Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Serials and Scenarios ~ Ghostwriter





For years Dennis Shore has thrilled readers with his spooky bestselling novels. Now a widower, Dennis is finally alone in his house, his daughter attending college out of state. When he's stricken by a paralyzing case of writer's block and a looming deadline, Dennis becomes desperate. Against better judgment, he claims someone else's writing as his own, accepting undeserved accolades for the stolen work. He thinks he's gotten away with it . . . until he's greeted by a young man named Cillian Reed--the true author of the stolen manuscript.

What begins as a minor case of harassment quickly spirals out of control. As Cillian's threats escalate, Dennis finds himself on the brink of losing his career, his sanity, and even his life. The horror he's spent years writing about has arrived on his doorstep, and Dennis has nowhere to run.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Ghostwriter, go HERE.

My Review:

I’m a chicken. The only Stephen King I’ve read is his book on writing and a few short stories. There is a reason for this…nightmares.

As an innocent 8th grader I was forever scarred by Poe. The Tell-Tale Heart horrified me and The Black Cat changed my life. Back before "stepping" for aerobic health was introduced as the new big thing, I had mastered the exercise.

My heart began pounding the second I opened the basement door and I could run up twenty backless steps in a matter of seconds.

That said, ghost/horror stories make for apprehensive reading. So you might wonder why I’d choose a book to read and review from the horror genre.

Because the story intrigued me.

I would recommend that ubersensitive souls stay far away. Not only are there supernatural elements and haunting, there are grisly details best not read before bedtime. The story of a man at the edge of losing his
sanity is fascinating and I felt a pull toward Dennis and the sorrow
and the hopelessness that crippled him.

Thrasher writes a solid story and creates three-dimensional characters. The spiritual elements of the story infused hope into the situation of a man who’d all but lost everything he’d ever held dear which makes the horror somehow redeemed

I may not add a lot of horror to my literary diet but Ghostwriter is a book that I can recommend Ghostwriter to those who love a side-dish of terror every once in awhile.