Customer Reviews

Unhallowed Ground

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

 

 

I have read Queen Mean's review and thought I would take a moment to share my own thoughts. If you take the book on its own terms and remember that this is supposed to be light reading, it delivers on all counts. Its characters are quirky and the story is engaging. Are there aspects that are overly dramatic? Of course. That is what makes popular literature popular. Are there are few plot holes and misused phrases--definitely. Do they make the book unreadable? No.

As an historian (complete with PhD) I was a little excited to find a book whose main character has a master's in American History. Sarah McKinley's experiences in the archives, as a museum docent, and as a child history geek reminded me of my own experiences. In some ways, this book reinforced my desire to own a historic home complete with skeletons in the closest or walls whatever the case may be. It also made me want to visit St. Augustine and acquaint myself with its rich history and to re-visit my Seminole Wars history.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book. It was a tad fluffy but it was exactly what I wanted a-- fun story to wile away a Sunday afternoon.

Wow, there are some tough critics out there. Yes, the term "corpse magnet" is rather corny and used a bit too frequently, but the overall story is kind of fun and easy to read. If you are looking for a book that will compel you to sleep with your lights on and the dog on the bed then look elsewhere, but if you just want a light and easy read with some ghosts and mystery thrown in then you will probably enjoy this book. I am easily bored if books aren't engaging or interesting but had no trouble staying focused on this for a couple of nights.

If you read Heather Graham you know she interjects the paranormal in many of her writing lines or series (in this case the Harrison Investigations). This is an average read for a Graham book. She is a prolific writer so I don't want to spend my time going back through her list of books to find the one's that would fit the next sentence. BUT, this book seemed to be a compilation of many of her other books. The haunted house, the ghosts, the main characters etc. It seemed so familiar that I looked at the publication date a couple of times to make sure I hadn't read it before.

Others have rehashed the plot, so I won't. The city of St. Augustine, FL is the back drop for Caleb and Sarah's romance. The author does a good job of dropping in tidbits describing the city and its history to the point where you can visualize this old city and even be motivated to visit some day! She mentions Sarah is a historian, but then she has Sarah buying a house that she has loved forever--one would think Sarah would have taken the time to figure out the history. Caleb Anderson has a tie to the house and some psychic abilities; yet he also shows no curiosity as to why or how.

Compared to other books Ms. Graham has written in this series, I did feel she dropped the ball somewhat on the psychic aspects of her main characters. Both of them were evidently gifted with some abilities and you had Caleb denying it and Sarah totally unaware of her gifts. One would have thought since both of them were gifted, just being in the house Sarah purchased would have had little psychic brain farts going off!

This isn't a bad read, but it probably won't remain in your keep pile, more as a pass it along read!

Though I love Heather Graham, I almost didn't read this book because of some of the low reviews. I am glad I did! She didn't disappoint me! If you like mystery books about old haunted mansions and ghosts with a little romance included, then this is the book to read. I read this book for a light read during fall break and couldn't put it down! I really enjoyed reading about the history of St. Augustine. Now I want to go there!

Well, I have to say it's the same thing again, freinds who work together, date each other and hang at the local bar/pub, new guy in town who happens to be a cop or PI, a murderer on the loose and a haunted city with some ghosts. She uses the same lines, plots etc but nevertheless the books are entertaining and keep you engrossed. My favorite part which she never fails to shock me with is who the killer is. It's always unexpected. Do not expext deep and profound literature here. It's just fun, light and scary reading. I highly recommend for the Halloween season and I'll continue to buy her books. At least Heather's consistant! LOL!!

I loved the suspense and excited of this book. read the last 2 chapters and was so disappointed. you think the story line would go further and continue on but it doesn't and it left me disappointed. I'm reading another one of Heather Graham's books and hope the ending doesn't leave me at a lost.

I am a huge Heather Graham fan and I usually love her books, so I expected to love this one too. In the end I really enjoyed the story, but the abundance of editing mistakes almost ruined the experience for me.

Even though I only gave this book 3 stars, I really did enjoy this book. It has murder, mystery, history, paranormal, romance, everything that makes for an interesting read! The murder/mystery is the main focus of the book, but the other elements are intertwined and add a lot to the story. Heather Grahams books usually have romance in them, but in this one the romance is not over whelming. I will warn you that there are a few sex scenes, but they are pretty short and pretty vague. One part I really liked about this book was the history aspect. You get to learn a lot about the city the book takes place in, St Augustine, FL. And since the main character is a historian, you learn a lot from her as well. I thought that was a really nice touch and made me want to visit St. Augustine! I also really enjoyed the banter between the characters. The way they joked and made light of things really reminded me of conversations I would have with my friends. There are a few pretty funny comments that they make when talking to each other and it helps lighten the mood a little.

As for the murder mystery, I thought I was on my way to figuring out who the murder was, but I was dead wrong. I was really surprised when the bad guy was revealed! It was someone I never expected! I really enjoyed reading about all the clues and trying to figure out what was happening and how everything, past and present, was connected. I loved how a big part of the story was focused on an old mansion that used to be a mortuary. I don't know why, but creepy old houses have always fascinated me, and the mortuary touch added a bit a spookiness to it! This book is a fun mystery read!

Now on to the bad part.....Although I really liked the story, the editing was almost bad enough to make me stop reading! There were letters left out of words, the "S" left off of words that obviously should have been plural, and even whole words missing from sentences! There were a few times when I had to stop and re-read a sentence because it didn't make any sense! It was fairly easy to figure out what word was missing, but those missing words really messed up the flow of reading! There was also a point in the story where 2 characters are described as being seated on a couch. A few sentences later it says "she was standing so close." No, she was sitting. It clearly says she was sitting, so how could she be standing at the same time? It's almost as if they were in a rush to get this book on the shelves and didn't take the time to proofread! I will say that the errors seem to be focused towards the beginning of the book, so if you can get past those the rest of the book isn't too bad. The errors in the beginning were almost irritating enough to make me stop reading though.

In the end, I'm glad I pushed through the editing errors, because this actually is a pretty entertaining book. I'm glad I picked it up and I am still a huge Heather Graham fan! This is book 7 in the Harrison Investigation Series, but they can be read out of order and can all stand alone. I have read 4 of the books in this series, and I plan on reading the remaining 3 books!

When I read the back cover of Unhallowed Ground I was very excited. I thought that I had finally stumbled across an exciting read...I was so sadly mistaken!

Unhallowed Ground is the typical romance literature with stuff thrown in to make the title work.

The characters are typical, the plot is typical...yada yada yada

I mostly listen to audiobooks because I don't have the time to actually sit and read a book, and so the narrators of books really matter to me.The narrator for this book is almost annoying.

This book is strictly for folks who love ANY romantic type literature where everyone is attractive, blonde, and sex focused.

I've found that, after a while, most Heather Graham storylines read the same. That said, I usually find them to be a guilty pleasure so I didn't mind when the blurb about this one reminded me of her other books.

I wish I'd just dug through my bookshelf and re-read one of her other books. The quality of writing seems to deteriorated, and many lines are repeated - though said by different characters. Also, the romance seemed a bit "contrived" and the ending was not "fleshed out." The "saved by the ghost" seems to be a popular ending for her.

Rather than purchasing this book, I would recommend re-reading your favorite Heather Graham. You'll get the same general storyline without the disappointment.

This is not light reading. This book is very heavy reading indeed, and if I thought it was possible I'd ask for my money back. Ms. Graham should do whatever it is she does best, and leave writing to those who know how to design a plot and use the language.

This is one of the most poorly-written books I've ever read, and that's saying something. I bought it because I was desperate for something to read, and who wouldn't be hooked by the idea of skeletons in a wall? (Ms. Graham obviously was, and she contorted an unbelievable plot to fit the idea.) However, I knew I was in for a rough ride within a few pages. First, the premise that bodies were put into a plaster wall in the 1800s, and at different times (according to the book). So who dug through the inevitable wallpaper and patched up the walls each time? What builder created enough space in the wall for bodies to be put there? And how did the occupants deal with the inevitable smell? Besides, why hide bodies in a wall when there was a perfectly good dirt floor in the cellar?

As an explanation for why the bodies are in the wall, our protagonist's first theory is that the mortuary was "re-selling coffins." Really? How does that happen? There have been some recent scandals involving crematoria doing similar things, but in those days the family followed the body to the graveyard, and then watched the body and casket being buried. . .so either our protagonist and the other characters are complete idiots, or the author is, or the author thinks the readers are, or probably all of the above.

Throughout, the sentence construction is poor at best. The author is fond of starting sentences with "For instance," and "In fact," sometimes three sentences in a row. This makes for very difficult reading, and I only wish the editors hadn't been on vacation when it came to this book. The book is also peppered with typographical errors of the sort that spellcheck doesn't pick up, which means no human being read it before it was released to the unsuspecting public.

The dialogue between the characters is often extremely wooden and can go on for a full page or two with no obvious purpose other than as an exercise in uncomfortable adolescent banter.

The protagonist says on one page that her house was built in 1822, and then on the next page is "grateful that the house had been built from the start with full plumbing and bathrooms." Not in 1822 it wasn't, and what a stupid mistake. When she bursts in on her love interest he says to her "What if I'd kept a gun? I could have shot you," and in the next paragraph he says "And I do carry a gun. . ." Idiocies like this abound.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the author "solves" the mystery by assigning all the blame to two previously-benign characters whom she's known all her life. Way to wrap it up, Ms. Graham. And without explaining the "woman in her 30s" who was on the beach or telling us who the bodies in the wall actually were. . .and even the motives for the murders remains elusive, with the only explanation being that the bodies were drained of blood so the murderers "could live forever."

This was three hours of my life that I will never get back, and it's no mystery who did it.