A Ghost is Born

by Paul Garvey

It's early 1980's in blue-collar Boston. Billy Carson held his brother in his arms and watched him take his last breath. The cops and everyone else see it as a clear case, young guy, partying too hard, took to much and his body reacted, shut down. Billy knows there's more, but to dig deeper means crossing some dangerous paths and putting himself and his family at risk. If the choice is his, he'd walk away for his family's sake. He soon finds out, some choices get made for you.

82 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2014

About the author

Paul Garvey is a writer originally from Boston, MA. He now lives in Ireland with his wife and children.

Reviews

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy Carson slouched on the steps of Saint Gregory’s church with a switchblade in his pocket and an empty flask at his feet. Sweat stains rimmed the outside of his black suit and his face was sharp with stubble. He buried his brother John less than forty-eight hours before, watched the casket get lowered into the hole and stayed there watching until fresh loam covered the stained pine. His eyes found the flask next to his scuffed Bostonians and remained there fixed until a pair of long legs in dark tights walked by and cast a shadow over the hollow tin.

‘Excuse me, miss.’ He said and watched the pair of legs slow to a stop a safe distance away from him. Billy shielded his eyes from the sun and raised his head. She stopped and was looking at him, but her body language said hurry up.

‘You have the time?’ he asked.

‘You need a doctor or something?’ she asked back.

‘Doctor? No, the time, that’s what I asked.’

‘Yeah I know, but you look in rough shape. Carney hospital’s down the street. I could get someone to come over for you.’

‘You work there?’ She paused. ‘None of your business. You want a doc or what?’

‘Listen I just want the fucking time.’ He said.

3.5 stars, really enjoyed this one:)

[Karl Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was far too short, and I was gutted about that, but it's written with just the right amount of street grit, striving for the noir tone that draws readers in.
Billy Carson can no longer be passive and allow things to happen to him. He has to fight back. He’s thrust into a situation where there is no right choice and whatever decision he makes will eventually lead to trouble, but you can tell right from the beginning that he’s not going to betray his values. He’s going to cross a moral line whereby there’s no turning back.
The skill in the writing comes in that even though you know he’s going to cross that ethical and righteous line, Billy Carson still has the reader’s empathy.
I’d recommend taking a chance on this book. I think you’ll enjoy it.

[FeedMyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Billy held his brother as he died and simply doesn't believe in the reason for death being overdose, he knows his brother didn't do that kind of stuff and so wants to know the truth but the problem is that drink and drugs are ruining his life and it is falling apart. Billy sets out to seek answers and revenge but can he do that whilst he gets his own life back on track?
This is the first thing I have read from this author and so went in with little idea on what to expect and for me there were positives and negatives. The story itself made sense and overall was delivered well enough but a few parts had editing issues and felt a little weak to me which is the reason for the markdown. I have purchased another piece by the author as I truly felt there was a good core story and that maybe this simply wasn't as strong an offering as the author could make so will give another piece a try soon.

[Susan Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Ghost is born is the prequel to the author's The Carson Series. The book was free and, at just 82 pages, there's really no risk in giving it a try.

There is A LOT of swearing in this book. I mention this not because I was offended, but because I know that many readers don't care for a lot of "foul language" in their books.

This is a good way to get to know the characters in the series and to decide if you want to invest the time and money into the rest of the books. I think this book and series will appeal to readers who enjoy gritty, Boston neighborhood style stories.

*Side note - I like the book cover on the Goodreads website, which is different from the cover on Amazon. Not sure why the author didn't update the covers to be the same across the board, but I would definitely recommend doing so ;-)

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting setup for the series.