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The Ghost Man
A KDP Select edition for Kindle. First there was the car accident that claimed his beloved wife. Then came the gruelling months of recuperation from his injuries. Now his constant companions are ghosts seeking worldly release. His new home is haunted by the ghost of a young girl demanding his help. His friends and neighbours are under attack by strange, destructive forces. Who is the Angry Man who haunts his dreams … and what does the demon controlling him want of Simon Guthrie?
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
341 people want to read
About the author
Michael J. McCann
24 books148 followersMichael J. McCann is the author of SORROW LAKE, a March and Walker Crime Novel set in Canada. This novel was a finalist for the 2015 international Hammett Prize for best literary work in a crime novel by a Canadian or US author. He has subsequently published four more books in this series: BURN COUNTRY, PERSISTENT GUILT, NO SADNESS OF FAREWELL, and A DEATH IN WINTER (October 2020).
THE LONG ROAD INTO DARKNESS is the first book in a new series by Michael J. McCann also set in Canada and featuring retired police detective Tom Faust.
He has also written four novels in the Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel series set in the U.S., including BLOOD PASSAGE, MARCIE'S MURDER, THE FREGOLI DELUSION, and THE RAINY DAY KILLER.
In addition, he has published a supernatural thriller entitled THE GHOST MAN.
He has also published a subsequent supernatural thriller, TWILIGHT ROAD: A MADDIE HUBBARD NOVEL OF SUPERNATURAL SUSPENSE, and a science fiction thriller, PROJECT CHANGELING: A SERENA KEILOR NOVEL.
His books are available in e-book and paperback format at https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=Michael+J+M....
THE LONG ROAD INTO DARKNESS is the first book in a new series by Michael J. McCann also set in Canada and featuring retired police detective Tom Faust.
He has also written four novels in the Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel series set in the U.S., including BLOOD PASSAGE, MARCIE'S MURDER, THE FREGOLI DELUSION, and THE RAINY DAY KILLER.
In addition, he has published a supernatural thriller entitled THE GHOST MAN.
He has also published a subsequent supernatural thriller, TWILIGHT ROAD: A MADDIE HUBBARD NOVEL OF SUPERNATURAL SUSPENSE, and a science fiction thriller, PROJECT CHANGELING: A SERENA KEILOR NOVEL.
His books are available in e-book and paperback format at https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=Michael+J+M....
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 12, 2013
The Ghost Man (Michael J. McCann)
Simon Guthrie lost his wife in a tragic car accident. He must find a way to go on and start a new life, even though he is grief stricken. He buys a new house and his life starts to change. Soon he is haunted by a ghost. The ghost of a young girl who keeps asking him for help. But what does she want from him?
She is not the only ghost he sees; he is being haunted by another and this one is not so friendly. Soon his friends are being attacked by unnatural forces. Who is this angry man that haunts Simon? Will he be able to find the answers before it is too late?
A fantastic nail biting ghost story. I was up late in the night wanting to read more. Ghost story fans will love The Ghost Man.
Simon Guthrie lost his wife in a tragic car accident. He must find a way to go on and start a new life, even though he is grief stricken. He buys a new house and his life starts to change. Soon he is haunted by a ghost. The ghost of a young girl who keeps asking him for help. But what does she want from him?
She is not the only ghost he sees; he is being haunted by another and this one is not so friendly. Soon his friends are being attacked by unnatural forces. Who is this angry man that haunts Simon? Will he be able to find the answers before it is too late?
A fantastic nail biting ghost story. I was up late in the night wanting to read more. Ghost story fans will love The Ghost Man.
August 11, 2015
Simon Guthrie's life has changed. Once a master chef with thriving restaurants that people were beating down doors to get into, he's living alone with only his former wife's dog Jeremy to keep him company. Gail, the wife he dearly loved, is gone. She died as the result of a tragic car accident. Simon suffered a brain injury from the same mishap, but he's on the mend and living in a dream home that he had built to his specifications. However, things are not as they appear, and he finds trying to achieve normalcy in the idyllic, deserted setting difficult--what with restless ghosts crying out for help in the middle of the night.
This is the intriguing premise of THE GHOST MAN by Michael J. McMann. Overall, I enjoyed the book and the host of characters. It's well-written and keeps moving at a nice pace, but I did experience some road bumps on the way to the very neat ending. I love good endings so I did appreciate this one. I'll start with the negatives first.
While the basic grammar was fine, I did find the story littered with "telling" phrases. It really slowed things down and undid some of the drama that could have been heightened without these minor details tripping up the story. For instance (and I'm paraphrasing. This is not a direct quote), "He heard the clock strike midnight as he mounted the stairs," should have been changed to, "The clock struck midnight as he mounted the stairs." It's such a ridiculously small detail, but it makes such a huge difference.
The other problem was that there were huge passages of a veering storyline that could have, and should have, been edited out. I'll state again that I LOVE backstories and details and prose so that's not the problem. The problem is that the chunks of information interfered with the novel's taut atmosphere and produced a laxity that had me skipping over pages. If an author is going to do this, make those passages so compelling that I'll want to get lost in them. However, if the story is just getting lost, cut them out--no matter how much you love them. The latter seems to be the case here so be forewarned.
The positives? The characters, characters, characters! How refreshing to have a Doris Fowler taking a lead role instead of some impossibly beautiful gamine that appear and fall all over the protagonist in helping solve the mystery. I was taken by this love interest and appreciated how the relationship progressed. Next, the story--it's a good one! There are plenty of twists and turns, and you're duly rewarded by the aforementioned stupendous ending. And really, who doesn't love a good exorcism? Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about! Bring on the demon-fighting priests! Get out the pom-poms as you cheer them on.
There are ghosts, cemeteries, murders, axes, psychics, wolves, and a lot more packed into this novel. Oh, and there's one scene that you just HAVE to read! I don't do spoilers, but this one involves a very weird rainstorm. It'll have you diving under the covers and screaming, "NOOOOOO!" as you cover your head. I should mention here, that that scene was so effective because there was no deviating from what was happening. There was just enough descriptive phrasing to make it horrifying and chilling. Mr. McCann got it right on that one.
All in all, I enjoyed THE GHOST MAN. I would recommend it and am looking forward to reading more of his work. I'm only giving it 3.7 stars because of the problems noted above. If those negatives were cleaned up, I would have no problem giving THE GHOST MAN five stars. None.
If you're looking for a midnight read that has some thrills, chills and very quirky characters, give THE GHOST MAN a try.
This is the intriguing premise of THE GHOST MAN by Michael J. McMann. Overall, I enjoyed the book and the host of characters. It's well-written and keeps moving at a nice pace, but I did experience some road bumps on the way to the very neat ending. I love good endings so I did appreciate this one. I'll start with the negatives first.
While the basic grammar was fine, I did find the story littered with "telling" phrases. It really slowed things down and undid some of the drama that could have been heightened without these minor details tripping up the story. For instance (and I'm paraphrasing. This is not a direct quote), "He heard the clock strike midnight as he mounted the stairs," should have been changed to, "The clock struck midnight as he mounted the stairs." It's such a ridiculously small detail, but it makes such a huge difference.
The other problem was that there were huge passages of a veering storyline that could have, and should have, been edited out. I'll state again that I LOVE backstories and details and prose so that's not the problem. The problem is that the chunks of information interfered with the novel's taut atmosphere and produced a laxity that had me skipping over pages. If an author is going to do this, make those passages so compelling that I'll want to get lost in them. However, if the story is just getting lost, cut them out--no matter how much you love them. The latter seems to be the case here so be forewarned.
The positives? The characters, characters, characters! How refreshing to have a Doris Fowler taking a lead role instead of some impossibly beautiful gamine that appear and fall all over the protagonist in helping solve the mystery. I was taken by this love interest and appreciated how the relationship progressed. Next, the story--it's a good one! There are plenty of twists and turns, and you're duly rewarded by the aforementioned stupendous ending. And really, who doesn't love a good exorcism? Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about! Bring on the demon-fighting priests! Get out the pom-poms as you cheer them on.
There are ghosts, cemeteries, murders, axes, psychics, wolves, and a lot more packed into this novel. Oh, and there's one scene that you just HAVE to read! I don't do spoilers, but this one involves a very weird rainstorm. It'll have you diving under the covers and screaming, "NOOOOOO!" as you cover your head. I should mention here, that that scene was so effective because there was no deviating from what was happening. There was just enough descriptive phrasing to make it horrifying and chilling. Mr. McCann got it right on that one.
All in all, I enjoyed THE GHOST MAN. I would recommend it and am looking forward to reading more of his work. I'm only giving it 3.7 stars because of the problems noted above. If those negatives were cleaned up, I would have no problem giving THE GHOST MAN five stars. None.
If you're looking for a midnight read that has some thrills, chills and very quirky characters, give THE GHOST MAN a try.
October 24, 2013
The Ghost Man by Michael J. McCann is not part of the series featuring Donaghue and Stainer which I so enjoy. It is a stand alone novel about a man...who sees ghosts. Yeah. Title says it all.
Book Description: First there was the car accident that claimed his beloved wife. Then came the grueling months of recuperation from his injuries. Now his constant companions are ghosts seeking worldly release. His new home is haunted by the ghost of a young girl demanding his help. His friends and neighbours are under attack by strange, destructive forces. Who is the Angry Man who haunts his dreams … and what does the demon controlling him want of Simon Guthrie?
Although I saw some very positive reviews, this one didn't work so well for me, but I look forward to more of the Donaghue/Stainer series.
Supernatural. Revised edition 2013. Print length: 377 pages.
Book Description: First there was the car accident that claimed his beloved wife. Then came the grueling months of recuperation from his injuries. Now his constant companions are ghosts seeking worldly release. His new home is haunted by the ghost of a young girl demanding his help. His friends and neighbours are under attack by strange, destructive forces. Who is the Angry Man who haunts his dreams … and what does the demon controlling him want of Simon Guthrie?
Although I saw some very positive reviews, this one didn't work so well for me, but I look forward to more of the Donaghue/Stainer series.
Supernatural. Revised edition 2013. Print length: 377 pages.
June 27, 2013
The Ghost Man is one of my favorite reads so far this year. There is so much to love here. The ghost/paranormal aspect is chilling and will appeal to all readers looking for spine tingling, otherworldly horror. But the story goes much deeper. We have a mystery, murders, and the kind of suspense that kept me turning pages even as my eyelids wilted. The characters are all well crafted, and I loved Simon right from the start.
This story is well written, and the perfect blend of suspense and drama. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of Michael McCann's novels.
This story is well written, and the perfect blend of suspense and drama. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of Michael McCann's novels.
August 3, 2016
The book I read was NOT by Michael McCann. It was by Roger Hobbs but the Goodreads computer would not acknowledge it. It was a very unusual book, in that the main character is a bad guy going after other bad guys, but a good read with a fast pace and interesting story.
May 6, 2014
Nicely plotted and improbably good for a first effort.Dark and shadowy, Mccann's protagonist reminded me somewhat of Kosinski's Cockpit.
August 15, 2015
Cute little supernatural thriller in the vein of The Exorcist. McCann gives away too much too early, and could have built the suspense up a bit to give a much scarier novel. Still, a fun read!
September 10, 2015
Damned thing kept me up until 2:30 in the morning, on a weekday. It was an awesome read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews