Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper Series #1

By: J. L. Bryan

Narrated by: Carla Mercer-Meyer

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Ellie Jordan's job is to catch and remove unwanted ghosts. Part detective, part paranormal exterminator, Ellie operates out of Savannah, Georgia - the most haunted city in the United States. When a family contacts her to deal with a disturbing presence in the old mansion they've recently purchased, Ellie first believes it to be a typical, by-the-book specter, a residual haunting by a restless spirit. Instead she finds herself confronting an evil that is older and more powerful than she'd ever expected. The dangerous entity seems particularly interested in her clients' 10-year-old daughter. Soon her own life is in danger, and Ellie must find a way to exorcise the darkness of the house before it can kill her, her clients, or their frightened young child.

©2014 J. L. Bryan (P)2015 Tantor

Creepy and Compelling. Perfect Halloween reading

Would you listen to Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper again? Why?

Absolutely. I was looking for something spooky for Halloween and I hit the jackpot with Ellie Jordan. I live in the Savannah area and am fascinated by the history and stories here. I especially enjoyed the tidbits of local color. The mention of restaurants, libraries, locations and other details really allowed me to put myself in the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper?

Too many too count. I made a huge mistake and started listening before bed. I lost that night sleep and expect to lose another as I am halfway through book two of the series.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved this entire book. It was the perfect combination of spooky (not horror), and realistic enough to make me happy that our home is not on the historical register. There were no romantic elements at all in the first book and while that is my favorite genre, I liked the book enough that I didn't miss it.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended this book, I also appreciated the fact that the narrator did not attempt a southern accent. Thank you Ms. Mercer-Meyer. If that accent is not done well, it totally ruins the book. I do wish that the rest of the series was on Audible, but, Kindle will have work for now.

Slow at first... but, then!

...the story picked up and I had a great time. I love paranormal stories, usually romances, but I was tired of romance and wanted to listen to a good story. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because it did start a little slow, with a little too much information regarding ghost hunting that most people (at least those who watch ghost hunting tv shows) would normally know. Obviously, that's a very subjective point of view. Later, though, the story began to gather speed and became very interesting, so I bought the second book with its Audible edition to enjoy during my commute.

New exciting series!!

***spoilers***
This is a series I will invest time in reading. Ellie Jordan is a paranormal ghost exterminator. She is very dedicated about her job. Ghost exterminating is very serious business. Stacy, a trust fund baby and Jacob who can communicate with ghost are force upon Ellie by her boss. Ellie’s boss, Calvin, a former cop who is confined to a wheel chair, hires Jacob and Stacy, against the wishes of Ellie.

Ghost are very real and Ellie is very aware of the derision, which people view of ghost. From personal experience Ellis knows the truth. That is why she resists anything, which can be viewed as a gimmick. Stacy and Jacob are “gimmicks.” Stacy has options and a family. Stacy can walk away from the job. Yet, Ellie cannot. Ellie considers Jacob to be a charlatan. He is either someone who cannot really see ghost or if he can see them he is so addled that he cannot communicate to people.

This current assignment is the point for Ellie to realize that she cannot do it alone. On one level she is aware, that is how Calvin became wheel chair bound.
The story is engrossing. The first part of the book is a little slow but by the time that you meet Calvin the story will pick up. Ellie does not have any special characteristics for the job. She has her intellect and ability to find information about the possible specters. Basically to banish a ghost you must know the ghost.

Stacy’s contribution to the team is the ability to document the paranormal experience and to convince the client with her smile and bubbly demeanor to concede to Ellie’s request. Jacob’s ability to communicate to ghost takes their hunting to a new level. I don’t know how Ellie and Calvin were able to work without someone like him.

The action centers around Ellie and Stacy being used as punching bags for ghost. After Stacy’s first ghost butt whopping, she decided the reality of ghost was too physical for her. By this time Ellie had begun to appreciate the value Stacy added to the team. Their motto becomes “we face the danger for the other people don’t have to”
Sometimes a first novel in a series cannot provide enough depth/action to encourage the audience to buy the next book. I have downloaded the next book.

Enjoyed

Good story with likable characters. The audible version of this book is well read. I look forward to reading or listening to books from this author in the future.

Gem

I liked Bryan's style of writing, and Meyer just made it more interesting. Kudos because combination managed to keep me entertained throughout the entire audio. I recently listened to another similar audio-Ghost Seer by Robin D. Owens and was happy with that one but realize now that this one was better. Ghost Trapper was packed full of mystery, action, a slew of well rounded characters AND a narration that was a pleasure to listen to. I can't wait to see how the rest of the series measures up.

I'm surprised! It was both gripping and amusing.

A little slow to start, once the foundation was mostly in place the story took on spooky momentum and sassy internal dialogue and kept the pace increasing. I kinda wish all of the equipment and ease of photographing anomalies was so easy in real life. I guess that's why we get to read it in fiction! Nicely done and a great first in a series.

Awesome Book!!!

I can't recommend this series enough! It is wonderful! read with a lot of character development and excitement!

Surprisingly good!

I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The narrator at the beginning kind of irritated me. She sounded very young, so I was thinking it might’ve taken away from the story, but she grew on me. I will be continuing with book 2, so I hope it continues to grow my interest!!

Terrific story

Ellie.s next adventure should be just as good So read on those of you with the paranormal bug.

Loved it!!

I wasn't sure what to expect but it sounded interesting so I thought I would give it a chance and I am glad I did!! A murder mystery with Ghosts that was well told, well written and scary enough to give me the chills! I didn't want it to end!

Spooky and mysterious read

Anyone who follows me knows I am a big fan of these books, and each new installment gets devoured as soon as possible. I love being scared and Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper has the perfect blend of paranormal, some humour, and story line. When I saw Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper on audible I knew I had to have this. Even though I have read the series so far, I like getting to hear the story through someone else.

I went into Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper knowing what to expect, but when I began listening to it I realised I had forgotten a few little bits of the story near the beginning, but I was able to piece the bits together quite easily. The plot to this story is just as good the second time around, but with someone else doing the reading it somehow made it just that much better.

Audiobooks are what I listen to at night, and looking back Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper probably wasn't the best option, especially when I continued to hear noises which I thought was my cat, only to look around and have no cat in the room. I loved everything about Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper, and although my review queue is long for audiobooks, I still can't believe I have to wait another month to get my credits back to pick up the next installment in this series.

The Narrator
Carla Mercer-Meyer narrated really well for Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper. I was really drawn into the story and I fell in love with her interpretation of Stacey.

Final Verdict
I think I love the audiobook more than the book itself, it has a way of drawing you in and really feeling the environment and atmosphere of the hauntings. I can't wait to add to my collection and jump into this series again via audio.