it should be, "…I could be of more help."
f. On Pg. 150, Line 14, it should be "..shook her head."
g. On Pg. 208 and 209, Heather shows Caleb Anderson and Sarah McKinley sitting on the couch. But on Pg. 210, she mentions that Sarah was standing very close to Caleb. When did they stand in between I couldn’t find.
h. On Pg. 249, Line 10 from bottom, it should be "…Let me tell you what I know…"
i. On Pg. 262, Line 19, it should be "..of the smaller of the old…"
j. On Pg. 282, Line 18, it should be "…keeps on repeating itself."
November 21, 2014
"Hallowed Ground" is much better than average for what it is--a paranormal bodice-ripper in an intriguing historical setting with appealing characters. It resembles an engaging Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden book for grownups. It is Book 7 in the Harrison Investigation Series, about a company whose investigators have talents for communicating with the dead and other aspects of the paranormal, often in historic settings.
In "Unhallowed Ground," a group of friends, including several historians who are docents in a private history museum in St. Augustine, become involved with the investigation of several murdered and missing young women, and it is beginning to look like a serial killer is on the loose. Graham brings in St. Augustine (and vicinity) history and folklore, including stories about Chief Osceola, the Castillo, the potters field where the sinful were buried, Creole black magic, and the ritual "black drink" used by Native Americans in Florida.
This is a fun read, with a good bit of sly humor and both grisly and sexy bits. It has an over-the-top denouement.
One factor that pushed this to 4 stars for me was that it made me look up things. There really was a "black drink" and Cassadaga, Florida, still has a Spiritualist camp and is known for its psychics. It also made me want to visit St. Augustine.
"Hallowed Ground is fun and delicious. Even better, it arouses one's curiosity. Nice one! I plan to read the rest of the series.
In "Unhallowed Ground," a group of friends, including several historians who are docents in a private history museum in St. Augustine, become involved with the investigation of several murdered and missing young women, and it is beginning to look like a serial killer is on the loose. Graham brings in St. Augustine (and vicinity) history and folklore, including stories about Chief Osceola, the Castillo, the potters field where the sinful were buried, Creole black magic, and the ritual "black drink" used by Native Americans in Florida.
This is a fun read, with a good bit of sly humor and both grisly and sexy bits. It has an over-the-top denouement.
One factor that pushed this to 4 stars for me was that it made me look up things. There really was a "black drink" and Cassadaga, Florida, still has a Spiritualist camp and is known for its psychics. It also made me want to visit St. Augustine.
"Hallowed Ground is fun and delicious. Even better, it arouses one's curiosity. Nice one! I plan to read the rest of the series.
May 19, 2011
Heather Graham has always been hit or miss with me. This one is great until the very end where the bad guy suddenly "comes out of the closet" rather abruptly. It almost seemed as if the characters weren't getting to the correct conclusion fast enough, so the author just throw the confession out there. This would have had a 5 star rating except for the ending.
Out-of-towner Caleb Anderson is in St. Augustine searching for two women gone missing a year apart. Caleb is a paranormal investigator usually investigating something ghost related. Here he is in the ghost capital of the US so something ghostly definitely has to be happening. Sarah McKinley is a native who just returned to St. Augustine and purchased an historical mansion. During the renovations, bones have been discovered in one of the walls. The mysteries keep adding up: a body washes ashore, a man is found in the river dead in his car, a woman is attacked but survives, one of the investigators is acting suspicious, the appearance of a civil war ghost, and we can't forget about the disturbed earth in the cemetery.
I was disappointed in the ending but all the events leading up to it were very suspenseful and there wasn't any clues to the baddie. I hadn't a clue and was genuinely surprised.
Out-of-towner Caleb Anderson is in St. Augustine searching for two women gone missing a year apart. Caleb is a paranormal investigator usually investigating something ghost related. Here he is in the ghost capital of the US so something ghostly definitely has to be happening. Sarah McKinley is a native who just returned to St. Augustine and purchased an historical mansion. During the renovations, bones have been discovered in one of the walls. The mysteries keep adding up: a body washes ashore, a man is found in the river dead in his car, a woman is attacked but survives, one of the investigators is acting suspicious, the appearance of a civil war ghost, and we can't forget about the disturbed earth in the cemetery.
I was disappointed in the ending but all the events leading up to it were very suspenseful and there wasn't any clues to the baddie. I hadn't a clue and was genuinely surprised.
January 15, 2023
I can't believe how much I hated this book. To start, I have read 4 Krewe of Hunters and the Flynn trilogy and enjoyed all of those. I got this book in a used book sale and have never read a Harrison Investigation before. So maybe all of the characters in this series are complete idiots, I don't know. But everyone was awful, except Caleb. Everyone's reactions to events were crazy (and I'm trying to use that word less flippantly but it is the only appropriate word here). The women were written terribly and/or treated terribly. I hated Sarah very quickly, but I will admit that I was pulled into the story and wanted to know who did it (past and present) so I forced myself through this mess. I was planning on giving it two stars, then I read the ending. With maybe 10 pages left, it's as if the author realized that she needed to wrap up her story and pick someone to be held responsible, so the ending is rushed, and boring, and uncreative. So, 1 star for this nonsense. Also, OMG that is not how museums or archives work. at. all.!!! This book made me so mad! Caleb should have run screaming back to VA to get away from these ridiculous people. I think it's going to be a long time before I go back to the Krewe of Hunters series, if I ever go back at all.
December 21, 2009
I liked Heather Graham's books back when she wrote historical romance and I was hardcore into reading romance novels, so when I saw this at the store, I bought it on a whim. And hey, I'm a fan of supernatural romance novels, so I figured what the hell. Must say I was very disappointed (except for the very cool creepiness of finding bones in the walls of her house). Way too much padding of dialogue and scenes, not nearly creepy enough, except for the bones, and ideas that were introduced and then just went nowhere. I never suspected who the villains ended up being, but they came so completely out of left field, with about two sentences of motivation thrown in at the end, that it still wasn't believable. I think she focused more on the detective-mystery part of the story, when I definitely wanted more of the supernatural, and not just on a surface level.
November 16, 2015
I cannot, in all good consciousness, give this book a high rating. I have read others by this author and under this publisher, and liked what I read. With this book...sigh. I was intrigued by the premise. The prologue pulled me in. But then you couldn't go five pages without an editing error smacking you in the face and pulling you out of the story. The poor editing (or in this case, apparent lack thereof) that has, unfortunately, become synonymous with certain publishers these days is my biggest reading peeve. I have never been so angry and disappointed with a book from this author or publisher and, as a consumer, feel cheated. When I shell out money for a product -- any product -- I expect quality. This wasn't it.
March 9, 2015
This book had so much promise, but after the prologue just fell flat on its face. I honestly don't understand how this author could have over 100 books written. The pacing and continuity were awful, the main characters were very one dimensional, and Graham has an annoying habit of telling, rather than showing action. And the big twist ending? There was no indication whatsoever that this person was the killer, nor any reason given for it. It was not guessable because it wasn't in any way shape or form even presented as an option. I suspect she drew names from a hat. I only kept reading because I hate to leave a book unfinished.
July 31, 2012
In this latest offering, the hero is actually an investigator of Harrison Investigation who doesn't believe in ghosts, until he sees a ghost that looks exactly like himself.
Although I like a mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very end, I do have a criticism about this series on the eventual revelation of the killer(s).
Still, another good read.
Although I like a mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very end, I do have a criticism about this series on the eventual revelation of the killer(s).
Still, another good read.
October 21, 2009
This book was actually pretty good, I didn't guess who "done it" right away. The only complaint I have is that the ending was wrapped up way to quickly, some parts of the story were left unanswered and there was no real follow-up.
April 12, 2012
In a word...ridiculous. Especially the ending.
September 12, 2012
I picked this book up on a trip to Orlando. I had no idea it was book number 7, and have yet to read the others. But, even late into the series, I very much enjoyed this book.
April 13, 2025
Buku ke-9 Harrison Investigation, dulu pas baca Ghost Walk gue borong tuh pas sale gramed.
Kali ini settingnya di St. Augustine di mana beberapa gadis hilang dan sebelum mereka hilang ini, mereka kayak tertarik sama hal-hal serem soal sihir, hantu, dll. So, ini bikin yang punya agensi Harrison mengirim Caleb Anderson ke St. Augustine. Female Lead kita, Sarah McKinley baru beli rumah kuno dan dia lagi ngerenovasi rumah impiannya itu sampai-sampai pas ada dinding yang mau dirobohin, ditemukanlah tulang-belulang manusia dari abad 18. Gak disangka penemuan mayat beberapa gadis yang hilang berhubungan dengan rumah yang dibeli Sarah, dan mereka berdua menyadari kalo di masa kini ada yang mengulang sejarah kelam rumah itu dan penghuninya yang berhubungan dengan gadis-gadis yang menghilang di abad 18.
Ceritanya masih seputar hantu-hantuan ya. Tapi gue suka banget misterinya walau di bagian akhir penyelesaiannya kayak pendek bener. Di bagian klimaks apalagi, kek kurang greget ajah. Gue awal-awal udah menduga beberapa pelaku dan salah satunya bener yak walau pelaku satunya bener-bener bikin gue kek, hahh??? Tapi okelah, gue cukup menikmati buku ini.
Kali ini settingnya di St. Augustine di mana beberapa gadis hilang dan sebelum mereka hilang ini, mereka kayak tertarik sama hal-hal serem soal sihir, hantu, dll. So, ini bikin yang punya agensi Harrison mengirim Caleb Anderson ke St. Augustine. Female Lead kita, Sarah McKinley baru beli rumah kuno dan dia lagi ngerenovasi rumah impiannya itu sampai-sampai pas ada dinding yang mau dirobohin, ditemukanlah tulang-belulang manusia dari abad 18. Gak disangka penemuan mayat beberapa gadis yang hilang berhubungan dengan rumah yang dibeli Sarah, dan mereka berdua menyadari kalo di masa kini ada yang mengulang sejarah kelam rumah itu dan penghuninya yang berhubungan dengan gadis-gadis yang menghilang di abad 18.
Ceritanya masih seputar hantu-hantuan ya. Tapi gue suka banget misterinya walau di bagian akhir penyelesaiannya kayak pendek bener. Di bagian klimaks apalagi, kek kurang greget ajah. Gue awal-awal udah menduga beberapa pelaku dan salah satunya bener yak walau pelaku satunya bener-bener bikin gue kek, hahh??? Tapi okelah, gue cukup menikmati buku ini.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2022
I wasn't crazy about this book, but it was available when I had time to kill. Ironically (really, there is no such thing, right?) I was also reading THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS by Lisa Wingate. The similarities were a bit disturbing that I came across these two books randomly and happened to start them at the same time without knowing anything about them.
This book takes place in St. Augustine, FL and relates to nefarious activities that took place during the civil war/reconstruction in a plantation mansion turned mortuary. Wingate's book takes place in Augustine, LA. The chapters go back and forth between "now" (2009?, cell phones factor in the story) and "then" during the War of Northern Aggression (the Wingate book contrasts 1987 with 1875). Both books uncover secrets long hidden within the old house, and both reveal previously unknown genetic relationships to confederates. If I had to choose between the books, I would pick Wingate's, but UNHALLOWED GROUND was a decent companion for passing the time.
This book takes place in St. Augustine, FL and relates to nefarious activities that took place during the civil war/reconstruction in a plantation mansion turned mortuary. Wingate's book takes place in Augustine, LA. The chapters go back and forth between "now" (2009?, cell phones factor in the story) and "then" during the War of Northern Aggression (the Wingate book contrasts 1987 with 1875). Both books uncover secrets long hidden within the old house, and both reveal previously unknown genetic relationships to confederates. If I had to choose between the books, I would pick Wingate's, but UNHALLOWED GROUND was a decent companion for passing the time.
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