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Calling the Dead Kindle Edition

by Ali Vali (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 276 ratings
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Detective Sept Savoie is a cop who thinks making a relationship work is harder than catching a serial killer, but her current case may prove her wrong.

Six months after Hurricane Katrina has devastated most of New Orleans, Detective Sept Savoie is battling the nightmare of everything the storm has taken from her when a brutalized body turns up behind one of New Orleans’s most famous restaurants, run by Keegan Blanchard. The more Sept works through the clues, the more they point to Keegan, making the relationship growing between them anything but love at first sight. The first death is only the beginning, though, as the miles of deserted neighborhoods Katrina left behind provide the perfect stage for murder.
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  1. Print length
    260 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    November 1, 2008
  5. File size
    596 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ali Vali is the author of the long-running Cain Casey "Devil" series and the Genesis Clan "Forces" series, as well as numerous standalone romances including two Lambda Literary Award finalists, Calling the Dead and Love Match, and her 2017 release, Beauty and the Boss. Ali also has a novella in the collection Girls with Guns.

Originally from Cuba, Ali has retained much of her family's traditions and language and uses them frequently in her stories. Having her father read her stories and poetry before bed every night as a child infused her with a love of reading, which she carries till today. Ali currently lives outside New Orleans, Louisiana, and she has discovered that living in Louisiana provides plenty of material to draw from in creating her novels and short stories.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0042JTOUM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bold Strokes Books (November 1, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 596 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 276 ratings

About the author

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Ali Vali

Ali Vali

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Originally from Cuba, Ali Vali has retained much of her family’s traditions and language and uses them frequently in her stories. Having her father read her stories and poetry before bed every night as a child infused her with a love of reading, which carries till today. She has discovered that living in Louisiana provides plenty of material to draw from in creating her novels and short stories. Ali currently lives outside New Orleans, Louisiana.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
276 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jen Bunny Bear
5.0 out of 5 stars Sept Savoie gets her story
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2023
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No longer relegated to law-abiding guest feature to Cain Casey, Detective Sept Savoie becomes her own character with her own story & her own love life. & in tracking down a serial killer that was barely noted in the main series, she does it in style.
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K. Buchanan
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner by Ali Vali - Murder and Mayhem
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2008
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Calling The Dead is the latest release by author Ali Vali. This is the beginning of a new series and it's off to a great start. This is a romantic intrigue lesfic book, one that is a departure from Ali's "Devil" series in that the main character is a cop, Sept Savoie who's focus is bringing the "bad guy" to justice. She meets and falls for a woman who we hope will figure strongly in the future books of this series, Keegan Blanchard, a chef and part of a family dynasty in New Orleans.

If memory serves me correctly, Sept Savoie did make a cameo appearance in the last "Devil" book, Deal with the Devil, which serves as a nice segue into this new series. It's clear to me that Casey, from the Devil series would get along great with Sept.

This book is darker than the other books that Ali Vali has written, with some hard-to-read scenes. However, those scenes are important for the story and the connection with the Santeria religion. Santeria is the religion that some people refer to as "voodoo".

I love how Ali Vali brings her love of the city of New Orleans into her books. It's clear that she has a passion for the city when you read her books and get a feel for the culture of New Orleans and the French Quarter.

I recommend this book. If you are like me, hungerly waiting for her next "Devil" book to be released, you'll find that you now have 2 series that you are invested in. This new "Sept Savoie" series figures to be a great one. Enjoy it!
6 people found this helpful
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Sage320
4.0 out of 5 stars This is a very strong book
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2009
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How bad would your life have to be for you to find that chasing a serial killer is a welcome distraction? Detective Sept Savoie finds herself in that position. Hurricane Katrina didn't just cause physical damage in New Orleans, but left psychological scars on all of the people who were there. Sept got her unusual name because she was the seventh child in the family, but now there are only six. The flood waters took her beloved sister and her young niece and the family is struggling to recover from the loss. Her brother-in-law is walking a thin edge of sanity and Sept tries to cope with the stresses by devoting herself to the family business, being a top police officer. The first body that turns up outside of a restaurant seems to be a routine murder and the logical suspect is the restaurant owner Keegan Blanchard. The Blanchards are an old New Orleans family represented in the current generations by very feisty, independent women. That guarantees an immediate clash between Sept and Keegan that quickly grows into an attraction as more bodies turn up and it becomes clear that the serial killer who is on the loose isn't Keegan. As the crimes unfold, ritual overtones of voodoo and Santeria begin to emerge and the killer switches from random killing to waging a personal attack on Sept. She begins to worry that her growing relationship with Keegan could be dangerous to the Blanchard family, especially when the evidence indicates the killer might be someone close to her. The authorities expect Sept to rescue the city from this horror, which she tries desperately to do while holding her family together and protecting Keegan from being swept into the madness.

Ali Vali uses New Orleans as a character in Calling the Dead. The unique culture sets the mood of the book in a way that could only occur in this city. As a survivor of Katrina, Vali is able to capture the brooding overtones of the city and evoke the destruction that was created in the people's lives. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are the descriptions of what happened to the people during the flooding and to the city in the aftermath. Vali also takes you into the twisted mind of the killer so that the reader can understand what is motivating him even while sharing the horror of what he is doing.

The nightmare that was Katrina had a residual effect of creating a powerful storytelling voice in Vali. Always an accomplished writer, the books she has set in this environment have been particularly strong and demonstrate her ability to pull a reader into a story. Calling the Dead is one of those books that the reader doesn't want to end and presents characters that would be worth using in another story. This one goes into the "keeper" category.
9 people found this helpful
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The old one!
5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding "who done it"
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2018
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Ali Vali has vaulted herself right up into my "need" to read authors list! This one was great. I love detective/police books and this filled the bill nicely. Sept was a detective who somehow found herself a serial killers ultimate target. She is working so hard to figure out who this deranged person is and in the process found Keegan who manages to win her affections. I was so immersed in this book that I found little time for anything other than turning the pages as fast as I could read them. The details are wonderful and the romance of the two ladies involved is perfect. There is plenty of action and drama with time for other things thrown in for good measure. I totally loved this book and am so happy that the sequel is now out and ready for me to read. Many, many thanks to Ms. Vali for sharing her words with us readers.
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Kathy Kern
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and emotionally gripping!
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2021
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The main character, Sept, is a thorough, tough, and empathetical detective who is deeply human in her thoughts and her actions.
The story is very well constructed and delivered in such a way as to incorporate a grizzly crime spree and investigation and falling in love into one very compelling and believable book. I was sad when it ended because I would miss the characters but then very happy to see that there is a sequel I can't wait to start.
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CC
5.0 out of 5 stars Right up there as a thriller anda romance
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2009
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I have all of Ms. Vali's books and this one is among the favorites now! If it truly becomes a series then it will be equal to the Cain stories. What I liked about this book is the characters are just your everyday folks you can relate to. A detective who is just trying to stop a mad person and a chef that just begs you to want to come to New Orleans just to try the restaurants and foods. As other reviews have noted you can just feel the passion Ms. Vali has for this city, and through her writing you can just imagine being there. She has great sensitivity to the devastation of Katrina, but gives you a sense of the characters loses and strengths to move forward. I found the book to be humorous in the right spots, sensitive to the conditions, and yes some what graphic with the murder scenes, but over all it makes a great read! Pls Ms. Vali, get the next one out with this new series, right after the next Cain book...smile
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Top reviews from other countries

miss elaine m worby
5.0 out of 5 stars A great crime thriller.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2023
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This book hooked me from the first page and didn't stop. The intricate plot twists and turns, keeping you guessing until the end. The characters are interesting and intriguing and their interactions are compelling. I really enjoyed reading this book and I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
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jahnavi
5.0 out of 5 stars A really enjoyable book
Reviewed in India on April 25, 2021
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It a perfect balance between a crime thriller and a romance. Although its cringe here and there but overall I really enjoyed it.
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Eh
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Reviewed in Canada on April 11, 2019
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*Trigger Warning* Graphic violence portrayed

What an excellent read. The only Ali Vali I have read before this book was an unmemorable romance novel. Now I see why everyone loves her Cain Casey series if it is done as well as this crime thriller/police procedural.
I loved everything about this book. The two mains, Sept Savoie (seventh child in a French family) and Keegan Blanchard are women you want to meet and women you don't want to cross. The cop and the cook go from enemies (suspect) to lovers and it's a beautiful thing to watch. Since this is primarily a crime thriller there is no need for the makeout/breakup/makeup scenario necessary to flesh out a standard romance novel and that is refreshing. As a couple they sizzle.

The author knows her way around New Orleans and the post Katrina devastation is easy to visualize and add authenticity to a story with a serial killer able to hide in multiple abandoned buildings and commit his foul crimes. You can feel the lawlessness and challenges faced by local law enforcement many of whom are living in FEMA trailers.

Another kudo goes to the author who created a monster with a fascinating desire to please the gods of a religion brought to New Orleans by slaves from the Caribbean called Santeria. It made for a fascinating and difficult case and Vali did an excellent job of keeping the killer a mystery. Well done.

Plenty of tension, some great sex and even some families to love. Great book.
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Mary Shoffner
4.0 out of 5 stars Great adjunct to the Devil (Cain Casey) series
Reviewed in Canada on March 30, 2019
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Great adjunct to the Devil (Cain Casey) series. Goes off in the Sept Savoie tangent. Well constructed, page turner, who-dun-it.
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Miss S
5.0 out of 5 stars Suspense to the end
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2019
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I'm the aftermath of Katrina as New Orleans fights to get back to normality a crazy killer tests Detective Sept Savoie to the limit. Great story can't wait for the next one
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