Lars Kelsen doesn't believe in psychic phenomenon. To him, visions of murder victims are a form of mental illness. Once they begin, options are limited; he can try to ignore them or deal with them by exposing a killer. Only the latter provides any semblance of peace. Temporarily, anyway.
Five years into his new life as a programmer, Kelsen-ex-crime beat reporter with a penance he can never fully satisfy-sees a victim.
In person. Upright. Staring.
Typical of such past "Visits" as he calls them, he doesn't welcome this one. The nude form of a beautiful millionairess in his cubicle means murder has come to the vacation haven known as North Carolina's Outer Banks. It means he'll have to go places he'd rather avoid. See things he'll wish he hadn't. Do things that don't come naturally, like in-your-face confrontation and bending the law. Actually, breaking the law ... but with good intent. It also means dealing with one very attractive county coroner, who pushes his buttons in a not entirely unwelcome way.
So begins Kelsen's return to investigative reporting-complete with attempts on his life, fights, deception, and all the technological tricks, such as GPS and computer hacking, at his disposal. And maybe even finding a new love interest.
MY THOUGHTS
A paranormal mystery that will hook you from the very first page. Lars Kelsen doesn't want the visions - there's something wrong with him. But he's learned to deal with it over the years, even if he kicks and screams the whole way. But the latest vision is too horrific to ignore and he knows he needs to help find the killer before someone else gets hurt.
Karr writes superbly. With just a few choice words, the scene is vividly drawn and I could envision the happenings in my mind. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, Karr twists everything up and adds in another roadblock that had to be maneuvered. I really enjoyed this mystery with the added elements of supernatural. A taut, riveting read!
John A. Karr believes fiction writing each day helps keep the demons at bay. Ghostly Summons is his first full-length novel for Dark Continents Publishing. DCP has also published his Weird West novella, Ujahwek. He is the author of a handful of other novels: Death Clause, Hippocrates Shattered (scheduled for reprint by World Castle Publications as Shattered), Rhone, and Van Gogh, Encore. His short stories have appeared on webzines Allegory, The Absent Willow Review, and Danse Macabre. More works are in progress and in the marketing queue.
Karr is an ardent believer in the quote by Carl Van Doren (1885-1950), U.S. man of letters: Yes, it's hard to write, but it's harder not to.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Glad you enjoyed the supernatural touch to John's mystery, Wendy! Thanks for the review :)
ReplyDeleteWendy,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for reading Ghostly Summons and the kind review!
John