The Ghost Ring: Shadows of Caligo Falls

by Tom Hoffman

NEW RELEASE! The Ghost Ring • Book 2"A thrilling paranormal story... a roller coaster ride of betrayal, murder, romance, and secrets." – 5 stars • Readers' Favorite
Simon and Clara, a pair of self-proclaimed paranormal investigators, chase after a ghostly old 1917 police car as it races through Caligo Falls toward a creepy old shack in the forest where a shocking murder took place in 1922, sending the two best friends off on a sometimes terrifying quest to solve a long forgotten series of murders and clear the name of Bobby Finch’s grandfather, a destitute World War I veteran who had taken his own life.

With help from a few of their ghostly friends, Simon and Clara must utilize all their investigative skills to solve the four heinous murders before they head off to college in the fall.

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2024

About the author

A veteran author of thrilling young adult and middle grade adventure stories, Tom Hoffman received a B.S. in psychology from Georgetown University and a B.A from the now-defunct Oregon College of Art. He has lived in Alaska with his wife Alexis since 1973. They have two adult children and four amazing grandchildren. Tom has been a graphic designer and artist for over 35 years. Redirecting his imagination from art to writing, he wrote his first novel, The Eleventh Ring, at age 63.

The Bartholomew the Adventurer Trilogy and the Orville Wellington Mouse adventures are multi-leveled stories and have been compared to classics such as Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and Neverending Story. The books were written for his grandchildren to first enjoy as thrilling adventure tales; then as adults to discover the underlying themes of ethics, metaphysics, philosophy, quantum physics, and spirituality. A common theme is the idea that there is no magic, only science we don't understand. The books were written to provide an alternate way to view the world we live in. To see all life as a single force, all life equally precious, no matter the form. A world where violence is not necessary, a world where the protagonists are changed forever by their difficult choices, by their own sacrifices. A world of empathy, kindness, and love. And of course, ten foot tall ancient robotic rabbits and gigantic carnivorous centipedes living on post apocalyptic planets!

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Reviews

[merlin513 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun and an EXCELLENT continuation of Simon & Clara’s ghost hunting (& helping) story. Gorgeous cover art!

My only reservation is HOW can a college age boy resist the temptation to drive an exquisitely up-kept Dusenburg!?! or the Stutz Bearcat!!! :p

I’d have been at the very least driving them up and down the driveway and around the house!!!

Honestly tho, this was a really moving story dealing with learning more about Cornelius Wilder and his less than pristine dealings with both his partners and the household staff. The effects of the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic and helping clear Clara’s boss at the grocery store, Bobby’s Grandfathers name and reputation.

Not very much interaction with Harrington tho. I was honestly expecting Simon to be learning more from him about Persephone’s rings.

Still feels very reminiscent of ‘The Three Sleuths: Young Alfred Hitchcock’ stories that I inhaled as a kid. Very enjoyable story and highly anticipating book three.

[Louis (audiobookfanatic) · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLURB:
Simon Moody and Clara Barley continue their paranormal investigations in Caligo Falls using the Ghost Ring to communicate with spirits, leading them into a hidden tunnel beneath Wilder House, where they uncover a mystery tied to Simon’s great-grandfather Cornelius and a connected historical cold case, while also encountering various ghosts throughout their investigations linked to unresolved deaths.

REVIEW:
This is the second book in Tom Hoffman’s Ghost Ring series, and the story picks up immediately after the events of Welcome to Wilder House, pulling you right back into Caligo Falls’s world of ghosts. Although the protagonists (Simon and Clara) are in their upper teens and the book is marketed as a YA paranormal mystery, there’s a lot here that will appeal to adult readers. There are multiple layered mysteries that even seasoned readers won’t be able to fully solve, and the emotional weight of what’s uncovered (especially the ghosts’ backstories) is really compelling. This book has been awarded a Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal and is just as strong as the first installment (which was also an award winner). And for all you trope lovers, there’s a great mix here—amateur sleuthing, haunted settings, generational secrets, ghostly witnesses, unsolved historical crimes, and more!

What makes these books SO readable is the writing—the prose is straightforward and uncluttered, and because the story itself is intricate, layered, and unpredictable, it’s easy to get fully immersed. The story is told in a 3rd-person POV, mostly focusing on Simon and Clara, whose amateur sleuthing dynamic is the heart of the story. And just like in book one, they’re able to see and communicate with spirits using the Ghost Ring—but this time around, Simon is much less hesitant about using it to communicate with the ghosts and touch them to relive fragments of their past memories.

There are several returning characters who add heartfelt continuity, but the main mysteries center around new human and ghost characters, which helps this installment feel fresh. The ghosts—many from the early 1900s—vary in age and awareness, ranging from confused spirits who don’t realize they’re dead to those who do but can’t move on, and it’s fascinating to watch Simon and Clara figure out how to approach each one!

Simon’s great-grandfather, Cornelius Wilder, is a key figure in this story, and his corruption and ruthlessness are vividly depicted through several ghost flashbacks. These flashbacks allow Simon and Clara to experience events from the past that directly connect to the mysteries they’re trying to solve. Be prepared for multiple threads to come together by the end—and jotting down notes or building your own “mystery board” is really useful in keeping track of everything and in solving the mystery on your own!

And just like the first book, the pacing here is strong. The story is always moving forward, without repetitive scenes or inner dialogue, and the relatively short chapters—many ending in mini cliffhangers—make it very engaging. At just over 300 pages, you can realistically finish this book in a single sitting!

The second half of the story becomes even more intricate and emotional—there’s a child ghost waiting for his mother, a league of ghosts who have shifted their consciousness into other worlds and share insightful information, and a dark, dangerous entity that becomes key to the central cold case. Predicting how everything is connected is difficult, but the resolution brings the threads together in a satisfying way, without any loopholes or major unanswered questions. With Simon and Clara moving off to college and foreshadowed events set to take place in NYC, you get the sense that future paranormal mysteries may extend beyond Caligo Falls—and you’ll be eager to read the next book in the series right away!

And if you’re an audiobook listen, do yourself a favor and pick up the audio for this installment and book one, as narrator Christian J. Casas delivers distinct, convincing voices for all the human and ghost characters, making the listening experience feel cinematic and very engaging!

[Rea Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immersing us in the intriguing world of teenage ghost detectives, Simon Moody and Clara Barley, Hoffman is at his absolute best—spooky, intelligent, mystical, and hilarious at once. The dialogue is exceptional. The originality of Hoffman’s visionary plot is pinned deftly to science with real references to quantum physics. This story not only entertains, it teaches us about the fabric and possibilities of other dimensions that undoubtedly intersect with ours. All in all, it is a rollicking good read that deserves a broad audience of every age. Hopefully someone in the cinematic world is listening when I say that these books are made for the screen. Netflix? Apple? Surely you need some spectacularly original new content?

[Robin Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!