Heather Graham – The Seance

The fourth book in the Harrison Investigation series, published October 1, 2007
Genre: paranormal romantic suspense
Cover: creepy



From the New York Times bestselling author of Haunted and Ghost Walk comes a new spine-tingling story from beyond the grave
A chill falls over Christina Hardy's housewarming party when talk turns to a recent murder that has all the hallmarks of the so-called "Interstate-Killer" murders from fifteen years before. To lighten the mood, the guests drag out an old Ouija board for a little spooky fun . . . and that's when things become truly terrifying.
Summoned by the Ouija board, the restless spirit of Beau Kidd, the lead detective -- and chief suspect -- on the original case, seeks Christina's help: the latest killings aren't copycat crimes, and he wants his name cleared. Back in the real world, cop-turned-writer Jett Braden is skeptical of Christina's ghostly encounters, but his police sources confirm all the intimate details of the case -- her otherworldly source is reliable, and the body count is growing.
The spirits are right. The Interstate Killer is still out there, and Christina's life is hanging in the balance between this world and the next.


As a little girl Christy saw her grandfather’s ghost after he died, but her mother convinced her it was not true, and when her grandmother told her seeing the dead was dangerous, she managed to close that window in her head, and started to believe it was only a dream …
But now her parents and her grandmother are dead as well, and she has inherited her grandparents house. As Christina works from home, she is a composer of catchy advertising jingles, she has decided not to sell the beloved house of her childhood, but to move into it. Even though it is worth a fortune in the current market.

Her best friend Ana lives close by, and she is ecstatic that Christy has come back home. She even talked her into having a housewarming party even though the house is still filled with boxes. But there will only be a few people at the party, Christy’s two cousins, who are her only living relatives left, Dan and Mike, her new neighbours and Ana and perhaps Ana’s cousin Jed. And the guy Christy had a huge crush on back then. Of course he never noticed her other than as Ana’s little friend.

The bad news of the day, is that a woman has been found murdered near the interstate. Is the Interstate killer back, or is this a copycat at work? The case was closed 12 years ago, when the main suspect, one of the investigating cops himself, was shot over the corpse of the last victim. As Beau Kidd was dead, there was no court case at all; he was condemned by public opinion alone and circumstantial evidence. And his family with him.

When Ana spots Christy’s old Ouija board in one of the boxes in the living room, she is determined to have a séance, ask the ghosts something. But when they really do get an answer, they are totally spooked when it tells them he is Beau Kidd … And that is when Jed arrives …

Jed quit the police force many years ago, he is now a private investigator slash author, he even wrote a fiction book about the Interstate Killer, never mentioning names, but he was convinced that Beau was the killer. But now, witnessing the autopsy with his former partner, he is not so sure anymore they “got” the killer back then. So he is not in the best of moods when he finally gets to Christy’s house. And when he hears a scream inside, and finds out they were playing with the Ouija Board, he is not smiling. He really does not believe in anything to do with ghosts or the supernatural. There is always a logical explanation.

When they all finally leave, after warning Christy again to be careful, as she matches the killer’s ideal victim perfectly, she suddenly feels no longer safe in her own home. And when a stranger appears at the foot of her bed in the middle of the night, she completely freaks out and flees the night. It can’t be happening, Beau Kidd cannot be really haunting her!

But apparently they made a connection 12 years ago, when a little girl shared a flower from her beloved grandfather’s coffin with the other small grieving family nearby, at which happened to be Beau Kidd’s funeral. And now, Beau needs help in clearing his name, and keeping his little sister safe. She also fits the murderer’s victim profile …

It takes a while for Christy to stop fainting when she sees Beau, she even adopts a cute little dog named Killer for her own protection. And when she sees Killer happily interacting with the ghost, she knows she is not going crazy after all. Her best friend Guinevieve had a scary adventure a few weeks ago as well, and she hooks Christy up with Adam Harrison, to help her communicate with Beau and find out more.

Jed is very protective of Christy, and they become lovers, and he is not happy with the presence of Adam and the others in Christy’s house. He quickly finds out that Adam is the real deal, but he still does not believe in ghosts and refuses to believe Christy when she tells him things Beau has revealed to her.

But who will find the killer first, the police, the FBI, or Christy? The killer does not take it easy either, more victims are being found.


Another great book in an amazing series. I loved it, but now I am reading them close together, the heroes are a bit all the same. Denying there are ghosts, refusing to believe the heroine and still wanting to protect her and of course sleep with her. Distrusting Adam and his motives even when told by the “powers that be” that he is genuine. I am getting a bit fed up with this type of hero, the unbeliever who knows better.
Still, I enjoyed the story very much, and of course Christy. Christy is a strong woman, she has lost so many loved ones already, but she does not give up on living. She is good at her job, and finds joy in her music. At first she really does not believe in ghosts either, but the memories slowly resurface, and she just knows when someone has been in her house, messing with her things. But who has ever heard of a ghost making her coffee?

I liked the cast of secondary characters a lot as well. Jed and Ana, Mike and Daniel, Jed’s old partner who keeps him fully up to date in the police investigation. And Beau’s younger sister who hires Jed to find out who the real killer is and clear her brother’s name.
They live in Orlando, in a city with lots of theme parks, which means many people work in the entertainment industry, and so do Christy’s two cousins. One is a screenwriter, the other an actor. It makes for a nice background for the story, as “the gang” visits the various entertainments.

Again Heather Graham manages to make me very suspicious of one of the people close to Christy, but the truth was much more creepy and evil. I really never suspected that.

So, a great story, a ghost to love, a sweet little doggy named Killer, great characters, a mystery and a love story. What more do I need in my books? I highly recommend this author if you like your romantic suspense with a serving of ghosts.

9 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian