Three Little Ghostly Operatives

by Rebecca McNutt

I'd like to welcome you to Dym Falls, population 4.0, a small, secluded town once filled with people, but now a refuge for the unforgivable. In this strange purgatory lives Elison Morse, a tricky used car salesman who'll do anything for a quick buck... even if it means selling vehicles with dreadful histories to his clients. His companion is Margaret Van Der Graaf, an aloof, shady foreman from the local chemical factory. Margaret is a skilled employee but so detached from the people around her that she doesn't pay any mind when they report dangerous safety issues to her. Both Elison and Margaret are stuck in Dym Falls like houseflies in a glue trap, possibly forever.

When Jackson Teller arrives, a trucker who delivers lumber and industrial supplies to States and Provinces across North America, he has yet to understand Dym Falls' purpose in the world. Nobody gets into Dym Falls without a special status, and nobody gets out without a resolution... and that's why Jackson, who has a family to get home to, might just have the motivation to free the last of Dym Falls' residents from their punishment. With the help of Mayor Zadkiel, the one assigned to Dym Falls as a monitor, Jackson's goal is to get back to his wife and kids no matter what it takes... but there's more to this town and to his new friends than meets the eye, and he's about to realize that everything is connected in one way or another.

128 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2016

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

What endeared me to “Three Little Ghostly Operatives” by Rebecca McNutt early on in the in this story, that is most Kafkaesque, was that one of the characters in this book who is named Margaret Van Der Graaf goes about the town of Dym Falls (population 4.0) singing the Siouxsie And The Banshees song “Israel” and claims that this is the only song she knows. If interested or when you are reading the book, the song can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKIIw...

More importantly to me personally is Margaret’s last name which may or may not allude to the band Van Der Graaf Generator, another one of my all time favorites,.

The town of Dym Falls, a small factory town, has become a purgatory where souls have the ability to work out their failings in life in order to either ascend or descend in the afterlife to the next level. Do we have Dante’s influence here intertwined with Kafka’s ? In my humble opinion I would put forth a positive “yes” although it's only the flavor or essence of both.

The town of Dym Falls has its resident “Angel” (perhaps slightly fallen), aka the Mayor or overseer, and also the last resident, a used car salesman. All the characters are wanting to move on, and all the characters have an interesting story to tell thus giving the overall plot a dose of “The Twilight Zone”, in a good way, without Robert Serling up ahead dodging sign posts.

I really enjoyed this journey that Ms. McNutt put me on, so I would recommend this book.

I purchased this book from Amazon in the hope that Ms. McNutt receives a portion of the proceeds. She is a writer to watch and I would like to support her efforts.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The town of Dym Falls lies somewhere within Twilight Zone territory. The ghost town exists as a purgatory of sorts. It is populated by three lost souls and the town's mayor. In order for the wanderers to move on, they must figure out how their lives went wrong and how to rectify their gravest mistakes. The backgrounds of the characters are interesting, though I did not find them to be fully fleshed out. Nevertheless, the daring attempts of all three individuals to join together to reach their resolutions were engrossing, and I was invested in their fates through the conclusion. I will definitely be looking for the author's future books.

Thank you to the author, who provided me with a complimentary pdf in exchange for an honest review. Thanks also go to my friend Thomas, who was eager to read this book with me.

3.5 ghostly stars

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

My second book by this quite unique and certainly promising author. 'Three Little Ghostly Operatives' moves in a previously explored realm - but in its very own voice. I am very fond of Rebecca's views on consumerism and nostalgia seeping through. I don't always agree all the way, but all the same I'm enjoying it very much.

This is a short book, and very dialog driven. I thought it missed in parts, as I'm convinced that the author has a very much more detailed and refined view of her characters than I do. I stutter at times over reactions and comments that seem extreme or over the top for me. I'm confident that this will be one part where future books will show improvement.

There are certainly parts that shows this promise; without disclosing to much, I will say that near the end, when Jackson gains awareness of others and stops being so focused on his own needs and wants, there is writing that took my breath away.

A strong three stars and with great hopes for future offerings.

An eCopy of this book was very kindly given to me by the author, following the great suggestion of it as a buddy read by my good friend Janie. Thank you very much, both.

[Jack Chaucer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way Rebecca McNutt brings death to life in this imaginative and thoughtful tale set in the drab purgatory of Dym Falls. Jackson, Margaret and Elison are well-developed characters who come to rely on one another for the good of all in overcoming their heavy burdens. It's heartwarming to see the human connection defies time, space and even death as this story unfolds. Read it around the campfire with Siouxsie & the Banshees playing in your earbuds!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange small towns are not just the setting for many a Stephen King story. Rebecca McNutt introduces us to Dym Falls where the population may be small, but the strangeness is large. Here her four characters play out their lives (or should that be their deaths ?) in a place where reality is a long way away.
What I like about the town's newest arrival, Jackson Teller, is that he constantly questions & challenges his bizarre situation. In a lot of books & films people often quickly accept the most absurd locations they find themselves in, so it's good to see someone a little more realistic about their situation.
Amidst the drama I do find the author's choice of character names amusing, whether they are inspired by an old British prog rock band or the marvellous TV series Sons Of Anarchy.

[Jacob Maurer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woo-hoo!
What else can I really say? Other than the obvious; I've finished reading off this short and neatly wrapped Christmas present.
And let me say, I didn't know how much I needed this. Suppose I'll just call it an early Christmas celebration for me.

Any who; I'll start of by giving thanks to the author of this story for an e-book copy to this amazing idol in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I'll admit, I'm not the typical goodreads reviewer, and... I'm usually not frequent in the position to give advice in helping people improve their given creative talents. Even despite a possible understanding for them.
Nevertheless... give it time, and like any given activity and I'm sure I'll improve over time.

So we'll start with the basics, shall we?
Ever finish the ending to a book before, and you just want to pinch yourself or go for a cross country 5k on Turkey day or perhaps even complete the full Superman event blindfolded.
The thing is, some books just do that for you, and currently for me I'm at that state right now where I just want to sit down at a nice Ice cream parlor and talk about this writer's thought process during the whole novel.
The former author of this book has created a thing. Yes, a story in which despite its at times, awakward downfalls and wacky characterizations from time to time.
. Which are simply the mark of a beggining author; is what can be seen as an ordinary story at first.
However amidst an example of the ending set forth can be taken a much deeper look into light.

I'm sure with gaining of experience not just through books, however; through life in general- the writing from this author will improve drastically.

A book like this is seen as a new voice of sensibility and level-headed maturity throughout.

Here and there, and especially with a lot of incoming authors will break a rule of show don't tell. It did happen a few time in this book.
However that certainly doesn't take away from the unexpected storyline and characters.
I honestly just didn't expect what was pulled of between these characters towards the end to actually work.
But hey, Rebecca McNutt made it happen; and for that she gets quite the amount of achievement in my book for pulling it off.

These characters really brought themselves together in a much better way than I could have imagined, and honestly this story really knew how too take a jab at my heart in the best way!
Granted, I'm sure it's on a bit off a lighter side taken from her other series such as Smog City and Denver: The Reckoning, yet it was all the more taken in complete seriousness.
This book couldn't have come at a better time in my life, and just like the books atmosphere of angels and self-healing; life is now certainly a shade lighter for me after reading this book.

[Phyliss Proctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missed the boat on this one, intended to start on Halloween but I didn't get it finished until now. It was really sad and creepy.