A-HA!!<\b>
This was my go-to word throughout this book. The backstory questions I had in Book 1 were mostly wrapped all up & made clear by the end of Book 3 & I am still really surprised to say I loved the way these books were written. They are, in a way, out of order<\i>, but it works because Book 1 wasn't so cryptic you didn't know what was going on & it had its own story to follow. But it had those moments you questioned 'why' or 'who' or 'wtf' because of the lack of a full backstory. However it didn't interfere with the current story & it wasn't annoying in a way that deterred from the story, just back of the mind questions. Then along comes Book 2 & 3 and since they take place before<\i> Book 3, a lot of those niggly little questions/moments you wondered about get answered. Hence my constant A-HA's and several wide-eyed gasps when things clicked into place. This book brought out a lot of expressions from me & I LOVED IT!! I need a spooky book to make me physically & verbally react, to make me sit and stare off into the distance for an ungodly amount of time contemplating WTF just happened. Now, I don't care for over-the-top, just-for-shock-value gory books. That's not my kind of spooky. I like my ghosts, I'm ok with a little blood & a lot of fear, I want to be scared & think 'it could be true...' & then jump over every noise in my house. This series has fulfilled all my scary wants & spooky needs in a fantastic ghosty ghouly way & I am grateful & oh-so freaking happy that I stumbled upon it!!
Im excited for the next book because even though Book 2 & 3 answered background questions for Book 1 (and I'm totally guessing here so I could be wrong) but now I'm thinking Book 4 will carry on from the end of the story in Book 1. Confused? Don't worry, you won't be once you start reading, you'll just be hooked. And even if Book 4 doesn't pick up after Book 1, it won't matter, this series, this author, has proven to be fabulous to me so I'm reading it no matter where it goes.
I have found a new favorite author, there are more books coming in this series & he has another different series! Woohoo for me!
So if you like ghosts, scary shit, great characters & a story written a little different than the normal formula, then check this one out. You won't be disappointed!
Also, check it out just so you can meet Half-Boy. Half-Boy rocks! He is an awesome creepy little shit & his hatred for Gantry is fabulous. I so love Half-Boy & hope to learn more about him in books to come.
Oh, one more thing, I totally thought Gantry was a crotchety old English dude, mid-60's or so, but I've learned he's not. Another thing that's interesting (to me) is there are no ages given and I can't recall any real in-depth descriptions of the characters personal appearances. You just paint them in your head to look how you feel they should look & make changes as you learn more about them. This has worked for me until I found out Gantry isn't what I thought. Still trying to wrap my head around him being younger.
Now as always, what works for me might not work for you, but give it a try, at least for Half-Boy.
Enjoy :)