Customer Reviews

The Death Dealer

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

 

 

This book continues the story of some of the characters in THE DEAD ROOM. While this story can stand alone, it's probably better if you read the previous book first.

P.I. Joe Connolly could use a change. The events of THE DEAD ROOM have left him with nothing but sadness. And now it may have opened the door to the dead. On the way to a charity event he witnesses an accident and stops to help--saving a young girl hidden in the back seat at the urging of a dead man. So naturally he skips the event and goes out to get drunk. Genevieve O'Brien, who was rescued from a harrowing kidnapping by a serial killer, hires Connolly to look into the murder of an Edgar Allen Poe society board member. Her mother is also a member and she's worried that others may be threatened. Genevieve, too, is haunted... not so much by the past, although everyone is extremely over-protective of her, but by similar ghosts that haunt Joe... And by new ones as the Poe Killings continue...

The main and supporting characters are totally sympathetic. Old friends from Harrison Investigations also make some nice cameos. There's some great information about Edgar Allen Poe's time in New York (and in Baltimore). The mystery is a pretty good one. I didn't see the solution until it was revealed. The only slight quibble I had was that some of the characters seemed to keep putting themselves at risk--going out alone into dark parking garages, for instance. But otherwise they weren't being unbearably stupid about it. I thought this was a good, solid, interesting read.

Ok, I read the Seance...zzz. Then the Dead Room...not bad. But this one really had me going. I was actually on end. It's a good read, will keep you entertained if not a bit spooked. You'll never guess who the killer is. It actually had me agog and left me going...NO WAY!

Overall, I recommend it. But you will have to read the Dead Room first.It toggles back and forth to it. Also, I totally enjoyed the story being introduced by a, shall we say, an otherwordly but familiar voice? Pick it up..it's good.

I like most of her books, this one was OK but not one of her best. I would recommend it to her old readers but if you are a new reader I would suggest you read some of her earlier works first. Tall, Dark, and Deadly and the Dead on the Dance Floor, Killing Kelly, those were all great.

cdg

This book was classic Heather G. A mix of mystery, suspense, paranormal and romance all revolving around Edgar Allan Poe. The characters (living) are wonderful and the ghosts are spectacular. I love that Heather brings in characters and story lines from past books and ties it all together. As is usual for her books a surprise twist in the end; the whodoneit is not who you suspect. The heroine, Gen, is smart but vulnerable, the hero, Joe, is strong, brooding, but also vulnerable. I loved this books. It is not an immensely deep book but quite entertaining and fun in classic H.G. style. Hope you enjoy!

I read The Dead Room and The Death Dealer all this week. I think reading them together gives you the happy ending that I was upset with after reading The Dead Room. In this book Joe (PI) and Genevieve (ex-social worker/ heiress) solve the murder mysteries bases around the Poe Killings. I would suggest picking up both books and reading them back to back. You will have two great mysteries and two great romances - Enjoy!

If you enjoy this genre I would also suggest; The Remains of the Dead (Ghost Dusters Mysteries, No. 1),Devil May Ride (Ghost Dusters Mysteries, No. 2), Spirited Away (Signet Eclipse) and Highland Knight (Signet Eclipse).

This book follows the characters from an earlier story, and it shows. I would not recommend reading this book without having read the earlier one a while ago and it still took me a while to piece everything together.

I won't give a synopsis because several other reviews have done so very well. I will just say that I didn't like either of the characters and to be honest am getting tired of Adam and his gang. End it already and get back to writing better books.

THE POE KILLINGS: A string of homicides is mirroring the author's macabre stories. And Genevieve O'Brien's mother is next.

Genevieve knows all about nightmares. She herself survived two months as a psychopath's prisoner. And now this new menace stalks the city. Spooked by the bizarre slayings, she turns to P.I. Joe Connolly, her past rescuer, friend, and...hopefully something more, if he would just quit avoiding her.

At first Joe isn't even sure there is a case. But the body count rises and it's clear that a twisted killer is on the loose. Even more unsettling is the guidance he starts receiving from beyond the grave. People he knows to be dead are appearing, offering him clues and leads, and warning of some terrible danger ahead.

But can even the spirits stay the hand of a madman bent on murder?

Death imitates art...

I enjoyed the book until the end. I felt the ending and the "who" done it and "why" didn't really work for me.

this was a good book, i enjoyed the interaction of the ghosts with the living, but when everyone starts hearing ghosts it gets a little far fetched.
Like the interaction between the charactors and was interested in this enough to find the former book leading up to this one.

One might be forgiven for thinking, if only for a moment, that "Heather Graham" is the collective name for the occupants of a small hamlet in Illinois (population 700). First there are the books. Over 100 of them --- each different, each intriguing, each very well done, indeed. Then there are the public appearances, the generosity of time and spirit displayed at writers' workshops (not to mention the invaluable advice), and the works of mercy and kindness that she quietly performs for their own sake. I assure you, however, that all of this is done by one person --- Heather Graham. She does all of this and somehow finds time for regular sleep. Usually during the second weekend in February.

As often happens, Graham is a very nice person who writes surprisingly scary books. Which brings us to THE DEATH DEALER, a sequel to 2007's THE DEAD ROOM. Impossible as it may seem, this latest novel is even better, bringing a number of characters back from THE DEAD ROOM while changing the focus a bit and keeping things new.

Most of us who love mystery and thriller novels cut our teeth on the work of Edgar Allan Poe; THE DEATH DEALER pays a memorable and proper tribute to the man and his work. Genevieve O'Brien, who narrowly survived abduction and imprisonment at the hands of a deranged killer in THE DEAD ROOM, becomes involved with The Poe Society when one of the members --- known as the Ravens --- is murdered. One of the few clues is a cryptic note left at the scene of the crime. When it appears that another Raven has been attacked by the same individual, O'Brien becomes concerned for Elaine, her mother, who is also a member of the club. She retains private investigator Joe Connolly to investigate in order to find the killer before he claims additional victims.

O'Brien has one ulterior motive: it was Connolly who saved her life in THE DEAD ROOM. She has since developed feelings that have gone beyond the deep fond. Connolly behaves distantly towards her, however, and only reluctantly takes the case, not totally convinced that Elaine is in any danger. What O'Brien does not know is that Connolly is seeing ghosts --- literally. Corpses are speaking to him from morgue slabs, and his cousin and his cousin's fiancée are appearing to him, warning him of danger and providing him with clues. When he takes the case, however, Connolly finds that there are no lack of suspects for murder. And when additional victims are discovered, a pattern becomes clear. Someone is killing people in the ways described in some of Poe's most famous stories --- and O'Brien is on target to become the next victim.

THE DEATH DEALER can stand tall upon its mystery and thriller elements alone, but Graham throws more than the standard genre elements into the mix. Even the most casual Poe readers will find much of interest here, with factoids concerning the noted author's habitat, past, and tragic enigmatic end sprinkled liberally throughout the narrative. There are also strong elements of romance on both sides of the veil, as well as the possibility that, as far as books featuring Genevieve O'Brien are concerned, Graham may just be getting warmed up. Put THE DEATH DEALER on your have-to-read list.