The Ghost Illusion

by Kerry Watts

The savage murders of four mothers are an echo of a nightmare witnessed by a horrified city. Meanwhile, Julian Brody - dubbed by the press as "The Mummy Ripper" - dies in prison 20 years after his violent slaying of four mothers in the 1990's. D.I. Ruby Delpierro and Dr. Carl Flescher team up to catch the copycat killer before any more innocent women are slain. But is there something more to the case? With their professional relationship put to the test, Carl will have to conquer his demons to help Ruby stop the bloodshed and confront the killer's shocking true identity.

Reviewed by one reader of the book version as "Frighteningly clever. A blend of shock, violence and sympathetic characters with a banging ending!" Another said of The Ghost Illusion - "An excellent mystery to the last sentence." It's also been described as "Clear your schedule. You won't want to put it down".

Genres: Thriller

Audible Audio

First published February 24, 2017

About the author

.Kerry Watts was born and grew up in a small town in the East of Scotland where she still lives today. She is always writing and carries a little notebook and pen with her wherever she goes because at her age ideas need to be captured before they disappear.
Kerry specialises in crime fiction because she enjoys pushing the boundaries of what it is to be human. The nature versus nurture debate fascinates her. She loves to put her characters in impossible situations just to see what happens. Her experience as a psychiatric nurse heavily influences her writing. She also wants to create characters that people can relate to who might be facing the same struggles as anyone else.
Authors who inspire her are anyone capable of creating a character who lives inside her head long after she has closed the book. Her favourite fictional character's are Dexter Morgan, created by Jeff Lindsay as well as Hannibal Lechter created by Thomas Harris. She doesn't have a favourite genre as a reader. Kerry will read anything. Written by anyone. If the blurb has a good feel about it she's hooked.
When she's not writing she loves to spend time following her other passions - dogs, particularly rescue mutts and horse racing. The sight of a thoroughbred race horse at full stretch has been known to move her to tears, not just lump in the throat stuff but full on blubbing. And for that she is unashamed. One day she's going to buy a racehorse filly and call her Into Darkness.
She also had a small role in a film called The Rocket Post but decided acting wasn't for her. She would rather create a character than play one.

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thriller kept me involved and I kept changing who I thought the killer was all through. I found the story to be unique and the characters likable.

Ruby is a new Detective Inspector when a series of murders begin in her town. They harken back to a serial killer years earlier in the gruesome manner the women were killed. The murders could be due to a copycat, as they were very similar in their chilling and calculated methodology. The original serial killer was caught so this has to be someone new taking his place.

The story kept me reading all afternoon. I kept going back to the book and was quite anxious to find out exactly what was happening. The list of characters was well defined and I felt I knew them all by the end of the bok. There were personal stories from each one of the main characters and Ruby was certainly not immune to her share of problems.

I enjoyed the story and look forward to seeing what else Kerry Watts writes. I think she has original ideas and I hope she has more coming our way.

[Coco.V]

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Blurb:
The savage murders of four mothers are an echo of a nightmare witnessed by a horrified city. Meanwhile, Julian Brody - dubbed by the press as The Mummy Ripper - dies in prison twenty years after his violent slaying of four mothers in the 1990’s.

D.I. Ruby Delpierro and Dr. Carl Flescher team up to catch the copycat killer before any more innocent women are slain. But is there something more to the case?

With their professional relationship put to the test, Carl will have to deal with his past to help Ruby stop the bloodshed, and confront the killer's shocking true identity.

[Misfits farm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago women were being murdered. When the pieces were put together it was a “washing machine repair man” that was the perpetrator. Even more horrific than what he did to the women was that he left their children to find them and hence became known as the Mummy Ripper. Similar crimes are now being committed . It can’t be the same man as he died in prison a short while before. This is a brilliantly written book with characters that appeal. A storyline that grabs you from the outset and keeps you wanting to turn and turn. Scenes well described so that you can picture them and feel the mood as we get to know Ruby and her life and work. A brilliant piece of writing. I look forward to more from this author.
I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased

[Gillean Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning combination of psychological thriller and tightly plotted mystery.

Someone is savagely murdering woman in the same manner as a psychopath did twenty years ago. The Police Constable that investigated the original murders is now the Detective Inspector in charge of these latest killings. But with no physical evidence, how can she possibly prevent other innocent women from being brutalized.

Don’t let the editing errors stop you from reading this tale with its intricately linked plotlines that will appeal to puzzle fans. Ms Watts juggles the multiple plot threads briskly. The story is believable in both characterization and the ebb and flow of police detection. Due to the weightless writing style and smartly engineered complications, this is a complex, multilayered, and psychologically acute tale. The Ghost Illusion provides an excellent mystery to the very last sentence. Clear your schedule for this one—you won't want to put it down until you're finished.

[Dee Groocock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story by Kerry Watts. I found it very hard to put this book down once I started it. An intense, gritty and disturbing read. Although I had my suspicions, I certainly wasn’t expecting the ending to this story. Very well written and an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Trudie Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice easy read. It’s not full of suspense, but does have a few things happen that I wasn’t expecting. It’s not a ‘can’t put it down’ book, but you do want to keep reading to the end. It has a good story line. Unlike a lot of murder mysteries, the killer is one of the characters that you are introduced to early on, but the author gives you a number to choose from so it takes a long while to work out who it is. I much prefer this approach to it being someone that you have never met before, as this makes the reader become more involved in the story. You begin to think it is person A or person B, then have to rethink who it can be when something happens to prove it wasn’t them. I started to suspect everyone. Part way thorough, the author lets you know the sex of the murderer, which was a little disappointing as it narrowed down the field of suspects.
The author gives the main characters backgrounds and a life outside of work, building them up as complete people. I hope this is the first in a series as the author could well take the characters further.
My only complaint about this book is that the chapters are too short for my taste. While others may like this, to me it makes the book too disjointed. I would like the scenes to be build up more before moving on to the next one. It would well double in length by adding more depth to the scenes. Some feel a little rushed and have been added to just let you know what a character is doing rather than adding to the story.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this.

[Berk Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am posting this five star review with some reservations. I really loved the story and how it was told, though I must say the ending was something of an anticlimax for me. But that just has to do with the difference in how people tell stories and now the content of this book. I liked the writer's usage of juxtapositioning the various characters. I liked the characters though I thought they might have been fleshed out a little more, but again that is one person's means of telling a story versus another. `I found the read to be very smooth and rapid after the first third or more of the story. The thing that gives me the reservations is there were many editing errors, so many that sometimes they were a distraction. They cannot be ignored unfortunately but they do not, in the end, detract from the story being unique, fascinating and vital. A good read. Let the problems be and read on. In the end you will be satisfied with your read.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty years ago a serial killer was tried and convicted of several murders. Now he is dead, and women are being killed once more.
This is a good story with a few twists and turns along the way that keep you guessing until the killer is revealed. I like the fact that authors are starting to give the police investigators in these stories their own lives, flaws and problems, it adds a more realistic touch to the characters, while adding some background.
The book has a great twist at the end that is a bit of a surprise. I liked the story and would read more books by Kerry Watts.

[Susan Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting read. DI Ruth Delpierro and her team are investigating a copycat killer. The original killer has recently died and yet, the killings have started again. Dr Carl Flescher joins the investigation as he had dealings with Julian Brody, the original Mummy Ripper killer. A great plot which which had me gripped from the start. A suspenseful read and an unexpected development. Look forward to reading more from Kerry Watts

[A.J. Griffiths-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this detective novel in just 24 hours, so gripping was the story. The characters are believable, each with their own individual quirks & every chapter leaves you unable to put the book down, desperately wanting to find out what happens next. As D.I. Ruby Delpierro & her team join the dots to catch a serial killer, you'll find yourself racing alongside to solve the riddle. I'll definitely be looking out for more work by this author.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. Very grusome killings, so plenty of gore for blood thirsty readers. DI Delpierro and her team certainly have their work cut out. Do they have a copycat killer from murders that took place twenty years ago? It certainly looks that way, but why now? They need to get into the mind of the killer, and request the help of retired psychologist (lovable character) Dr Carl Flescher....he remembers the original murders from the past all too well. An intriguing story from start to end.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story. Needs to be edited for grammar and spelling, but it wasn't too bad.

Really liked this story. I had trouble putting it down! Only complaint would be poor editing and proof reading. Interesting read

[Elaine Milks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ghost Illusion, by Kerry Watts, is a mystery revolving around the relatives of a serial killer's victims. This is a fast paced read, both suspenseful and full of surprises. It is also an interesting twist from the usual murder mysteries. A good but sad story. 4 stars!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good

[The Endless Unread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique idea. Brilliantly written. I quickly cared about the characters and wanted to find the truth, as much as them.

[Daniel Norrish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written, suspenseful read. The blend of shock, violence and sympathetic characters drew me into a narrative wrought with suspense. The ending is also banging!

[Julie Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good detective crime thriller with believable characters and clever plot.

I liked the way the characters had personal lives in addition to trying to solve the copycat killer.

Not original but a good read for those who enjoy this genre.

Well-written and worth a look.

[Craig Gillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic thriller, grizzly and disturbing

[Dawn Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, full of suspense with a surprising ending