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Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #3
The Crawling Darkness
Ghost removal specialist Ellie Jordan must face a dangerous, shape-shifting entity that she and Calvin have encountered once before, with tragic results. The spirit has the power to reach into the minds of living and feed on their fears, taking the shape of their worst nightmares, and it has awoken in search of new victims.
Now Ellie must try to succeed where she and her mentor failed before, and try to defeat the twisted and powerful old ghost before it can claim another soul for its collection.
Now Ellie must try to succeed where she and her mentor failed before, and try to defeat the twisted and powerful old ghost before it can claim another soul for its collection.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2015
265 people are currently reading
573 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Bryan
53 books1,035 followersJ.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on English Renaissance and Romantic literature. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He lives in the metro Atlanta sprawl with his wife and son. He is the author of the Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper books and some other assorted novels like Inferno Park, The Unseen, Jenny Pox, and basically a lot of supernatural stories, some of it dark, some of it very dark, some of it less dark than that.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
September 28, 2020
The Crawling Darkness
Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper Series #3
By: J. L. Bryan
Narrated by: Carla Mercer-Meyer
This book gets really gets creepy! I thought the others were bad, this takes scary a step further! I like a good ghost story that has a touch of humor, great characters, characters searching the history of the case, clues, a good scare, and of course some interesting ghosts! This series has all of this!
This series also has a great narrator! Great job!
Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper Series #3
By: J. L. Bryan
Narrated by: Carla Mercer-Meyer
This book gets really gets creepy! I thought the others were bad, this takes scary a step further! I like a good ghost story that has a touch of humor, great characters, characters searching the history of the case, clues, a good scare, and of course some interesting ghosts! This series has all of this!
This series also has a great narrator! Great job!
November 8, 2017
4.25 spooky stars from me and my 14-year-old son the reluctant reader...
This is the third book in the series that my 14-year-old son the reluctant reader and I have read/listen to.... according to him this book had quite a few similarities with the book/movieIT... The ghost in this book lingered in the closet and manifested it’s self in the form of your worst fear.... this led to a discussion with my son about what his biggest fear would be in ghost form, quite the interesting conversation...
Ellie and Stacey are really a great ghostbusting partnership, I love the interactions between them.... I enjoyed the backstory as to why this particular ghost was hunting this neighborhood, and there was a bit of a twist at the end...
Although I am really enjoying the experience of listening to these books with my son, I’m pretty certain I would not be reading this series if it was just me... and really I’d be missing out, because these are very well written ghost stories with really quite interesting characters... we have already started the next book in the series!
narration: once again fabulous narration definitely adding that creepy atmosphere to the book💕
This is the third book in the series that my 14-year-old son the reluctant reader and I have read/listen to.... according to him this book had quite a few similarities with the book/movieIT... The ghost in this book lingered in the closet and manifested it’s self in the form of your worst fear.... this led to a discussion with my son about what his biggest fear would be in ghost form, quite the interesting conversation...
Ellie and Stacey are really a great ghostbusting partnership, I love the interactions between them.... I enjoyed the backstory as to why this particular ghost was hunting this neighborhood, and there was a bit of a twist at the end...
Although I am really enjoying the experience of listening to these books with my son, I’m pretty certain I would not be reading this series if it was just me... and really I’d be missing out, because these are very well written ghost stories with really quite interesting characters... we have already started the next book in the series!
narration: once again fabulous narration definitely adding that creepy atmosphere to the book💕
September 28, 2015
I already really liked this series when I started Crawling Darkness but this new installment ramped everything up. It was scarier, creepier, more dangerous, and honestly, just down right fun. I completely adore this series now and I can't wait to read more.
Once again Ellie is stuck in a bad situation, where the ghosts keep getting nastier except this time, this ghost is about as nasty as they come and one she has encountered before and that encounter, wasn't pretty.
We meet some new faces and get to know the old ones even more. Learning Stacey and Calvin's stories, and even more about Jacob, was so much fun even if those stories were sad heartbreaking ones.
I love this team and the chemistry they all have is amazing.
Once again this is a story you do not want to read in the dark or maybe not even alone during the day. It brought chill bumps to my eyes and more than once had me looking around at things I thought I saw move from the corner of my eye. To say this brought out the slightly paranoid side of me, might be an understatement.
Bryan wows us with his words and elegant but scary as all heck writing and immerses us in Ellie's world full of all things that go bump in the night. And before we know it, we are trapped there and don't ever want to escape.
Another fabulous creepy installment in the Ellie Jordan Ghost Trapper series.
Once again Ellie is stuck in a bad situation, where the ghosts keep getting nastier except this time, this ghost is about as nasty as they come and one she has encountered before and that encounter, wasn't pretty.
We meet some new faces and get to know the old ones even more. Learning Stacey and Calvin's stories, and even more about Jacob, was so much fun even if those stories were sad heartbreaking ones.
I love this team and the chemistry they all have is amazing.
Once again this is a story you do not want to read in the dark or maybe not even alone during the day. It brought chill bumps to my eyes and more than once had me looking around at things I thought I saw move from the corner of my eye. To say this brought out the slightly paranoid side of me, might be an understatement.
Bryan wows us with his words and elegant but scary as all heck writing and immerses us in Ellie's world full of all things that go bump in the night. And before we know it, we are trapped there and don't ever want to escape.
Another fabulous creepy installment in the Ellie Jordan Ghost Trapper series.
October 14, 2017
3.5
These books are getting better and better. Considering the title of the series I don't need to tell you what's this one about. Ellie and her assistant have a new case. What makes it different is the entity they are trying to remove.
The first thing she realises is that the haunted house is right next to the one she and her boss Calvin tried to clear and failed leaving Calvin in a wheelchair. So, this case comes with a lot of baggage in more ways than one. They will have to dig through the past of that particular neighbourhood. Some of the things they uncover are truly disturbing.
The client is a young widow with two kids. They made me care even more. The fearfeeder makes you face your greatest fear and it seems there is nobody better to terrorize and feed on than kids.
Ellie's love live is slowly improving but I am glad that didn't get too much space. If I'm lucky, it will stay in the background.
Now, as for nitpicks - I would appreciate if someone could explain how is this possible: 'little grin playing around the corners of his mouth'. This happens more than once. And there are things like this: '...[she] rose up on her toes and turned his blank face toward him.' Him being the same person makes this really confusing.
Overall, I really like this series.
These books are getting better and better. Considering the title of the series I don't need to tell you what's this one about. Ellie and her assistant have a new case. What makes it different is the entity they are trying to remove.
The first thing she realises is that the haunted house is right next to the one she and her boss Calvin tried to clear and failed leaving Calvin in a wheelchair. So, this case comes with a lot of baggage in more ways than one. They will have to dig through the past of that particular neighbourhood. Some of the things they uncover are truly disturbing.
The client is a young widow with two kids. They made me care even more. The fearfeeder makes you face your greatest fear and it seems there is nobody better to terrorize and feed on than kids.
Ellie's love live is slowly improving but I am glad that didn't get too much space. If I'm lucky, it will stay in the background.
Now, as for nitpicks - I would appreciate if someone could explain how is this possible: 'little grin playing around the corners of his mouth'. This happens more than once. And there are things like this: '...[she] rose up on her toes and turned his blank face toward him.' Him being the same person makes this really confusing.
Overall, I really like this series.
February 14, 2019
Ghost removal specialist Ellie Jordan must face a dangerous, shape-shifting entity that she and Calvin have encountered once before, with tragic results. The spirit has the power to reach into the minds of living and feed on their fears, taking the shape of their worst nightmares, and it has awoken in search of new victims.
Now Ellie must try to succeed where she and her mentor failed before, and try to defeat the twisted and powerful old ghost before it can claim another soul for its collection.
Ok so I went from reading something light and humorous to something dark and creepy. I do this a lot actually, even with TV. I'll go from Hallmark channel to Discovery ID all the time! For this dark and creepy read I decided to go with Ellie Jordan because the reviews promised that this addition of the series was an improvement over the first two books, not that those two books were bad, but I felt like they were lacking some depth and character development.
I'm happy to report that this book was indeed an improvement. There was a bit of character development here, although not loads of it. There was also the addition of a love interest for Ellie, and I liked that a lot. Ellie needs a personal life. I want to know what she does when she isn't hunting ghosts.
As for the ghost in this story, it was a real creepy one. There were certain parts of this that creeped me out while I was reading in bed at night, and I didn't see the twist coming which was great. I would say this is the creepiest book of the series so far. I liked this one enough to keep reading the series. Hopefully we keep getting more character development.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
Now Ellie must try to succeed where she and her mentor failed before, and try to defeat the twisted and powerful old ghost before it can claim another soul for its collection.
Ok so I went from reading something light and humorous to something dark and creepy. I do this a lot actually, even with TV. I'll go from Hallmark channel to Discovery ID all the time! For this dark and creepy read I decided to go with Ellie Jordan because the reviews promised that this addition of the series was an improvement over the first two books, not that those two books were bad, but I felt like they were lacking some depth and character development.
I'm happy to report that this book was indeed an improvement. There was a bit of character development here, although not loads of it. There was also the addition of a love interest for Ellie, and I liked that a lot. Ellie needs a personal life. I want to know what she does when she isn't hunting ghosts.
As for the ghost in this story, it was a real creepy one. There were certain parts of this that creeped me out while I was reading in bed at night, and I didn't see the twist coming which was great. I would say this is the creepiest book of the series so far. I liked this one enough to keep reading the series. Hopefully we keep getting more character development.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
February 7, 2017
Stacy and Ellie are back, but this time they are square off against a ghost that Ellie and Calvin have faced and failed to capture in the past. The ghost is dangerous, it feeds off people's biggest fears and it seems to pry on the weakest the most, like children. Worse is the fact that it disappeared on the night that Calvin and Ellie had tried to capture him, hurt Calvin and is now years later moved into a new home.
Ellie must find a way to stop the ghost and get rid of it for good. It won't be easy since years of darkness had turned the ghost into something dark, creepy and unidentifiable with the person this creature once was.
I enjoyed this, it was extremely creepy, but well done. This one really brought chills up my spine, and made the darkness of the night even more scary. In its essence, this was the story of a boogeyman and the history was not only interesting but disturbing. There is a lot more evil in the house than Ellie had originally bargained for and it does seem like the case is not yet closed.
We also get to meet Michael in this book, who becomes a sort of love interest of Ellie. I am very excited about the potential here and I loved the connection the two shared. I am looking forward for him appearing in other books, his hobby of restoring old clocks is fascinating.
I've been reading a lot of ghost stories lately with it being October and so close to Halloween. I'll try to slow down and do something different for you guys but these books that I have been picking up are just amazing in writing and the authors have a real way of just sucking you right into that world.This review was originally posted on Night Owl Book Cafe
Ellie must find a way to stop the ghost and get rid of it for good. It won't be easy since years of darkness had turned the ghost into something dark, creepy and unidentifiable with the person this creature once was.
I enjoyed this, it was extremely creepy, but well done. This one really brought chills up my spine, and made the darkness of the night even more scary. In its essence, this was the story of a boogeyman and the history was not only interesting but disturbing. There is a lot more evil in the house than Ellie had originally bargained for and it does seem like the case is not yet closed.
We also get to meet Michael in this book, who becomes a sort of love interest of Ellie. I am very excited about the potential here and I loved the connection the two shared. I am looking forward for him appearing in other books, his hobby of restoring old clocks is fascinating.
I've been reading a lot of ghost stories lately with it being October and so close to Halloween. I'll try to slow down and do something different for you guys but these books that I have been picking up are just amazing in writing and the authors have a real way of just sucking you right into that world.This review was originally posted on Night Owl Book Cafe
February 23, 2023
Before I start this review, there are a few things I need to get off my chest. (a) I'm kinda in love with ghost stories. Especially well written ones with plenty of backstory. (b) J.L. Bryan's books tend to hit the spot with me. They're twisty and just the right amount of gruesome. His brain. I like it.
Frankly, this book just worked for me.
Once again, Ellie and Stacey are facing off against something dark and malevolent. With what happened to Ellie and Calvin the first time they butted heads with this entity, there's an added level of tension. Not to mention the whole thing where children are at risk. I mean, that sucks no matter what sort of creature they're up against. Plus, I loooooove (not a sarcastic love, in case someone's reading it that way, but a long, drawn-out love that comes from the depths of my being) how the team has to piece together what happened years ago to understand what they're up against in the here and now.
Creepy things become even creepier when they have backstory.
There are hints of romance (you go, Ellie!), some rather unpleasant secondary characters, and a slew of bad things the team encounter inside the house.
As always, it was a highly enjoyable romp through a dangerous investigation!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Frankly, this book just worked for me.
Once again, Ellie and Stacey are facing off against something dark and malevolent. With what happened to Ellie and Calvin the first time they butted heads with this entity, there's an added level of tension. Not to mention the whole thing where children are at risk. I mean, that sucks no matter what sort of creature they're up against. Plus, I loooooove (not a sarcastic love, in case someone's reading it that way, but a long, drawn-out love that comes from the depths of my being) how the team has to piece together what happened years ago to understand what they're up against in the here and now.
Creepy things become even creepier when they have backstory.
There are hints of romance (you go, Ellie!), some rather unpleasant secondary characters, and a slew of bad things the team encounter inside the house.
As always, it was a highly enjoyable romp through a dangerous investigation!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
February 5, 2015
Four Stars: A scary, addictive series with plenty of things that go bump in the night.
Ellie and Stacey scrutinize the large house with gingerbread lattice in front of them. There is something sinister about this house even from the sidewalk. Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper, is on another call. This time she finds an old mansion that seems to be haunted by the boogeyman. The children in the house are seeing monsters in their closets. Ellie and Stacey with the help of Jacob, the psychic, soon learn that the evil hiding in the house is far more sinister than they had imagined, and they are soon battling the thing that hides in the closet. Will Ellie and Stacey survive another ghost hunting adventure?
What I Liked:
*The Ellie Jordan Ghost Trapper Series is quickly becoming a fun little addiction. I am loving that these books are releasing rapid fire, and that I am not having to wait long in between. Plus, I am totally liking these creepy little tales. If you want quick reads that are dangerous, scary and thrilling, I highly recommend you check out this series.
*The Crawling Darkness is my favorite book in the series to date. This installment takes on the monsters in the closet. Let's face it, how many of us are a little unsettled by an open closet door at night? I know that I have never slept with my closet door open, I even make sure my kids' closets are shut at night. This book is all about those childhood fears of dark places that haunt us even as adults, except this time, the monster in the closet turns out to be real. I love how Mr. Bryan utilized the boogeyman and the monster in the closet. I won't tell you more about what the ghost does as I don't want to spoil it. Read it for yourself.
*I keep mentioning this, but one of my favorite aspects of this series is that Mr. Bryan tries to make it as authentic as possible. He draws upon science and procedures that real life ghost hunters utilize when they hunt ghosts. I love reading about the reasoning behind why a ghost hunter does something and all the gadgets that they use to trap the ghosts.
*I also love that with every installment, the trappers track down the history of the haunting in order to try and find out who is behind the haunting and why. This time around there is a sinister ghost and a tragic history behind the haunting. Very scary.
*There are some big twists and turns at the end, especially when it comes to the ghost. I loved all the surprises.
I liked that we are getting more depth to the characters. In this book, I learned more about Calvin and his injury. Stacey reveals why she is a ghost hunter, and her story is tragic and scary. Finally, there are some developments in the romance department for both girls. I am loving the character development, and I am eager for more romance.
*Even though this is a series, you don't have to read them in order, all though it is beneficial if you do. Each book is a complete story as it recounts the events of a particular haunting. I love that I get a full story with each and every book, and that I am not left with jarring cliffhangers and a bunch of unanswered questions. Keep them coming Mr. Bryan!
And The Not So Much:
*The ending was a bit rushed for me, especially when it came to the final portion with the ex priest and the exorcism. I was expecting a bit more with the dark vortex, and I certainly was expecting a bit more of an uproar during the exorcism.
*I am still wanting more with Jacob. To me, he is the most fascinating character and his on scene time has been limited in each book. More Jacob, please.
*I wanted more information on the whole dark vortex or psychic vortex.
*One bit of advice, unless you have nerves of steel, I would not recommend reading this late at night before bed and then sleeping alone in a room with an open closet, just saying.
The Crawling Darkness is my favorite installment to date of the Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper Series. I am addicted to these thrilling, fast paced, adrenaline fueled ghostly reads. Each and every book delivers another creepy ghost tale that will keep you flipping the pages until the end. I love that I can pick up one of these and get a complete story that can be read in one sitting. I am eager for the next book.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
Ellie and Stacey scrutinize the large house with gingerbread lattice in front of them. There is something sinister about this house even from the sidewalk. Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper, is on another call. This time she finds an old mansion that seems to be haunted by the boogeyman. The children in the house are seeing monsters in their closets. Ellie and Stacey with the help of Jacob, the psychic, soon learn that the evil hiding in the house is far more sinister than they had imagined, and they are soon battling the thing that hides in the closet. Will Ellie and Stacey survive another ghost hunting adventure?
What I Liked:
*The Ellie Jordan Ghost Trapper Series is quickly becoming a fun little addiction. I am loving that these books are releasing rapid fire, and that I am not having to wait long in between. Plus, I am totally liking these creepy little tales. If you want quick reads that are dangerous, scary and thrilling, I highly recommend you check out this series.
*The Crawling Darkness is my favorite book in the series to date. This installment takes on the monsters in the closet. Let's face it, how many of us are a little unsettled by an open closet door at night? I know that I have never slept with my closet door open, I even make sure my kids' closets are shut at night. This book is all about those childhood fears of dark places that haunt us even as adults, except this time, the monster in the closet turns out to be real. I love how Mr. Bryan utilized the boogeyman and the monster in the closet. I won't tell you more about what the ghost does as I don't want to spoil it. Read it for yourself.
*I keep mentioning this, but one of my favorite aspects of this series is that Mr. Bryan tries to make it as authentic as possible. He draws upon science and procedures that real life ghost hunters utilize when they hunt ghosts. I love reading about the reasoning behind why a ghost hunter does something and all the gadgets that they use to trap the ghosts.
*I also love that with every installment, the trappers track down the history of the haunting in order to try and find out who is behind the haunting and why. This time around there is a sinister ghost and a tragic history behind the haunting. Very scary.
*There are some big twists and turns at the end, especially when it comes to the ghost. I loved all the surprises.
I liked that we are getting more depth to the characters. In this book, I learned more about Calvin and his injury. Stacey reveals why she is a ghost hunter, and her story is tragic and scary. Finally, there are some developments in the romance department for both girls. I am loving the character development, and I am eager for more romance.
*Even though this is a series, you don't have to read them in order, all though it is beneficial if you do. Each book is a complete story as it recounts the events of a particular haunting. I love that I get a full story with each and every book, and that I am not left with jarring cliffhangers and a bunch of unanswered questions. Keep them coming Mr. Bryan!
And The Not So Much:
*The ending was a bit rushed for me, especially when it came to the final portion with the ex priest and the exorcism. I was expecting a bit more with the dark vortex, and I certainly was expecting a bit more of an uproar during the exorcism.
*I am still wanting more with Jacob. To me, he is the most fascinating character and his on scene time has been limited in each book. More Jacob, please.
*I wanted more information on the whole dark vortex or psychic vortex.
*One bit of advice, unless you have nerves of steel, I would not recommend reading this late at night before bed and then sleeping alone in a room with an open closet, just saying.
The Crawling Darkness is my favorite installment to date of the Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper Series. I am addicted to these thrilling, fast paced, adrenaline fueled ghostly reads. Each and every book delivers another creepy ghost tale that will keep you flipping the pages until the end. I love that I can pick up one of these and get a complete story that can be read in one sitting. I am eager for the next book.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
September 11, 2017
Creepy!!
March 11, 2016
I’m not sure why I didn’t notice it before, but checking out the titles to the books in this series, I noticed how cleverly they revealed hints about what’s waiting in the haunted pages inside.
There’s something nasty haunting the apartment house. One that Ellie and her boss, Calvin, have come up against before, and lost.
I’ve always been curious about how Calvin ended up in a wheelchair. I knew it had something to do with trapping ghosts and being attacked. The house they are investigating abuts another property. One with an abandoned, boarded up house. It just so happens, that’s where the attack occurred. Could this be the same entity? Could it have just moved to the next inhabited house? And is it appearing at the other houses that connect to the property?
Whatever it is, it seems to be drawn to the children. Feeds off of their fear. And if you get in its way, the consequences are very bad.
The creeping darkness reminded of the thing in the movie Babadook. You don’t see it clearly. It hides in the shadows, sneaking around, crawling on ceilings and along banisters. Slipping under doors and vanishing. How do you fight something like that?
Something fun is happening in this series too. Stacey and Jacob, the psychic they use in some of their cases, are dating. And one of the residents in the haunted apartments happens to be a hunky fireman, and he’s single. Could this be the end of Ellie’s sadly lacking love life? We’ll see.
I’ve got to hand it to the author. It takes a lot to give me the creeps, and the entities he’s thrown at me in this series have me rethinking ever stepping foot in anything with even a remote possibility of being haunted. Scary good it is. And I can’t imagine what he’ll spook me with next.
I received a copy for my honest review.
There’s something nasty haunting the apartment house. One that Ellie and her boss, Calvin, have come up against before, and lost.
I’ve always been curious about how Calvin ended up in a wheelchair. I knew it had something to do with trapping ghosts and being attacked. The house they are investigating abuts another property. One with an abandoned, boarded up house. It just so happens, that’s where the attack occurred. Could this be the same entity? Could it have just moved to the next inhabited house? And is it appearing at the other houses that connect to the property?
Whatever it is, it seems to be drawn to the children. Feeds off of their fear. And if you get in its way, the consequences are very bad.
The creeping darkness reminded of the thing in the movie Babadook. You don’t see it clearly. It hides in the shadows, sneaking around, crawling on ceilings and along banisters. Slipping under doors and vanishing. How do you fight something like that?
Something fun is happening in this series too. Stacey and Jacob, the psychic they use in some of their cases, are dating. And one of the residents in the haunted apartments happens to be a hunky fireman, and he’s single. Could this be the end of Ellie’s sadly lacking love life? We’ll see.
I’ve got to hand it to the author. It takes a lot to give me the creeps, and the entities he’s thrown at me in this series have me rethinking ever stepping foot in anything with even a remote possibility of being haunted. Scary good it is. And I can’t imagine what he’ll spook me with next.
I received a copy for my honest review.
November 8, 2024
Just wow.
This book. So many feelings!
Ellie and the gang are trying to trap a very sneaky, powerful and old entity. They have a lot of work to do to ensure it's not going to harm their new clients.
I love Ellie more than ever in this book. She's really opening up to Stacey so their friendship is lighter and feels more natural. Jordan is a sweetheart and I really like the fact that he showed up a bit earlier in this one. He's the perfect match for Stacey.
Michael and Melissa were a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the dynamic between the siblings and really got captivated by Michael. I hope there's future for Ellie and him. They definitely suit each other. Also, hot FIREfighter. I'm so freaking slow, they had to spell it for me!!!
Anyway, the ghost/entity. I'll admit that the twist at the end got me by surprise. I was not expecting that. Or the Calvin thing tbh I managed to figure things out in the other two books, but I definitely got distracted in this one. Maybe it's Michael's fault. lol.
It was a good ending and I'm 100% sticking around for the next one!
This book. So many feelings!
Ellie and the gang are trying to trap a very sneaky, powerful and old entity. They have a lot of work to do to ensure it's not going to harm their new clients.
I love Ellie more than ever in this book. She's really opening up to Stacey so their friendship is lighter and feels more natural. Jordan is a sweetheart and I really like the fact that he showed up a bit earlier in this one. He's the perfect match for Stacey.
Michael and Melissa were a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the dynamic between the siblings and really got captivated by Michael. I hope there's future for Ellie and him. They definitely suit each other. Also, hot FIREfighter. I'm so freaking slow, they had to spell it for me!!!
Anyway, the ghost/entity. I'll admit that the twist at the end got me by surprise. I was not expecting that.
It was a good ending and I'm 100% sticking around for the next one!
May 6, 2021
This one was super ass creepy. I don't usually take almost 3 days to read these, but this one had me putting the book down at night. The thing that normally weirds me right the hell out in any movie or story is something that skitters like a damn crab across whatever surface it happens to be on. And this entity like to do that on the walls and ceiling. On top of that it liked to manifest as the thing you were most scared of. Ellie Jordan must have really huge balls made from steel because no way and no how would I have done what she did. I would have been out..sorry folks, you're on your own. Not even the hot fire fighter would have brought me back to that house.
June 12, 2021
Looking forward to number 4
I this book very much. Actually felt a little bit of fear. Tell you what you keep writing them and ill keep reading them sincerely Christine Dunne Harlingen Texas
I this book very much. Actually felt a little bit of fear. Tell you what you keep writing them and ill keep reading them sincerely Christine Dunne Harlingen Texas
February 20, 2023
Think I would be sitting outside in the van on this one. 💃🏻
October 23, 2023
Sufficiently thrilling and creepy!! A good haunting and’s both dangerous and atmospheric with a great twist at the end!!
January 28, 2025
5 Stars:)
January 10, 2018
Another haunting tale that could have something to do with one of Ellie Jordan’s unfinished cases. In fact, the house is right next door to it! Ellie fears that monster that she was looking for back then has returned.
What’s scarier than monsters in the closet? A shadowy entity that takes the shape of your worst fears. It’s almost a spidery figure—the Crawling Darkness. Ewe! Yuck! And freaky!
It’s a search for the Boogeyman in this chilling tale. It’s a spirit that feeds on your fears, especially the children’s.
Ellie and the gang must face their fears in this ghostly mystery, which actually has a spiritual protector. This is your nightmares come true.
This is another great ghost trapper story. A worthy read!
What’s scarier than monsters in the closet? A shadowy entity that takes the shape of your worst fears. It’s almost a spidery figure—the Crawling Darkness. Ewe! Yuck! And freaky!
It’s a search for the Boogeyman in this chilling tale. It’s a spirit that feeds on your fears, especially the children’s.
Ellie and the gang must face their fears in this ghostly mystery, which actually has a spiritual protector. This is your nightmares come true.
This is another great ghost trapper story. A worthy read!
May 11, 2015
Was originally posted on Paranormal Sisters- http://paranormalsisters.blogspot.com...
*Thank you to J.L Bryan for the chance to review this. This in no way effected my opinion on it.*
First off- Oh my gosh, finally! I'm so happy, this is exactly what I've been waiting for! Ellie has grown so much from the first one and I'm so happy to see her starting to let her guard down! I'm so excited to see where things go in the next one, especially with Michael! ;)
I absolutely love how the beginning scene starts, with some girl talk. It's such a fresh air in this series and shows how much closer Ellie has gotten to Stacey, her partner in ghost trapping. Plus, Stacey is really the comedy relief in this series and I just love her to pieces, I'm so happy Ellie has allowed her into her life! I'm so in love with these characters and this series!
These books are combined with laugh out loud moments, seriousness, action, and even some heartbreaking moments when loved ones get to say goodbye to family members that have passed. And, don't forget about creepiness either! Mr. Bryan sure knows how to bring the goose bumps out along my arms, even beneath my sweaters. Gosh, I just love this book! It has everything I've been looking for, I was completely immersed! I didn't want to leave this world, I'm dying to read the next one!
In The Crawling Darkness, the group runs into a past haunting they weren't able to capture. This is where we get to learn more about how Calvin became paralyzed. My oh my, the chills running up my spine was constantly going on with this haunting. It's got to be the creepiest out of all the books so far! And I honestly didn't expect who the real ghost was making the trouble for them. So many twist and turns, I loved it!
Overall, I think this has to be the best one out of the series so far! And I think it's because Ellie is finally opening up and letting people in. In this one, she learns a life lesson and it brought such a warm feeling to my heart! Sigh, I don't think I can gush enough how much I truly enjoyed this one! I'm excited to see how Mr. Bryan is going to top this one! Oh, I'm sure he can now that Ellie has a love interest. Throughout the book, I was picturing Dan from Charmed as Michael and I think the main reason why is because I've been rewatching that series haha. But also, now I see they have a lot of the same features, so I think I was picturing someone that's perfect for the part of Michael.
January 25, 2015
I received The Crawling Darkness in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I’ve said it before, but honestly, this series gets better with each installment. The characters are developing as more of their past is revealed. The cases are becoming just a little bit more involved as well as intense. Then there’s the titles… The Crawling Darkness? You have no idea how aptly titled this book really is. o_O
As if scaring the pants off of readers isn’t bad enough, J.L. Bryan decided to take us on an emotional roller coaster in The Crawling Darkness. Just when I thought I knew enough from a character’s past, another one would find a way to break my heart for them. *sigh*
Ellie grew a lot stronger and seemed to work a lot ‘smarter’ in The Crawling Darkness. She also gained some valuable insight about members of her team that she didn’t expect. Then there’s a certain fire fighter that I’m hoping has a recurring role in Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper, but that’s all I’m saying. ;) As happy as I was for her, I was kind of sad too. Things may be changing for Ellie more than she wants or thinks she’s ready for.
The Crawling Darkness is scheduled to release on February 5. Terminal is the 4th book in the series and it’s due to be released some time in May. Which means you have plenty of time to get your read on and catch up. As an extra incentive, J.L. Bryan has generously allowed me to give away one copy of the first book in the series, Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper. All you have to do is mention one thing that scares you in the comments. That’s it, just one thing. Since my birthday is January 30th and it’s also a Friday, that’s when I’ll pick and announce the winner. Have fun and good luck!
I’ve said it before, but honestly, this series gets better with each installment. The characters are developing as more of their past is revealed. The cases are becoming just a little bit more involved as well as intense. Then there’s the titles… The Crawling Darkness? You have no idea how aptly titled this book really is. o_O
As if scaring the pants off of readers isn’t bad enough, J.L. Bryan decided to take us on an emotional roller coaster in The Crawling Darkness. Just when I thought I knew enough from a character’s past, another one would find a way to break my heart for them. *sigh*
Ellie grew a lot stronger and seemed to work a lot ‘smarter’ in The Crawling Darkness. She also gained some valuable insight about members of her team that she didn’t expect. Then there’s a certain fire fighter that I’m hoping has a recurring role in Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper, but that’s all I’m saying. ;) As happy as I was for her, I was kind of sad too. Things may be changing for Ellie more than she wants or thinks she’s ready for.
The Crawling Darkness is scheduled to release on February 5. Terminal is the 4th book in the series and it’s due to be released some time in May. Which means you have plenty of time to get your read on and catch up. As an extra incentive, J.L. Bryan has generously allowed me to give away one copy of the first book in the series, Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper. All you have to do is mention one thing that scares you in the comments. That’s it, just one thing. Since my birthday is January 30th and it’s also a Friday, that’s when I’ll pick and announce the winner. Have fun and good luck!
January 24, 2020
Not gonna lie, this book was off to a pretty rocky start. There was a lot making me cringe in this book that I wish I could go in and edit out, because for the most part this still delivered on all of the things that I've come to like about this series.
It starts off with Ellie Jordan, who is supposed to have a psychology degree, talking about "crazy" as if it's only one thing, and in fairly derogative and uncomfortable terms. A psychology student, let alone a psychology major, let alone a person with a degree in the field, should know that "crazy" is a broad spectrum of differing illnesses and impairments that effect people suffering from them in an even broader way. It's not a simple classification to explain away any abnormal behavior. As an adult, I'm familiar enough with the concept to not let this kind of talk influence me, but as this series does feel aimed primarily at teenagers I can't help but cringe that a figure speaking with authority (and that the reader may have come to identify with by this point of this series) is saying things like this.
Luckily, they quickly moved on from this and into the investigation. Not much later, though, the author is throwing shade at an adult woman for, as he describes it, "dressing like a teenager." It would be one thing if he was just using this descriptively and it was kind of supposed to be a "quirk" of the character, but it is very quickly apparent that this was a character you were not supposed to like and that this description was intended to clue you in that this was not going to be a likeable person. Maybe try and be less judgy about how other people dress, m'kay?
There was also a LOT of romance in this book. Which, as I said in my review of the first book, any reader could tell was going to come with the series. I've been expecting it, and I can honestly say I'm surprised it got this far before getting this strong. Stacey is building her relationship with their new psychic friend, Jacob, which started in the last book. She also manages to push Ellie toward a relationship with one of the residents of the house-turned-apartment that they're investigating. A big strong firefighter. This succeeds in that Ellie spends a lot of time with the firefighter, Michael, and spends most of that time talking about how attractive he is. An attraction he clearly shares with her and leads to a definitive start to a relationship between the two by the end of the book.
None of this was enough to turn me away from the book, though, or make me hesitant to go ahead and check out the next book in the series. Because the majority of the book is still a great investigation into the dark mystery hiding behind an evil ghost haunting an old mansion, and that's something I'm really enjoying about this series.
My primary thought while reading this book was that, the more of this series I read, the more I'm becoming convinced that J.L. Bryan is pretty much re-writing episodes of the Ghostbusters cartoons with his own characters. The first book was the episode where Ray inherited a castle from a distant Scottish relative, and they moved there only to discover it haunted. Of course. They take out the ghost, thinking it a nuisance, only to discover it was a good ghost that was keeping much more horrifying ghosts at bay. Which, you know, minus the Scottish castle stuff, is exactly how the first book went.
This book is more a mash-up of the episode where they discover Egon was once haunted by the boogeyman, and the episode of Extreme Ghostbusters where they face a ghost that can appear as their greatest fear. In this book, the ghost they face is the boogeyman, or at least A boogeyman, coming out of children's closets to feed on their fears, appearing as whatever scares them the most. This led to a lot of great moments. One of the children in the house is afraid of a cheesy b-movie killer called "Flesh Face," who's face is wrapped up in strips of flesh so he looks like a mummy. I really enjoyed all the descriptions of the movies and the interactions when the ghost appeared as Flesh Face. Especially the way Stacey tried to draw his attention by shouting stuff that declared her as a character that would be among the first to be killed in some bad teenage slasher film. Stuff like going to a party, alone, getting drunk, trying to have sex. Sometimes Stacey is brilliant.
One of the children is afraid of dinosaur skeletons, which, I'm sorry, I found hilarious for some reason. I think because I just really wasn't expecting it.
It also gave a chance for basically all the characters to explore what they were most afraid of, and while their fears are easily predictable if you've been following along, it was still nice getting to see this character development for each of them.
Also, much like with the first book, I was pretty sure the whole time that I had guessed the twist ending. I was actually getting a little frustrated with the characters for not even guessing that it might be the twist. But while there was a twist, it actually wasn't what I expected, and it caught me so off guard I actually clapped when I realized what was happening. Spoiler tag for anyone who wants to know:
So all and all, still a lot of great fun and I'm eager for the next book, even if it means even more eye-rolling romance.
Favorite bit of Dialogue:
Stacey, describing a horrifying encounter she had long ago with a ghost: "And she spoke to me. It was just a whisper, but I could hear it clearly across the room. 'Don't cry for him,' [the ghost] said, 'All men are devils under the skin.'".
Ellie: "Early feminist thought of the Antebellum South," I murmured.
That had me cracking up. I've been listening to the audiobooks to read this series, and the narrator nailed the delivery on this line.
It starts off with Ellie Jordan, who is supposed to have a psychology degree, talking about "crazy" as if it's only one thing, and in fairly derogative and uncomfortable terms. A psychology student, let alone a psychology major, let alone a person with a degree in the field, should know that "crazy" is a broad spectrum of differing illnesses and impairments that effect people suffering from them in an even broader way. It's not a simple classification to explain away any abnormal behavior. As an adult, I'm familiar enough with the concept to not let this kind of talk influence me, but as this series does feel aimed primarily at teenagers I can't help but cringe that a figure speaking with authority (and that the reader may have come to identify with by this point of this series) is saying things like this.
Luckily, they quickly moved on from this and into the investigation. Not much later, though, the author is throwing shade at an adult woman for, as he describes it, "dressing like a teenager." It would be one thing if he was just using this descriptively and it was kind of supposed to be a "quirk" of the character, but it is very quickly apparent that this was a character you were not supposed to like and that this description was intended to clue you in that this was not going to be a likeable person. Maybe try and be less judgy about how other people dress, m'kay?
There was also a LOT of romance in this book. Which, as I said in my review of the first book, any reader could tell was going to come with the series. I've been expecting it, and I can honestly say I'm surprised it got this far before getting this strong. Stacey is building her relationship with their new psychic friend, Jacob, which started in the last book. She also manages to push Ellie toward a relationship with one of the residents of the house-turned-apartment that they're investigating. A big strong firefighter. This succeeds in that Ellie spends a lot of time with the firefighter, Michael, and spends most of that time talking about how attractive he is. An attraction he clearly shares with her and leads to a definitive start to a relationship between the two by the end of the book.
None of this was enough to turn me away from the book, though, or make me hesitant to go ahead and check out the next book in the series. Because the majority of the book is still a great investigation into the dark mystery hiding behind an evil ghost haunting an old mansion, and that's something I'm really enjoying about this series.
My primary thought while reading this book was that, the more of this series I read, the more I'm becoming convinced that J.L. Bryan is pretty much re-writing episodes of the Ghostbusters cartoons with his own characters. The first book was the episode where Ray inherited a castle from a distant Scottish relative, and they moved there only to discover it haunted. Of course. They take out the ghost, thinking it a nuisance, only to discover it was a good ghost that was keeping much more horrifying ghosts at bay. Which, you know, minus the Scottish castle stuff, is exactly how the first book went.
This book is more a mash-up of the episode where they discover Egon was once haunted by the boogeyman, and the episode of Extreme Ghostbusters where they face a ghost that can appear as their greatest fear. In this book, the ghost they face is the boogeyman, or at least A boogeyman, coming out of children's closets to feed on their fears, appearing as whatever scares them the most. This led to a lot of great moments. One of the children in the house is afraid of a cheesy b-movie killer called "Flesh Face," who's face is wrapped up in strips of flesh so he looks like a mummy. I really enjoyed all the descriptions of the movies and the interactions when the ghost appeared as Flesh Face. Especially the way Stacey tried to draw his attention by shouting stuff that declared her as a character that would be among the first to be killed in some bad teenage slasher film. Stuff like going to a party, alone, getting drunk, trying to have sex. Sometimes Stacey is brilliant.
One of the children is afraid of dinosaur skeletons, which, I'm sorry, I found hilarious for some reason. I think because I just really wasn't expecting it.
It also gave a chance for basically all the characters to explore what they were most afraid of, and while their fears are easily predictable if you've been following along, it was still nice getting to see this character development for each of them.
Also, much like with the first book, I was pretty sure the whole time that I had guessed the twist ending. I was actually getting a little frustrated with the characters for not even guessing that it might be the twist. But while there was a twist, it actually wasn't what I expected, and it caught me so off guard I actually clapped when I realized what was happening. Spoiler tag for anyone who wants to know:
So all and all, still a lot of great fun and I'm eager for the next book, even if it means even more eye-rolling romance.
Favorite bit of Dialogue:
Stacey, describing a horrifying encounter she had long ago with a ghost: "And she spoke to me. It was just a whisper, but I could hear it clearly across the room. 'Don't cry for him,' [the ghost] said, 'All men are devils under the skin.'".
Ellie: "Early feminist thought of the Antebellum South," I murmured.
That had me cracking up. I've been listening to the audiobooks to read this series, and the narrator nailed the delivery on this line.
February 22, 2015
Bryan did a fabulous job once again, weaving together a tale so sinister you may want to think twice before reading it at night. I made this mistake with each of the books. Just pages into each one and you are royally creeped out.
This one was my favorite of the three. More creepier and darker than the previous two, in my opinion, it captured my attention from the start. I think it was so scary because it plays on nearly every child’s fear from childhood: the boogeyman. I know I was on edge throughout the book. And I absolutely loved that about it. This series is one of my most absolute favorites ever.
One reason I love this series so much is because of the characters. Not just the main character, but the secondary ones as well. And we even get a bit of back history with them. Which in turn had me connecting with them even more. Bryan does such an amazing job giving us all characters we actually want to read about and care about.
And I cannot forget to mention the romance! It is about time. I must say, even though I LOVE a good romance, this story could definitely hold its own without it. But you won't find me complaining. I look forward to seeing where this new relationship goes with the next book.
Speaking of the next book...it cannot get here soon enough. But in the meantime...pick up THE CRAWLING DARKNESS and get ready for a fantastic read. Haven't started the series? What are you waiting for?? Don't forget to check under the bed before you start them! 5 Ghoulish Stars!
This one was my favorite of the three. More creepier and darker than the previous two, in my opinion, it captured my attention from the start. I think it was so scary because it plays on nearly every child’s fear from childhood: the boogeyman. I know I was on edge throughout the book. And I absolutely loved that about it. This series is one of my most absolute favorites ever.
One reason I love this series so much is because of the characters. Not just the main character, but the secondary ones as well. And we even get a bit of back history with them. Which in turn had me connecting with them even more. Bryan does such an amazing job giving us all characters we actually want to read about and care about.
And I cannot forget to mention the romance! It is about time. I must say, even though I LOVE a good romance, this story could definitely hold its own without it. But you won't find me complaining. I look forward to seeing where this new relationship goes with the next book.
Speaking of the next book...it cannot get here soon enough. But in the meantime...pick up THE CRAWLING DARKNESS and get ready for a fantastic read. Haven't started the series? What are you waiting for?? Don't forget to check under the bed before you start them! 5 Ghoulish Stars!
January 20, 2015
(I received a copy from the author, In exchange for an honest review.)
This was another good read in the series.
I liked the characters in this one again, and they continued to be strong. They're defiantly braver than me! I felt really sorry for Stacey at one point, as the thing she went through when she was younger must have been terrifying.
There was plenty of creepy moments in this one, and i didn't feel bored at all while reading this, which was great.
Looking forward to book four!
This was another good read in the series.
I liked the characters in this one again, and they continued to be strong. They're defiantly braver than me! I felt really sorry for Stacey at one point, as the thing she went through when she was younger must have been terrifying.
There was plenty of creepy moments in this one, and i didn't feel bored at all while reading this, which was great.
Looking forward to book four!
September 19, 2017
I loved the first two books but really struggled with this one. There seemed to be too much repetition of things that were covered in the first two books regarding ghost hunting. The story that Stacey shared just seemed too contrived and timely like it was an after thought to the character and made up for book three. I wasn't into the romance bit either. I skimmed through the middle and read the end and didn't feel like I missed much in this book. Sorry, just not very good read for me.
January 29, 2016
Another fantastic entry in a series that just keeps getting better and better. I like the introduction of a potential boyfriend for Ellie and the increased role for Jacob.
As always, J.L. Bryan delivers the perfect mix of creepiness, chills and mystery, while continuing to introduce new facets of his characters. And this book had a twist I never saw coming. Wonderful!
As always, J.L. Bryan delivers the perfect mix of creepiness, chills and mystery, while continuing to introduce new facets of his characters. And this book had a twist I never saw coming. Wonderful!
February 13, 2015
This is a fun series, although I thought the first two installments were a bit scarier. Still, there were a couple of interesting surprises towards the end, and if an author just has to cram in some romance (I'd be just as happy without), you can't go wrong with a cute fireman.
February 8, 2022
Not as 'charmed' by this book. The ghostly and human adventures contine to grow, change and entwine in sometimes predictable but other times surprising ways. Just feel like I'm done for now. May look at the next one, but not now...if ever.
May 2, 2015
Review coming soon!
October 26, 2019
10/26/19 on sale for $.99 for Kindle
January 27, 2020
"I was a ghost hunting private detective, after all, who'd just recently kicked a boogie man until he bled spiders."
Not a fan of the way the author shames a woman for "dressing like a teenager." Probably all authors, but maybe especially male authors, should curb those impulses if he wants to preserve the MC's likeability.
In the previous books, too, I've also noticed a little bit of body shaming that I hoped were a misunderstanding. I'm still holding my breath in fear that the character Grant will not become a horrifying and damaging stereotype. So far, though we're in the clear. Phew.
The world-building in this series is extremely competent and compelling. The stories have been fun and interesting mysteries to solve. This reads likes cozy mystery tv series and, honestly, I'm here for it.
The author has a real strength for coming up with very different families and clients, then giving us a good snapshot of who they are in their introduction. The nice southern lady who loves her job at the mattress store, the OCD mom and her two aggressively different but equally competitive kids, the quasi-Wiccan teenage girl with a pretty mild rebellious streak, etc. After the first book, I'm relieved that not all the clients are dbags and their family.
My main criticism is that the expository dialogue tends to be pretty unnatural. Like, high-key unnatural. It's like they all went to the same campfire storytelling seminar. Everyone recounting an event has the same, rigid, formal, overly lyrical style of speech and it feels really wooden to read.
At least they're not around a conference table explaining things they already know to each other (e.g., every TV show ever).
Also, the beginning, the novel fell into the trap of not knowing when ellipsis (skipping unnecessary chores and details) is necessary. That always feels like a cheap and dirty tactic used to pad out the book's word count. I mean, I really don't need every detail about how you drove home, fed your cat, and scheduled appointments with people on the phone. I feel like I see it a lot whenever I read a book meant for adults (@ConnieWillis, #BookShade #NeverAgain).
Also, occasionally, the MC would go kind of lame, emo, and poetic when recalling life events. It was clunky, extremely out of place and a really unfortunate lapse of storytelling technique: TELLING INSTEAD OF SHOWING readers the character's emotional state.
SPOILERS
I feel like the ending was telegraphed pretty early on, because I definitely wasn't surprised by what happened. It's fine. If it hadn't gone that way, I would have wondered why all the hints were dropped. I mean, I recognized the correspondence of a woman who seemed to really resent her children and gilded cage lot in life. She also seems to vacillate between liking and disliking her husband, so. . . duplicity was well within her wheelhouse. Also, the fact that the two main characters seem to think she was like an old-timey feminist badass was kind of a (dead) giveaway. Never exorcise your heroes, kids.
Not a fan of the way the author shames a woman for "dressing like a teenager." Probably all authors, but maybe especially male authors, should curb those impulses if he wants to preserve the MC's likeability.
In the previous books, too, I've also noticed a little bit of body shaming that I hoped were a misunderstanding. I'm still holding my breath in fear that the character Grant will not become a horrifying and damaging stereotype. So far, though we're in the clear. Phew.
The world-building in this series is extremely competent and compelling. The stories have been fun and interesting mysteries to solve. This reads likes cozy mystery tv series and, honestly, I'm here for it.
The author has a real strength for coming up with very different families and clients, then giving us a good snapshot of who they are in their introduction. The nice southern lady who loves her job at the mattress store, the OCD mom and her two aggressively different but equally competitive kids, the quasi-Wiccan teenage girl with a pretty mild rebellious streak, etc. After the first book, I'm relieved that not all the clients are dbags and their family.
My main criticism is that the expository dialogue tends to be pretty unnatural. Like, high-key unnatural. It's like they all went to the same campfire storytelling seminar. Everyone recounting an event has the same, rigid, formal, overly lyrical style of speech and it feels really wooden to read.
At least they're not around a conference table explaining things they already know to each other (e.g., every TV show ever).
Also, the beginning, the novel fell into the trap of not knowing when ellipsis (skipping unnecessary chores and details) is necessary. That always feels like a cheap and dirty tactic used to pad out the book's word count. I mean, I really don't need every detail about how you drove home, fed your cat, and scheduled appointments with people on the phone. I feel like I see it a lot whenever I read a book meant for adults (@ConnieWillis, #BookShade #NeverAgain).
Also, occasionally, the MC would go kind of lame, emo, and poetic when recalling life events. It was clunky, extremely out of place and a really unfortunate lapse of storytelling technique: TELLING INSTEAD OF SHOWING readers the character's emotional state.
SPOILERS
I feel like the ending was telegraphed pretty early on, because I definitely wasn't surprised by what happened. It's fine. If it hadn't gone that way, I would have wondered why all the hints were dropped. I mean, I recognized the correspondence of a woman who seemed to really resent her children and gilded cage lot in life. She also seems to vacillate between liking and disliking her husband, so. . . duplicity was well within her wheelhouse. Also, the fact that the two main characters seem to think she was like an old-timey feminist badass was kind of a (dead) giveaway. Never exorcise your heroes, kids.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2019
I read the first three books as part of an Amazon freebie deal. As with most Amazon freebies, I opened my Kindle expecting the reading to be awful. But something happened: It wasn't. In fact, as I finished the last of the three books in the bundle, I then went on to buy the remaining books in the series--that's how sold I was on the books.
Why? The Ellie Jordan books aren't literary fiction. What they are, however, is a combo of fun and spooky. There is a horror element, but this isn't "Saw" in book form by any means.
So what are we getting here? These books are the investigations of Ellie Jordan, a ghost hunter who works for an agency run by a man named Calvin. Ellie and later a temp named Stacey are sent out on missions to review ghost claims, research the houses involved, and then remove the entity. Along the way, you'll laugh, you'll get your fair share of the heebie-jeebies, and you'll find the effort at paranormal professionalism interesting. (And creative.) While character building isn't the foremost goal of the books, it is there, and the further you go in the books, the better your grasp on the individuals involved. (I want to be Stacey and Ellie's friend.) Each book forms a separate case/set of adventures for Ellie and crew. Honestly, I'm having a hard time summarizing the genre here--a lighthanded ghost story that mixes adventure, humor, thrills, and even a wink at romance. Maybe beach reads for people who like to stay inside?
Ultimately, in all, the books I read (1-3) were a romp, and I enjoyed them tremendously. Two thumbs' up for pure entertainment value!
Why? The Ellie Jordan books aren't literary fiction. What they are, however, is a combo of fun and spooky. There is a horror element, but this isn't "Saw" in book form by any means.
So what are we getting here? These books are the investigations of Ellie Jordan, a ghost hunter who works for an agency run by a man named Calvin. Ellie and later a temp named Stacey are sent out on missions to review ghost claims, research the houses involved, and then remove the entity. Along the way, you'll laugh, you'll get your fair share of the heebie-jeebies, and you'll find the effort at paranormal professionalism interesting. (And creative.) While character building isn't the foremost goal of the books, it is there, and the further you go in the books, the better your grasp on the individuals involved. (I want to be Stacey and Ellie's friend.) Each book forms a separate case/set of adventures for Ellie and crew. Honestly, I'm having a hard time summarizing the genre here--a lighthanded ghost story that mixes adventure, humor, thrills, and even a wink at romance. Maybe beach reads for people who like to stay inside?
Ultimately, in all, the books I read (1-3) were a romp, and I enjoyed them tremendously. Two thumbs' up for pure entertainment value!
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