One night, New York FBI agent Aiden Mahoney receives a visitor in a dream—an old friend named Richard Highsmith. The very next day he's sent to Sleepy Hollow because Richard's gone missing there.
Maureen—Mo—Deauville now lives in the historic town and works with her dog, Rollo, to search for missing people. She's actually the one to find Richard…or more precisely his head, stuck on a statue of the legendary Headless Horseman.
Mo and Aiden, a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI's unit of paranormal investigators, explore both past and present events to figure out who betrayed Richard, who killed him and now wants to kill them, too. As they work together, they discover that they share an unusual trait—the ability to communicate with the dead. They also share an attraction that's as intense as it is unexpected…if they live long enough to enjoy it!
My Review
A special thank you to Harlequin MIRA and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
THE BETRAYED, by Heather Graham (Krewe of Hunters #14) a compelling supernatural mystery thriller, which takes place in the towns of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, New York, the site of Washington Irving’s LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW.
New York FBI agent Aiden Mahoney dreams (a voice) of an old friend Richard and the next day he reads in The Times, “Highsmith Missing”. Aiden has been working as an FBI field agent at the NY office for the past ten years and the next day he's sent to Sleepy Hollow because Richard's gone missing there, and he desperately wants to find his old friend alive, but he knows he is going to find him dead.
Five seasoned Krewe members have been sent to help with the setup. Aiden likes them all but they have a reputation for being called in on the weird cases. And he likes to avoid weird. The Krewe come from different vocations, all adding something to their special talent—basically, the ability at times to see the dead.
Maureen (Mo) Deauville, has a freelance career as expert on politics who had admired Highsmith. He was that rare politician willing to stand a fight alone. He had not adhered to any political party, he was an independent and people loved him; however, someone hated him—was the murder random?
Mo lives in the historic town and works with her dog, Rollo, to search for missing people. She's actually the one to find Richard…or more precisely his head, stuck on a statue of the legendary Headless Horseman. She loves living in the country versus the city right on the river where she could see Sunnyside, the home where Washington Irving had lived for many years and where he died.
Whereas most people come to the location because of Washington Irving and his short story, they are intrigued and love history; however, someone was turning this into an obscene joke.The team works together as part of the FBI’s paranormal investigators, while exploring both past and present events to figure out who betrayed Richard, who killed him and now wants to kill them, too.
As they work together, to find the killer, (seems to be not only familiar with Sleepy Hollow, but immersed in it), they discover that they share an unusual trait—the ability to communicate with the dead. They also share more than a trait, (a strong sexual attraction, yummy), as they race to capture the killer so they can have some time for themselves.
Just in time for Halloween to create a spooky atmosphere with the graveyards, costumes, haunted mausoleum, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, history, haunted house, ghost stories, plus more!
I have not read the other books in the series, which would have been nice; however, THE BETRAYED can be read as a standalone. It was fun exploring the differences in Aiden and Maureen, as they both view their gifts in a different way and were a fun pair!
Love that Graham resides in South Florida, as do I West Palm Beach and Florida Keys, where we have a playground at our fingertips year round. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author as sounds like three more upcoming this summer in the series: CONSPIRACY (DC setting), CONVICTION (yeah, Miami), and CONFESSION (Boulder, CO)!
Fans of Jayne Ann Krentz, Lisa Jackson, Carla Neggers, Kay Hooper, Allison Brennan, and Karen Harper will enjoy this mysterious, and captivating series.