Ghosts

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A veteran New Hampshire state cop must confront a grisly murder spree that bears all the marks of a serial killer he helped send to the electric chair. (Jan.)

Library Journal

A malevolent spirit is haunting the Nantucket house of actress Annette Carlson. It has killed at least three people with sickening viciousness. It now insinuates itself inside the head of policeman Timothy Brooks, a skeptical investigator forced against his will to recognize the existence of the occult. Brooks must lay this spirit to rest before it tires of toying with him and Annette and kills them both. With this novel, espionage writer Hynd makes his debut in the realm of the supernatural. A ghost novel needs to convince unbelieving readers against their will and scare the liver out of them, and Ghosts does this in spades. The atmosphere builds steadily, moving from reality to an utterly convincing realm of the supernatural. Public libraries need to buy this.-- Marylaine Block, St. Ambrose Univ. Lib., Davenport, Ia.

Candace Smith

Supernatural sightings aren't new on Nantucket Island. The Reverend George Osaro, a Lutheran minister, even runs an occasional "Spiritual Nantucket" night to collect ghost stories and raise money for the church. But a series of bizarre happenings, including the grisly murder of a college girl, a pen of ducks with their necks neatly snapped, and a young boy suspiciously drowning, seems to indicate the rise of a more odious spirit. Detective Tim Brooks is drawn into the case when Annette Carlson, an attractive film star who bought a house on the island as a retreat, is troubled by prowling women in white, unexplained noises, and flying furniture. Brooks and Carlson become believers, lovers, and finally coconspirators as Carlson's home becomes the scene of more and more violence. Both are more skeptical than Osaro, at first, but they join with him to face down the evil. Atmospheric details and tight plotting effectively build tension and keep the reader turning pages to the white-knuckled conclusion. Word of mouth will guarantee brisk circulation.