The Hexed by Heather Graham

Okay, so I looked this author up when I finished the book since I was unfamiliar with her work. I found 12 previous books in this particular series. I was actually surprised because this book did not give me the feeling of being lost in a series where I needed tons of prior knowledge. I appreciated that fact.

I knew going into this story that it would have some paranormal aspects, but I wasn't sure how they would play out. Turns out it is based around a covert FBI group called the Krewe of Hunters ( named after New Orleans parade krewes). The Krewe is made up of people with various paranormal abilities which they use to solve crimes. In this case, the crime is a murder with a matching case over a decade old. The murders seem to be linked to the Salem witch trials and our two main characters.

Our hero, Rocky, and heroine, Devin, meet accidentally over the third dead body. Devin's knowledge of the town history and her newly discovered paranormal abilities end up pulling her into the case. The two of them work with other members of the krewe and local police to track down the killer. They are obviously attracted to each other, but are fairly slow acting on it. Rocky tends to be cautious and protective. Devin is very loyal, persistent, and optimistic. They make a good team and receive the approval of Devin's ghostly aunt who plays a big part in the story.

If you like police/FBI procedural type novels, you will likely enjoy this book. It gives a lot of details regarding the leg work the police and krewe go through while hunting the killer. Ghostly Auntie Mina is a nice addition, as are the other ghosts who help out during the investigation. The plot was interesting and kept me guessing until the last moment. There were so many possible suspects. I kept bouncing back and forth between who I thought was the most likely culprit only to find myself completely fooled. That doesn't happen often, but I enjoy it when it does. I liked the characters and the premise of the book and enjoyed my fictional time spent in Salem.