The Ghost Writer cover art

The Ghost Writer

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The Ghost Writer

By: John Harwood
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

In this tantalizing tale of Victorian ghost stories and family secrets, timid, solitary librarian Gerard Freeman lives for just two things: his elusive pen pal Alice and a story he found hidden in his mother's drawer years ago.

Written by his great-grandmother Viola, it hints at his mother's role in a sinister crime. As he discovers more of Viola's chilling tales, he realizes that they might hold the key to finding Alice and unveiling his family's mystery - or will they bring about his untimely death, as they seem to foretell?

Harwood's astonishing, assured debut shows us just how dangerous family skeletons - and stories - can be.

©2013 John Harwood; 2013 Blackstone Audiobooks Genre Fiction Ghosts Gothic Horror Literary Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Haunted Scary Fiction Fantasy Paranormal

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All stars
Most relevant

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I was so looking forward to this book, having loved 'The Asylum'. But I found 'The Ghost Writer' almost impossible to finish with its extraordinary mixture of gothic fantasy and supposedly real life. I plodded on till the end because I felt that the whole thing must eventually come together and I suppose in a way it did, but I was left feeling it had been a total waste of time. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

What will your next listen be?

'The Killer Next Door'!

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Simon Vance is an excellent reader but I think that even his skill couldn't save the book; maybe it worked better on the page

Do you think The Ghost Writer needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

NO! See above.

Disappointing

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Loved this book, had me gripped form the very first word. Kept me guessing which is just what I like in a good book.

Gripping

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I did see the end coming but only just, it was a good story and kept me guessing and puzzling.

No spoilers

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After reading the first book I was hooked. Was one of those books you don’t want to pause for no one or nothing!

Well worth the listen!

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I really enjoyed this dark tale of family secrets. I particularly liked the ghost stories interspersed throughout. In this respect it reminded me of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Read alongside the central plot I thought that they helped to enrich the story. Although as many reviewers have commented I would have happily read them in a stand alone anthology of ghost stories, as they work equally well on their own. The narration was excellent. Simon Vance's nuanced interpretation of a wide variety of characters was second to none. My only criticism of the book was that the ending was a little rushed and ambiguous. However as this was a story that I was thinking about for some time afterwards I have only knocked off one star. All in all I found it deliciously creepy and engrossing.

A compelling mystery in the Gothic tradition

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