Dead Eye: Pennies for the Ferryman

Dead Eye - Pennies for the Ferryman by Jim Bernheimer

So here we have what I consider the perfect protagonist. We have Mike Ross, 23 years old and already a war veteran with a disability. Or is it? Some would say he was given a gift when he lost part of his eyesight in the war and then regained it during a corneal transplant. Well let’s just say not everyone would appreciate the sort of gift Mike was given, because now he can see ghosts and they aren’t all the “Casper the Friendly Ghost” kind.

Through a bit of trial and error and a lot of ghostly fighting and several near concussions, Mike finds out that he has a new job- he needs to send restless ghosts on to wherever it is that they belong, for they certainly don’t belong show more with us. But just maybe some do! I am most certainly not going to spoil this book for you by telling you what the plot is all about or giving way spoilers. Nope. What I am going to tell you is that if you are a fan of the paranormal, of suspense and mystery with a touch of history thrown in, then you are going to love this book.

Mike is great as he learns to live with his new abilities and in just this one book we see him grow quite a bit, but not to the point that he has no room to grow in future books. The secondary characters are wonderful and I hope to see much more of them in the future. The book also has a number of surprises that keeps things fresh. Mike is a witty, sarcastic Protagonist who can definably “roll with the changes”, can make you laugh one minute and then smack yourself in the head for his naiveté the next.

This book is going to be a hit; and if not this book I know that the author is going to make it. His concepts are new and fresh, the writing tight and humorous. The additions of the historic tidbits are something that I don’t think I’ve really seen in this manner in this genre.

I am counting the days until I get to read the next book in this series. show less

I got this book from the author in exchange for an honest review :-) I really enjoyed it a lot; it's a great paranormal ghost action story that is fast paced and creative.

Mike Ross returned from fighting in Iraq less an eye and with some hearing loss. His eye is replaced with a donor eye upon his return home. There is only one thing wrong, now he is seeing ghosts with his new eye. As if life for a recuperating vet wasn't tough enough, now Mike's got ghosts hunting him down because they want him. Apparently Mike is a rare type of person called a Ferryman; a Ferryman hasn't existed in the States for over a century and he is plunged into the dangerous world of ghostly politics.

This was a really good book. The book is broken into thirteen show more episodes. Initially each episode deals with Mike solving a ghostly mystery and the episodes are somewhat contained. As the story continues there begins to be more of an over-arcing story that ties everything together. The book is nicely wrapped up but has a couple loose threads that need to be answered in another novel.

In the beginning the writing is a bit rough and the characters a bit over-characterized, but after the first couple episodes Bernheimer really hits his stride. Mike isn't the most likable character; he is crass, prone to anger, and in some ways your typical ex-army guy, yet Bernheimer gives Mike a noble streak that makes Mike likable and real.

The idea of Mike seeing the dead with his implanted eye and the whole way Mike interacts with the ghost-world was very well done and creative. I really enjoyed learning about it. Again, Bernheimer does a great job of making Mike's interaction with the dead reasonable and believable. The plot is non-stop and propels the reader forward making the book hard to put down and the action scenes are really well done. Bernheimer does a great job throwing in some dry humor to keep things from getting too serious.

I have a couple small complaints; Berheimer's characterization of women is a bit rough at times. Most of the female characters are annoying as all get out and a bit cliched. This was something that got better as the book continued. The female characters introduced later in the novel were more reasonable and interesting. Bernheimer did do an excellent job characterizing the male characters. Also in the beginning of the book I thought some of the language felt a bit forced and the characters were a little over done; this is also something the went away after the first couple chapters.

Overall this was a great read and a lot of fun. I really enjoyed Bernheimer's take on ghosts and interactions with them. I think this is a start to a wonderful new series and really look forward to reading the next book in this series. Bernheimer is definitely a writer to keep an eye on; he has some great ideas and a fun writing style to read. show less

I saw this book on LT and it looked interesting. It was.

The story is set in the modern day, and seems to be another entry in the Urban Fantasy genre, but to me is more related to horror.

The main character is Mike Ross, a returning Iraqi disabled war vet who is poor. Not the standard hero type at all. He is trying to get well and get ahead in the world. Using his VA benefits to go to community college, while going through physical therapy. He is scarred, limps, has lost the hearing in one ear, and had one eye damaged. He can't see well and they are trying a cornea transplant. Because of his vision problems he can't drive, so he gets around on public transport.

Eventually he becomes aware that he is able to see ghosts with his damaged show more eye. The ghosts are people who have died and have unfinished business that keeps them from moving on. Sometimes they are sad, sometimes angry, and some are dangerous and try to impact the living world.

Mike starts to help people with ghost problems and even ghosts with people problems. If the ghosts can complete their task, then they can move on, and Mike can help them do that. He begins to eek a small living from his ability. He also ends up with a hot long distance girl friend.

Eventually Mike becomes aware of humans with magical powers who can control ghosts and move them into human bodies by forcing the living spirit out. The new being is called a Skinwalker and can act in the real world, but is tied to its creator.

There is someone who is using Civil War ghosts to release the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe's brother from the grave. Poe's brother is apparently powerful enough to threaten the world with his ability to move ghosts into human flesh, and Mike has to stop it.

I liked the writing, the story was interesting, and the characters were fun to hang with. I really liked the low rent hero who had to ride the bus. It would be interesting to read more about Mike, though I would like him to stay low key and leave saving the world to someone else. show less

From the cover one would expect this to be a horror story. The elements are there and perhaps to some the idea of ghosts would make this a true tale of horror. But the story reads more like an action adventure.

Corporal Mike Ross is driving a Hummer in an army convoy in Iraq when a roadside bomb goes off. He’s left with a metal rod in his leg, no hearing in one ear, a cornea transplant and a discharge from the army. We could have had a story filled with depression, angst and other symptoms of PTSD, all of which would make the story more realistic. Thankfully we’re not. He’s a guy dealing with his altered situation, living with his financially struggling mother and going to college to try to make a better life.

What we do have is the show more sudden ability to see ghosts thanks to the cornea transplanted from, as it turns out, a psychic. Mike was adamant there was no such thing as ghosts until that eye shows him differently. It also turns out that Mike has an ability to interact with them. He’s a Ferryman; someone who can help the nearly departed pass over.

We get a wide variety of nearly departed, everything from the benign, ones that want nothing more than to help the loved ones left behind, those who haunt, skinwalkers that possess the living and some who are organized and have an agenda. Mike is thrust into the role of helping both the living and the nearly departed. And of course, most people think he’s either a con man or crazy.

Mike is not hero material but more of an average guy doing his best to deal with his new situation and making mistakes along the way, but he does learn from them. The story is sharp and well written with lots of action that moves along at a good clip. It also contains some humor.

Instead of chapters the book is split up into episodes with each one focusing on a main issue or challenge, although all are connected and move the entire story along. That part is slightly annoying as it appears each episode may have been written for a different media and gives us somewhat of a reminder of “who or what” from a prior episode. Thankfully these “reminders” are very short.

There are a number of grammar errors in the book, but nothing that you wouldn’t expect from a small publishing house. They probably aren’t even noticeable to those who read fast.

This is the first book in a series. I’m looking forward to the next one. show less

It is in a similar vein as Carey's Felix Castor books or even Dresden's books (in setting more so than in tone). I liked Felix's character the most of the three since he was dry and funny and tongue in cheek; Dead Eye's main character (Mike Ross) is dry and almost funny, but not at all tongue in cheek. Dresden is more slapstick than dry. So in the scale of popular urban fantasy main males, Mike is mid-range in the "do-I-give-a-hoot-if-he-drops-dead" scale.

The women are caricatures.
Female 1: Bimbo-y and elusive even though Mike wants to bed her.
Female 2: bimbo-y and elusive even though Mike wants to bed her.
Female 3: Mike's Mom. Judgemental and hard-working.
Female 4: a ghost: abused wife turned "run off with first manghost she show more finds"
Oh, there are couple more but they aren't even as "robust" as the ones listed above.

The story itself isn't that bad, and, while there is a bit of politicking going on, it wasn't over-the-top (though you'll finish the book knowing how Bernheimer feels about the treatment of veterans and government financial responsibilities). I am on the edge on whether or not I care enough to read the next book in the series. I don't think I do, but it is close. It's just a bit too slowly paced, the characters are poorly drawn, and, really, nothing actually happens in the story... show less

PENNIES FOR THE FERRYMAN BY JIM BERNHEIMER is the first in the Dead Eye series starring Mike Ross.
When the story opens is in Iraq when his vehicle runs over an IED. Mike has lost most of his hearing in one ear his leg is damaged and he now has a cornea donated by a dead psychic. Also, Mike now sees ghosts! The first ghost he sees is his dead grandfather and Mike thinks he's done gone crazy! As the story progresses,Mike learns that seeing ghosts and helping them "pass" is not as great as he thinks it is. His mom thinks he's gone mental, he cant keep a girlfriend and the ghosts are trying to kill him or worse take over his body!

I enjoyed the book , except the ending. To me it kinda fell flat at the end, maybe because of how it ended on a show more sad note. That being said, the rest of the story was really good. I listened to the audio version and the narrator Jeffrey Kafer did a great job on the narration. I cant wait to hear more in this series .

i recieved this audiobook free in exchange for an honest review. show less

Mike is a badly injured vet from the Iraqi war. He's angry with his life and lack of opportunities.
He picks up some unusual abilities and is able to interact with ghosts, trying to use his ability to get a bit of cash, but things don't always work out.
Then he becomes aware that things are a lot more complicated than helping the occasional ghost to get justice, or finish some unfinished business.
Things become decidedly dangerous on a major scale.
Nicely constructed world. Good read.