Apparitions

Apparitions #1

by Raven Bower

Bailey Khane is a renowned author visited by ghostly guests-murder victims seeking the peace of the grave. Unbeknownst to her, they were all slain by the same man. Caught between the growing shadow of his knife and the unholy fury of the dead he has left in his wake, she is forced to call upon obscure knowledge of the occult, superstition and myth to survive. When Andy Bennett searches for the answers to his sister's murder he is drawn into a web of horror and shambling corpses-with Bailey high on his list of suspects. Sheriff Jay Carson and Deputy Raines fight to form a line between their citizens and the creatures that crave to destroy them. "With Apparitions, author Raven Bower manages to weave a suspenseful crime story with paranormal elements into a chilling read. She reaches deep down into the razor-sharp wire of her imagination and cuts a tale of stark terror. Definitely a writer to watch!" Darren Franz Author of JACK FROST and GHOST TRAIN "Raven Bower's work shows an intimate awareness of the dark things and the malevolent side of human nature. Unsettling scenes abound in APPARITIONS, and there's not a doubt in my mind that we'll be seeing much more of Ms. Bower in the future. A writer with great promise!" Kealan Patrick Burke Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of CURRENCY OF SOULS, THE TURTLE BOY, and THE HIDES. "First-time novelist Raven Bower has written a genuine horror story, filled with twists and turns and enough chills to keep readers turning the pages.that is, until the sun sets." Steve Alten New York Times Bestselling Author of MEG & THE LOCH

Genres: Thriller, Paranormal, Horror

281 pages, Hardcover

First published May 25, 2007

About the author

I'm the author of three book series:

Apparitions series (supernatural suspense / horror)including: Apparitions, Wendigo and Rags Beneath (2012)

Vengeance series (urban fantasy): Primal (2012), Smoke (2013) and Dead Moon (2014)

and the Weeping Dark series (fantasy): Bleeding Edge (2012/13), Sorrow's Gate (2013/14)

Plus the fantasy novella, Nymph's Lair (2012)

I also enjoy writing scripts - the script for Apparitions has been optioned for a feature film!

I live in Michigan with my husband, four kids, two hell hounds and our cats of doom and chaos.

Reviews

[James Clifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a tired and true measure of how good I think a book is— if I finish a book over the course of two or three nights then the book falls into my must read category and Apparitions fits that bill.
This debut novel by Raven Bower is a wonderfully crafted supernatural/horror story that is sure to keep the reader up late into the night. Reclusive author Bailey Khane has a secret, something much scarier than missing a writing deadline, she is visited by spirits of murder victims and only by writing down the details of their murders can these wayward souls find solace and move on in peace. But evil forces have discovered her hiding spot from the world and other “things”, and they want to destroy her or anyone else in their way.
This hair-raising story raises an interesting question—what is scarier, supernatural evil or human evil? Because Apparitions is not only about paranormal monsters but it is also a story of the evil that lurks in the worst of us.
I really enjoyed Ms. Bower’s book except for the fact that I have a pond in my backyard that I enjoyed swimming in from time to time. Unfortunately after reading her book it will be quite some time before I take a dip into the water. Readers will understand why.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bailey Khane is an author of novels that tell the stories of young girls that are murdered heinously. What people do not know is that the novels are the real stories of these girls who appear to her as apparitions. Their spirits are wanting Bailey to find the murderer.

Andy Bennett is a private investigator who has read at least one of Bailey's books. The book in question is so accurate in the description of the murder of his sister, Erika, that he believes that Bailey had something to do with the crime.

Bailey lives alone in a cabin on a lake in White Sands, Michigan, and surrounds herself with silver and any other weapon, including a guard dog, Thor, against evil.

The real source of this carnage comes from a very unexpected source and that is really part of the real pull of this story.

This book is really for the reader of horror. Raven Bower does a really good job of creating a novel that keeps you reading and her use of language is top-rate. I hope that she continues writing in this genre. We need more women writing this kind of novel.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. This is a genuine effort by a first-time author with obvious talent. As an editor, I was a bit disappointed to note the spelling, grammar and sentence structure errors but not enough to lose interest in the story as a whole. I found the characters to be well fleshed out and the struggles faced to be both believable and realistic, despite the question of whether or not ghosts do or can exist. In addition, I thought the story was quite original and entertaining. As an avid reader and fan of multiple genres, I can say that this is definitely worth the time to read for anyone looking for a good thriller, mystery, paranormal romance, or ghost story. There's something for just about everyone, and most will find themselves glancing over their shoulder at least a time or two while reading. I'm interested to see what the author comes up with next.