Praise for the novels of Heather Graham
âAn incredible storyteller.â
âLos Angeles Daily News
âGraham wields a deftly sexy and convincing pen.â
âPublishers Weekly
âIf you like mixing a bit of the creepy
with a dash of sinister and spine-chilling reading with your romance, be sure to read Heather Grahamâs latestâ¦Graham does a great job of blending just a bit of paranormal with real, human evil.â
âMiami Herald on Unhallowed Ground
âEerie and atmospheric, this is not late-night
reading for the squeamish or sensitive.â
âRT Book Reviews on Unhallowed Ground
âThe paranormal elements are integral to the
unrelentingly suspenseful plot, the characters are likable, the romance convincing, and, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Grahamâs atmospheric depiction of a lost city is especially poignant.â
âBooklist on Ghost Walk
âGrahamâs rich, balanced thriller
sizzles with equal parts suspense, romance and the paranormalâall of it nail-biting.â
âPublishers Weekly on The Vision
âHeather Graham will keep you in suspense
until the very end.â
âLiterary Times
âMystery, sex, paranormal events.
Whatâs not to love?â
âKirkus on The Death Dealer
Key West History Time Line
1513âPonce de Leon is thought to be the first European to discover Florida for Spain. His sailors, watching as they pass the southern islands (the Keys), decide that the mangrove roots look like tortured souls and call them âLos Martires,â or the Martyrs.
Circa 1600âKey West begins to appear on European maps and charts. The first explorers came upon the bones of deceased native tribes, and thus the island was called the Island of Bones, or Cayo Hueso.
The Golden Age of Piracy begins as New World ships carry vast treasures through dangerous waters.
1763âThe Treaty of Paris gives Florida and Key West to the British and Cuba to the Spanish. The Spanish and Native Americans are forced to leave the Keys and move to Havana. The Spanish, however, claim that the Keys are not part of mainland Florida and are really North Havana. The English say the Keys are a part of Florida. In reality, the dispute is merely a war of words. Hardy souls of many nationalities fish, cut timber, hunt turtlesâand avoid piratesâwith little restraint from any government.
1783âThe Treaty of Paris ends the American Revolution and returns Florida to Spain.
1815âSpain deeds the island of Key West to a loyal Spaniard, Juan Pablo Salas of St. Augustine, Florida.
1819â1922âFlorida is ceded to the United States. Salas sells the island to John Simonton for $2,000. Simonton divides the island into four parts, three going to businessmen Whitehead, Fleming and Greene. Cayo Hueso becomes more generally known as Key West.
1822âSimonton convinces the U.S. Navy to come to Key Westâthe deepwater harbor, which had kept pirates, wreckers and others busy while the land was scarcely developed, would be an incredible asset to the United States. Lieutenant Matthew C. Perry arrives to assess the situation. Perry reports favorably on the strategic military importance but warns the government that the area is filled with unsavory charactersâsuch as pirates.
1823âCaptain David Porter is appointed commodore of the West Indies Anti-Pirate Squadron. He takes over ruthlessly, basically putting Key West under martial law. People do not like him. However, starting in 1823, he does begin to put a halt to piracy in the area.
The United States of America is in full control of Key West, which is part of the U.S. Territory of Florida, and colonizing begins in earnest by Americans, though, as always, those Americans come from many places.
Circa 1828âWrecking becomes an important service in Key West, and much of the island becomes involved in the activity. Itâs such big business that over the next twenty years, the island becomes one of the richest per capita areas in the United States. In the minds of some, a new kind of piracy has replaced the old. Although wrecking and salvage are licensed and legal, many a ship is lured to its doom by less than scrupulous businessmen.
1845âFlorida becomes a state. Construction begins on a fort to protect Key West.
1846âConstruction of Fort Jefferson begins in the Dry Tortugas.