A Ghost of a Chance

By: Josh Lanyon

Narrated by: Kevin R. Free

Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Over a century ago Illusionist David Berkeley committed suicide in his mansion by the sea, thus dooming his restless spirit to wander forever. Or so the local legend goes. Professor Rhys Davies, a part-time parapsychologist, is writing a book on California hauntings and he believes the crumbling ruins of Berkeley House will make a terrific chapter - if he can gain access to the house and grounds. The only obstacle is brooding cop and self-appointed caretaker, Sam Devlin. As obstacles go, Devlin is a big one. But you know what they say. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

©2010 JustJoshin Publishing Inc (P)2014 JustJoshin Publishing Inc

Couldn't stop

Josh did it again. I can't seem to get enough of Lanyon's works. This was a short and sweet one. I fully enjoyed it from beginning to end.

This is one of my favorites!

Love this! Josh's brilliant words and Kevin's wry voice made this story come alive.

Ghosts and love

I had read the book some time ago and it was surprisingly nice to listen to the story after a while. A love story between a history professor chasing ghosts and a cop on leave is the background of this hunt. The narration is very clear and nicely done but the level difference between the two voices was annoying as was the beginning of the sentences regularly much louder than the end.

Interesting

What did you love best about A Ghost of a Chance?

I love Kevin R Free. I wish he did more Josh Lanyon books.

Would you be willing to try another book from Josh Lanyon? Why or why not?

Yes, especially if it's by Kevin R Free. Josh has a massive catalogue. While I don't always like all of his books (a bit unusual for me), the ones I connect with are lovely and on my repeat reading list.

What about Kevin R. Free’s performance did you like?

I love his voice, how pleasant it is in the ears. A lot of how I connect with the characters is through the narrator and Kevin makes it easy to like the characters.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

No idea.

Any additional comments?

The book could have been longer. In all honesty, Sam Devlin was an asshole and treated Rhys like shit, both before and after sex. I felt like Rhys left him off the hook too easily. There needed to be more angry sex, especially considering some of Sam's comments. So the book felt like it was rushed and the sexual tension not milked as much as it could have been.

The mystery of the house also felt too pat. It's similar to others, so similar that once a few things were revealed I already knew how it was going to go, so I wasn't even reading it for the mystery but because I liked Rhys and his pov.

A fun novella

Interesting characters, and excellent narration. Lanyon excels at both. I wish it had been longer!

Great Story!

Loved it I enjoyed the story line. The narrator was great . I actually set and listened to the story in one evening . I just had to know how it ended.

Loved it!

Loved Rhys and of course loved the very blunt, tough guy, Sam Develon. Loved that Sam was not movie star good looking and that Rhys was attracted to him just the same. Loved the mystery as well. Great book!

Free's Voice Gives Life to This Ghost Story

This is only my second audiobook, so I don't have a lot of experience to draw from, but I'm familiar with Kevin R Free's voice from the podcast, Welcome to Night Vale. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to disassociate his voice for the book, but Free made it easy. He's a gifted voice actor and very quickly, I forgot that it was only one person reading the different parts.

The story itself was enjoyable but only okay. I'm a fan of Lanyon's work, but I don't think this is Lanyon's best work. The "ghost story" part of the story and the "romance" part of the story don't feel well blended; it feels like two different stories that have been mashed up together. As well, Lanyon has a habit of rushing endings and this is one of those stories. As I said, it's an enjoyable story, but its potential to be better leaves it slightly disappointing. Free does the best he can--and his reading is, I think, the best part--but overall, it's just okay.

Mystery

Interesting although characters quite different than I'm use to. Very good narrator who made me feel I was easily listening to each individual. Did feel it came to a more abrupt ending than necessary though.

Another paranormal thriller!

I've been eagerly awaiting another Josh Lanyon paranormal thriller since "The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks" (one of my all time favorites). Although short, this new story was a classic JL romance with some spooky overtones. As usual JL masterfully handles the romantic tensions between the main characters while also building interest in the premise of the story (the haunted mansion). The characters have back stories and are as charming (or roguish in the case of Sam Devlin) as usual. I liked this story a lot, the only complaint was that it was too short, which is understandable as it was part of a compilation. But I can see the possibility of a sequel, or even a series??? (Oh please tell me there is another book coming!)