September 18, 2000
Black Oak: Winter Knight
Charles Grant

I know this isn’t the first in the Black Oak series, but I read it first because I was so attracted by the story line: Ethan Proctor, the head of Black Oak Security, is contacted to determine what happened to the daughter of a very rich man in England. There is a strong supernatural element to this story, and hopefully to the rest of the series, as well. Grant’s writing is incredible. He’s one of the writers of the X-Files series, which I’ve never gotten into, but he’s also a great horror writer, though it’s been a while since I’ve read anything of his. Most of his books are out of print now.

I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. ( )

Before you read this book, PLEASE make sure you've read the other ones before it, or some of the references will not make sense to you.

I really didn't think this book was as good as the first two, but I've read online where people say it was his best. Sorry to disagree, but in this one, the action seemed a lot slower and it wasn't as fun as the previous two readingwise. I would recommend it to followers of the series, otherwise you might get a little bored waiting for something to happen.

Ethan Proctor, who is known as a "ghost hunter" and who is in reality the head of a business called Black Oak Investigations, returns once more in the 3rd installment of the series. He is called by Taylor Blaine, who keeps Proctor on retainer to find his daughter who went missing years before. Taylor is in England, and wants Proctor there with him, because a picture of his long-lost daughter has turned up in a photo album in a little village by the name of Pludbury. Ethan keeps trying to tell Blaine that it's probably not his daughter, but he goes as summoned to the little English village and stays at the residence of one Alan Morgan, a businessman with whom Blaine does business. When he arrives, he is told the local legend; that of a ghost who, for a price, will grant you a wish; the local residents call it "making a deal." Proctor suddenly becomes more interested in the supernatural aspect than the photo, putting his life in danger.

It would, as I said, be beneficial to read these books in order, if for no other reason than to get to know the main character, Ethan Proctor. The author never really fleshes him out, so you have to go by your own knowledge of him through each step of the series. I recommend the series to anyone who likes a good supernatural detective type story. ( )