And another and another, old ones and fresh ones, killed in what may be ritualistic ways. There are some compelling epitaphs too.īefore long a dead body is discovered. Integral to the story and seamlessly integrated in it are the meanings of different flowers and symbols on gravestones, which I found fascinating. She often uses fragrant flowers to set the tone and she's so adept at describing them I felt like they were under my nose and the ones I've not encountered I rued missing out on.
Stevens's descriptions of Charleston alone would have made the book worth it for me. In "The Restorer" her commission is to restore an old cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina connected to a college attended by many of the city's elite. That's when I realized I was reading a series, something I don't often do and I hope they're all as good or nearly as good as this one. From nine on Amelia's father taught her rules about the ghosts - but not all of them. Each has the unusual ability to see ghosts.Īmanda Stevens had me at that first sentence, Amelia is a terrific narrator, Stevens a great writer, and it all makes for a great book. Her father was caretaker of an old cemetery in South Carolina and she grew up helping him. The protagonist of this series, Amelia Gray, is a professional restorer of old cemeteries in the southern United States. I've always been drawn to old cemeteries for the artistry of the graves, the beautiful and profound sculptures, mausoleums and tombs and the inexplicably weird ones. I'm, I now know, somewhat of a taphophile. Ghosts are another story - and old cemeteries. It's not a book I'd ever have found or picked up but for a few great reviews from GR friends. They're a mixture of paranormal (ghosts, and they're not all friendly), mystery and a bit of romance.
"I was nine when I saw my first ghost." So begins "The Restorer," book one in the seven-book Graveyard Queen series.
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