Ghost – A Guest Book Review from Kaitlyn Brewer

Let’s welcome Kaitlyn Brewer from On My Bookshelf to the blog today! She’s a fellow bookworm and a recent addition to my extended family. Today, she’s sharing a book review of Ghost by Wayne Thomas Batson—one of the few Batson novels I have yet to read. (Gasp!)

I’m also guest posting over at On My Bookshelf with a review of Mark of the Raven by Morgan Busse, where I’m going more in depth about the faith elements that really worked in the story. You can find that post HERE. Don’t run over just yet, though! Stick around to hear from Kaitlyn first. 🙂

Kaitlyn, welcome here! I’m excited to hear your thoughts on Ghost. Take it away.

I tend to read more nonfiction than fiction.

Okay, so that’s a pretty bold statement, given the stories Tracey writes. But hear me out. When I was younger, I burned through fiction books like nobody’s business. But over time I got this idea that growing up meant you had to give up the “Christian fantasy” section of the library.

Man, was I wrong.

I’m in my second year of school for public relations, which means a lot of reading and a lot of writing. My brain currently doesn’t have the capacity to do much extra thinking, so I thought I’d try some fiction for a change.

Turns out, it was a good change. Because I started with Wayne Tomas Batson’s Ghost.

If you’ve read any of Batson’s novels (and Tracey has talked about him before), you probably think of him as that guy who writes a lot of YA fantasy featuring a teen hero who enters some other reality and saves the world. At least, that’s how I thought of Batson.

But Ghost doesn’t read like any other Batson novels. The book is written for a much more mature audience, and it features a mysterious hero named John Spector who sets out to find – and kill – a serial killer who’s evaded the law for decades.

As a brief disclaimer, Ghost has some pretty mature themes and Batson doesn’t shy away from giving the graphic details of the serial killer’s actions. Batson does a lot to show the spiritual dimension behind human acts, and he has to explain those acts for you to get the whole picture. It’s not senseless violence, but it’s still violence. Just because you like his other books doesn’t mean this one’s necessarily for you. And that’s totally understandable.

With that being said, there’s a lot to appreciate in the novel. The book is written in first person from Spector’s point of view, and Batson vividly captures the character’s voice. Yet even though you’re hearing Spector’s inner monologue, Batson still manages to make him seem very mysterious. Without giving too much away, the entire time I read Ghost I had the nagging feeling there was something really important I was missing about Spector. It was like an itch I couldn’t scratch, and I had to keep reading until I found some kind of relief. Kind of the best and worst feeling in fiction.

Between the interesting storyline, the three-dimensional characters, and the surprising twists, my only regret with Ghost is Batson hasn’t come out with the next book yet.

So yes, fiction lovers, I’ll admit it. I’m slowly converting back to the fantasy shelf.

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About Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn Brewer has been an apologetics junkie ever since she discovered the church library at age 12. Unfortunately, most of her friends aren’t interested in things like the Cosmological Argument, so she started a blog to talk about it on her website, On My Bookshelf. When she’s not blog writing, she’s busy finishing her last year of school for public relations in Manitoba.

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About Ghost

Protector and punisher…

Hunter and hunted…

Down-to-earth and otherworldly…

John Spector, aka GHOST, isn’t your ordinary investigator.

He carries a shiny badge, a billfold ID, and a mysterious silver suitcase. His mission? Seek the forgotten ones, the abandoned ones, the ones no one else can or will help. Visit blunt force trauma upon the world’s blackest souls and deny the devil his day by any means necessary. And never stop. Never.

For more than a decade, the “Smiling Jack” killer has been posting photos of his victims on the Web, daring anyone to catch him, daring anyone to care. But when no missing person files match and no victims are ever found, the FBI closes the case.

Years later, a digital camera washes up on shore, and GHOST finds it. Each macabre photo becomes a clue that will lead GHOST and FBI Special Agent Deanna Rezvani on the trail of one of the most diabolical killers of this world…or beyond.

“No one gets away with murder. Not for long.”

NOTE: This book is intended for mature reading audiences. The appropriate reader age is: 16+

Thanks for the awesome review, Kaitlyn! Sounds like I need to go find myself a copy of Ghost sooner rather than later. And I’m pumped that you’re revisiting fantasy! If you ever need more recommendations… ya know where to find me. 😉

So, guys, does Ghost sound like your cup of tea? Are you into fantastical thrillers?