The Dead Room by Heather Graham

Publisher: Mira, 379 pages

Format: hardcover

Source: Pleasanton library

What it’s about:

An explosion in the historic Hastings House of Manhattan has robbed Leslie MacIntyre of the love of her life, Matt Connolly. Leslie and Matt were attending a gala when the fire bomb erupted. As Leslie recovers from her injuries, she discovers her near death experience has left her with the ability to see dead people.

This ability comes in handy in Leslie’s job as urban archaeologist assigned to scour sites under renovation for historic artifacts. Since the explosion, ghosts appear to Leslie as she works, and she, in turn, ensures that their bones are properly interred. Of all the ghosts she sees “in the flesh” so to speak, Leslie yearns most to see her beloved Matt. Although he cannot materialize in daylight, he visits Leslie during her dreams. Soon, Leslie, once again at Hastings House, begins to hear crying ghosts and one whose cries may belong to a living person.   

Matt’s lookalike cousin, a private investigator named Joe, comes to New York to find a missing social worker heiress involved in helping the city’s prostitutes find alternative employment. Joe is troubled to learn a number of prostitutes have gone missing as well as the woman he’s been hired to find.

Is there a connection between the ghostly cries Leslie hears and the missing women?

Soon, the two plots merge as Joe’s investigations lead him to Leslie and the warren of underground tunnels beneath historic Hastings House. Leslie is torn between her love for the dead fiance who touches her in her dreams and her feelings for Joe who wants to spend his life with her.

What I thought:

For me, the whole “I see dead people” thread worked well. I give the author much credit for her subtle handling of that age-old motif.

The stories of the souls needing help that Leslie encounters are interesting, most of them from colonial times. I found myself eagerly awaiting the next spirit to enter Leslie’s life and request her assistance. As well, the techniques and intricacies of archaeological research were fascinating to learn about.

The intertwining of the two mysteries worked well—Leslie’s crying ghosts and Matt’s investigation into the missing heiress and prostitutes. Both stories were equally compelling.

And while it’s not unusual for romances to feature love triangles, The Dead Room is unusual in that one of the would-be lovers is dead. The nightly dreams when Leslie’s fiance comes to her were tender and erotic. I don’t think I’ve encountered anything quite like it since Patrick Swayze demonstrated his great love for Demi Moore in the movie Ghost.

This is an intelligent romance that I enjoyed very much and recommend to lovers of ghost love stories.