Sunday, April 24, 2011

Review of The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

Five Fangs for The Restorer Book Description:

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe. It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore.

The clues to the killer—and to his other victims—lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

About the Author:

Amanda Stevens lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and a black cat named Lola. She is an avid reader, a fledgling taphophile, and a collector of Alfred Hitchcock memorabilia. When she’s not writing, she likes taking road trips through the South. You can find her online at http://www.amandastevens.com/

My Review: Wow. This book sucked me in from the first page. This is something totally new and differnt in the genre- a cemetery restorer. Interesting job. Great way to throw someone right in the middle of a murder investigation.

The characters were mesmerizing with enough mystery that will make you ache for more books in this series. Each character is shadowed and full of secrets.

What's the deal with Amelia's dad, why doesn't he tell her more?

What's up with her mom, what secrets does she share only with her sister?

Why doesn't Amelia know more about her own life? She's adopted yet she's never asked questions about that, about her real parents? She can see ghosts but she doesn't know why?

Is it because she's a proper southern girl that she doesn't ask questions?

Hell I must be yankee through and through because my life consists of needing to know Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? Of course that could be my journalism training too.

Then there's John Devlin, that man is mystery incarnate and the epitome of dangerously sexy. He's surrounded by ghosts, a secret society and general mystery.

Oh and let's not forget "Tom Gerrity. I have a ton of questions about him but if I ask the questions I'll be leaking spoilers and I can't do that.

This book was riveting, it sucked me right in.

The old south, Charleston and surrounding areas, is a perfect setting for mystery and ghosts.

The setting, the characters, the mystery- everything is fabulous and I am waiting impatiently for the next books in this series so my questions can be answered.

3 comments:

Sharon S. said...

I am right there with you! I loved this book. Haunting and a good old fashion creepy ghost story. Can't wait to have answers to all those questions!

Roxanne Rhoads said...

Me too, I wish I could get all the books right now. :-)

France said...

The Restorer is the first in a planned series of novels focusing on a cemetery restorer who ends up consulting in a police investigation when a murdered woman's body is found shallowly buried in a section of an old graveyard where she has been working. There are a number of ghostly occurrences, a secret society, and a darkly handsome cop with a mysterious past to drive the action along, with some surprising results.

 
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