Book #1 of 2011

1. Title: Ghost Story
Author: Peter Straub
Genre: Horror
Pages: 567
Opening: "What was the worst thing you've ever done?
I won't tell you that, but I'll tell you the worst thing that ever happened to me . . . the most dreadful thing . . ."

"For four aging men in the terror-stricken town of Milburn, New York, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. Now they are about to learn what happens to those you believe they can bury the past -- and get away with murder." ~Jacket copy

Thoughts: Reading all of the reviews about this book online make it clear that it is frightening. Many people said that they couldn't sleep at night while they were reading this book. Even my brother told me not to read it at night. However, for me, it started out fairly slowly. I found myself wondering when it was going to finally pick up. The promise of something happening kept me reading the book. I will admit that the writing wasn't drab or daunting.

It feels as though the author is trying to give the reader an impression of the town, the people, and the relationship these four men have with their community. In that way, Straub sets the stage very well. The growing creep factor seems to start after Sears' first story of Fenny and Gregory. However, like King following in his footsteps, Straub uses the slight, uneasy changes occurring within the community to feed the story.

While the story was very engaging, it took nearly half of the book for the creep factor to set in for me. However, about 150 pages from the end of the novel, I was finding myself hearing weird sounds in the house, strange noises outside in the wind, etc., and that added to the feeling of the book. I felt as though I was in the story with the characters and experiencing the same things. All in all, this book was good and engaging. I found myself tearing through the book because I wanted to know what was going to happen next! I would suggest not reading this book alone or in the dark if you're prone to an overactive imagination!

Rating: 4/5
Horror/Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge: 1/24

Currently: The Watchers by Dean Koontz