Ghostly Summons Book Summary:
Lars Kelsen doesn’t believe in psychic phenomenon. To him, visions of murder victims are a form of mental illness. Once they begin, options are limited; he can try to ignore them or deal with them by exposing a killer. Only the latter provides any semblance of peace. Temporarily, anyway. Five years into his new life as a programmer, Kelsen—ex-crime beat reporter with a penance he can never fully satisfy—sees a victim.
In person. Upright. Staring.
Typical of such past "Visits" as he calls them, he doesn’t welcome this one. The nude form of a beautiful millionairess in his cubicle means murder has come to the vacation haven known as North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It means he’ll have to go places he'd rather avoid. See things he'll wish he hadn’t. Do things that don't come naturally, like in-your-face confrontation and bending the law. Actually, breaking the law ... but with good intent. It also means dealing with one very attractive county coroner, who pushes his buttons in a not entirely unwelcome way.
So begins Kelsen's return to investigative reporting—complete with attempts on his life, fights, deception, and all the technological tricks, such as GPS and computer hacking, at his disposal. And maybe even finding a new love interest.
In person. Upright. Staring.
Typical of such past "Visits" as he calls them, he doesn’t welcome this one. The nude form of a beautiful millionairess in his cubicle means murder has come to the vacation haven known as North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It means he’ll have to go places he'd rather avoid. See things he'll wish he hadn’t. Do things that don't come naturally, like in-your-face confrontation and bending the law. Actually, breaking the law ... but with good intent. It also means dealing with one very attractive county coroner, who pushes his buttons in a not entirely unwelcome way.
So begins Kelsen's return to investigative reporting—complete with attempts on his life, fights, deception, and all the technological tricks, such as GPS and computer hacking, at his disposal. And maybe even finding a new love interest.
Goodreads Summary
When I first started reading this book, I sort of agreed with Lars that seeing dead people no one else seemed to see was weird and abnormal. Later on in the book, I loved how the author managed to erase the abnormality of the idea and incorporate it into the plot. I don't know what investigative reporting entails, but I thought that the author's proposal of the job was terrific. I loved how the book had an undertone of suspense throughout the entire novel and was continually surprised, even in small ways, by twists.
Lars' character was interesting. He was brave and diligent despite people trying to kill him and having to literally "see through lies." I thought he was very smart and witty, as well. The other characters, for the most part, fit right into the genre of this book.
I enjoyed how there were many different subplots to the main plot. It's always nice to read a book that doesn't focus exclusively on "mystery" or "intrigue." Overall, this book is recommended to adult readers.
3 1/2 Stars
John A. Karr's Bio:
John A. Karr believes fiction writing each day helps keep the demons at bay. Ghostly Summons is his first full-length novel for Dark Continents Publishing. DCP has also published his Weird West novella, Ujahwek. He is the author of a handful of other novels: Death Clause, Hippocrates Shattered (scheduled for reprint by World Castle Publications as Shattered), Rhone, and Van Gogh, Encore. His short stories have appeared on webzines Allegory, The Absent Willow Review, and Danse Macabre. More works are in progress and in the marketing queue.
Karr is an ardent believer in the quote by Carl Van Doren (1885-1950), U.S. man of letters: Yes, it's hard to write, but it's harder not to.
Karr is an ardent believer in the quote by Carl Van Doren (1885-1950), U.S. man of letters: Yes, it's hard to write, but it's harder not to.
Kindle buy link ($3.99):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/
Nook buy link ($3.99):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Kobo buy link ($3.99):
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http://www.amazon.com/gp/
Nook buy link ($3.99):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Kobo buy link ($3.99):
http://www.kobobooks.com/
This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.
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Krystal, thanks for the review! Glad you liked the element of suspense that John carried throughout the book :)