Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The River #3

Ghosts of Our Fathers

Rate this book
Steven is scared – he’s awakened in the middle of the night by a mysterious figure that threatens to kill him. Is it a ghost, or some other evil creature? Steven’s determined to figure out what it is and how to stop it. He would normally turn to his father, Roy, who is educating him on how to use “the gift” to deal with ghosts and other threats, but Roy isn't available. Steven turns instead to his “gifted” friends Eliza and Daniel. Daniel’s an expert on time, and they all soon discover the true nature of the threat: it comes from the past and it’s worse than any of them realized. Strange ghosts and creatures stand between them and the solution. Time is running out as Steven, Roy, Daniel and Eliza dig into the past to learn of half-finished business that is coming back to haunt them all.

Ghosts of Our Fathers is a fast-paced horror-thriller where Steven and Roy confront a history that is determined to take revenge upon them all.

Ghosts of Our Fathers is the third book in The River series.

227 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2013

113 people are currently reading
720 people want to read

About the author

Michael Richan

55 books129 followers
Michael Richan lives in Washington State. He has written horror fiction for over forty years.

He's the author of several best selling series, including "The River," 'The Downwinders," and "The Dark River." All are set within The River universe.

He's also the author of other best selling titles such as "The Haunting of Pitmon House", "The Coldwater Haunting", and "The Seances".

Visit michaelrichan.com to learn more about the series and to see a suggested reading order. Follow Michael via email and receive the free novella "Residual". You can also follow him via Twitter @michaelrichan.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
106 (51%)
4 stars
75 (36%)
3 stars
23 (11%)
2 stars
2 (<1%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Peter.
381 reviews27 followers
December 26, 2014
Steven is frighten by a strange dark figure that he see standing in the middle of his bedroom. At first Steven thinks that he is dreaming but he realizes that he is not. This mysterious figure threatens to kill Steven.. Normally Steven would go his father Roy for help. Roy is on a weeks vacation and Steven needs help right away. Roy is teaching Steven about the gift but Steven is still wet behind the ears. Steven calls another gifted friend Eliza and wonders if she has any experience with time related matters. Eliza tells Steven that this is really not her field but think that she know somebody who can help. Eliza calls Daniel who is an expert in time and wonders if he might be able to help Steven out. Daniel agrees and the story takes off from there. Some how the threat to kill Steven, is related to Roy's past. Time is now running out for Roy, Eliza, Daniel and Steven. Will the past come back to haunt Roy's family? Each book in the River Series seems to be better than the last one. Michael Richan has done an excellent job putting this series together. I would highly recommend this series.
Profile Image for Kimberly.
1,940 reviews2 followers
December 22, 2013
4.5 stars.

The Ghosts of Our Fathers is the third book in the River series by Michael Richan. These are paranormal/thrillers, with the main protagonists being the father and son duo of Ray and Steven. The characterization continues to develop wonderfully in this novel, and we get an even better sense of the dynamics between Ray and Steven, while simultaneously learning more about their individual personalities. Steven's son, Jason, is even brought into this one for a couple of scenes, leaving you to wonder if he, too, has "the gift", and if we'll be seeing more of him in future installments.

Part of me wanted to rate this one 5 stars simply for how well the author ratcheted up the horror factor--things are getting progressively "nastier" in terms of the entities that Ray and Steven have to deal with. As a horror fan, I find this a fantastic development! Without giving away any of the story itself, there was one aspect of the story that dealt with a subject I have a hard time getting into, and that personal preference is what had me rating this at 4.5 instead. I wanted to point that out, as the story itself flowed very well, but everyone has their own personal likes/dislikes.

Overall, a great addition to the series, although my personal favorite remains A Haunting in Oregon, to date. :)

Recommended.
Profile Image for Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime.
5,639 reviews329 followers
January 2, 2015
Review:  GHOSTS OF OUR FATHERS by Michael Richan (Book 3, The River)

I truly believe this series improves with each entry, though I highly recommend each of these books, which can also be read alone (though I am devouring the series in consecutive order).

GHOSTS OF OUR FATHERS includes the strong female character, Eliza, we met in A HAUNTING IN OREGON, plus her Oregon friend Claire. Now we meet Eliza's long-term friend, Daniel from Spokane, who is sort of a time wizard (no, not Dr. Who) and student of time. It seems that Steven and Roy's paranormal lineage, which commenced with Roy's grandfather, is now bleeding danger into the present from an act of preservation Roy's father, as a child, achieved eighty years in the past. It's a ver complex scenario, but Mr. Richan performs it masterfully and kept me riveted throughout.
Profile Image for Mike.
26 reviews
April 17, 2014
I had alot of fun reading this book. My first venture into this genre and it was a good one.Moves fast, exciting and creepy in a good way. I'll be reading the others and get caught up!
17 reviews
April 30, 2014
Better than the first 2 books! I really like the way the characters are developing in the series. Love the addition of some new characters as well.
Profile Image for Karen.
1,314 reviews41 followers
August 24, 2024
The true rating is 3.8 stars.

I find these stories and characters immensely enjoyable. The narratives are well-crafted, and the characters are intriguing with fully developed personalities and backgrounds, capturing my attention from beginning to end. The settings may not be exotic, but they are mostly part of the natural world, even as they transition into their alternate realm.

In the dead of night, Steven is roused by an invader who mysteriously navigates the interior of his home. The figure appears suspended in time, harmless, immobile—as if a man made of glass has been turned into a statue. It vanishes abruptly, only to reappear elsewhere, still motionless, observing him. Upon closer inspection, Steven finds it a shell harboring an angry man inside.

Under normal circumstances, Steven would seek guidance from his father, Roy, who has been teaching him to harness "the gift" to counter ghosts and supernatural entities. However, with Roy unavailable, and after the shadowy figure assaults him, Steven, in desperation, reaches out to his friends Eliza and Daniel. Daniel, who has extensive knowledge of temporal matters, identifies the figure's movements as "time shifting." Together, they uncover the true menace: an entity from the past, far more dangerous than they had anticipated.

They face a gauntlet of spectral apparitions and terrifying beings obstructing their path to a resolution. As time dwindles, Steven, Roy, Daniel, and Eliza delve into historical unfinished affairs that are resurfacing to menace them all.

"Ghosts of Our Fathers" is a riveting and thrilling paranormal tale, chronicling the ordeal of Steven and Roy as they face off against a vengeful spectral legacy threatening their lineage.
563 reviews4 followers
September 17, 2017
Love This Series!!!

Steven is being attacked at his house by a ghost that hates him with extreme prejudice. Problem is that Steven has no idea who this guy is but learns the hard way that maybe its his family this spirit hates. In order to figure things out quickly he has to research his grandparent's past before this spirit actually does more then just threaten...
Great series this is book 3 but can be read as a stand alone.
Pick this up!!!!
Profile Image for Bookish Satty.
953 reviews32 followers
June 28, 2023
Awesome read! Would recommend to all horror/thriller fans. Book 1 in this series will always be my favorite but this one was a close second. The fast pacing and constant buildup of nail biting suspense kept me reading till the wee hours of the morning just to find out if my favorite characters were okay. One of the best supernatural thriller series I've ever read.
1,363 reviews13 followers
August 1, 2023
Just couldn't put this down!

So very intense! I absolutely love this series! It was just by chance that I started it and I'm s very glad I did. The storyline in this book was definitely one that kept me up until very early reading. It was so interesting. I'm definitely going to be continuing with this series!!!
Profile Image for Bonnie Mckay.
8 reviews
July 24, 2017
Another excellent read from Michael Richan, he scares you but you have to read on!!!!
Profile Image for John Grathwol.
191 reviews2 followers
December 24, 2016
FANTASTIC!!

I love all of the books in this series, and this one was no exception. It was intriguing, keeping me up reading until the end.
Profile Image for Angela Crawford.
387 reviews23 followers
June 30, 2014
From the Description:

Steven is scared – he’s awakened in the middle of the night by a mysterious figure that threatens to kill him. Is it a ghost, or some other evil creature?

Steven’s determined to figure out what it is and how to stop it. He would normally turn to his father, Roy, who is educating him on how to use “the gift” to deal with ghosts and other threats, but Roy isn't available. Steven turns instead to his “gifted” friends Eliza and Daniel. Daniel’s an expert on time, and they all soon discover the true nature of the threat: it comes from the past and it’s worse than any of them realized.

Strange ghosts and creatures stand between them and the solution. Time is running out as Steven, Roy, Daniel and Eliza dig into the past to learn of half-finished business that is coming back to haunt them all.

Ghosts of Our Fathers is a fast-paced horror-thriller where Steven and Roy confront a ghostly history that is determined to take revenge upon their entire family.

Ghosts of Our Fathers is the third book in The River series.

Starts off in the same vein as part 1 & 2 with some creepy ghost action, but then carries you off in new and exciting directions. Along with the return of some favorite characters we are also introduced to some new friends as well as some creepy new ghosts. It could take a large sacrifice for things to work out for Roy and Steven this time,,,, A solid 4 star read.
188 reviews9 followers
September 8, 2014
Ghosts of our Fathers is my fiftieth book that I have received and read from Goodreads. This is my first book of this kind, and the first in this series I have read. I really enjoyed reading this book and plan on reading the other two books in this series.
This book starts out with Steven is awakened in the middle of this night by a mysterious figure that threatens to kill him. It is a ghost or some other evil creature. Steven has to figure out what it is and try to stop him. Steven has what they call the gift, he is learning how to use it from his father Roy. The gift is used to deal with ghosts and other threats. Roy is not around so Steven turns to his other gifted friends Eiza and Daniel. In the story Steven only has so much time to figure out a solution to the threats. Time is running out. How will he deal with these problems.
This is a great read. I would like to thank Michael Richan for taking the time to sign my book. I would recommend this book to all adults
Profile Image for McKenzie Richardson.
Author 68 books66 followers
February 21, 2017



I originally received an e-book copy of this book from Library Thing, lost the link,then ended up buying the actual book because I wanted to read it so badly.Awesome book! This is the third book in the River series, but can also be read on its own. I read Eximere, book four, first and am now working my way back to the earlier books.This is such a cool series. Good characters and an intriguing plot, this is a very good read. It is quick to get through because you don't want to put it down. I loved the creative problem solving. And at times the descriptions are simply spine-tingling. Well-written and a joy to read. I highly recommend the series.


Profile Image for Joy.
310 reviews4 followers
March 5, 2015
Mr Richan does not disappoint. I am loving this series. The characters are relatable. The stories are fresh and imaginative. There is just the right amount of suspenseful moments and a few guffaws thrown in for good measure.
Now on to number 4. :)
Profile Image for Cynthia Graham.
17 reviews
September 1, 2015
I won this book last year, and finally got to it. I didn't realize it was a series till I was done. I enjoyed the book and it was fast to read, I have not read the first and second book yet, but they will be on my list.
Profile Image for Mary.
558 reviews4 followers
January 27, 2016
The writing was a little too wordy at times, but the story was good. It is good meeting Jason, Steven's son. It will be interesting to see how he comes to accept the gift.
Profile Image for Chelsie williams.
186 reviews4 followers
February 28, 2015
Excellent

Can't wait to read the next book. Very excited to read it! I just love this author!! I can't get enough!!
Profile Image for Sherry Baker.
20 reviews1 follower
July 30, 2015
My favorite of The River books so far! Reminiscent of older Stephen King novels The Body/Stand By Me and IT. I love books that emphasize that kids are NOT helpless!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.