Ghosts: The Ghost Stories Of Noel Hynd, Book 1

By: Noel Hynd

Narrated by: Time Winters

Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Perhaps the scariest audiobook you will ever listen to...

Revised 2014 edition with new introduction. The classic ghost story is baaaaack...!

Enter a world where the departed return to the world of the living - where ghosts walk and intermingle among us.

Nantucket Island. Quiet. Peaceful. Idyllic. For Oscar-winning actress Annette Carlson, it is the perfect refuge from a demanding career. For brilliant burned-out cop Tim Brooks, it's a chance to get away from the crime-ridden streets of the big city. And for Reverend George Osaro, ghost hunter, it is about to become a place of unspeakable terror.

©1993, 2014 Noel Hynd (P)2014 Noel Hynd

Aptly Named - Good Old Ghost Story

Loved the story line and how hard the narrator worked to make it come together. Creepy ghost voice but even creepier sexy woman voice. Gotta overlook that...and it is hard to. I should have really listened to this story when I had nothing else to distract me. I wasn't ready for the end and it really took me by surprise so much that I had to go back a chapter or so to see if I really heard it right.

Slight Disappointment

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I have this book in paperback, the original version. When I realized that this is the revised edition, I was very disappointed with the changes. This is one of my favorite books and I hated that Noel Hynd had felt the need to update and change his story. I would have Noel Hynd stop George Lucasing his stories and leave them be.

Would you recommend Ghosts: The Ghost Stories Of Noel Hynd, Book 1 to your friends? Why or why not?

I would very much recommend the original to my friends. Though if they read the new version first they may still enjoy the story since they would have never read the original.

Any additional comments?

The narrators voice had a great creepy vibe to it but over the length of the story, it seemed to grate the ears a bit. His voice, I feel, would have been better suited to short ghost stories, not a full length novel.
As mentioned before, I was disappointed when I realized it was an updated version. Having bought an eBook of Noel Hynd's other ghost story: Cemetery of Angels, I realized that he had updated that story as well. This seems to be a trend among his books. As an avid reader I find that very frustrating. I did not think that Ghosts needed to be updated and tamed down.
The overall story line remains though and when I had found this story, it was like finding love I didn't know I was looking for. I hadn't realized that I'd been seeking out a story like this until I found it. A brilliant weaving of crime story and ghost story without being hokey or over done. Noel Hynd's characters are well formed and realistic. I would still rate this story as a must read for supernatural enthusiasts. For a first timer to this story, I would say that either version would still thrill you. This version is definitely the tamer one.

Lovely story! Terrific terrifying tale!

What did you love best about Ghosts: The Ghost Stories Of Noel Hynd, Book 1?

The eeriness of how the spirit of Henry was able to communicate telepathically with Tim. It's frightening to have something like that inside of your head.

What other book might you compare Ghosts: The Ghost Stories Of Noel Hynd, Book 1 to and why?

Whispers. Similar creepy feeling.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Tim discovered the truth about Pastor Osaro.

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

Ghosts: The Truth About The Spirit World

Any additional comments?

I'd love to listen to other books by this author. Very entertaining!

A Cerebral, Sexy, Horror Story, best I've read.

What made the experience of listening to Ghosts: The Ghost Stories Of Noel Hynd, Book 1 the most enjoyable?

Ghosts by Noel Hyud is a gem that outshines Barker, King, and Koontz. I was amazed at the three dimensional characters that I really cared about. A secondary protagonist, George, made me wish for further adventures for the spiritual minister. The antagonist is pants dropping evil. I was actual afraid for the main man Tim. Sprinkled with gore, humor, and genuine mystery, Ghosts brought my world to a stand still till I finished it. A great novel is one that makes you sad it's over...such is this. You'll read it twice to see the clues you've missed in the greater mystery.

Which character – as performed by Time Winters – was your favorite?

Time Winters brings life to the story. His character accents are spot on, bringing to life to mere words, be they oriental, a Maine twange, or a Pennsylvania Huffty. Follow him and give him love.

Any additional comments?

I am currently on the second in Noel's series, Cemetery of Angels. It's brought to you by these two groovy entertainers. Time and Mr. Hyud, thank you for providing quality thought provoking entertainment. You guys rock.

EXCELLENT STORY!

Where does Ghosts: The Ghost Stories Of Noel Hynd, Book 1 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to many audible books and this has got to be in my top 10. Scary but not over the top.

What does Time Winters bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think Mr. Winters did an excellent job in bringing the characters to life.

Any additional comments?

Great book.

Performance was choppy and confusing.

Could not always tell which character was speaking. Could not always tell if it was someone speaking or just descriptive text. Production was such that it felt like there was the main reading and then things were roughly dubbed on top. There were a bunch of times that the speaker repeated himself with different inflection in his voice. I finished it but should have turned it back in for a refund.

How is this dull?!

It’s as though the writer and narrator conspired to make ghost stories as uninteresting as possible. Ponderous, full of unnecessary details that do nothing to further the narrative, and read with all the drama and verve of a phone book.

I don’t understand how this was allowed to happen. All it needs to be excellent is a decent editor with an endless supply of red ink, and a narrator who is awake.

It’s terribly sad that neither editor nor sufficiently caffeinated narrator was available, because I am interested in the *story* and want to know how it was resolved. But I’m currently on hour 12 of 17 and I’m not sure I can make it through, even after increasing the speed.

Great ghost story!

This is a great book! I was hooked on Hynd from this one novel! Although I am not a fan of his spy novels (Although they are well written, they are just not my genre) his ghost stories are fantastic!

Stick With It- It Gets Better

What did you like best about Ghosts: The Ghost Stories Of Noel Hynd, Book 1? What did you like least?

George Osaro was the best character and the most interesting. I didn't care for the narrator's voice, as he sounds like the owner of a local chain of body shop, in my area, who does his own commercials. However, the character voices were much better, and less painful. The story gets better in part 2.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I wasn't surprised, but thought it was alright.

Did Time Winters do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, he gave them different sounds, which was appreciated.

Do you think Ghosts: The Ghost Stories Of Noel Hynd, Book 1 needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No...unless readers want to have Tim Brooks become a paranormal investigator.

Not Half as Scary As I'd Hoped!

What did you like best about Ghosts: The Ghost Stories Of Noel Hynd, Book 1? What did you like least?

I'd selected this book based on reviews that it was pretty scary and expected a few graphic scenes. Unfortunately, this story was neither scary nor graphic - very PG.

The story itself was somewhat predictable and I found that I was listening in hopes that it would get better and because I had already invested several listening hours.

The characters were somewhat interesting and I found that I was more interested in them than the story - which helped.

The performance was ok, but I wasn't sure about the production. There were noticeable gaps in the track between chapters and there were several repeated lines which seemed to be errors.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The story itself was not very suspenseful. The ending was pretty predictable.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend for listeners looking for a less intimidating ghost story; not for anyone looking for a scarier read.