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A review by jscarpa14
The Evil Inside by Heather Graham
4.0
RECEIVED FROM: Net Galley for Review
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
When a Salem psychologist’s young patient is accused of slaughtering his entire family, with the whole town certain of his guilt even though the psychologist believes the boy is innocent, Jamie O’Neil calls in help. First he enlists the aid of his niece Jenna Duffy, a special division FBI agent in the Krewe of Hunters, and then he enlists Salem born high powered attorney Samuel Anthony Hall to defend the boy pro bono. Sam doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into, all the evidence points to Malachai and he certainly doesn’t expect any help from Jenna with her ghost mumbo jumbo – FBI or not. Jenna knows Sam doesn’t believe her or even respect her. She’s used to that sort of reception no matter how many times she and the Krewe have proven their gifts instrumental in solving dangerous cases. In Jenna’s eyes the stuffy attorney is just looking for more press and doesn’t care who’s really guilty, but her Uncle Jamie asked for her help and after meeting Malachai she knows he’s innocent. Multiple people have been slaughtered by a brutal killer and despite popular opinion the wrong person is behind bars. But can Jenna and Sam get past their differences and work as a team? Regardless Salem’s residents don’t like their snooping and with a killer still at large will they be the next target?
Once again Heather Graham shows why she remains on the Best Sellers list with this fast paced paranormal romance mystery. (Yeah I’m not completely sure that’s a genre but it’s a good description.) The plot was extremely detailed, intricate and I’m sure for most readers surprising until the very end. About the only thing you know for certain, since this is a romance, is that at some point Jenna and Sam will hook up. Of course you know that with any romance you open. I did guess some of who did it within a few chapters, but I will say the full answered surprised me. It makes sense when they explain it and you can look back and see the minor bits of foreshadowing here and there, but it wasn’t one of those mysteries that isn’t a mystery in any way, you really were on the edge of your seat awaiting what really happened. One of the things I really loved about this plot is the way it’s basically a modern day version of a Salem Witch trial, everyone is sure Malachai did it because he’s different and his family was different. I probably wouldn’t have seen this comparison on my own to be honest, but the writer brings this to light many times in the book and the characters also make the comparison. While you get the enjoyment of a wonderful mystery the book is also filled with interesting facts about the historical Salem witch trials which I really enjoyed. About the only thing I didn’t like was the initial hook up between the characters. While I knew they would end up together in the long run, I didn’t see their first overnight visit together coming. The scenes before that one were missing those sparky moments where they notice and deny their attraction, while the characters apparently saw it I didn’t feel it was appropriately displayed to the reader.
The book is a well written third person with a fast pace that makes it difficult to put down. The details in this novel were excellent, clearly creating the scene without being excessive in her descriptions. While the book is in my opinion first and foremost a murder mystery, I loved how Graham brought in ghosts through dreams and cryptic encounters. While I wouldn’t call them full blown characters as most were just cameo appearances, it was neat how she brought across the idea that some ghosts from the past stay to prevent history from repeating itself. Jenna’s ability to see scenes from the past also contributed some extremely interesting scenes. While the romance was there and it would be safely shelved with romance due to many people’s strange aversion to the genre, I felt it was a secondary plot line rather than the primary one. And I like how she managed to write a romance without making it the focus of her work.
Though this book is part of a series it works fine as a standalone novel. It’s actually my first Krewe series novel but I didn’t face any confusion due to missing back story while reading this novel. I’m sure the series fits together nicely if read in order, however you can easily pick up this book without having read the series and know what’s going on.
Jenna and Sam were truly likeable and memorable characters, especially Jenna. I really enjoyed their story and loved how Graham still managed to flesh out the secondary characters as well. I could picture pretty much every character clearly in my mind as if they were someone I could easily run into on a random street.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel from beginning to end. I think it will appeal to readers who enjoy suspense mysteries, paranormal and romance novels. I know this is one of my shorter reviews, however I feel the rating and details I’ve given are enough to speak for themselves about how great the book was.
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
When a Salem psychologist’s young patient is accused of slaughtering his entire family, with the whole town certain of his guilt even though the psychologist believes the boy is innocent, Jamie O’Neil calls in help. First he enlists the aid of his niece Jenna Duffy, a special division FBI agent in the Krewe of Hunters, and then he enlists Salem born high powered attorney Samuel Anthony Hall to defend the boy pro bono. Sam doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into, all the evidence points to Malachai and he certainly doesn’t expect any help from Jenna with her ghost mumbo jumbo – FBI or not. Jenna knows Sam doesn’t believe her or even respect her. She’s used to that sort of reception no matter how many times she and the Krewe have proven their gifts instrumental in solving dangerous cases. In Jenna’s eyes the stuffy attorney is just looking for more press and doesn’t care who’s really guilty, but her Uncle Jamie asked for her help and after meeting Malachai she knows he’s innocent. Multiple people have been slaughtered by a brutal killer and despite popular opinion the wrong person is behind bars. But can Jenna and Sam get past their differences and work as a team? Regardless Salem’s residents don’t like their snooping and with a killer still at large will they be the next target?
Once again Heather Graham shows why she remains on the Best Sellers list with this fast paced paranormal romance mystery. (Yeah I’m not completely sure that’s a genre but it’s a good description.) The plot was extremely detailed, intricate and I’m sure for most readers surprising until the very end. About the only thing you know for certain, since this is a romance, is that at some point Jenna and Sam will hook up. Of course you know that with any romance you open. I did guess some of who did it within a few chapters, but I will say the full answered surprised me. It makes sense when they explain it and you can look back and see the minor bits of foreshadowing here and there, but it wasn’t one of those mysteries that isn’t a mystery in any way, you really were on the edge of your seat awaiting what really happened. One of the things I really loved about this plot is the way it’s basically a modern day version of a Salem Witch trial, everyone is sure Malachai did it because he’s different and his family was different. I probably wouldn’t have seen this comparison on my own to be honest, but the writer brings this to light many times in the book and the characters also make the comparison. While you get the enjoyment of a wonderful mystery the book is also filled with interesting facts about the historical Salem witch trials which I really enjoyed. About the only thing I didn’t like was the initial hook up between the characters. While I knew they would end up together in the long run, I didn’t see their first overnight visit together coming. The scenes before that one were missing those sparky moments where they notice and deny their attraction, while the characters apparently saw it I didn’t feel it was appropriately displayed to the reader.
The book is a well written third person with a fast pace that makes it difficult to put down. The details in this novel were excellent, clearly creating the scene without being excessive in her descriptions. While the book is in my opinion first and foremost a murder mystery, I loved how Graham brought in ghosts through dreams and cryptic encounters. While I wouldn’t call them full blown characters as most were just cameo appearances, it was neat how she brought across the idea that some ghosts from the past stay to prevent history from repeating itself. Jenna’s ability to see scenes from the past also contributed some extremely interesting scenes. While the romance was there and it would be safely shelved with romance due to many people’s strange aversion to the genre, I felt it was a secondary plot line rather than the primary one. And I like how she managed to write a romance without making it the focus of her work.
Though this book is part of a series it works fine as a standalone novel. It’s actually my first Krewe series novel but I didn’t face any confusion due to missing back story while reading this novel. I’m sure the series fits together nicely if read in order, however you can easily pick up this book without having read the series and know what’s going on.
Jenna and Sam were truly likeable and memorable characters, especially Jenna. I really enjoyed their story and loved how Graham still managed to flesh out the secondary characters as well. I could picture pretty much every character clearly in my mind as if they were someone I could easily run into on a random street.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel from beginning to end. I think it will appeal to readers who enjoy suspense mysteries, paranormal and romance novels. I know this is one of my shorter reviews, however I feel the rating and details I’ve given are enough to speak for themselves about how great the book was.