Speed Dating with the Dead

I love those books that keep me engaged so fully in the story that I can lose myself between the pages for hours and not even realize how much time has passed. That's exactly what I found with Speed Dating with the Dead. I was alternately terrified and captivated by this story. Now, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting based on the title. I was thinking it would be a humorous paranormal romantic thriller. Boy was I wrong! This book reminded me of a combination of that movie 1408 and an episode of one of those ghost hunter shows. But scarier, much scarier!
Alcoholic widower and well known ghost hunter Digger Wilson sets up a ghost hunting conference at one of the reputedly most haunted Inns. The White Horse Inn has special show more significance to Digger, since he and his wife made a pact long ago to meet here if one dies before the other. He's hoping he's able to find his wife's spirit there, but he ends up finding more than he expected. Along with his team of specialists, Digger brings along his artistic daughter, Kendra, who resents him and only wants to lose herself in the fictional world she creates on the canvas. While the plot was fairly evenly paced, there were many unexpected twists along the way. Don't get me wrong, there was a fair share of action, but the story unfolded little by little, which increased my sense of dread and anticipation.

I felt that the characters were one of the main strengths of this book. Each character was believable and all too human with very human failings. Each one was presented in such a way that I wanted to know more about them. Whether I liked them or hated them, I was interested to know what they would say or do next. One of the standout's for me was known as "The Roach", although I wasn't fond of his unfortunate moniker, I felt he was one of the most perplexing yet intriguing characters in the book. I was kept guessing at his true motivations. I also really enjoyed Kendra and her teenage antics to attract the attention of crush Cody aka The Future of Horror. I thought that their flirtation was immensely believable. All of Nicholson's characters were true to life and I found the dialog to be engaging and entertaining. The paranormal aspects were chillingly realistic as well. From ghosts, to demons, to creepy kids that seemed to show up at random, all were extremely goosebumpworthy.

I would compare Nicholson's writing style to Koontz's early stuff. I was really impressed with how effortlessly this story grabbed me and took me on a paranormal journey into some places I'm not so sure I want to revisit. I certainly won't be journeying into any basements any time soon. This is definitely a "lights on all night" kind of book and one that will keep you up late reading. I highly recommend for those who like to read about things that go bump in the night.

Rating – 4 show less

I love those books that keep me engaged so fully in the story that I can lose myself between the pages for hours and not even realize how much time has passed. That's exactly what I found with Speed Dating with the Dead. I was alternately terrified and captivated by this story. Now, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting based on the title. I was thinking it would be a humorous paranormal romantic thriller. Boy was I wrong! This book reminded me of a combination of that movie 1408 and an episode of one of those ghost hunter shows. But scarier, much scarier!
Alcoholic widower and well known ghost hunter Digger Wilson sets up a ghost hunting conference at one of the reputedly most haunted Inns. The White Horse Inn has special show more significance to Digger, since he and his wife made a pact long ago to meet here if one dies before the other. He's hoping he's able to find his wife's spirit there, but he ends up finding more than he expected. Along with his team of specialists, Digger brings along his artistic daughter, Kendra, who resents him and only wants to lose herself in the fictional world she creates on the canvas. While the plot was fairly evenly paced, there were many unexpected twists along the way. Don't get me wrong, there was a fair share of action, but the story unfolded little by little, which increased my sense of dread and anticipation.

I felt that the characters were one of the main strengths of this book. Each character was believable and all too human with very human failings. Each one was presented in such a way that I wanted to know more about them. Whether I liked them or hated them, I was interested to know what they would say or do next. One of the standout's for me was known as "The Roach", although I wasn't fond of his unfortunate moniker, I felt he was one of the most perplexing yet intriguing characters in the book. I was kept guessing at his true motivations. I also really enjoyed Kendra and her teenage antics to attract the attention of crush Cody aka The Future of Horror. I thought that their flirtation was immensely believable. All of Nicholson's characters were true to life and I found the dialog to be engaging and entertaining. The paranormal aspects were chillingly realistic as well. From ghosts, to demons, to creepy kids that seemed to show up at random, all were extremely goosebumpworthy.

I would compare Nicholson's writing style to Koontz's early stuff. I was really impressed with how effortlessly this story grabbed me and took me on a paranormal journey into some places I'm not so sure I want to revisit. I certainly won't be journeying into any basements any time soon. This is definitely a "lights on all night" kind of book and one that will keep you up late reading. I highly recommend for those who like to read about things that go bump in the night.

Rating – 4 show less

I love those books that keep me engaged so fully in the story that I can lose myself between the pages for hours and not even realize how much time has passed. That's exactly what I found with Speed Dating with the Dead. I was alternately terrified and captivated by this story. Now, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting based on the title. I was thinking it would be a humorous paranormal romantic thriller. Boy was I wrong! This book reminded me of a combination of that movie 1408 and an episode of one of those ghost hunter shows. But scarier, much scarier!
Alcoholic widower and well known ghost hunter Digger Wilson sets up a ghost hunting conference at one of the reputedly most haunted Inns. The White Horse Inn has special show more significance to Digger, since he and his wife made a pact long ago to meet here if one dies before the other. He's hoping he's able to find his wife's spirit there, but he ends up finding more than he expected. Along with his team of specialists, Digger brings along his artistic daughter, Kendra, who resents him and only wants to lose herself in the fictional world she creates on the canvas. While the plot was fairly evenly paced, there were many unexpected twists along the way. Don't get me wrong, there was a fair share of action, but the story unfolded little by little, which increased my sense of dread and anticipation.

I felt that the characters were one of the main strengths of this book. Each character was believable and all too human with very human failings. Each one was presented in such a way that I wanted to know more about them. Whether I liked them or hated them, I was interested to know what they would say or do next. One of the standout's for me was known as "The Roach", although I wasn't fond of his unfortunate moniker, I felt he was one of the most perplexing yet intriguing characters in the book. I was kept guessing at his true motivations. I also really enjoyed Kendra and her teenage antics to attract the attention of crush Cody aka The Future of Horror. I thought that their flirtation was immensely believable. All of Nicholson's characters were true to life and I found the dialog to be engaging and entertaining. The paranormal aspects were chillingly realistic as well. From ghosts, to demons, to creepy kids that seemed to show up at random, all were extremely goosebumpworthy.

I would compare Nicholson's writing style to Koontz's early stuff. I was really impressed with how effortlessly this story grabbed me and took me on a paranormal journey into some places I'm not so sure I want to revisit. I certainly won't be journeying into any basements any time soon. This is definitely a "lights on all night" kind of book and one that will keep you up late reading. I highly recommend for those who like to read about things that go bump in the night.

Rating – 4 show less

A Fast, Suspenseful Story with Ghosts and Demons. Very well-written and Funny
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This is the second Scott Nicholson novel I've read. If you ask me, Scott's got a great way with words. His voice is hilarious and perpetually creative. What's nice about this is that no matter what story he's telling, I can enjoy it for the writing itself.

This one is kind of a ghost/horror story, but because the cast of characters was so wonderfully quirky, I found it to be at least as humorous as it was scary--and I think that's a good thing. It was fast-paced and fun, and the suspense kept me glued to the pages. I found it to be a great read and I recommend it.

This was my first Scott Nicholson novel. The writing was excellent. The plot moved along at a good clip and the characters were well developed.

I had two problems with the book. First, there were a lot of characters and they were introduced so quickly at the start of the book that I found myself getting confused about who was who until I was half way through. I will accept part of the blame, as I am a grandfather now and sometimes have trouble keeping the dogs and grand kids straight. But I usually don't have this much trouble keeping people in a book straight.

Second, the gory stuff seemed to be a bit excessive. As I said, this is my first Scott Nicholson novel, so it may be this is par for the course. I will give another one a try and show more see if its still a problem for me. I hope not, because I really like his writing. show less

This was a pretty interesting Read. It held my attention and after a few other train wrecks in my life for some reason I found it hysterically funny. By the end I thought that it was more of a humorous situation then anything and that my dear is the reason that this books get 3 stars!

We've got a couple that promised they'd be together til death do us part.....and then some. A hotel that trumps the one in the infamous Shining ten times over for haunts and ruthlessness. Temptation around every corner and a twist of an ending you won't see coming. In fact, quite a few characters don't see it coming either as something in the hotel keeps picking them off.

I have to say this is exactly the reason I don't necessarily count an author out just because I don't fall in love with the first book. Sometimes one works well for a reader while another doesn't. While I wouldn't say I loved it, I certainly liked it quite a bit. This book definitely raises the creep factor many many notches, in fact...you'll definitely want to leave show more the lights on for this one. The perfect read for the Halloween season or any other time you are looking for a good scare.

There is a WARNING though that I must pass along not only due to the horror factor and storyline, but the content. THIS IS NOT FOR YOUNG READERS. There is foul language. There are instances of sexual content, more explicit than not. There is serious darkness explored (in a fictious manner of course) but with enough scare power to frighten those with an over active imagination.

In short...if you're looking for a good scare and not afraid of a bit of gore and glimpses under the sheets, this just might be the one for you. show less