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Monday, October 11, 2021

The Whispering Dead by Darcy Coates...

 "Keira cracked her eyes open. Rain fell through tree branches and pinged off her flushed skin, washing tracks of blood away from her cheek. ... She probed for memories but came up empty. Her name was Keira. She'd woken in a forest of some kind coated in mud, sore, and soaking wet. That was the extent of her knowledge."

Not only is Keira suffering from amnesia, she has some bad guys after her, too. She just doesn't know who or why. They chase her through the forest, but she manages to evade them and find refuge at the parsonage in Blightly. The pastor, John Adage, kindly lets her stay in the groundskeeper's cottage at the edge of the graveyard. Keira likes the isolation... until she sees her first ghost. It's the ghost of a young woman who seems to want something from her. But what? 

Keira soon has some real company at her small cottage. A black stray cat who loves to laze by her fire adopts her. And Adage introduces her to Mason, a medical student with chocolate brown hair, who sees to her wounds. Then there's the crazy conspiracy girl, Zoe, who works at the local grocery store. Zoe quickly adopts her, too. But none of her new friends can help her figure out her past, or how to help the ghost in the graveyard. 

This is the first book in Darcy Coates's Gravekeeper series. It's a fun introduction to Keira and her newfound friends. I loved Mason, Zoe, and Darcy's cute cat, Daisy. And while Keira manages to figure out the mystery surrounding the ghost, her own past remains a giant question mark. I guess those answers will come in a later book. Overall, I thought this book was very entertaining. There's some suspenseful moments along the way, but nothing too scary. I actually liked all the ghosts Keira comes in contact with; some of the humans she meets were definitely more creepy. And the ending made me smile. I'm looking forward to reading the next book, The Ravenous Dead, which is supposed to come out next March. Until then...

Happy Reading!

34 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing about this one my friend.

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  2. Oh, I do like the sound of this one. Thanks for telling about it, Lark!

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  3. Liking all the ghosts and finding some of the humans creepy! Sounds like fun.

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    1. It really was. And it made me want to read more.

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  4. This sounds like a fun read; and the characters sound interesting too.

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  5. This one does sound good. I've been seeing this author pop up more and more lately, so I definitely want to give her a try. :)

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    1. She writes a lot of ghost/haunted house books. This one's a little different, but so good. :)

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  6. Oh wow this sounds great. For some reason I like that premise- waking up with no memory, or partial memories. Lost Girls by Merrie deStefano was like that. Anyway this has the spooky element though too- I'm gonna grab this one!

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    1. It's good. Not as scary as I thought it might be, but still a fast read.

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  7. I love the set up of this one. You can't beat a character who doesn't remember anything. The fun is in learning things as they do!

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    1. It is a fun premise. And I'm very curious to learn more about Keira and where she's from and why she can't remember anything.

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  8. i'm curiously interested... it sounds like a book i read forty or fifty years ago and like a lot. i'll look for it, tx...

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  9. I've been wanting to read a Darcy Coates book for years and never got around to it! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. She writes some very fun books. I really liked this one, but I also enjoyed The Carrow Haunt, Craven Manor and Hunted. Thanks for commenting! :)

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  10. Gosh, how scary to have amnesia and have people after you with no idea why! Great review Lark!

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    1. Wouldn't that be the worst? You wouldn't know where to go or who to ask for help. Keira got lucky with the people she met.

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  11. I've seen you feature Coates before and I keep meaning to pick her up. I like amnesia stories. Figuring out the mystery behind the loss and whatnot. I need to get to her sometime soon. Excellent time of year for this kind of story! :)

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    1. Darcy Coates writes some fun ghost stories. :)

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  12. It does sound like a fun read for October or any month!

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    1. It was a fun October read! I wish I could find more like it.

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  13. Yep, some humans are most definitely creepier than ghosts...good observation.

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    1. I'd much rather deal with a ghost than certain humans! ;D

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  14. This sounds like a fantastic read for October. Loving all of the ghosts. :)

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    1. The ghosts were a great part of this one. As was the stray black cat, Daisy. :)

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  15. That sounds creepy but a good mystery.

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    1. It isn't too creepy, just a little ghostly. :)

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  16. You have been reading some spooky books. This sounds too creepy and ghostly for me, but I like the idea of a gravekeeper.

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    1. It's October, and I like a good ghost story. :)

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  17. I have this one and hope to read it this month. There are just so many great spooky books to read! Which is really a good thing, right? :)

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    1. It is a good thing! I love reading spooky reads in October.

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