The Ghost Writer

In this tantalizing tale of Victorian ghost stories and family secrets, timid, solitary librarian Gerard Freeman lives for just two things: his elusive pen pal Alice and a story he found hidden in his mother's drawer years ago.

Written by his great-grandmother Viola, it hints at his mother's role in a sinister crime. As he discovers more of Viola's chilling tales, he realizes that they might hold the key to finding Alice and unveiling his family's mystery - or will they bring about his untimely death, as they seem to foretell?

Harwood's astonishing, assured debut shows us just how dangerous family skeletons - and stories - can be.

©2013 John Harwood; 2013 Blackstone Audiobooks

Ghostly Cornucopia

If you're looking for a good ghost story for the Halloween season, this one is a good bet. Allusions to creepy literary spinsters—Henry James's Miss Jessel and Dickens's Miss Havisham—create the atmosphere for this gothic suspense novel.

The protagonist grows up in Australia with a mother who refuses to speak about the details of her childhood in England. As he grows older, he becomes increasingly curious about his mother's reasons for leaving England and her reluctance to talk about her past. He returns to England and begins to piece together what might have happened, discovering short ghost stories written by his great-grandmother, Viola. These wonderfully spooky tales, filled with supernatural occurrences and séances, are interwoven into the main narrative and offer tantalizing clues about the family's history.

The narrative can get a bit confusing at times, as we jump between Viola's stories and the protagonist's life, something that probably is a bit more of a challenge in the audio format. One must pay close attention to keep the characters straight or be prepared to rewind in order to keep track of the story--I had to rewind several times but actually welcomed the chance to do so because I really didn't want the book to end. The ending makes perfect sense but you really have to think about it. Happy hauntings!

A really frighteing ending!

This story had predictable elements and some really novel elements. But the final scene really raised my pulse. That is unusual for me. I like the horror genre but generally do not find stories actually scary. I'm not sure if it was the writing or the reading or both, but it gave me a shot of adrenaline. That alone gets five stars!

Riveting!

I couldn’t stop listening! I was guessing until the end and still hadn’t figured it out until the reveal. Simon Vance is the best narrator I’ve ever heard. The transition to different characters is seamless and at no time did I think “Oh! This is a man doing a woman’s voice!” I think his accent work is beyond excellent. I would listen to a book just because he narrates it.

Slow burn, thrilling end

My first John Harwood was The Seance, which was quite a page turner. This book was a much slower burn, but so, so worth it. The full horror of the protagonist's situation dawns slowly but surely. Such a twist at the end. Highly recommend.

Stories w/in the story of great family dysfunction

Harwood delivers another spooky tale of megalomania & vengeance & waste. Masterful Vance narration.