Amanda Stevens--The Restorer (Graveyard Queen series)

 
My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.
 
It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims—lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.




{4.5 stars}
Captivating story, it completely hooked me. I have always been a fan of Amanda Stevens, and she does not disappoint with this book. Amelia Gray is a great character with an intriguing story and an even more intriguing ability to see ghosts. Devlin is a great brooding lead character, and his ghosts add a great layer to the story. The Deep South Charleston history was an excellent backdrop for this drama to play out in, it added a great amount of Old World mystery. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say that just when I thought I had it figured out, I was thrown for a loop. This murder mystery had so many layers and I was surprised at who the killer really was. Can't wait to read the next in this series, I'm hoping that Devlin and Amelia's story will develop closer. It looks promising. If you can, you should read the e-book abandoned first, its a nice prequel to this series.