Praise for the novels of Heather Graham
âGraham expertly blends a chilling history of the mansionâs former residents with eerie phenomena, once again demonstrating why she stands at the top of the romantic suspense category.â
âPublishers Weekly on Phantom Evil, starred review
âAn incredible storyteller.â
âLos Angeles Daily News
âA fast-paced and suspenseful read that will give readers chills while keeping them guessing until the end.â
âRT Book Reviews on Ghost Moon
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 latest⦠. Graham does a great job of blending just a bit of paranormal with real, human evil.â
âMiami Herald 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
âMystery, sex, paranormal events. Whatâs not to love?â
âKirkus Reviews on The Death Dealer
For Lisa Manetti, Corinne De Winter, Brent Chapman, Juan Roca, Dennis Pozzessere, Jason Pozzessere, Dennis Cummins, and all our group, and the amazing scares and laughs we all shared at the Lizzie Borden House. (And thanks to the houseâs beautiful current owner!)
In memory of my in-laws, Angelina Mero and Alphonso Pozzessere; I canât think of Massachusetts without thinking about them, and smiling.
And in memory of Alice Pozzessere Crosbie and âUncle Buppy,â and for the Crosbie clan, Steven, Ginger, Linda, Tommy, Billy, and Mary, and their families.
And for the great, diverse state of Massachusetts. Especially Gloucester, and Hammond Castle, where Derek and Zhenia had the most beautiful wedding ever.
The boy stood naked in the middle of the road.
Sam Hallâs headlights caught him there, frozen in position, like a deer. He was covered in something slick, and it dripped down his flesh. It looked reddish, like blood, as if the kid had run off the set of a horror movie after being drenched in buckets of the stuff.
Sam slammed his foot on the brake pedal, grateful for once that his years with Mahon, Mero and Malone had given him the ability to afford the new Jaguar with the stop-on-a-dime brakes.
Even then, the car pulled to a halt just inches before the boy.
Swearing softly beneath his breath and puzzled beyond measure, Sam jumped out of the car. âHey, what the hell are you doing there, son?â
The boy didnât move, didnât seem to realize that heâd nearly been roadkill. He just shook as he stood there. Summer had recently turned to fall, and the air had a sharp nip, typical for Massachusetts at this time of year. Tree-laden tracts lined the road; the old oaks seemed to bend and moan with the breeze, while multicolored leaves danced on the road and swept around the scene as if they, too, were deeply disturbed.
The boy didnât acknowledge Sam or look at him.
Again Sam swore softly. There was obviously something really wrong, though this kid couldnât have been injured severely and still be able to stand as he was.
He couldnât have lost that amount of blood and still be conscious.
Was it really blood ⦠couldnât be.
Either way, Sam couldnât leave him in the middle of the road.
He looked at the new Jag he really loved, with the leather seats he also loved, and walked around to his trunk and found the beach blanket heâd picked up on his recent drive to the Florida Keys. It was sandy, but it would warm the kid.
He returned quickly, but the kid hadnât run off, much less moved. âAre you hurt?â he asked quietly.
He received no response.
âHere, here, youâre going to have to get into my car,â Sam said, approaching the boy with the blanket. âWeâll get you to a hospital.â
Sam wrapped the blanket around him. âSorry about the sand,â he said.
The kid looked to be somewhere between fifteen and seventeen, but underdeveloped. He was painfully thin. His eyes were huge and brown in the lean contours of his face. His chest was devoid of hair, so most of the blood had slid down his chest.
The temperature seemed to be around forty degrees Fahrenheit. It wasnât freezing, but the kid shouldnât be exposed to this long.
Sam intended to get him into the car. And yet, as he stood there, trying to be compassionate while saving his wool coat from the sticky red substance that looked like blood, he suddenly froze.
It didnât just look like bloodâit was blood.
Denial rushed through his mind.
But it was blood, no denying it.
Pigâs blood, cowâs blood ⦠hell, rabbitâs blood.
But something told Sam that it was not.
He drew the blanket off the boy and turned him around, seeking an injury that might have caused that amount of blood.