You’ve Got to Read This Book: THE PROPHET by Amanda Stevens

I’m a huge fan of Amanda Stevens and her Graveyard Queen series so the release of the third book, THE PROPHET, this week is an exciting event. 

In the first book of the series—THE RESTORER--she introduces Amelia Grey, a graveyard restorer who sees ghosts. When a murdered woman is found in the graveyard where she’s working, Amelia is called on to help in the investigation and gets involved with John Devlin, a police detective haunted by his dead wife and daughter. I reviewed it here.

In the second book, THE KINGDOM, Amelia flees Charleston and Devlin to take a project in the dying town of Asher Falls where she comes face to face with her own mysterious history as well as some truly evil entities. (Reviewed here)

 As THE PROPHET begins, Amelia has returned to Charleston and is immediately drawn back to Devlin and entangled with his ghosts. Add the high-functioning ghost of a murdered cop looking for answers, a beautiful fortune-teller with a past and present with Devlin, and a sorcerer practicing deadly African rituals, and you have a story you won’t be able to put down. If you haven't read this series--start it now!!! Right now! 

 Check out the Graveyard Queen trailer. It’s deliciously creepy like the books!

THE RESTORER—A DELICIOUSLY CREEPY SOUTHERN GOTHIC NOVEL

I loved this book and as soon as I finished it wanted to read every one in the series. Unfortunately Amanda Stevens has written them yet. So I immediately downloaded the free prequel—The Abandoned--to my Kindle and read that. I’ve read other books by Ms. Stevens and thoroughly enjoyed them. THE RESTORER, however, is in a league of its own.

NEVER ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEAD.
NEVER STRAY FROM HALLOWED GROUND.
NEVER GET CLOSE TO THE HAUNTED.
NEVER, EVER TEMPT FATE.
My father's rules.
I've never broken them...until now

Amelia Gray is a cemetery restorer. She also sees ghosts. Since she discovered her ability when she was nine, she's never broken her father's rules. The rules have kept her safe. But when the body of a murdered young woman is found in the graveyard she's restoring, the dangerously attractive Detective John Devlin comes looking for her for help.

Unfortunately he's haunted and Amelia is attracted to him like no man she's ever known. As the bodies pile up, Amelia is drawn into the investigation and closer to the man she knows she should stay away from. Add a secret society, shadows in the night, a cyber-stalker and, of course, Devlin's ghosts and you have a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat from page one to The End.

Amanda Stevens has an amazing talent for writing intriguing gothic mysteries set in the South--in this case Charleston. Her characters are full of quirks and eccentricities, charm and secrets. Amelia is the perpetual outsider who unravels just enough secrets to reveal a darker mystery that underlies the series. Devlin is reminiscent of the great tortured heroes of the classics--REBBECCA's Maxim de Winter, JANE EYRE's Rochester, and even the haunted Heathcliff--and, like them, the reader isn't sure if he's the hero or the villain. And neither is Amelia.

If you’re looking for a chilling mystery with a twist, this one delivers. I had only one complaint about this book--that it ended and I have to wait for the next in the series to get more!