Book Review -- Ghost Trackers

Title: Ghost Trackers
Authors: Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson with Tim Waggoner
Genre: Horror
Pages: Paperback, 369
Published: 2011
Opening Lines: "Running down a narrow dark corridor, trailing her fingers along the walls to guide her. Heart pounding in her chest, a frightened bird desperate to be free of its cage."

"For fifteen years, Amber, Drew, and Trevor have barely been able to recall -- let along explain -- what happened the terrifying night they decided to explore the old, abandoned Lowry House. According to local legend, the house was cursed by a dark past and inhabited by evil. It burst into flames on the night of their visit, leaving the friends traumatized and nearly dead with only vague memories of the frightening events they had witnessed inside. Now, on the eve of their high school reunion, they have gathered to reopen their investigation and figure out, once and for all, what took place that fateful night . . . before the supernatural entity they escaped threatens to overtake them again."

~Jacket copy

Thoughts: I admit it, when I saw the authors of this book, I was more inclined to buy it. Having experience being ghost hunters, I figured Grant and Jason would have a good idea what would make a pretty good ghost story. I'm not sure whether it was the mood I was in or the story itself, but the book really, really creeped me out!

The story follows Amber, Drew, and Trevor reconnecting after a scary night 15 years ago. After all three connected in high school over a joint fascination with the paranormal, the three were inseparable. However, after investigating the infamous Lowry House, all three drift apart and lose their memories of the house and chunks of high school. When Amber is contacted by her old friend Greg Daniels, all three of the friends decide to reconnect at the 15 year high school reunion. Deep down, they all hope that getting back together will help them recover the memories they lost and find some closure. However, they are in for a more sinister reality.

I liked how seamlessly the three friends were able to fall into old routines after so long apart. The three characters were well thought out, and I felt they had their own unique stories. Even though he wasn't fully revealed until the end, I liked the growing mystery around Greg. It was obvious that something was up with him, and the mystery made it all the more creepy. However, I felt that Amber's depression and Drew's work as an author should have been fleshed out a little more. Due to Drew's occupation, I felt that it was really played up while the others were kind of lost.

The missing memories, not thinking of each other while away, etc. really reminded me of It by Stephen King. Also, the children coming back together as adults to face something they didn't conquer when they were young rang true with Stephen King as well. However, I felt that the authors did a good job making it their own story.

It was obvious that this was their first work of fiction. A lot of places the story kind of halted, the diction was awkward, too many adjectives, and a few other things. Aside from that, the story worked very well. My reason for giving it less than five stars is because of the ending. I really didn't like it. I felt it was kind of anti-climatic and a cop out. It was as though they built and built the story and had no idea where to go once it got to the end.

I'm really curious how they are going to build future books.

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Currently: The Lady of the Rivers by Phillipa Gregory
Current Pages: 22687
Current Progress:

63/50 books