Customer Reviews

Deadly Gift (The Flynn Brothers Trilogy)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After reading the first two novels in this trilogy, and noticing a distinct quality decline in the second from the first, I really didn't want to believe that the third would dip even further due to the short amount of time between publication dates. But, unfortunately, I was right.

There were a few glaring editorial mistakes in this installment (though, admittedly, there weren't as many as in the second) - the largest of which was the fact that the surname of the main character, Caer, was listed as Donahue on the back cover. But then in the story itself, it was stated to be Cavannaugh (which was also the surname of the main female in the second story of the trilogy).

Most importantly though, the plotline itself suffered in this novel. The mystery wasn't all that suspenseful or interesting. Certain details would have been much better if they were more fully fleshed out for the reader... And the paranormal aspect of this book was so incredibly contrived and far-fetched that it was very difficult to continue on without laughing for the latter half of the book.

Now, I'm very Irish, so I really wanted to enjoy this story more than I did. But Ms. Graham took the stuff of Irish lore and almost made it into a mockery with how she addressed it all.

I really like the Flynn brothers, but I feel like the expedited publication schedule for this trilogy did not do the stories justice in any way, shape or form. I'm sorry that there was such a rapid decline in quality as the series progressed. I wanted to love all three books, but I found that my frustration level was just too high to ignore by the end of the third installment.

A business partner goes missing before Sean and his trophy wife, Amanda, take a trip to Ireland. Soon after landing, Sean becomes very ill and almost dies. Sean's daughter, Kat, calls Zach Flynn and pleads with him to go to Ireland and bring her father back. She's terrified and paranoid that, with Eddie missing, her father is next.

Caer has been guarding Sean in his hospital room, determined that no more harm comes to him. It's her mission to keep him alive. But there's a mystery to Caer; in all appearances, she's a nurse. However, appearances aren't always what they seem.

Zach knows that something's off, but can't put a finger on what it is. While his instincts tell him to that he can trust Caer, he doesn't understand why those same instincts are telling him that she isn't saying the entire truth of who she is either.

But as things begin to happen (ex: more apparent murder crimes scenes with no bodies), and no clues, Zach is feeling the pressure of catching whoever is after Sean. But will he figure it out before it's too late?

Caer is sticking to Zach like glue, knowing that he'll be able to figure out whoever it is. But she's fallen in love with him. But she can't stay, and knowing she can't stay, especially with Zach, hurts unbelievably. But she's determined to help find who it is that means Sean harm, regardless of her feelings for Zach.

**SPOILER ALERT** IF YOU DON"T WANT TO KNOW, STOP READING THIS REVIEW NOW **

OMG! I don't think I've ever been as disappointed in a Heather Graham novel as I am in this one.

First, there's a typo that sticks in the reader's craw; a typo that should have been seen to immediately. On the cover, the character's name is Caer Donahue. In the story, it was switched to Cavannaugh. Incidentally, Cavanaugh is Rowenna's last name (heroine of Book #2). While I think it could be just a simple mistake, it's still a huge no-no, and I wasn't impressed. I think it wouldn't have been so bad if it had been a different name, but using one that had already been used... Not good.

The mystery plot was unoriginal; it's been used before (very similar to two of her other books - The Vision and Eyes of Fire). Right down to how the plot has actually two perpetrators, not just the one. The animosity felt between the women of the household was typical; dad remarries to a completely shallow idiot who's only five years older than his daughter - daughter believes the new wife to be a gold-digger - they have nothing whatsoever in common - daughter is just your typical spoiled brat and should grow up". While the animosity is typical, it's one that's been overused and I wish that the author went with something else. I was getting to the point where I wanted to shout to the female characters to grow up.

Then there's the hero and heroine. I liked Zach. An ex-cop now private detective with a love for music and helping musicians, he immediately moves to aid his friends, people that he cares about deeply that he's known most of his life. Sean had been a friend of Zach's father's, and that friendship moved on to Zach and his brothers. Strong, self-reliant, you can see that he understands a cop's life and that he respects them, knowing what they go through. And throughout, he refused to accuse anyone of anything until he knew exactly who, what, and the why of it all.

As for the heroine, Caer (pronounced Kyre) could have used more work. The whole paranormal angle used, the folklore of Ireland stating that Banshees, the spirits that help guide souls to cross over, can sometimes take human form, was the wrong one to use. I came across as ... as ... silly! And then you understand why the elderly aunt passes away in the story - only a true-to-heart soul can take the place of a banshee that is in human for so that banshee may stay in human form. Caer is first a nurse in Ireland, watching over Sean, and is sent to Rhode Island with him as a ruse to keeping track of his recovery, when she was there to guard him and keep him alive, to figure out who and why someone would want him dead. And yet, how is she supposed to do any of that when her `credentials' show her only as a nurse? Of course she'd stick to Zach like glue, and we only see her actually investigating only once? What was up with that?

We're made to believe that Caer is attracted to Zach even before she meets him in person; it was his eyes in the picture that Sean had in his hospital room that first attracted her. For Zach, he felt a pull the second he walked into Sean's hospital room to see Caer there. I saw a bigger inner battle with his brothers when it came time to the women that I saw with Zach. And of course he wouldn't believe her when she told him the truth, that she was a banshee in human form whose mission was to keep Sean alive. I wouldn't have believed it either, and even after I finished the book, I thought it was ridiculous. I could understand why she fell in love with Zach. I could understand why Zach fell in love with Caer. But I still didn't feel a true attraction, that pull that makes the reader truly believe in their HEA. It felt like it happened because it was supposed to, that the author just threw them together for the hell of it.

The only thing I actually liked about the book was the fact that there were two perpetrators and not just one, and why. The simple greed of it, but that there was a partnership in it and it wasn't solely one character. Other than that, the entire thing felt rushed. There was never another attempt directly on Sean's life, but there were actions taken against the entire family, purposely to throw attention on someone else. That part was intriguing, but that's about it. I'm really surprised, as I'd never read a Heather Graham novel that felt rushed, that was just pushed out there without another thought. Truly disappointing, especially from one of my fave authors. My heart breaks at the thought of not being able to give this one a higher mark, but I'd be betraying my feelings on this book if I gave it more.

After the first book I was looking forward to reading the second. They both held my interest despite some editorial troubles. The second book, Deadly Harvest, was particularly creepy, and I was interested enough to want to find the answers to the problems in the book. Plus, I just really liked the characters of the first two books. In this last book it seemed like there wasn't a problem at all. Just the regular dysfunctional family stuff and a murder that didn't really seem part of the story. Even as I write this, it all sounds so BLAH. Birds... people snapping at each other, no real clues given to the reader. Still, somehow I knew how it would end. It just seemed like I had read it all before, and it had been better written. When she got this idea maybe she had an off-day. Unfortunately her off-day became our off-book. Maybe more with the brothers, who had better stories in the first two books, would have picked it up a bit or a more believeable love story between the two falling in love. The hero never quite got to the stage that made you think he saw more to her than the fact she was unusually beautiful.

After reading and enjoying the first two books in this series, I was looking forward to the finale. Unfortunately, my expectations were decidedly not fulfilled. The entire book seemed thrown together in order to meet a publishing deadline and did not seem to logically come together. I had to force myself to finish this and actually found myself laughing out loud at the "mysterious" banshees! A definite wasted read, don't know if I will be buying any more of her books.

this book is rather predictable as it wasn't hard to figure out who caer was. i won't
give it away though for those who haven't read it. and i knew exactly who the killer
was early on. however the magic of graham is that despite all of this i really enjoyed it.
she's an amazing story teller who always keeps me interested.i think so far the island
and ghost walk are my favorite by her. both are unpredictable and ghost walk is just so
much fun and neither end the way you might think.

This was an OK book. I was really enjoying this trilogy until I read this book. This book seemed to be stretching the bounds of credibility for this author. I couldn't put down the first two books in the series, but this one, I had a hard time getting through it. All in all, not one of Ms. Graham's better efforts.

I am very pleased with my purchase. It came on time and it was exactly what I had ordered and will continue to order from amazon.

This author grinds out a book a month, and here's what happens when you do that.....

The back of Deadly Gift states the leading lady's name as Caer Donahue, however every reference within the book indicates her name is Caer Cavannaugh, the SAME LAST NAME AS THE CHARACTER IN THE PREVIOUS BOOK DEADLY HARVEST.

The author can't even keep her own characters straight. Embarrassing.

Not the best of this trilogy, but pretty good. Good plot, great characters and as always with Graham, you feel like you're right there.

I really loved the previous books, but this one kind of fizzled out. Don't get me wrong I loved the idea, but this book could have been so much more. It would be an ok book to read on a rainy day, but not something I would read more than once. Borrow this one from the library.