Sacred Evil

Krewe of Hunters, Book 3

By: Heather Graham

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

The details of the crime scene are no coincidence. The body — a promising starlet — has been battered, bloodied and then discarded between two of Manhattan’s oldest graveyards. One look and Detective Jude Crosby recognizes the tableau: a re-creation of Jack the Ripper’s gruesome work. But he also sees something beyond the actions of a mere copycat. Something more dangerous...and unexplainable. As the city seethes with suspicion, Jude calls on Whitney Tremont, a member of the country’s preeminent paranormal investigating team, to put the speculation to rest. Yet when Whitney and Jude delve deeper, what they discover is more shocking than either could have predicted, and twice as sinister....

©2011 Heather Graham (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Dumb

What a dumb book.

The writing was riddled with inappropriate literary references and even a few misused words.

The premise, an FBI special unit comprised of agents with the ability to see ghosts, is strange, but whatever. I thought it would be fun. It was just dumb.

The female characters were all fluttery and dependent on the strong, decisive male characters.

The sex scenes were gratuitous, completely unnecessary to develop either the story or the characters.

The police procedural aspects were poorly conceived and executed.

The ending was predictable.

Why did I listen to the end? Two reasons. The narrator, Luke Daniels was pretty good. He is the reason I gave this title an overall two stars instead of one. The other reason is that I'm a compulsive reader and a book has to be abysmal for me to stop before the end.

If you like ghost stories, you might like this. If you like police procedurals, save your money.

Blatantly commercially driven and banal

Would you ever listen to anything by Heather Graham again?

This was my first book by Graham. The book has a somewhat interesting intrigue and started out okay. It then devolved into a hardly held together mix of ghosts, murder mystery, romance, celebrities and satanist cults from Victorian England. I would guess themes selected by careful marketing study of some book-buying subgroup of the market. It would take a master writer to make something sensible out of that list of preselected selling points, and Graham is not it. Banal dialogue, blatant holes in the plot and unbelievable characters that change when it suits the writer, rather than when it would fit their psychology. Lessons learned: marketing should not decide the contents of books. I really hope the selected audience for this book sees through this thin soup of a book. AND I will avoid Heather Graham in the future.

What character would you cut from Sacred Evil?

The characters start out okay, but change in ways that just don't fit. I mean; the cop who doesn't believe in ghosts accepts to work with a state-financed group of mediums - because "everything that might help the case is good"?! He is also a workoholic that never sleeps, but somehow manages to have bulging muscles to attract the female protagonist? And she majored in film studies a few years back, but now works as a full time medium for the FBI? Okay, it might be I expect too much of a book that is crafted merely to give a few cheap, entertaining chills to selected audiences. But be warned - if you expect more of books than that, keep far away from this one!

Enjoyable

Enjoyable but not rivitting. A look into the past and an insight into the crimes of Jack the Ripper

Would Have Been Good Except for All of the

The mystery portion of the book was OK but there was this very sophomoric romance that was a total distraction. Graham needs to decide ahead of time if she's writing a romance or a mystery -- then stick to the plan.

Luke Daniels did a good job with the narration.

Good book, not great, but good

I enjoyed the story of the special FBI team coming in to town to help. That story line was fun to follow. I liked the FBI main character as well. The "cop" main character wasn't as likable, I just didn't care enough to feel anything about him, he wasn't quite developed enough. The romance also, was too simpering for me and not believable. I enjoyed the "creepy" parts and the little bit of the twist, I also enjoyed the ending.

Awsome Book

A Jack the Ripper remake for the modern day. It was a great audiobook. The narrator made you feel as though you were right there. It kept you guessing right to the end. Definitely recommend this book.

Good storyline

What made the experience of listening to Sacred Evil the most enjoyable?

The storyline

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Somewhat

What does Luke Daniels bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a good narrator

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

I love Heather Graham's storyline about the Krewe of Hunters and the paranormal they investigate, but for me, there is too much he said, she said. I listened to other audiobooks and the narrator is able to distinguish the characters by changing his/her voice. It's okay sometimes, but seems like every sentence/paragraph is that way.

Series!

Read for Fun
Overall Rating 4.00
Story Rating 3.75
Character Rating 4.25

Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought When Finished: I am really enjoying the Krewe of Hunters!

What I Loved: The Team! I know each of them so well by now that it is always a joy when I hit half way through the book and they all show up! I wait for the moments where they are talking, working out the case, and in general offering support to each other. It seems silly but the team work is just part of what makes them shine! I love when authors can make you fall in love with the friends not just the romances in a story.

What I Liked: Whitney and Jude's romance was sweet and not overwhelming to the story. I would have liked for there to be a little more with the romance but that seems to be secondary in the Krewe stories. I am actually ok with this.

Audio Review: I love Luke Daniels and I think this was the best of audio of the series so far. Now I do recognize that he "reuses" voices from other series that he has narrated but that is only distracting for a few minutes in this entry.

Final Thought: If you like Paranormal Mystery/Thrillers I would say pick up this series.

Eh.

This book was ok. Not one of my faves for sure. I found some parts interesting but overall, probably won't read again.

this will keep you going

Where does Sacred Evil rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

right @ the top. you can sometimes work out the "who dune it".. not this time!!

What other book might you compare Sacred Evil to and why?

any one out there...a real good twist to it...

What does Luke Daniels bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

he keeps you on the end of your sofa.. xecelent job!!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

not so much the cry or laughing but sure sucked my breath in more than once...

Any additional comments?

I love the "who dune it" books .. this was a good one.. promise you wont be sorry ... you will never figure it out... go for it..have fun..