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Unquiet Ghosts
Eight years ago, her husband and children were killed in a plane crash. Now, new evidence reveals that they didn’t die—her husband deliberately vanished—and that he knows a secret the powerful forces will stop at nothing to keep hidden.
Kathy Kelly’s world was shattered when a plane carrying her husband—an Iraq War veteran and devoted father—and her two children vanished from the sky one night. No trace of the plane was ever found.
Eight years later, Kathy has struggled to rebuild her life, but then wreckage of his plane is found in the wilderness of Great Smoky Mountain National Park—hundreds of miles from where her husband’s plane should have been. The pilot perished in the crash, but there is no sign of Jack or the children. Could they have made it out alive after all? But if so, where have they been all this time? Where are they now?
As Kathy searches for any clue about what happened to her family, the investigation uncovers some unsettling clues—including a briefcase containing millions of dollars in cash, a priceless mask stolen from an Iraqi museum, and a clue that links Jack’s disappearance with the suspicious death of Kathy’s mother years ago.
But she soon learns that others have been looking for the wreckage and its occupants for a long time. Others who are determined to make sure she never finds her family and that they remain dead. Shadowy, powerful people who will kill for what was on board—a secret her husband was the keeper of. A secret so powerful it will open a Pandora’s box of bloody revenge—one that reaches back into the past and into the highest echelons of wealth and power, all the way to the White House.
This breathless, pulse-pounding thriller examines the very real billions in cash and priceless artifacts that vanished into the pockets of powerful American men during the Iraq war, and examines the extreme lengths some people will go to protect the secrets of what really happened to all that money.
Kathy Kelly’s world was shattered when a plane carrying her husband—an Iraq War veteran and devoted father—and her two children vanished from the sky one night. No trace of the plane was ever found.
Eight years later, Kathy has struggled to rebuild her life, but then wreckage of his plane is found in the wilderness of Great Smoky Mountain National Park—hundreds of miles from where her husband’s plane should have been. The pilot perished in the crash, but there is no sign of Jack or the children. Could they have made it out alive after all? But if so, where have they been all this time? Where are they now?
As Kathy searches for any clue about what happened to her family, the investigation uncovers some unsettling clues—including a briefcase containing millions of dollars in cash, a priceless mask stolen from an Iraqi museum, and a clue that links Jack’s disappearance with the suspicious death of Kathy’s mother years ago.
But she soon learns that others have been looking for the wreckage and its occupants for a long time. Others who are determined to make sure she never finds her family and that they remain dead. Shadowy, powerful people who will kill for what was on board—a secret her husband was the keeper of. A secret so powerful it will open a Pandora’s box of bloody revenge—one that reaches back into the past and into the highest echelons of wealth and power, all the way to the White House.
This breathless, pulse-pounding thriller examines the very real billions in cash and priceless artifacts that vanished into the pockets of powerful American men during the Iraq war, and examines the extreme lengths some people will go to protect the secrets of what really happened to all that money.
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 11, 2017
37 people are currently reading
710 people want to read
About the author
Glenn Meade
35 books399 followersGlenn Meade was born into a working-class family in Dublin, Ireland. After finishing secondary school he had a tough time choosing between studying theology or engineering, but eventually engineering won out and he studied telecommunications. Soon after graduating, he lived and worked in New Hampshire. He worked as a specialist in the field of pilot training—having had a life-long interest in aviation—and has also been a journalist for the Irish Times and the Independent.
While living in New Hampshire, he persistently tried to interview the famously reclusive author of CATCHER IN THE RYE, J.D. Salinger, an effort that only served to vex Salinger, who set his dogs on Meade, who luckily managed to outrun Salinger’s hounds and survive.
He began writing in earnest in the late eighties, when he wrote and directed his own plays, mostly for the Strand Theatre in Dublin, but Meade decided to turn his efforts to thriller writing in the mid-nineties.
His novels to date—SNOW WOLF, BRANDENBURG, THE SANDS OF SAKKARA, RESURRECTION DAY, WEB OF DECEIT, THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE, THE SECOND MESSIAH—have been translated into twenty-six languages, and have enjoyed critical and commercial success.
His first novel, BRANDENBURG, about a neo-Nazi resurgence in present-day Europe, came about when he travelled to Germany to write an article for the Times on the billions in Nazi gold that went missing at the end of the Second World War. Quite by accident, he met an elderly former SS officer who told him a remarkable and highly personal tale about his part in keeping a disturbing war-time secret. That story became the inspiration for BRANDENBURG.
Several of his novels were also inspired by his journalistic work but inspiration only takes you so far and Meade claims that to produce anything of worth it always comes down to the same three constants: hard work, prayer, and putting your imagination through the wringer.
Critics have compared the standard of his work to that of Frederick Forsyth, John le Carre, and Tom Clancy, and his stories have tended to be a tantalising blend of fact and fiction. SNOW WOLF won the prestigious thriller of the year award by the Japanese Writer's Guild (second place went to Stephen King's THE GREEN MILE).
He has also worked on several Hollywood scripts but Meade confesses that employment in Tinsletown was not a pleasant experience and he has learned to stick to the golden rule for novelists whose work is bought by Hollywood—gratefully accept the pay check, walk away and just pray that they don’t turn your treasured story into a musical.
Meade has earned a reputation for meticulously researched stories and has travelled extensively—to Russia, the Middle East, Europe—to research his novels. For RESURRECTION DAY, a highly realistic thriller about a dramatic attack on the US capital by an Al Qaeda terror group armed with a chemical weapon of mass destruction, and completed three weeks before the events of September 11th, he spent many months in Washington DC. He interviewed senior White House staff, former Secret Service agents, US Federal emergency planners, and senior FBI terrorist experts, some of whom were later involved in the hunt for Al Qaeda terrorist suspects on US soil. One former senior FBI source, John O’Neill, who helped Meade, was killed in the September 11th attacks, having resigned from the bureau only months prior to taking up a new post—as head of security at the Twin Towers.
RESURRECTION DAY was published internationally but Meade’s then New York publisher considered it too raw a subject for the US, coming so soon after 9/11, and they parted company. However, the work garnered rave reviews and much media attention in Europe.
Having read the book, Newt Gingrich, then a member of the Hart-Rudd commission (set up post 9/11 by President George Bush with responsibility for determining future likely terrorist threats against the US) was so impressed that he contacted Meade and kindly offe
While living in New Hampshire, he persistently tried to interview the famously reclusive author of CATCHER IN THE RYE, J.D. Salinger, an effort that only served to vex Salinger, who set his dogs on Meade, who luckily managed to outrun Salinger’s hounds and survive.
He began writing in earnest in the late eighties, when he wrote and directed his own plays, mostly for the Strand Theatre in Dublin, but Meade decided to turn his efforts to thriller writing in the mid-nineties.
His novels to date—SNOW WOLF, BRANDENBURG, THE SANDS OF SAKKARA, RESURRECTION DAY, WEB OF DECEIT, THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE, THE SECOND MESSIAH—have been translated into twenty-six languages, and have enjoyed critical and commercial success.
His first novel, BRANDENBURG, about a neo-Nazi resurgence in present-day Europe, came about when he travelled to Germany to write an article for the Times on the billions in Nazi gold that went missing at the end of the Second World War. Quite by accident, he met an elderly former SS officer who told him a remarkable and highly personal tale about his part in keeping a disturbing war-time secret. That story became the inspiration for BRANDENBURG.
Several of his novels were also inspired by his journalistic work but inspiration only takes you so far and Meade claims that to produce anything of worth it always comes down to the same three constants: hard work, prayer, and putting your imagination through the wringer.
Critics have compared the standard of his work to that of Frederick Forsyth, John le Carre, and Tom Clancy, and his stories have tended to be a tantalising blend of fact and fiction. SNOW WOLF won the prestigious thriller of the year award by the Japanese Writer's Guild (second place went to Stephen King's THE GREEN MILE).
He has also worked on several Hollywood scripts but Meade confesses that employment in Tinsletown was not a pleasant experience and he has learned to stick to the golden rule for novelists whose work is bought by Hollywood—gratefully accept the pay check, walk away and just pray that they don’t turn your treasured story into a musical.
Meade has earned a reputation for meticulously researched stories and has travelled extensively—to Russia, the Middle East, Europe—to research his novels. For RESURRECTION DAY, a highly realistic thriller about a dramatic attack on the US capital by an Al Qaeda terror group armed with a chemical weapon of mass destruction, and completed three weeks before the events of September 11th, he spent many months in Washington DC. He interviewed senior White House staff, former Secret Service agents, US Federal emergency planners, and senior FBI terrorist experts, some of whom were later involved in the hunt for Al Qaeda terrorist suspects on US soil. One former senior FBI source, John O’Neill, who helped Meade, was killed in the September 11th attacks, having resigned from the bureau only months prior to taking up a new post—as head of security at the Twin Towers.
RESURRECTION DAY was published internationally but Meade’s then New York publisher considered it too raw a subject for the US, coming so soon after 9/11, and they parted company. However, the work garnered rave reviews and much media attention in Europe.
Having read the book, Newt Gingrich, then a member of the Hart-Rudd commission (set up post 9/11 by President George Bush with responsibility for determining future likely terrorist threats against the US) was so impressed that he contacted Meade and kindly offe
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
December 10, 2016
I'd rate this 3.5 stars.
Political intrigue and corruption. Stolen antiquities. The aftereffects of war. Family secrets. Glenn Meade's Unquiet Ghosts hits all of those buttons, and then some. This is a thriller in which very little is what it seems.
Kathy Kelly's life was turned upside down when her husband Jack, a veteran of the Iraq war, was killed in a plane crash, along with the couple's two young children, Amy and Sean. Not a day has gone by when she hasn't felt the pain of losing all of them, and although she has tried valiantly to rebuild her life, she can never seem to get the pieces to fit back together the way they used to when her family was alive.
While their deaths were an absolute shock, they are something she has come to accept every day for the last eight years. Needless to say, she is utterly unprepared for a freak discovery, when a plane crash in the middle of a storm leads authorities to locate the wreckage of Jack's plane, deep in the middle of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, nowhere near where the plane should have been. And while they've been able to find the pilot's remains, there's no sign of Jack's or the children's.
Could they be alive, after all this time? And if so, why have they been hiding from Kathy and making her believe her life had ended with theirs?
The investigation into what happened that night eight years ago uncovers more questions than there are answers, especially based on some mysterious discoveries, and Kathy's growing understanding that there were things her husband, as well as her soldier father and brother, who fought alongside Jack, kept hidden. And the secrets keep on popping up, as Kathy begins to see that other events that marked her life, such as her mother's death years before, may be connected.
Kathy wants the truth. But the truth might kill her, and if it doesn't, it certainly will endanger her and her loved ones, not to mention cause her to question everything and everyone she has held dear. Because there are people who wanted Jack dead, and they'll do anything to make sure this time he gets that way.
Meade throws lots of twists and turns and mystery into this book. There are a lot of parallel plot threads which eventually come together, and they really make you wonder whether there is some truth to some of the fiction that he has created. You may figure out what happened and who was responsible before everyone else does, but this is far from a boring ride—there is some great suspense and some strong action scenes. Meade definitely knows how to tell a story.
Even with all of the above, the book's pacing didn't move as quickly as I wanted it to, and a few times my attention flagged. But overall, this is a good thriller, and I could totally see it being adapted into a movie sometime soon.
NetGalley and Howard Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
Political intrigue and corruption. Stolen antiquities. The aftereffects of war. Family secrets. Glenn Meade's Unquiet Ghosts hits all of those buttons, and then some. This is a thriller in which very little is what it seems.
Kathy Kelly's life was turned upside down when her husband Jack, a veteran of the Iraq war, was killed in a plane crash, along with the couple's two young children, Amy and Sean. Not a day has gone by when she hasn't felt the pain of losing all of them, and although she has tried valiantly to rebuild her life, she can never seem to get the pieces to fit back together the way they used to when her family was alive.
While their deaths were an absolute shock, they are something she has come to accept every day for the last eight years. Needless to say, she is utterly unprepared for a freak discovery, when a plane crash in the middle of a storm leads authorities to locate the wreckage of Jack's plane, deep in the middle of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, nowhere near where the plane should have been. And while they've been able to find the pilot's remains, there's no sign of Jack's or the children's.
Could they be alive, after all this time? And if so, why have they been hiding from Kathy and making her believe her life had ended with theirs?
The investigation into what happened that night eight years ago uncovers more questions than there are answers, especially based on some mysterious discoveries, and Kathy's growing understanding that there were things her husband, as well as her soldier father and brother, who fought alongside Jack, kept hidden. And the secrets keep on popping up, as Kathy begins to see that other events that marked her life, such as her mother's death years before, may be connected.
Kathy wants the truth. But the truth might kill her, and if it doesn't, it certainly will endanger her and her loved ones, not to mention cause her to question everything and everyone she has held dear. Because there are people who wanted Jack dead, and they'll do anything to make sure this time he gets that way.
Meade throws lots of twists and turns and mystery into this book. There are a lot of parallel plot threads which eventually come together, and they really make you wonder whether there is some truth to some of the fiction that he has created. You may figure out what happened and who was responsible before everyone else does, but this is far from a boring ride—there is some great suspense and some strong action scenes. Meade definitely knows how to tell a story.
Even with all of the above, the book's pacing didn't move as quickly as I wanted it to, and a few times my attention flagged. But overall, this is a good thriller, and I could totally see it being adapted into a movie sometime soon.
NetGalley and Howard Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
February 27, 2017
Meade has crafted a contemporary novel that portrays the after effects of the Iraq War. The plot revolves around Kathy whose husband, Jack, and two children were presumed to have died in an airplane accident eight years ago. Just recently the plane was found and the only body was that of the pilot. Officials think Jack and the children may very well have survived the accident.
The story behind the crash and the possible survival of Jack and the children unfolds very slowly, layer by layer. It has its roots in money and artifacts that had gone missing during the Iraq War. Things went wrong during battles and there were cover ups. Some benefited greatly from their war experience and will do anything, kill anyone, to keep their deeds hidden.
I had difficulty maintaining my interest in this novel. Much of it is written from Kathy's viewpoint. She thinks a great deal, sometimes pages of wondering this or that. I have to admit that I began skipping those sections. I always find it interesting when a man writes a novel with a woman as the main character. I think this time Meade way overdid the female thinking aspect, making the book bog down in many places. Other parts of the novel were written from the universal viewpoint. I did not like that and would prefer a consistent viewpoint.
Meade reminds us in a note at the end of the novel that much of it is based on actual facts. At least $8 billion of aide money went missing, as did many artifacts. Many of the soldiers saw horrific things and suffered PTSD, as did characters in this novel.
I have read other novels by Meade and I do not think this is his best. The plot is very complex. I couldn't count the number of times someone told Kathy that there was something she needed to know – another secret begrudgingly and slowly revealed. I did not like the characters. None of them made me feel sympathy for them, even Kathy. So many had their lives built on lies. Many of the twists in the book were just lies being revealed.
I think the book could have been shorter, with much of Kathy's thinking left out. I do recommend this novel to those who like to get into the mind of a character and are satisfied with action interspersed here and there.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
The story behind the crash and the possible survival of Jack and the children unfolds very slowly, layer by layer. It has its roots in money and artifacts that had gone missing during the Iraq War. Things went wrong during battles and there were cover ups. Some benefited greatly from their war experience and will do anything, kill anyone, to keep their deeds hidden.
I had difficulty maintaining my interest in this novel. Much of it is written from Kathy's viewpoint. She thinks a great deal, sometimes pages of wondering this or that. I have to admit that I began skipping those sections. I always find it interesting when a man writes a novel with a woman as the main character. I think this time Meade way overdid the female thinking aspect, making the book bog down in many places. Other parts of the novel were written from the universal viewpoint. I did not like that and would prefer a consistent viewpoint.
Meade reminds us in a note at the end of the novel that much of it is based on actual facts. At least $8 billion of aide money went missing, as did many artifacts. Many of the soldiers saw horrific things and suffered PTSD, as did characters in this novel.
I have read other novels by Meade and I do not think this is his best. The plot is very complex. I couldn't count the number of times someone told Kathy that there was something she needed to know – another secret begrudgingly and slowly revealed. I did not like the characters. None of them made me feel sympathy for them, even Kathy. So many had their lives built on lies. Many of the twists in the book were just lies being revealed.
I think the book could have been shorter, with much of Kathy's thinking left out. I do recommend this novel to those who like to get into the mind of a character and are satisfied with action interspersed here and there.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
December 6, 2019
Glenn Meade Kar Kurdu, Sakkara'nın Kumları, 8. Gün'le öyle bir "hatır" yapmış ki hala onun hatırına yeni kitaplarını okuyorum. Eğer bu üç kitaptan herhangi birini okuduysanız bu kitabı bir başkasının yazdığı konusunda benimle hemfikirsinizdir. Sarsak bir konu, amatör diyaloglar. Gerçekten üzüldüm.
November 7, 2017
Write this down if you want, and never let anyone tell you otherwise: Love has a price. There never can be—never will be and never has been—a single love that comes without agony.
Another thing I’ve learned: Sometimes those we worship harbor unimaginable secrets.
Glenn Meade’s newest thriller is a thoroughly engrossing read, and packs quite an emotional punch to boot—although, maybe that’s just because I’m a female reader (and a wife and mother)! Kathy Kelly’s life has already involved devastation upon devastation, but nothing could possibly prepare her for the events that unfold in these pages—events that also make a serious statement about the realities of war and the potential breeding ground it creates for greed and corruption.
Kathy is the primary narrator of the story, and her point of view is presented in the first person, which made her character particularly easy to identify with. She’s a character given to reflection—profound and intensely personal reflection, at times—and during the first third or so of the book, the details of her past devastations unfold in tandem with the present day situation. There were occasions when I felt as though she wallowed in her reflections a little, and there was some repetition that I thought should have been picked up in edits, but it was such a compelling story that my eyes were riveted to the page regardless.
As the novel progressed, it became focussed on the present day situation, where Kathy finds herself desperate for answers, constantly pulled in different directions, and unsure of where to turn and whom to trust. The tension is heightened by those times when secondary characters take the narrative reins, letting the reader in on circumstances that are as yet hidden from Kathy, but even then it was impossible to predict what would happen next or who was really what they seemed. And when it came to the final showdown? Boy, oh boy!
When the dust settles, the novel is brought full circle with some reflections from Kathy that mirror the opening of the novel. It’s a poignant ending that drives home the point that “[War] breaks us all in the end, even those of us who are mere watchers from the shore, for we are broken by the same cruel tempest that destroys the ones we love.”
This is a physically and emotionally tense thriller that is well worth the read.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review.
Another thing I’ve learned: Sometimes those we worship harbor unimaginable secrets.
Glenn Meade’s newest thriller is a thoroughly engrossing read, and packs quite an emotional punch to boot—although, maybe that’s just because I’m a female reader (and a wife and mother)! Kathy Kelly’s life has already involved devastation upon devastation, but nothing could possibly prepare her for the events that unfold in these pages—events that also make a serious statement about the realities of war and the potential breeding ground it creates for greed and corruption.
Kathy is the primary narrator of the story, and her point of view is presented in the first person, which made her character particularly easy to identify with. She’s a character given to reflection—profound and intensely personal reflection, at times—and during the first third or so of the book, the details of her past devastations unfold in tandem with the present day situation. There were occasions when I felt as though she wallowed in her reflections a little, and there was some repetition that I thought should have been picked up in edits, but it was such a compelling story that my eyes were riveted to the page regardless.
As the novel progressed, it became focussed on the present day situation, where Kathy finds herself desperate for answers, constantly pulled in different directions, and unsure of where to turn and whom to trust. The tension is heightened by those times when secondary characters take the narrative reins, letting the reader in on circumstances that are as yet hidden from Kathy, but even then it was impossible to predict what would happen next or who was really what they seemed. And when it came to the final showdown? Boy, oh boy!
When the dust settles, the novel is brought full circle with some reflections from Kathy that mirror the opening of the novel. It’s a poignant ending that drives home the point that “[War] breaks us all in the end, even those of us who are mere watchers from the shore, for we are broken by the same cruel tempest that destroys the ones we love.”
This is a physically and emotionally tense thriller that is well worth the read.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review.
July 25, 2017
This was the first book that I have ready by Glenn Meade. I would give it a solid 4.5 stars. There were a lot of characters which made it confusing at times and he tended to be repetitive quite a bit, but overall, it was a really great read! The plot was different and really interesting. It kept me hooked and I could not wait to finish it to find out what had really happened to Kath's family. I will be looking forward to checking out some other titles by this author.
July 26, 2017
Excellent read! I didn't want to put it down...every time I finished a chapter thinking I was going to stop...something MAJOR happened! Very well written, so many true piecese of information surrounding East Tennesesse, the Iraq War, and southern culture in Knoxville and surrounding areas. Worth the investment - entertaining & eye opening at the same time!
March 22, 2018
Okurken resmen yıkıldım. Favori yazarım resmen kalemini, konu seçimini, anlatımını değiştirmiş. Diğer kitaplarından sonra çok farklı geldi bana, sürekli kitabı kapatıp kapatıp yazarın adını doğrulama ihtiyacı hissettim.
May 26, 2019
“... savaş insanlara bunu yapıyor. Değiştiriyor -ve her seferinde daha kötüsüyle...” (s.335)
March 1, 2026
Yazarın, Kar kurdu, Sakkara'nın kumları ve Şeytanın müridi kitaplarını okuduktan ve üçünü de çok beğendikten sonra bundaki beklenti de yüksek oluyor haliyle. Ama sanki başka biri yazmış gibi. Başlarda konuya girmek için çok çaba veriyorsunuz. Hatta devam etmekle etmemek arasında bile kalıyor insan. Betimlemeler sığ, heyecan yok, çok sıradan. Sonu muallakta. Nereye vardı ne oldu hiç belli değil. Savaşa ve savaşın kötülüğüne dikkat çekmek için Irak savaşında olanlardan bir kurgu yapılmış. Kopukluklar var.
Yani sözün özü bunda beklentiyi karşılamamış. Beğenemedim.
Diğer kitaplarından okumaya devam edeceğim...
Yani sözün özü bunda beklentiyi karşılamamış. Beğenemedim.
Diğer kitaplarından okumaya devam edeceğim...
January 18, 2026
Thank you, Meg, for gifting me this book!!!! Thoroughly enjoyed every page!!!!
August 12, 2017
Good story but over emotes
I almost stopped reading this novel when every plot action was accompanied by overly emotional descriptions of the main character's unhappy life. It was too much. Yes, many bad things happened, and yes, the author is a good writer, but enough is enough. We get it--the main charadter had some awful things happen and yes, we know they affected her deeply. Fortunately the emoting got less and less as the plot revved up. So I read it to the end.
I almost stopped reading this novel when every plot action was accompanied by overly emotional descriptions of the main character's unhappy life. It was too much. Yes, many bad things happened, and yes, the author is a good writer, but enough is enough. We get it--the main charadter had some awful things happen and yes, we know they affected her deeply. Fortunately the emoting got less and less as the plot revved up. So I read it to the end.
Read
December 14, 2022Great story, started a little slow but then I stayed up late to finish.
August 22, 2017
This review is more about the author than the book. Meade is one of my favorite authors and I have read all ten of his books. If I missed one let me know. I rate all my readings on a scale of 1-10 and write one or two word comments in my database. I have rated 6 out of ten books by Meade a 10. Snow Wolf being one of my all time favorite books. Brandenburg was a real thriller and the Sands of Sakkara my third favorite of his writings.
I was disappointed with this book as it started very slow and boring. There was an abundance of superfluous dialog. I call that "filler" and it's the downfall of average tales. Knowing Meade writings I stuck with it only because of my admiration for his storytelling. The plot and suspense wasn't up to his standards in my opinion. When I finished the book I gave it a seven and my comment was "too melancholy."
I was disappointed with this book as it started very slow and boring. There was an abundance of superfluous dialog. I call that "filler" and it's the downfall of average tales. Knowing Meade writings I stuck with it only because of my admiration for his storytelling. The plot and suspense wasn't up to his standards in my opinion. When I finished the book I gave it a seven and my comment was "too melancholy."
October 2, 2019
Glenn Meade is a master storyteller. I was captured in the first chapter and could not put it down. This is the second book I have read of his and both were excellent.
July 11, 2017
***the complexity & intrigue make "Unquiet Ghosts" a gripping & memorable read***
"Unquiet Ghosts" is a complex tale of chilling secrets, conspiracies and intrigue, a multifaceted mystery rooted in real life events so intense the pages almost turn themselves. The fast-paced story begins with rich, influential and enigmatic Chad Benton's visit to the empty gravesite
his divorced wife Kathy visited every anniversary of the plane crash that had claimed her missing family eight years ago.
Chad had been close friends with Kathy's husband Jack, an Iraq war vet and no one was too surprised when Kathy and Chad married months after her husband's plane went missing. Even though Kathy's grief for her missing family was intense, especially for eight year-old Sean and five year-old Amy, she accepted Chad's marriage proposal.
Now Kathy watched Chad step from the "gleaming, silver chauffeured Bentley." Although their marriage resulted in divorce they remained friends. Chad knew how important Kathy's annual visit to her family’s empty gravesites was and wondered what brought him here. However there was nothing that could prepare her for the words he said, "...they found Jack's aircraft, but only the pilot's remains."
Chad wanted to take her to the crash site and the "clatter of helicopter blades" drowned out Kathy's questions as Chad guided her to the plane. Twenty minutes later Kathy saw TV crews and reporters dotting the swampy waters and forested landscape below. Soon Kathy would find answers to questions that had plagued her ever since Jack's plane went missing. She couldn't know she was still asking all the wrong questions.
Thus begins a chilling thriller "inspired by actual events" from the 2003 Iraq war in Baghdad where priceless artifacts and eight billion government dollars vanished without a trace. The events would forever change Jack, Kathy, her brother Kyle and Kathy's father, Colonel Frank Kelly who served alongside her husband in Iraq. Add political intrigue, corruption and well-kept secrets and you have a mystery impossible to unravel until the last page turns.
Well drawn characters and intense suspense , inspired by the complex and true-to-life plot keep pages turning with parallel plot threads that at times slow the story down as it moves back and forth in time. However, the complexity, intrigue and suspense make “Unquiet Ghosts" a gripping and memorable read.
'Unquiet Ghosts: A Novel,' by Glenn Meade, Howard Books, 7-11-2017, Hardcover, 432 Pages, 978-1476797410, $25.00
Midwest Book Reviews: "Gail's Bookshelf" April 2017
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"Unquiet Ghosts" is a complex tale of chilling secrets, conspiracies and intrigue, a multifaceted mystery rooted in real life events so intense the pages almost turn themselves. The fast-paced story begins with rich, influential and enigmatic Chad Benton's visit to the empty gravesite
his divorced wife Kathy visited every anniversary of the plane crash that had claimed her missing family eight years ago.
Chad had been close friends with Kathy's husband Jack, an Iraq war vet and no one was too surprised when Kathy and Chad married months after her husband's plane went missing. Even though Kathy's grief for her missing family was intense, especially for eight year-old Sean and five year-old Amy, she accepted Chad's marriage proposal.
Now Kathy watched Chad step from the "gleaming, silver chauffeured Bentley." Although their marriage resulted in divorce they remained friends. Chad knew how important Kathy's annual visit to her family’s empty gravesites was and wondered what brought him here. However there was nothing that could prepare her for the words he said, "...they found Jack's aircraft, but only the pilot's remains."
Chad wanted to take her to the crash site and the "clatter of helicopter blades" drowned out Kathy's questions as Chad guided her to the plane. Twenty minutes later Kathy saw TV crews and reporters dotting the swampy waters and forested landscape below. Soon Kathy would find answers to questions that had plagued her ever since Jack's plane went missing. She couldn't know she was still asking all the wrong questions.
Thus begins a chilling thriller "inspired by actual events" from the 2003 Iraq war in Baghdad where priceless artifacts and eight billion government dollars vanished without a trace. The events would forever change Jack, Kathy, her brother Kyle and Kathy's father, Colonel Frank Kelly who served alongside her husband in Iraq. Add political intrigue, corruption and well-kept secrets and you have a mystery impossible to unravel until the last page turns.
Well drawn characters and intense suspense , inspired by the complex and true-to-life plot keep pages turning with parallel plot threads that at times slow the story down as it moves back and forth in time. However, the complexity, intrigue and suspense make “Unquiet Ghosts" a gripping and memorable read.
'Unquiet Ghosts: A Novel,' by Glenn Meade, Howard Books, 7-11-2017, Hardcover, 432 Pages, 978-1476797410, $25.00
Midwest Book Reviews: "Gail's Bookshelf" April 2017
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July 16, 2022
Glenn Meade okuduğum ilk kitabıdır. Kitaplarını ikinci el satış sitelerimde (dolap, Zebramo, Gardrops vb) sıkça görüyordum ama pek ilgimi geçmiyordu. Sonra bir şekilde kitap elime geçti. Bende okuyayım madem dedim.
İlk başlarda Meade’nin tarzına alışmakta zorlandım. Cümleleri iki defa felan okuyordum. Cümle düşmesi gibi şeyler olabilir. O konunun tam hakimi değilim. Çeviriden kaynaklı da olabilir.
Bir 100 sayfaya kadar gelene kadar hala kafamda bazı şeyler tam oturmadı. Sanırım bunda Meade’nin iki yönlü bir roman yazmasının payı var. Hem duygusal hem macera/aksiyon tarzında Amerika-Irak savaşını içine alan bir tarzı vardı. Bu tarzı David Baldacci’ye biraz benzettim. O da macera/aksiyon/terörizim ve komplo teorileri üzerine kitaplar yazıyor. Onun tarzı daha iyi tabii ki. Glenn kadar duygusal yönü yok.
Kitabın yarısından sonra aksiyon/macera hızlanmaya başlıyor. Sırlar kitabın sonunda birbir ortaya çıkıyor. Tabii ki Gleen son ana kadar gizem unsurunu diri tutmak istemiş.
Kitabı okuduktan sonda kadın karakterin bu kadar saf olmasına anlam veremeyebilirsiniz. Kitty o kadar duygusallığa batmış ki çevresinde olanların farkında bile değil. Nick’in kaybolmasından sonra ikinci evliliğindeki kocasının bu serveti nasıl yaptığını sorgulamıyor. Aradaki bağlantıyı kuramıyor. Yine babasına sorduğu sorularda ısrarcı olmuyor. Aile bireylerinden bu kadar kayıp verdikten sonra bir şeyler ile bir bağlantı kurması gerekirdi. Ama Kitty anneliğin verdiği o duygusallıkla acılarla hiçbir şeyin farkında değil.
Glenn de Coben ve Connelly gibi gazetecilikten gelme bir yazar. Onu daha sonra öğrendim. Bana kalırsa onlardan bir iki gömlek daha başarısız. Belki diğer romanları daha iyidir bilemeyeceğim. Bakalım zaman fırsat verirse bir iki kitabını daha okuyup ona göre bir yargıda bulunabilirim.
Not: 3.5 yıldızdan 4 verdim. İlk kez bir kitabını okuduğum için çok puan kırmak istemedim. Vasatın biraz üzerinde bir roman genel olarak.
İlk başlarda Meade’nin tarzına alışmakta zorlandım. Cümleleri iki defa felan okuyordum. Cümle düşmesi gibi şeyler olabilir. O konunun tam hakimi değilim. Çeviriden kaynaklı da olabilir.
Bir 100 sayfaya kadar gelene kadar hala kafamda bazı şeyler tam oturmadı. Sanırım bunda Meade’nin iki yönlü bir roman yazmasının payı var. Hem duygusal hem macera/aksiyon tarzında Amerika-Irak savaşını içine alan bir tarzı vardı. Bu tarzı David Baldacci’ye biraz benzettim. O da macera/aksiyon/terörizim ve komplo teorileri üzerine kitaplar yazıyor. Onun tarzı daha iyi tabii ki. Glenn kadar duygusal yönü yok.
Kitabın yarısından sonra aksiyon/macera hızlanmaya başlıyor. Sırlar kitabın sonunda birbir ortaya çıkıyor. Tabii ki Gleen son ana kadar gizem unsurunu diri tutmak istemiş.
Kitabı okuduktan sonda kadın karakterin bu kadar saf olmasına anlam veremeyebilirsiniz. Kitty o kadar duygusallığa batmış ki çevresinde olanların farkında bile değil. Nick’in kaybolmasından sonra ikinci evliliğindeki kocasının bu serveti nasıl yaptığını sorgulamıyor. Aradaki bağlantıyı kuramıyor. Yine babasına sorduğu sorularda ısrarcı olmuyor. Aile bireylerinden bu kadar kayıp verdikten sonra bir şeyler ile bir bağlantı kurması gerekirdi. Ama Kitty anneliğin verdiği o duygusallıkla acılarla hiçbir şeyin farkında değil.
Glenn de Coben ve Connelly gibi gazetecilikten gelme bir yazar. Onu daha sonra öğrendim. Bana kalırsa onlardan bir iki gömlek daha başarısız. Belki diğer romanları daha iyidir bilemeyeceğim. Bakalım zaman fırsat verirse bir iki kitabını daha okuyup ona göre bir yargıda bulunabilirim.
Not: 3.5 yıldızdan 4 verdim. İlk kez bir kitabını okuduğum için çok puan kırmak istemedim. Vasatın biraz üzerinde bir roman genel olarak.
September 16, 2021
I've never seen the topic of money and artifacts missing from Iraq after the war addressed in fiction, so I found certain themes in this novel fascinating. The story itself, though? Not so much. The characters are mostly flat, stereotypical, and just not all that likable. Even Kath. She's sympathetic, but she's never really fleshed-out enough to feel real. Plot-wise, the tale is incredibly far-fetched. It's also predictable, although I admit there was one twist that I should have seen coming and didn't. Still, this book drags on and on and on and on. My husband called it "the never-ending story" because I kept complaining about how it just didn't end! The very tell-y narrative style didn't help.
I didn't realize this when I picked up UNQUIET GHOSTS from the library, but the novel is published by Howard Books, Simon & Schuster's Christian/inspirational arm. In a way, it's a clean book because there isn't any swearing (although the characters, even the baddies, kept saying, "Darn it!" and "What the heck?" which made me laugh) or sex (other than a little bit of innuendo). However, there is A LOT of violence. Not to be spoilery, but every other person in the story gets shot pretty much. God is mentioned a few times; however, religion isn't a part of the tale. While I appreciate "clean" reads, the prudish language just didn't feel authentic. In fact, like I said, it made me snicker every time (and I'm a person who doesn't cuss, ever).
Honestly, I'm not sure why I finished UNQUIET GHOSTS. I put it down several times, not intending to pick it back up. I did, though, and for that reason, I'm giving UNQUIET GHOSTS three stars.
I didn't realize this when I picked up UNQUIET GHOSTS from the library, but the novel is published by Howard Books, Simon & Schuster's Christian/inspirational arm. In a way, it's a clean book because there isn't any swearing (although the characters, even the baddies, kept saying, "Darn it!" and "What the heck?" which made me laugh) or sex (other than a little bit of innuendo). However, there is A LOT of violence. Not to be spoilery, but every other person in the story gets shot pretty much. God is mentioned a few times; however, religion isn't a part of the tale. While I appreciate "clean" reads, the prudish language just didn't feel authentic. In fact, like I said, it made me snicker every time (and I'm a person who doesn't cuss, ever).
Honestly, I'm not sure why I finished UNQUIET GHOSTS. I put it down several times, not intending to pick it back up. I did, though, and for that reason, I'm giving UNQUIET GHOSTS three stars.
October 18, 2018
It's been eight years since Kathy's husband and children were declared dead after their plane went missing. Eight years of trying to get her life back on track. Currently living with her father, who served in Iraq with her husband and brother, Kath has taken a year off from teaching to write a book - a dream of hers. Then the plane is found, a mysterious man asks her to visit at a funeral home, her brother is getting expensive gifts from an old acquaintance, and her phone rings - a voice from the past.
Set in and around Knoxville, TN (my hometown) I just had to read this. I love reading books that talk about the places I know. The story was a thrilling suspense with several twists that left me reading late last night to finish. I was bothered by several typos/errors that I stumbled on - I had to consciously make myself NOT re-read when I spotted one, but overall it was an enjoyable tale with a bit of history of the Iraq war thrown in.
Set in and around Knoxville, TN (my hometown) I just had to read this. I love reading books that talk about the places I know. The story was a thrilling suspense with several twists that left me reading late last night to finish. I was bothered by several typos/errors that I stumbled on - I had to consciously make myself NOT re-read when I spotted one, but overall it was an enjoyable tale with a bit of history of the Iraq war thrown in.
August 1, 2020
This was a very gripping reading.
Eight years ago, Kathy Kelly lost her husband Jack and two children to a plane crash. Now the plane is found, but there are no other bodies apart from the pilot's bones. Did Jack and her children survive?
She has to go through hell again emotionally with all the secret services in the neck.
History jumps from today back to the past and back to today. It shows Kathy's family life, which has been shaped by the military since childhood. Not only was her father a senior military officer, so was her husband Jack and her brother. It tells about post-traumatic disorders about the returnees after an Iraq mission, but also about illegal machinations by the Gulf War veterans.
Will Kathy be able to hold her loved one in her arms again?
(4½)
Eight years ago, Kathy Kelly lost her husband Jack and two children to a plane crash. Now the plane is found, but there are no other bodies apart from the pilot's bones. Did Jack and her children survive?
She has to go through hell again emotionally with all the secret services in the neck.
History jumps from today back to the past and back to today. It shows Kathy's family life, which has been shaped by the military since childhood. Not only was her father a senior military officer, so was her husband Jack and her brother. It tells about post-traumatic disorders about the returnees after an Iraq mission, but also about illegal machinations by the Gulf War veterans.
Will Kathy be able to hold her loved one in her arms again?
(4½)
October 27, 2017
This is possibly the worst book Glenn Meade has ever written, and I have read all of them. The plot was good enough, and whenever it wasn't written in the first person, starring the heroine of the book, it was quite good. But, the first person sections almost seemed as though they were written by another writer. The childish, emotive, garbage made me cringe so much I almost had to put the book down. This book reminded me of some books I have read, where the author, having been successful in many novels, has gone back to the first book he ever wrote, which was not released at the time, and now released with perhaps a few updates/changes.
May 8, 2017
Although we've seen the basic plot line before (man disappears with/out kids but did he really die?) but Meade has updated it with an interesting topical twist. The Iraqi money and PTSD upped the game, even if the conspiracies were a bit much. Kathy is a very complex character and Meade gives us a lot (maybe too much) insight into her thought process. This is a well written novel but it would have benefited from another edit to tighten it up a bit. Thanks to edelweiss for the ArC. You'll like this if you enjoy mystery thrillers with a woman seeking the truth.
March 19, 2021
Popsugar 2021: book set somewhere I’d like to visit. My husband and I would like to visit all the National Parks, and while we may not get to Great Smoky Mountain Park this year, we will someday. This book isn’t set IN the park, but in surrounding areas, so I am counting it for now. Though I have to say I almost gave up on it within the first 100 pages. The writing kind of annoyed me but the story/plot was awesome. So the 4 stars apply to the plot and I would say 3 stars for the sometimes overly descriptive and repetitive writing.
September 27, 2017
Glenn Meade's "Snow Wolf" is one of my all time favorites books, so I was super excited to read this. It was interesting and the level of research impressive. I had no real knowledge of the corruption during the Iraq war. After reading this I was shocked at the waste. Kind of a page turner, but there are too many widow stories where the husband supposedly dies in a plane crash. I'll read his next book in the hopes it's as good as "Snow Wolf!"
September 5, 2018
This is the first of Glenn’s books I have read and I will certainly be reading more of them.
I was quickly drawn into the story and loved the many twists and turns throughout.
A real page-turner that I just could not put down. I don’t usually venture into this genre but have been very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it and now I have a whole range of new choices for my next read. It will definitely be one of Glenn’s!
I was quickly drawn into the story and loved the many twists and turns throughout.
A real page-turner that I just could not put down. I don’t usually venture into this genre but have been very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it and now I have a whole range of new choices for my next read. It will definitely be one of Glenn’s!
February 12, 2017
An engrossing, pulse-pounding thriller that brings to the center the sufferings of our soldiers returning from the Iraq war and their battles with PTSD, wrapped around the theft of priceless artifacts and billions of dollars from war-torn Iraq. Another high octane story from one of the best in the genre.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
August 21, 2017
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer and your family even closer.
I have mixed reviews.
Started off strong but finished with a whimper.
Kathy sure went through a lot but all that internal dialogue bogged down the book.
Just didn't buy the whole plot and motives.
Just an ok beach book.
I have mixed reviews.
Started off strong but finished with a whimper.
Kathy sure went through a lot but all that internal dialogue bogged down the book.
Just didn't buy the whole plot and motives.
Just an ok beach book.
June 3, 2020
One of the worst Glenn Meade books out in the market. I was expecting a book full of events and action, instead it was constantly about Kath’s inner thoughts or her talking to herself about finding answers, endless mourning for her family...
It took forever for the events to unfold, and I have to admit I skipped lot of parts about Kath’s emotional suffering.
I expected more of this book..
It took forever for the events to unfold, and I have to admit I skipped lot of parts about Kath’s emotional suffering.
I expected more of this book..
June 1, 2024
This book has an interesting story. However, I found the telling of it very laborious and difficult to get through without skimming. To use the old adage, too much talk and not enough action. Additionally, the ending is not one of those feel good, happy moments because of the plot line and death of characters. For me, I’m sorry to say, it was just too long and too plodding.
August 27, 2017
"A smart, haunting thriller with bass reverb and a pounding heart....Meade writes with passionate intensity, transforming an unsolved mysterious plane crash, the repercussions of war, and a family with buried secrets into an enthralling literary ride....Meade is an storyteller master.”
June 11, 2018
I finished this because I thought it would redeem itself at the end. It did not..
Potboiler, cliffhanger chapters with questions unanswered over and over and over again. Poor researching, characters I stopped caring about, a mish-mash of plot.
Potboiler, cliffhanger chapters with questions unanswered over and over and over again. Poor researching, characters I stopped caring about, a mish-mash of plot.
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