Leona Griffin used to be a para-archaeologist. Now, she verifies antiquities. That's the reason she's here to night, at the Society's new member ball. She's going to verify that the offerings people bring are authentic. She's distracted by two things: the first being a man that keeps looking at her but no one else seems to notice, the second is a dustbunny that seems to want her help.
It is the strange man, Oliver Rancourt, who helps her when the evening starts to fall apart. First, as she is verifying antiquities on stage, she's put to a test, second, one of the antiquities is an artifact known as Pandora's box which the host seems overly eager for her to open, then there's the raid, and the dead body. Overall, not a very good night.
The two make it out but it's just the beginning of their journey. Soon, Leona is joining Oliver in heading to a small town, Lost Creek. It seems to keep coming up in his investigations and also seems to be attached to the night at the Society.
This story was fine. I spent a lot of time trying to remember who characters were from previous books in the series. I think new readers would have fewere issues because there is some linking information but not enough to be helpful. There is also sort of an abrupt bridge from the beginning of the story to the end. I'm not sure why Leona would have gone to a small town with a man she just met even for a mysterious stone. There are bookish "reasons" but I was mostly thinking "you're willingly going to a secondary location."
Three stars
Ghost Hunters #17
This book comes out June 3, 2025
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own
