The Clearing

by Jordan Murray

They are fakes, phonies, frauds. Ghost hunters that clear both ‘ghosts’ and their clients’ pocketbooks. Saving up for her Master’s degree in psychology, Beck Rollins is only in the group for the easy income it brings her. That, and the fact that her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Ledger, runs it. Beck’s younger and more empathetic sister, Kinsley, left the group years ago, not able to handle the guilt that comes with scamming innocent people. When the group is contacted by a potential client willing to pay handsomely for their trademark service, a clearing, Beck begs her sister to rejoin the group. To Kinsley’s moral dismay, she agrees, willing to do anything to help her big sister. The group travels to a Victorian in rural Nova Scotia, prepared for their largest con yet, but things go awry. When the unexplainable happens and bodies begin to pile up, it becomes painfully clear that someone - or something - wants the group to suffer.

Alternating between the perspectives of the morally grey Beck and the naive Kinsley, this psychological suspense thriller will leave readers feeling haunted until the very last page.

Genres: Crime, Horror

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 11, 2023

About the author

Jordan Murray is the Amazon bestselling author of suspense novels Visions Unveiled, I Did It For You, The Clearing, and the short story collection Bird Boy and Other Short Stories. She holds a BA in English Literature & a Bachelor of Education (BEd), and is a primary school teacher. Originally from Toronto, Jordan now resides in suburban Ontario with her pet cat, Josie Macaroni, and an ever-growing collection of books.

When she's not writing or teaching, Jordan can be found reading or collecting more books—an obsession she fully embraces, even if it stretches her wallet.

Reviews

[Jordan Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like suspense, crime, the paranormal, and emotional drama, read The Clearing. I’m biased because I wrote it… but it’s good, I promise.

[Mary-Ann Semjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear I’m not biased when I give this a 5/5 even though the author is a close friend of mine… the twists, the turns, the DRAMA. I haven’t been this gripped to a story to the point where I’ve been able to finish a book in less than 48 hours in a very long time!

I’m a big fan of dual perspective stories and the perspective they are capable of bringing to the overall story and Jordan doesn’t fall short one bit in accomplishing this. Normally I am someone that gets confused easily when flashbacks are involved in a story, but Jordan wove these in beautifully; in a way that made perfect sense and added to the story, rather than taking away from it. It was really interesting to see how the pasts of the two main characters influenced their present lives.

It was also a pretty neat experience for me knowing the author and being able pick up on little bits of themselves that they add into the characters (hello checkered vans lol) and their lives. You really can feel this story’s spooky atmosphere, as if you’re right there in the Larua group with them.


I haven’t read a lot of suspense thrillers in the past and after that I can definitely say I want to read more of them! GO READ THIS BOOK!!!

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murray takes her time to build up both the characters and the mysteries in this slow burn but dark as hell novel. But it's absolutely worth the payoff.

I have to say, there's a couple of spots where I did think, "hmmm, not quite sure that's gonna work" or, "would that be believable?" But in each case, Murray is skilled enough to pull it off and invest the reader deeply into the story.

There's a lot to love here. The Beck/Kinsley relationship. The really frustrating Beck/Ledger relationship. The Sam/Toby relationship. And also how they all mix together. But then there's Beck and Kinsley's horrific childhood experiences layered on top, and the central mystery of the Mull House.

When all of that's mixed together, this is a potent and, as I said, really dark story. Absolutely worth the time.

[Kaitlyn Parent · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I love horror books and thrillers, I don't usually like ghost stories. But The Clearing was a welcome mix of both these genres. The author hooks you from the very first line and always ends chapters with a punch, which I appreciate a lot. I did somewhat see a twist coming before it happened but it didn't take away from my enjoyment since it was done so well. Also in love with Chester the pet pug and his little sweaters. In this author's other book there is a cat so I'm thinking pets are some sort of comedic relief for all the dark plot or its just something they like to add in. Either way, I think its unique and as an animal lover, I like the little ray of sunshine in the darkness of these books.

[claire ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

completely unbiased 5 star review even though i am credited as this book’s editor and the author is my best friend

i’m not a thriller reader but i loved this book! (and as someone who got the privilege of reading both the first draft and the finished version: i was still hooked the entire time on the second read!) the main characters were believable and interesting, and the twists kept me on my toes throughout the whole book. i absolutely can’t wait to read more about the Larua group.

(and just like her previous novel, i have to praise jordan again for her hard-hitting one-liners. she really knows how to end a chapter with a punch!)

[Ally B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book took a little longer to get started in the main storyline, but this was beautifully balanced with the flashback storyline. Once the main storyline picked up, it took off and had me twisting and screaming.

It was a bowling ball rolling down a hill. Those twists and turns never stopped! Just when I thought I knew something, NOPE! I felt literally every emotion while reading, sometimes all at once!

And may I say, that ending...man. A mixture of both perfection and intensity I've read from an ending!

Can't wait to read her next book!

[Cassie Crowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️

Tbh this really needed another edit!!!!!! Typos and paragraphs ending mid-sentence really took me out of it ☹️