Those of the Margin

Derek Cole #2

by T. Patrick Phelps

You'll Never Look at Strangers the Same Way
Private Investigator Derek Cole is no ghost hunter, but when he meets with his new client, Maggie Bryant, he knows that he couldn't walk away from the case, no matter how hard he tried. Maggie tells Derek that her son, Robby, believes he is being haunted by a ghost. Though private investigator Derek Cole knows nothing about paranormal mysteries, he soon learns that spirits exists, some are just more real than others.
A Paranormal Thriller that will have you Looking at Strangers in a Whole new Way
Derek finds himself in the middle of a near two decade old murder mystery as he struggles to solve the mystery of the spirit haunting his client's son. And the closer Derek gets to solving the murder mystery, the closer he gets to a mystery that can never be solved.
The Second in the Derek Cole Suspense Thriller Series

Genres: Paranormal, Fiction, Thriller

299 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2014

About the author

On average, every 4.8 minutes, someone in the world downloads a book authored by T Patrick Phelps.

A fan of sandwiches, single malt scotch and books with the unique ability to steal sleep, Phelps has been writing professionally for over two decades. Phelps is the author of the Derek Cole Suspense Thriller Series, which includes "Heartless," "Those of the Margin," "The Observer." ,"The Devil's Snare," "Still Heartless," and the most recent novel in the series, "Deathly Reminders."

When not creating worlds and sending characters through misery and death, Phelps is an interior fire fighter for his local volunteer fire department. The author lives in Central New York with his wife, two kids and two dogs.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

About this author:
T Patrick Phelps is the author of the Derek Cole Suspense Series, including "Heartless," "Those of the Margin," "The Observer" and the soon to be released "Fury." (Working title)
Phelps is also the author of "The Youngest Son," a story about cancer and the unexpected gifts cancer leaves in its wake.
"The Sender," first in the Trevor Mac Series, will be released on Amazon and in paperback in December of 2015
Phelps lives with his wife and two children in Upstate New York

Synopsis:

You'll Never Look at Strangers the Same Way
Private Investigator Derek Cole is no ghost hunter, but when he meets with his new client, Maggie Bryant, he knows that he couldn't walk away from the case, no matter how hard he tried. Maggie tells Derek that her son, Robby, believes he is being haunted by a ghost. Though private investigator Derek Cole knows nothing about paranormal mysteries, he soon learns that spirits exists, some are just more real than others.
A Paranormal Thriller that will have you Looking at Strangers in a Whole new Way
Derek finds himself in the middle of a near two decade old murder mystery as he struggles to solve the mystery of the spirit haunting his client's son. And the closer Derek gets to solving the murder mystery, the closer he gets to a mystery that can never be solved.
The Second in the Derek Cole Suspense Thriller Series

what at I thought of it:
As all ways I loved the main character Dereck Cole ,even if he didn't believe in what his new clients was telling him ,he was still going to try and help them find out what was going on ,as in the first one he was strong but he came back much stronger then before in this one and his character grew more in this one .

What I thought of the cover.
loved it, loved how it maxes the first book .and just like the first book Heartless there's something about the cover that pulls you to the book even before you read the synopsis of it.

What did I think of the story itself:
OMG what can I say that will make you pick it up as will as the first book to read, just like the first one Heartless, it had me hooked from the first page, loved how Dereck got to work with his friend Ralph Fox again, and I loved Father Flannigan, loved how Mr.Phelps wrote a new twist to what happens to sprites , once again this one is just as dark, creepy,mysterious,thrilling,as the first one , which makes it hard to say which one is my favorite of the 2.And just like the first one it was like I was actually there,could see and here every thing that was going on, sometimes it even had me wondering if the spirit was good or evil, this series just keeps getting better and better.With that said I would like to say once again Thinks to Mr.Phelps for reaching out to me and give me the chance to read and review this book, it's a must read any time .So what are you waiting for go pick the first 2 books of this series up and read them.

[Lynn Hallbrooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a mixture of Detective, Mystery/Thriller, and Paranormal genres.

Derek Cole thought this would be a simple case. One to get him back in the game after a near-fatal incident. However, he soon realized that not everything was as it seemed on the surface. Derek's investigation lead him to a path he wasn't sure he wanted to go down. However, with other people's life in the balance, he did what he felt was right.

Mr. Phelps did a great job of interweaving different characters' viewpoints. I also loved how he showed Derek Cole's inner turmoil. It was also fun to see Derek interact with the Catholic priest.

Warning: This book is for Mature Audiences due to Violence, Adult Language, and a hint of sexual situations.

[Susan Barton · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Freelance” investigator, Derek Cole has been hired to work a case like nothing he’s ever experienced before. Maggie and Jack Bryant need to find out who’s been filling their son Robby’s head with ideas about ghosts. According to Robby, Phillip is the ghost of a murdered man who visits him on a regular basis. Maggie and Jack don’t believe in ghosts, so they assume someone is poisoning their son with the crazy notion that spirits exist and visit the living. Derek Cole soon finds there is much more than a child with a ghost for an imaginary friend and the story is much more sinister than anyone can imagine.

I chose this book because it had an interesting premise and looked like a promising tale of ghosts and the paranormal. While I did think the author wove a unique story, it was ruined by poor editing and formatting issues. A space was added after every paragraph (which is definitely unnecessary), making the book choppy and awkward. There were too many typos to count. There were also too many elements thrown into the mix. We went from a boy and a ghost, to possible infidelity, probable murder, family secrets, overzealous religious fanatics and satanic worship. I was worn out by the end of the book. I never did feel invested in either the story or any of the characters. It’s a shame since I really feel this book could have been far better than it was.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captivated me from beginning to end. The author develops the characters so well, that I found it hard to put the book down; I needed to know their fates. The paranormal aspect of the story only adds intrigue to an already spell-binding mystery. I finished the book, anxious to see what Derek Cole will be up to in the next novel of the series. Phelps weaves another excellent suspense thriller!

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those of the Margin

Love a good paranormal story anytime and this is a very interesting ghost story. Is the young boy in our story being haunted by an evil spirit who means to harm him or is he in danger from an unknown source and a good ghost has come to protect him ? Will anyone believe he is being visited by a spirit or will he be locked away for treatment of insanity ? Great suspense.

[Joe Vitucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa! Excellent. There are a few things in the story that I didn't like, but this book is hard to put down. Put together a private eye, a priest, a boy with a "friend", his estranged parents, an old guy in a nursing home, and the father's mother, and a few other people in various roles, and I think this could be a hit movie.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Marginally Readable Book


SPOILERS—SPOILERS—SPOILERS


I had high hopes for this book, because there were many 4 and 5 star ratings on Good Reads. Also, I enjoyed reading “The Devil’s Snare,” book #4 in the Derek Cole Series. So I expected to read about the freelance detective whose investigation intersects with the paranormal. Not only are there ghosts, the author adds murders, attempted murder, kidnapping, a soupçon of romance, a mad religious fanatic and satanic cult activities. No wonder there were 1 star reviews on Amazon, although the reasons for the bad reviews weren’t given.

I began reading this book on March 25 but stopped reading several times, especially after the author included the POV of a revenant. As I skimmed through this book, I was annoyed to discover that the MC and fellow investigators were actually chasing red herrings. Why? They had no source in local law enforcement, so they were missing suspect background info and important forensic evidence. How to resolve this problem? Believe it or not, soon after the 60% mark in this book, the author adds a new character—a State Trooper Captain. Guess who gathers all the evidence, figures out whodunnit, and informs the other characters about his conclusions. So much for protagonist Derek Cole, freelance detective.

[Janina s. Asselin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

Very interesting story, well written, good flow, realistic characters. Especially liked the main character, Derek Cole.
Haven't read book #1 but since I enjoyed this so much, I will look it up. Nice paranormal touch, interesting premise. No spoilers, just read and you will understand.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually really liked this book a lot! I wasn't expecting the paranormal book to interest me but this one did.

[Heather Doughty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick read. I liked the subject matter, but I wish the book was better written.

The basic gist is summed up perfectly by the author about half way through the book: "What started off as a case accepted out of a sense of obligation had morphed into a bizarre blend of murder, paranormal encounters, and kidnapping, mixed together with his unwanted but undeniable feelings for Maggie."

Derek is a lonely independent detective (he doesn't like the term private investigator) who takes on a case concerning a young teenager who claims to see a ghost. The boy's family wants to get to the bottom of this, so they say. The father is very reluctant to provide useful information and prefers to blame others instead.

I liked Derek. I liked the Catholic Priest. The other characters I could leave as I couldn't really connect with them. I loved the setting. The plot was hard to predict, and there may have been too much going on - happening quickly. The pacing was fine.

There are several things that I didn't like. The first is that the father is an inconsistent character. It turns out in the end that he knew all along what was going on. He just chose to keep quiet and keep things hidden - of course he has a justifiable reason. I just didn't like this aspect of the book. Another thing that bothered me was that at 70% of the book, a new State Trooper character is kind of introduced, he's been on the case for a day or so, and he all of a sudden has knowledge and explanations for everything that is going on. His briefing is used to catch the reader up and to move the story ahead. But why does he all of a sudden know everything after 24 hours???

After the book ends, the author says he accidentally published this book before it went to his editor. I am fairly certain I have the newer edited version, but it still has a few issues here and there with missing words, wrong homonym, and a character mixup or two.

This is book 2 of a series. It works as a stand alone book because the author does a great job of catching the reader up. I am not certain I will read the other two books, as I was mainly drawn to this book because of the paranormal encounters.

[Brigitta Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was hard to put down once Derek was deep into his investigation. Things are definitely not always as they appear. This is a good read for all you ghost hunters out there. A little more editing and this story would have been five stars.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good story

[Jeanne Hettel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghosts

I read Heartless and looked for more from this author. Was not disappointed in this book and will continue to read his work.