Haunted Grave by Byrd Nash - Book Review

Series: Madame Chalamet Ghost Mysteries #5

Publication Date: 28th Dec 2023

Genre: Gaslamp Fantasy, Mystery 

4.3 Stars 

One Liner: The wait has been worth it! 

Elinor and Tristan are back in action, dealing with a deadly criminal working from the shadows. The criminal is responsible for almost everything unpleasant and dangerous in the country, right from riots to murders. Of course, they also want Tristan (and Elinor, by extension) out of the way. 

As if this isn’t enough, Elinor learns more information about her father and has to decide what to do with Tristan’s marriage proposal. So many decisions to make if they can stay alive long enough. 

The story comes in Elinor’s first-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

This is the fifth book in the series and is not a standalone. It won’t make sense if you read it without reading at least the last two books if not all. 

Elinor is as headstrong as ever, though she gets too close to danger multiple times and gets help from the other quarters. Tristan has too many things to take care of and not enough time. 

Still, the duo has some quality moments together. The big question about their future is left for the next book. But as I said earlier, they have to survive and solve the mysteries before that. 

There’s a subplot that eventually ties up with the main thread. Though we have several threads, they are coming together and starting to make sense. 

It’s hard to review the book since I don’t want to reveal any spoilers for previous works. Let’s say that Twyla makes an appearance, much to my delight. She will have to work hard in the next book. The other recurring characters do their bit. One of them has a change of heart, a positive development for sure. 

The scenes in the other world are always my favorite. And oh, looks like I guessed right about how the potential betrayer is, though we’ll know for sure only in the next book. 

The book blends mystery, political intrigue, paranormal, and romance. We have secrets, betrayals, blackmails, murders, and whatnot. The ending is such a cliffhanger (I hope I don’t have to wait long). 

To summarize, Haunted Grave is a great addition to the series. It is steady-paced, descriptive, and full of intrigue. It’s a short read, too, something you can finish in a sitting or two. 

My thanks to the author for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

***

P.S.: I love that the author dedicated this book to readers who waited. Life took over (as it always does), and the author had to push the release date by a few months, resulting in an unexpected delay.