Ron Ripley

The plot is cleverly constructed, the characters, both living and dead, are well developed, and the prose isn't bad. So why one star? Because the book isn't a stand-alone. It doesn't end, it just suddenly stops. The reader is forced to buy additional books to continue the story, and who knows how many more it will take to find out the story's ultimate ending? I felt insulted, especially since there was no warning outside of calling it Book One. If you're a reader who is also a fan of soap show more operas that never end, this series might be for you. show less

The publisher kindly gave me Books 1-4 of this series to read, with a review of Book 4.

Dan Tate is a broken man. Tortured by memories of a school shooting he witnessed, his wife has left him and he can no longer relate to his children. The only job he can get is caretaker of a cemetery, and he lives in an abandoned schoolhouse on the grounds. One day the ghosts of the cemetery reveal themselves to him, desperately needing his help. Can he figure out what they need before it's too late?

Janet show more is a psychic, but not in a good way. She uses her powers to control a gang of psychotic ghosts, who drive harmless ghosts out of their homes. It seems like a win-win situation for her -- she gets paid by the home owners, and the gang leader gets to collect the energy that's been accumulating in the haunted spots. But she's losing control of the gang, people are getting killed, and there's a mysterious power behind it all that even the most powerful ghosts are afraid of.

I'll be honest, I don't normally read or watch much in the horror genre, but this series intrigued me. The characters are well crafted and the story fast-paced. The concept of a psychic with genuine abilities who isn't a new-age helper type, but is an amoral, unscrupulous fraudster is a fairly rare plotline (in the books I've read anyway!). In this universe, ghosts are attached to an object they held precious in life: a toy, jewellery, or some other small thing. They can't move more than about a mile away from it, and if it's destroyed, they are too. This allows Janet to manipulate them by keeping the object or placing it wherever she wants. She still has trouble controlling them however, and needs to bring in more, finding them to be more ruthless and evil as the series goes along.

Each book has its own baddie whose mischief is resolved at the end, but they're part of a larger story with a mystery that will presumably be solved at the end of the series. For that reason, I don't think these can be read as standalone books. I don't normally read series like that until all of the books are completed -- it's just too frustrating! I really want to know what the mystery is and what happens to Dan Tate and his ghost friends.

Would I read more by this author? Yes! I want to finish the series at the very least.

Please note: this book was provided for me to read and review by
LibraryThing's Early Reviewer programme. You can rest assured however,
that this is (as always) an honest review!

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This one’s the ninth book in a series that’s really one long story, so this review is about the whole thing. The concept sounds great - hauntings by murderous ghosts, mysterious rich guy performing experiments on people with the ghosts, heroes being held captive in a secret compound...

Unfortunately, the writing doesn’t hold up to the premise - it was all just too unbelievable, including the characters. And it descended to “throw the next bad thing at our heroes”. Might make a good show more beach read, I suppose. show less

I've read several of Ron Ripley's books now. The first series I read was the Haunted Village series. I said then, and I'll say again, that a new master of horror has entered the arena. I've been a long-time Stephen King fan and have read every book he's written. Honestly, in my opinion, Ron Ripley completely blows him out of the water. His books masterfully walk that line between possibility and impossibility. Some horror books are so far-fetched that it's easy to remember you're reading a show more book. Ron Ripley's books are horrifying because his stories are so well-written they're plausible. That is a good horror book.

This is the third book in the series, and you definitely should read the first two because each of them is a continuation of what went before. To jump right into the middle could be done, but it's not advisable. There are things happening in this book that the bedrock for was built in the first two. To get the full experience, read the series in order.

This is probably the most horrifying so far in the series. Some of the deaths in this book are absolutely gruesome. There is a classic element of good versus evil in the books. As in real life, the good side sometimes takes a beating before coming out victorious or losing spectacularly. That is certainly the case in this series. The good side has had a few small wins, has taken some seriously brutal beatings, but is determined to come out victorious. Whether the good side will be the victor is yet to be seen.

Behind the scenes is a mastermind that is pulling the strings for the evil side but has yet to be revealed. There are small clues to who it is, but it's still shrouded in mystery because it could be one of several characters. I'm eagerly anticipating the big reveal I expect is coming. There is also a ringer coming in for the good side, although the main character (dare I say hero?) doesn't know it yet. Whether the ringer works with the main character or not is something I look forward to finding out.

I'll be starting the fourth book tonight and can't wait to see what happens next. show less