Haunted

by Kat Martin

Overview

A captivating and twisting tale where a murder in 1898 and one in 2024 dovetail and connect in unexpected ways from New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin and perfect for readers of J.A. Jance, Tony Hillerman, and Ramona Emerson’s Shutter.

1898: Robbery, prostitution, and violence are commonplace in the fabulously rich copper mining city of Jerome, Arizona. But a brutal murder sets the stage for a series of strange events that will echo far into the future.

2024: Jenny Spencer’s Copper Star Saloon and Hotel is one of the best-loved attractions in the popular tourist destination, but eerie occurrences in the newly renovated wing are souring business.
Cain Barrett, the wealthy owner of the nearby Grandview Hotel, has his eye on Jenny. He’ll help her any way he can, but Cain has problems of his own . . .

A brutal murder at the Copper Star, entries in a dusty journal, and ghostly sightings at both hotels . . . is the connection a figment of Jenny’s imagination, or a threat to her life? And who is causing trouble for Cain?

As they work together to solve the mystery, Cain vows not to let anything, or anyone—living or dead—stand between him and the woman he has come to love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496744074
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	09/24/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	3,476
File size:	599 KB

About the Author

Bestselling author Kat Martin, a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, resides in Missoula, Montana, with her husband, Western author L. J. Martin. More than seventeen million copies of Kat’s books are in print, and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Many of her recent novels have taken top-ten spots on the New York Times bestseller list. Kat is currently working on her next novel. Visit Kat at katmartin.com and find her on Facebook at KatMartinAuthor.

Editorial Reviews

09/30/2024

Tepid sex scenes and clichéd characters sink this absurd romantic thriller from Martin (The Ghost Illusion). In 1898 Arizona, miner Boris Koblinsky fatally strangles sex worker Jenni Bauters in the Copper Star Saloon after she objects to his rough treatment. The story then skips ahead to the present, when the saloon has been converted into a successful hotel managed by spunky Jenny Spencer. After dashing millionaire Cain Barrett offers Jenny a temporary position helping him set up his own hotel nearby, the two swiftly and predictably fall in love. As Jenny’s infatuation grows, however, she starts having ghostly visions, and soon learns that the Copper Star was the site of other hauntings 15 years earlier. Then a flurry of unexplained events throws things further out of whack: Cain stops a biker from assaulting Jenny, a male guest is found dead in his room at the Copper Star, and someone steals one of Cain’s valuable stallions. Unfortunately, those mysteries are frequently sidelined in favor of lukewarm erotica (“Jenny moaned, and Cain just kept kissing her, taking what he wanted, the rush growing stronger, his arousal strengthening”), and Martin’s flat characterizations don’t help matters. Even bodice ripper fans are likely to be bored. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, CAA. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Kat Martin’s Romantic Thrillers
 
“The plot is multi-layered and gets increasingly dangerous as the unsettling disturbances escalate and secrets are revealed. It’s twisty, thought-provoking, and tragic, as well as full of suspenseful moments.” —Mystery and Suspense Magazine on The Ghost Illusion
 
“Martin pairs a widowed rancher and a PI in the outstanding romantic thriller that launches her Blood Ties, the Logans series…Martin, a master of the genre, ratchets up the tension throughout, casting numerous red herrings across the trail until the murderer is identified and some righteous justice is served. Her plucky heroine and gruff hero, meanwhile, provide a solid dose of romance. Readers won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW on The Last Goodnight
 
“Martin seems to know her way around a working ranch, and she fills her romance with an interesting tutorial on what a well-run ranch does battle with each day.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Last Goodnight
 
“Kat Martin has delivered another intense, tightly-woven romantic suspense story to launch her new series. This one kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly flipping pages, and still trying to figure out all the answers right up until the big reveal.” —The Romance Dish on The Last Goodnight
 
“Suspenseful and has a few surprising twists and turns…I would definitely recommend it to people who like hunky cowboy alpha makes, smart and independent women, and sexy romances.” —One More Page on The Last Goodnight
 
"Martin revs the power from page one of this fast-paced romantic thriller… Fans of romantic suspense won’t be able to put this book down until the final page is turned, and Martin is likely to recruit thriller readers as well." —Publishers Weekly on The Deception
 
“An un-put-down-able page-turner that's sure to satisfy fans of romance and thrillers alike.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Deception
 
“Martin keeps the twists and turns coming in the sensuous and spirited first Maximum Security romantic thriller…Readers willfind it hard to wait for the next book in this tantalizing series.” —Publishers Weekly on The Conspiracy
 
“Kat Martin is a fast gun when it comes to storytelling, and I love her books.” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller
 
“Filled with suspense, action and sizzling scenes, the pages of this book practically turn themselves.” —Bookpage on Beyond Danger
 
“The kind of taut, edge-of-your-seat action you crave from a suspenseful book.” —Bustle on Beyond Reason
 
“[A] romantic, suspenseful thriller.” —In Touch on Beyond Reason
 
“Martin whips together unforgettable characters and a high-octane plot with more twists and turns than a street in SanFrancisco…. As the suspense unfurls at a breathtaking pace, readers will be captivated by this tale of drug dealers, foreign terrorists, bloody violence, and hot, steamy sex, all leading to a shocking ending. Martin’s fans and newcomers alike will enjoy every moment of this thrill ride.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW for Beyond Reason
 
"A high-octane mix of high stakes and high passion." —Bookpage on Into the Whirlwind
 
“Intense mystery and sensual love scenes will lure readers into this novel and not let go until the final page is turned.” —Publishers Weekly on Against the Wild

From the Publisher

2024-08-17
Jerome, Arizona, was once known as the Wickedest Town in the West. And in some ways, things haven’t changed.

Jenny Spencer inherited the Copper Star Saloon and Hotel from her uncle, much to the dismay of his feckless son, Eddie. Jerome’s reputation for ghosts draws tourists, but Jenny finds herself facing problems with some new rooms she installed in an area of the hotel her uncle left unused. Then she meets Cain Barrett, the new owner of the Grandview Hotel, and her hormones go into overdrive. Cain, who sported a bad-boy reputation even when he was a few years ahead of her in high school, turned his life around and went into mining, making a fortune he’s now plowing into remodeling the Grandview. Jenny accepts his offer of a part-time job advising him on hotel management, despite the dangers of her attraction to him. Cain also owns a ranch from which an expensive cutting-horse stallion has gone missing, and he hires a detective to help find the horse, along with some horses that are missing from other ranches. Meanwhile, Jenny does some research to determine whether the ghosts in her hotel are real manifestations of evildoers or just illusions created by someone who wants to ruin her business. After the missing horses are found, Cain is furious to learn that his stallion has been gelded and mistreated. Then a man is found brutally murdered in a room in the haunted area of the Copper Star. While she and Cain are riding at his ranch, Cain is shot and wounded, broadening their search for two prospective killers.

It’s all here: ghosts, mysteries, local history, and steamy romance.

Kirkus Reviews