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Paper Ghosts  By  cover art

Paper Ghosts

By: Julia Heaberlin
Narrated by: Catherine Taber
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Publisher's summary

A Texas map marked with three red dots like drops of blood. A serial killer who claims to have dementia. A mysterious young woman who wants answers. What could go wrong?

Finalist for the ITW Thriller Award

"Fast and furious... You'll never see what's coming." (The Washington Post)

Years ago, her sister Rachel vanished. Now, she is almost certain the man who took Rachel sits in the passenger seat beside her. He claims to have dementia and no memory of murdering girls across Texas in a string of places where he shot eerie pictures. To find the truth, she proposes a dangerous idea: a 10-day road trip with a possible serial killer to examine cold cases linked to his haunting photographs.

Is he a liar or a broken old man? Is he a pathological con artist - or is she?

You won’t see the final terrifying twist spinning your way until the very last mile.

Praise for Paper Ghosts:

Paper Ghosts is a riveting summer read that shows Texas in a powerfully intimate light.” (The Austin Chronicle)

“[An] artful and elegiac psychological thriller...riveting.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“[Paper Ghosts] elevates the often tawdry genre of the serial killer novel to a work of art.” (Sunday Express, UK)

“Texas has yet again bred a major American noir writer.” (D Magazine)

“[Heaberlin has] developed a distinctive literary voice, one that is on full display in Paper Ghosts.” (Houston Chronicle)

“Entertainingly unnerving.” (The Dallas Morning News)

"Strong characterisation, haunting images, a wonderful sense of place, and some dark comedy make this travelogue-cum-psychological thriller well worth the read.” (The Guardian)

©2018 Julia Heaberlin (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[An] artful and elegiac psychological thriller... Heaberlin brilliantly combines travelogue with a heartbreaking portrait of the damage done by childhood.... [She] wields words like weapons, with each one chosen to heighten tension, underscore emotion, or foreshadow doom." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Paper Ghosts

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Nicely Written!

The detail in this book carried me away to the writer's mind. Great story. I am always anxious to get to the end of a mystery to find out all the answers, so at times I was wishing it was shorter. The storyteller made it easy to listen too. I loved it.

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Awesome!

loved it! kept me thinking and loved the ending! Will definitely read more of her books🥰❣

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Hard to Get Into...

I took a chance before ditching, listened to the end, went back and enjoyed the whole book as well as the authors notes at the end.

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  • Overall
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twisty and Meandering

felt very real. Not really scary but a good story with an unusual premise.

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Great Thriller!

One of my favorites from an excellent mystery/thriller writer! This is a real page-turner and will keep you guessing until the end!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Slow book

I really like this author but I really struggled through this one. The story was disjointed and hard to follow at times. It was a great idea for the book but it really lacked something for me and I was anxious to be done with it.

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OUTSTANDING!!

A must read/listen !!!!!!!!
I couldn't put it down... Well written!
God Bless Texas

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Great story

I really loved this book. I wanted to listen to it in one sitting… but could not. The characters were very relatable and intriguing. I highly recommend this story. The audio performance was great as well.

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Love Julia Heaberlin!

Another great story! I love that they are set in my home state, Texas. It’s so neat to hear places that I’m familiar with in the story!

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    3 out of 5 stars

Great descriptions but somehow never picked up

In general I liked this book but was always waiting for it to get started. Guessed the end conclusion way in advance. Pleasant but not enthralling

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