For over fifteen years, fans of the best-selling horror author have speculated, theorized, and obsessed over that question. Wilson’s debut novel, Ghost Inn, was inspired by something he experienced during his honeymoon at the historic Gresham Inn in Galveston. But whatever happened inside those walls, he has refused to speak of it since—not to interviewers, not to fans, not even to his soon-to-be-ex-wife. Was it a publicity stunt? A nervous breakdown? Or something worse?
Wilson can’t seem to let the inn go. From his waterfront home, he watches its distant cupola almost daily, as if waiting for it to call him back. Now, for the first time in years, he’s returning—albeit reluctantly. His most devoted readers are gathering for a long-awaited convention at the Gresham Inn, and Wilson has agreed to a brief appearance to sign books. But he knows what they really want. They’ll demand answers about that night, the night that made him famous.
Erica Clarke, an ambitious reporter, sees the convention as her shot at a real story—one that could catapult her beyond the world of tabloid journalism. Posing as a fan, she’s determined to get Wilson alone and make him talk. But she isn’t the only one with hidden motives.
Tom Fanning, the Gresham’s current owner, has spent years spinning ghost stories to lure in tourists, milking Wilson’s legend for all it’s worth. But some secrets at the inn refuse to stay buried. Strange things are still happening within its walls—whispers behind locked doors, guests who check in but never seem to check out, and the creeping sense that history is circling back on itself.
Outside, a tropical storm gathers strength in the Gulf of Mexico. Inside, something darker is brewing. And this time, Rob Wilson may not escape the Gresham Inn at all.
Ghost Inn by Bev Vincent This was a hell of a good read.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An exceptional thriller with supernatural elements. Expert storytelling with great characters. It's funny, perfectly paced, just flows. Filled with intrigue and twists all leading up to some heart pounding scenes. Primarily focused on three characters, although I think the setting of the fictional Gresham Inn and the real life city of Galveston are key elements of the story as well. I felt like I was at this completely believable strange little convention at one of the most haunted cities in America. I loved that it was pretty current, taking place shortly after Covid with everyone trying to get back to regular life after zooms and lockdowns. And, I really loved it when got pretty dark and a little nasty. A little of bit of Stephen King, Linwood Barclay but with a prose that is all Bev Vincent. I'm a fan of his work and I'm so grateful that I got to read his novel, Ghost Inn. I often get asked for thriller recommendations, this one. You want this one. So add it to your want to read shelf. It's a limited release by Lividian publications and they did an excellent job but it really should be available to all who want it because it's really freaking good. Definitely recommend.
Ghost Inn is his debut novel but it doesn't read like a debut because he's a very experienced writer. Here is just some of his previous work. I'm fairly familiar with his short stories, too many to name but my favorites include- "Lockdown"- The End of the World As We Know It Anthology "Zombies on A Plane"- Flight or Fright Anthology "Fears of A Clown"- Fear of Clowns Anthology And, I'm a fan of his non-fiction books particularly- The Dark Tower Companion The Road to the Dark Tower Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences
Ghost Inn is a remarkable horror novel for multiple reasons. It’s both an amazing character study as well as a brilliant plot-based novel.
Although the plot revolves around three main characters, Rob Wilson, a horror author whose best selling novel was his debut whose plot revolved around mysterious happenings at the Gresham (Ghost) Inn fifteen years ago. Happenings fictionalized in “Ghost Inn.” Happenings that Rob Wilson refuses to talk about. Happenings that have stopped Rob from going back to the Gresham in the past fifteen years! But now, he has agreed to go back as the man of honor at a horror conference which bears his name. The second main character, Erica Clarke, is a spunky, sexy investigative reporter who; although also a fan of the author’s, is at the conference for the main reason to try and get Wilson to talk about what happened at the Gresham Inn fifteen years prior. She is definitely morally gray and is not above using her sex appeal to trap her prize interview. As the novel and plot progress, she becomes less gray and more likable in my opinion. It’s also my opinion that this is Erica’s novel. All plot lines revolve around, or include, her. She is the axis around which Ghost Inn spins.
The last main character is Tom Fanning, the Inn’s owner and manager. A man with no redeeming qualities. A man who you hope gets what he deserves, but I’m not sure that’s even possible.
The first half of Ghost Inn is more of a character study than anything else. The plot slowly unfolds brilliantly around these three as we get to know them better.
In the second half of Ghost Inn, the plot truly kicks in beginning with the start of the “Fan conference.” Although the pacing doesn’t really speed up, your heart does. There is an adrenaline rush that makes putting this book down impossible.
For this reader, for both the character development and the overall plot line, Ghost Inn was a 5 star read.
I look forward to reading whatever Bev Vincent writes next.
Wonderful ghost/horror con novel. Interesting characters and setting; a small convention of horror enthusiasts at a Galveston inn where the guest of honor had experienced a haunting years prior during his honeymoon. A fantastic read. Highly recommended!
Genuinely creepy and engaging from the first page, and really stuck the landing. My copy is part of a small run from Lividian Publications and the design of the book (and the artwork within) is terrific.
I won’t spoil things much beyond what the title implies… there is a ghost, and there is an inn. How Mr. Vincent fuses these together and adds terrifically drawn characters into the mix makes for a wonderful read.
It’s been a long time since I stayed up past midnight reading a book. There have been a lot of books I couldn’t put down but around 10:00 they would fall out of my hand onto the floor. Last night at 12:15, with 35 pages left, I decided to go to bed and finish in the morning. Up at 6:30 I did just that. Wow, what a great read! This is a ghost story, but not really horror. It checks all the boxes and is very well paced and entertaining. I have not read this author before, but I will definitely read him in the future. I highly recommend this book and enjoyed reading the Lividian Limited Edition which is beautifully produced.
Couldn’t stop reading. Had characters you care about (even if that care is a strong dislike) and want to know what happens to them. I highly recommend this book!
This book would’ve been rated better but obviously Trump lives rent free in the authors head. For the first ~100 pages the references are regular. When the author finally moves past it, the book gets better.
“Hi, my name is Bev, and I have an all-consuming, obsessive, fanatical, and overbearing hatred of Donald Trump, and I want, no, I absolutely insist that you must know this.”
This “novel” would have benefited from a simple introduction like the above. Instead, the frustrated and aggrieved author has decided to float this story with an unrestrained flow of snarky political jabs and left wing philosophical “insights”, and an uncontrolled barrage of anti Donald Trump “observations” that do absolutely nothing for the character or story he is trying to tell. The political overtones and preachy narratives/thought processes of the characters are a constant detractor throughout the pages of this book.
The condescension this author holds for readers with opposing political viewpoints drips from the pages of this story and significantly detracts from what could have been an average, albeit mostly forgettable, ghost story.
Here are some of the pointless political interjections that you will be in store for if you decide to read this book: - P16. Trump is a despicable man, and there is absolutely no way a person can be reasonable or rational if they voted for him. - P17. People disregarding government guidelines for the corona virus are selfish and/or stupid. - P17. Trump’s government is too chaotic and undisciplined to stem corona virus. - P24. Character is thankful the long political nightmare of Trump’s presidency is just a memory now and he can go days, weeks, and months without worrying what batshit crazy things he will do. - P26. Character thankfully incorrectly predicted Trump would win the 2021 presidential election. - P63. Twitter feeds are now calmer and saner with Biden in the White House. - P97. News headlines are now mundane, a pleasant change from the continuous onslaught of terrible news over recent years. - P97. Twitter scrolling is no longer a doom-scrolling activity and people hadn’t appreciated normal until things had been abnormal for so long. - P98. Dallas is a cowtown and Texas has hardcore Republican politics with incredibly stupid leadership. - P99. The Trump administration had done its best to discredit the media, banging the drums of fake news whenever an unfavorable story was printed, but the best reporters kept going nevertheless. - P101. Embracing right wing politics is mystifying. - P101-102. Twitter feeds in the aftermath of the 2016 federal election were continuously populated with new controversies overshadowing the previous ones, and the news was a steady onslaught of depressing stories. - P102. Current news headlines under the Biden administration are about positive political changes that have been implemented. - P133. Nobody followed the rules anymore. That asshole (Trump) had seen to that. Him and his felonious cronies who were now facing criminal charges at the state level to get around the fact that the asshole had pardoned them.
*Characters*
Ghost Inn’s Erica may be the greatest dumpster-fire disaster of a primary character I have ever read.
First, you do need to know that Erica is hot. No, really, she is hot. And in case you don’t believe me, Bev Vincent has devoted literally hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of sentences in this book to describing Erica’s sex appeal, easy seductive behaviors/styles, and the desires of almost every man, woman, and couple in the story to f#%k her. I can’t remember a single interaction a character has with Erica in this story where their conduct is not somehow influenced by her sex. It’s an obsessive writing behavior that runs the length of the story and prevents her character from being anything other than a liquid sex idol. Descriptions of her physicality go from the mundane (tall, slim, curvy, great eyes, yada-yada…) to the awkward (lovely tongue?), to the salacious, but the sheer volume of this book devoted to rebuilding and reestablishing the image of Erica in our minds and reminding us again and again how totally and incredibly attractive this character is borderlines on juvenile-weird.
Erica’s character is shamelessly hypocritical to a point where it undermines any actual societal-behavioral issues that could be addressed through the story. Erica will literally caress the hand of a man and let her lips brush against his cheek while whispering “just-us” secrets and promises to him, but then is aghast and weirded-out when the same character puts a hand on her arm or back, or looks at her for more than a half a second.
*The Big Reveal*
The last issue I have with this book is that it isn’t scarry. Not even close. Sure, there are some well written torture scenes between the perp/victim, and these to me were the literary highlights of the book. These chapters create an effective mood and give us a reprieve from an otherwise filler-heavy book.
The pivotal “Phantom” never develops beyond an unimaginative one-word croaking frog voice. We get no insight into the Phantom’s past, and no real time is spent helping us understand what/who/why the Phantom is, what motivates it, or any other deep-dive that would help the Phantom to develop and be an effective part of this story. The Phantom is the most forgettable part of Ghost Inn, and that is tragic.
*Summary*
If we drop the pointless political commentary, trim the many pages of Erica-is-hot descriptions to something reasonable, and remove much of what feels like pointless filler material, we are left with a decent short story or maybe even a novella. As it is, this book is far to long and offers far too little in its conclusion to justify the 340 pages of story length it currently sits at (Lividian Publications version).
While the story, to me, was a major flop, I feel a shout out to Lividian for another beautifully imagined book is in order. Francois Vaillancourt’s illustrations yet again deliver and were the highlight of this reading experience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Bev Vincent's "Ghost Inn" reads like a gift to fans of the horror genre. While it contains a story line of perverted behaviors that produces that will give readers the heebie-jeebies during their next hotel stay, it features extreme torture, active ghosts and other horror staples, the best descriptor that I have for the novel is "pleasant." Fans of the genre will enjoy the Stephen King Easter Eggs that appear throughout the book, along with Vincent's homages to classic horror and, in the fan convention that is the setting of the novel, die-hard horror fiction fans will recognize people they have encountered (or been) at real life conventions. The story itself builds and gains momentum steadily and is consistently engaging. I found myself caring more about the characters as the story progressed, especially Erica, who started as character who was hard to predict, but became someone who I was waiting anxiously for her next appearance as the plot unfolded. "Ghost Inn" is definitely a book that will have horror fans enjoying their stay at The Gresham Inn.
This was a delightful read that started as a slow burn with good character development. As we learn more about the characters the story deepens, becoming more complex and delicious. There’s a bit of gothic horror, a bit of blood, some mystery, and perhaps a romantic relationship. Whatever’s your bag, Bev’s got you covered. I appreciated the references to COVID, gulf coast hurricanes and the political climate (Who said horror’s not political?).
Rob, our main character is a sweet man and a frustrated author who is having his first author event since COVID while dealing with other life changes. Erica is an ballsy reporter hoping to move up the food chain by exploiting Rob. Throw them together at a conference where Rob has fears of ruining into “Your biggest fan!!!!” and only the trickster knows what will happen… I only hope that we’ll be reading more of Bev’s books in the future.
This is my first introduction to Bev Vincent courtesy of an arc from Lividian Publications apart from a short chapbook, so I didn’t know what to expect. Right from the off, I was hooked as the cast of characters were introduced. Both Rob and Erica are excellent characters as is the seedy Tom, who runs the ‘Ghost Inn.’ The story follows a ‘haunted’ author who has agreed to attend a convention at the setting for his most famous book and the cause of most of his demons. What follows is a tightly plotted thriller, with supernatural undertones which cranks everything up to 11 as the convention draws to a close. An excellent novel and I for one will be seeking out more of Bev Vincent’s work.
Reading is a journey seeking to find outstanding books. Ghost Inn is an outstanding book by a fantastic author, Bev Vincent, who is a renowned expert in the writings of Stephen King. This book is expertly written and a fabulous story. Well developed characters all having their own agendas some of which are illicit in nature. The two main characters are people who are fascinating and who you would want to be in your personal orbit. This book was in development for a long time and, in my opinion, is a must read. It is fortunate that this book came to market through a relationship that Bev has with Brian James Freeman at Lividian Publications. Read this book. You will not be disappointed.
I thought this book was great! Part ghost story, part mystery, the story moves at a brisk pace and held my attention from start to finish. I couldn’t wait to get back to the book each night to see what would happen next!
It’s hard for me to discuss what I liked most about the story without getting into spoilers. All I’ll say is that I think the Gresham Inn has a lot more stories to tell, and I’ll definitely be here for it if and when it does.
I read this on our night stops whilst travelling with my husband. Absolutely brilliant story. Beautifully told. Suspense built masterly.
I enjoyed every moment and will be reading again
I bought the limited first edition sign & numbered copy and paid the best part of $AUD200 ($USD125 inc shipping) and it’s made a permanent part of my personal collection.
I’ve ‘known’ Bev online since the Usenet days and loved his knowledge but this book is sublime. I look forward to more like this.
I really enjoyed the story. The prologue pulled me right in. I felt like I was in the story experiencing what the characters were going through. Rob and Erica were great characters. It was different than I expected the story to be, but was a very fun read.
Extremely well written and interesting mystery behind it all. Was a little slow for meto start, but all the other goodness helped me push through the first half. The second half had a bit more going on and at that point the pages flew by.
I've always been a big Bev Vincent fan, so I was excited when I found out he wrote a novel. I can happily say that I wasn't the slightest bit disappointed. He works just as well in fiction as non fiction and I would happily read more of his fiction work. I would highly recommend this book!