Customer Reviews

Calling the Dead

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Calling The Dead is the latest release by author Ali Vali. This is the beginning of a new series and it's off to a great start. This is a romantic intrigue lesfic book, one that is a departure from Ali's "Devil" series in that the main character is a cop, Sept Savoie who's focus is bringing the "bad guy" to justice. She meets and falls for a woman who we hope will figure strongly in the future books of this series, Keegan Blanchard, a chef and part of a family dynasty in New Orleans.

If memory serves me correctly, Sept Savoie did make a cameo appearance in the last "Devil" book, Deal with the Devil, which serves as a nice segue into this new series. It's clear to me that Casey, from the Devil series would get along great with Sept.

This book is darker than the other books that Ali Vali has written, with some hard-to-read scenes. However, those scenes are important for the story and the connection with the Santeria religion. Santeria is the religion that some people refer to as "voodoo".

I love how Ali Vali brings her love of the city of New Orleans into her books. It's clear that she has a passion for the city when you read her books and get a feel for the culture of New Orleans and the French Quarter.

I recommend this book. If you are like me, hungerly waiting for her next "Devil" book to be released, you'll find that you now have 2 series that you are invested in. This new "Sept Savoie" series figures to be a great one. Enjoy it!

I found this book to be another of Ali Vali's great works. Great characters and a gripping plot that will lead you to an end that you did not expect. WONDERFUL!!!!!!!

How bad would your life have to be for you to find that chasing a serial killer is a welcome distraction? Detective Sept Savoie finds herself in that position. Hurricane Katrina didn't just cause physical damage in New Orleans, but left psychological scars on all of the people who were there. Sept got her unusual name because she was the seventh child in the family, but now there are only six. The flood waters took her beloved sister and her young niece and the family is struggling to recover from the loss. Her brother-in-law is walking a thin edge of sanity and Sept tries to cope with the stresses by devoting herself to the family business, being a top police officer. The first body that turns up outside of a restaurant seems to be a routine murder and the logical suspect is the restaurant owner Keegan Blanchard. The Blanchards are an old New Orleans family represented in the current generations by very feisty, independent women. That guarantees an immediate clash between Sept and Keegan that quickly grows into an attraction as more bodies turn up and it becomes clear that the serial killer who is on the loose isn't Keegan. As the crimes unfold, ritual overtones of voodoo and Santeria begin to emerge and the killer switches from random killing to waging a personal attack on Sept. She begins to worry that her growing relationship with Keegan could be dangerous to the Blanchard family, especially when the evidence indicates the killer might be someone close to her. The authorities expect Sept to rescue the city from this horror, which she tries desperately to do while holding her family together and protecting Keegan from being swept into the madness.

Ali Vali uses New Orleans as a character in Calling the Dead. The unique culture sets the mood of the book in a way that could only occur in this city. As a survivor of Katrina, Vali is able to capture the brooding overtones of the city and evoke the destruction that was created in the people's lives. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are the descriptions of what happened to the people during the flooding and to the city in the aftermath. Vali also takes you into the twisted mind of the killer so that the reader can understand what is motivating him even while sharing the horror of what he is doing.

The nightmare that was Katrina had a residual effect of creating a powerful storytelling voice in Vali. Always an accomplished writer, the books she has set in this environment have been particularly strong and demonstrate her ability to pull a reader into a story. Calling the Dead is one of those books that the reader doesn't want to end and presents characters that would be worth using in another story. This one goes into the "keeper" category.

While all of Ali Valli's books are great reads, this one kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Everytime I thought I knew whodunnit, I was constantly proven wrong. It wasn't until the very end that I learned who the murderer was, and it was never who I thought. Her characters are well developed, the subject matter thoroughly researched, and the dialogue believable. If you like mysteriers and romance, Calling the Dead has it all.

I own all of Ali Vali books. I enjoy reading them over and over.

I was hoping this would be a continuation of the 'Casey family' Saga.
It wasn't, maybe I was too excited to purchase before reading the synopsis.

There were too many gruesome scenes for me. It was played over and over too many times. I had a problem connecting with the characters.

To be fair and honest this caliber of book should be considered for main stream. Ali Vali is an excellent writer (ALTHOUGH her editor missed some grammar errors...SIGH!)
With a bit more polish there is no reason this book could not go toe to toe with a Patricia Cromwell murder mystery.

My Partner who enjoys the blood and gore gave it 5 stars, I hated it!
So, I split the difference ;-)

This is one you have to decide on your own depending on your own taste and how much gore you can stand

calling the dead is a very well developed narrative. the characters aren't very complex, but they don't really need to be in a book like this: tough-as-nails New Orleans police detective meets spicy executive chef while working a homicide investigation. they fall for each other and begin to forge a new relationship. meanwhile a deranged serial killer wreaks havoc on the city, ultimately hitting a little too close to home. the final showdown was wrapped up a little too neatly, but still a very pleasurable read.

I have all of Ms. Vali's books and this one is among the favorites now! If it truly becomes a series then it will be equal to the Cain stories. What I liked about this book is the characters are just your everyday folks you can relate to. A detective who is just trying to stop a mad person and a chef that just begs you to want to come to New Orleans just to try the restaurants and foods. As other reviews have noted you can just feel the passion Ms. Vali has for this city, and through her writing you can just imagine being there. She has great sensitivity to the devastation of Katrina, but gives you a sense of the characters loses and strengths to move forward. I found the book to be humorous in the right spots, sensitive to the conditions, and yes some what graphic with the murder scenes, but over all it makes a great read! Pls Ms. Vali, get the next one out with this new series, right after the next Cain book...smile

to perfect. The villain is in plain sight the whole time. And then I got to thinking (about 20 pages from the end of the book) that this author does not make things that simple for you so . . . read it to find out. All in all a good book but I hated the ended as it just kind of leaves you hanging there (waiting for a sequel, I suspect).

Ali Vali is a spectacular author. I first read her on-line (http://www.blmiller.net/room/romance/how1.html) and would love to see a novel furthering the exploits of Dr. Harry and Desi.

The entire 'Dead' series is certainly one of my very favorites and on my bookshelf for 3rd, 4th etc. readings.

You can't go wrong with anything Ali Vali writes!

I grew up just outside of Biloxi, MS, and spent many of my teenage weekends in the proud city of New Orleans. I moved away about 12 years ago and didn't go back until a few months ago. More than two years after the devastating Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf Coast region still seems like a ghost town compared to its pre-storm glory. It feels as though that entire part of my life has disappeared, which is quite devastating. I tell you this because if after losing her sister and niece to the storm, Detective Sept Savoie felt half as empty as I did then she is truly an amazing woman (albeit fictional).

The storm not only took her family, it destroyed her brother-in-law, it destroyed her city, and it took her passion for life. She merely exists day-to-day, going to work and making the best of things. Sept is called to investigate a homicide and ends up chasing a serial killer. Of her suspects is her brother-in-law and the lovely Keegan Blanchard. Keegan is the daughter of a wealthy family and is the chef in her own successful restaurant. For some reason, Keegan and Sept find it impossible to ignore the magnetic pull between them but Sept has a case to solve.

The best part of the book was the author's ability to keep the `whodunnit' secret until the very last chapter. This reader thought several times that she knew who the murderer was, but I was wrong every time. The ability to keep the clues well hidden is something many authors cannot profess to having.

I loved the characters. As usual, Vali presents a well-developed and colorful cast who are easy to like and hard to forget.

Bottom Line - You've got to read this one.