Ghost Walk by Heather GrahamCopyright 2005
Mira Fiction
393 pages
What led you to pick up this book? A friend sent it to me, last year, and I thought the book would make a good read for the RIP II Challenge.
Summarize the plot but don't give away the ending. When Nikki DuMonde sees a bum in the street and gives him $20, she has no idea he'll soon be dead and that his ghost will return to ask for help. And, when her friend Andy dies in exactly the same way and Nikki sees her ghost as well, her friends aren't so certain she's totally sane. But, Nikki's sure that the two deaths are connected and is determined to figure out why. Brent Blackhawk is the only person who truly believes her; he's a paranormal investigator who has been called to New Orleans to seek out a killer. He sees ghosts and communicates with them. When Nikki and Brent get together to solve a murder, ghosts talk and sparks fly.
What did you like most about the book? Things keep happening. Oddly, I liked the concept of people who can talk to ghosts better than the way it was written, but Graham kept the story moving well; it's very entertaining. I also thought she did an excellent job of using the setting, New Orleans, almost as a character in and of itself.
What did you think of the main character? I liked her; nothing in particular about her stands out in my mind, but she was a nice character.
Share some quotes from the book.
This is about Brent Blackhawk, a character who was part-Lakota (either 1/8 or 1/4 - can't remember) but whose looks were so distinctive that most people assumed he was 100% Native American. I think it jumped out at me because of the recent reading of Raising Ourselves by Velma Wallis; it's the only quote I marked.
Growing up with a Lakota heritage had taught him a lot about bitterness and chips on the shoulder, but the past was just that - the past - and now people needed to focus on entering the twenty-first century, reaping the rewards of progress and technology, without losing sight of a heritage that was something precious, something to be preserved.
Share a favorite scene from the book: Brent Blackhawk had a ghost friend he occasionally visited in a graveyard. While I found that the "talking to ghosts" scenes were far-fetched (like sitting around with anyone else, having a chat), there was a cute scene in which that particular ghost was acting a bit impish.
3.5/5 - Great setting used well, interesting storyline (although poorly crafted and with some plot holes), entertaining enough to overlook its flaws. If you can't tolerate the occasional inconsistency, skip this one.
This sounds like a fun book--brain candy-ish, if you well.:-) I am glad you enjoyed it even with its flaws.
ReplyDeleteWendy,
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely in the "brain candy" category - flawed, but fun. I liked the heroine and that helps. :)
Funny how some writers can get away with less skill because they can still tell a good story. I think this one sounds like fun...and liking the heroine helps a lot with me, too.
ReplyDeleteJenclair,
ReplyDeleteI think that's the reason Danielle Steele (sp?) continues to sell books. Her writing is terrible but, as an author mentioned at a conference I attended, "Things happen." I say this having given up on Steele after about 3 or 4 novels. :)
Liking or not liking the heroine can make or break a book, I've found. I loved the heroine in The Accidental Mother, also, and I think that's what kept me reading until I was immersed in the story.
Interesting review. I think a good atmospheric tale set in new Orleans would be a fun book to read, but I'm not sure this is the one I will choose. You seem pretty lukewarm about it. But, then again, sometimes brain candy is just what I need.
ReplyDeleteFramed,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite brain break books tend to be chick lit and young adult novels; paranormal romance is a mild departure for me. I can't say I regret reading the book, so that's a point in its favor. But, I'm not going to go out of my way to find more books by the author, so that's a point against. Argh, tie. I guess it just depends on what you're looking for in a brain candy book. I definitely would not say, "Run out and buy this book, right now." If I had to say that about any book at all, it would be Lottery by Patricia Wood (light reading, but *meaningful*). I'm gung ho about Lottery. For a deeper, thinking book, I highly recommend Simon Van Booy's The Secret Lives of People in Love. It's short stories, but they are phenomenal.