Spectral Detective

Spectral Detective #1

by David Bussell

Previously published as "Fresh Hell".

What happens when an exorcist who spent a lifetime banishing ghosts gets murdered and becomes one?
When Jake Fletcher died, he discovered a horrible truth: the method he was using to send souls to the afterlife wasn’t sending them to a better place…
It was obliterating them.
To atone for his mortal sins, he becomes a spectral detective; a phantom PI who helps restless spirits depart the earthly plane by bringing their killers to justice.
His latest job is no open-and-shut case though. The ghost of a dead woman needs his help to pass on to the other side, but for that to happen, Jake will have to defeat a demon.
Does he have what it takes to send this killer back to Hell, or is another soul about to be lost forever?


Note: All of the books in the Spectral Detective series can be read as standalone novels.

Series was originally titled "Ghosted".

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Fiction

148 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

​David Bussell is a best-selling British author renowned for his contributions to the urban fantasy genre. He is the co-creator of the Uncanny Kingdom, a series that explores a secret Britain teeming with paranormal suspense stories. His notable works include the "Spectral Detective" series. David's writing prowess has been recognized with the P.G. Wodehouse New Comic Writer Award. Beyond his literary achievements, he is an avid fencer, a lover of synthwave music, and a committed comic book fan.

Reviews

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The blurb to this one interested me, but I had a hard time connecting to the story and a bit bored while reading. I'm giving up about 35% in. The one thing that I did really love about this one was how Jake "used" his childhood bully's body when he needed to be corporeal and often left him in bad situations just to screw with him. Ahhh, karma, it's a bitch! In the end though, this one wasn't for me.

[Shervin Jamali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allow me to introduce to you the British Harry Dresden, except his name is Jake Fletcher. While there are similarities between the two; they are both PIs that delve in the Arcane, what might make Fletcher slightly more interesting than Jim Butcher's renowned protagonist, is the fact that he is dead. Yes, Fletcher is a ghost with sins to atone for, solving cases whilst helping the spirits of the victims move on to the Afterlife, armed with acerbic wit and occasional poor judgement. The writing is strong, the story well paced and engaging; the fact that I finished it in three sittings is a testament to that. I look forward to more from this author and his series.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

With an out of the ordinary plot, witty one liners, and a genuinely likable main character, this is well deserving of 5 stars.

[Cailin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best ghost detective you'll ever read about!

I received an ARC of the expanded Spectral Detective and I stand by my orginal five star review. In fact, I would give the new version an additional five stars as well. 10 big gold stars all the way!

This book is one unique and intriguing experience you won't soon forget! If I cant find the fountain of youth or become a vampire, I definitely wanna be pals with Jake Fletcher when I bite it.

Jake Fletcher, our hero, is a ghost P.I. spending his afterlife helping to solve murders and give other ghostly souls some peace. In this well written and macabre mystery adventure you'll find an entire interesting and memorable cast of characters, surprising twists and turns, good guys with grit, baddies with gutsy moves, and a front row seat to Jake snarking his way in and out of trouble with practiced ease. This expanded version packs an even bigger punch, so even if you previously read Spectral Detective you should really give this version a read. You will not be disappointed.

Seriously, if you want to read a supernatural mystery that is anything but average you cannot do any better than a book set in the Uncanny Kingdom. Try this one today, I dare you.

[David Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great start to a series. My second taste of the Uncanny Kingdom authors shows that the fun continues in ghostly fashion.

Jake Fletcher is dead. He used to be a Detective, until he met his demise in a really nasty way (Read Deathday). Now he continues his work as a ghost detective, trying to make up for some mistakes he made in his previous life as a part time exorcist. His cases are anything but normal, and his encounters are pretty violent. Add to this some great attitude, snarky humour and larger than life (or should that be death), interactions with some very colourful characters, and you have the basic outline for this book. He is still learning as he goes and testing out his skills, so things don't always go according to plan.

This is a really funny, fast paced book. Jake is a likeable, slightly sketchy character who blags his way as much as he plans things, and you will enjoy following him on his mission to redeem himself.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghosts for ghosts rights

This was a nice quirk on the supernatural with a ghost leading the way in a very irreverent fashion- all while knowing there is assuredly something at the end of the line to be reverent about.

Five years after the 'prologue' mini story (which I highly recommend reading, both for enjoyable story and for knowing exactly who and what Jake is) Jake has a whole PI supernatural business going on. Yet he has always worked on run of the mill cases, murders and such where all involved were human. Now he stumbles upon a murder that isn decidedly Unusual with a skinned corpse. On top of that the Almighty has finally decided to track him down for his little running away rebellion and is ready to make him pay up his bill. Jake needs to solve the case and keep the Unusual in its place if he's going to stay down on the earthly plane.

Jake is wry and sarcastic, unable to respond to danger with anything other than a joke and a scramble for a weapon. This light behaviour makes a read both amusing and fast paced. Jake keeps things interesting as the narrator with a humour born from a keen sense of his own mortality.

One thing that did irk me early on in the book was the reaction to the murder victim. It turns out our corpse was a big time model. Jake is surprised by that and wants to solve the case- sure, that makes sense. But when he gets tracked down by an angel (?) he gets given a pass for a week because he is trying to help a model. Really? The idea that an angel, or whatever it was, would see a model as more worth saving than anybody else just seemed beyond ridiculous and I felt that it should have be revisited, but it apparently was genuine. An entirely different twist happens that was great, but that angel bothered me to the end.

[Stan Hutchings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake Fletcher AKA The Polterguy. Now that he's dead, decides to atone for his sins as an exorcist while alive by helping souls find release from their earthly bonds as ghosts. This entails finding the murderers, and helping the police solve the crime. Which frees the soul. Jake should be so lucky! His murderer was found, but Jake still has to "clear his record" by helping souls in need, before he dare face Him for judgment. The prequel, "Deathday", introduces Jake Fletcher and his unique detective skills as a resident of the Uncanny Kingdom, which is congruent to Camden, but invisible to (most) humans. "Spectral Detective" takes place five years later, so it would be good to have read "Deathday" first to understand how Jake got to his present spectral state. There are references to his previous adventures as a ghost, and further interactions with DCI Kat Stronge and her partner DI Maddox while embodied in (as 'in possession of') his former tormenter and all-around bad guy Mark Ryan (how else could a ghost communicate with the mortal realm?). In his investigation of brutal murders, Jake comes up against a demon and almost dies for a second time. The action is fast-paced, the dialog is humorous, liberally sprinkled with wit, and fun to read. I'll certainly be back for more of Jake and his investigations. It would be helpful to keep a tab open to Rhyming Slang or urbandictionary.com to decipher the many phrases that sound like a foreign language to non-London folk. Some can be guessed from context, others are a bit more opaque.

[d.mcnicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book! That's where I'll begin my review. The story introduced Jake Fletcher, who's actually dead! He's ghost is solving crimes, trying to get into the Lords good graces and save his own soul. Apparently, he was a rather naughty boy when alive but it was all unintentional. What I liked about this story most was the fact it was light hearted as well as being rather gruesome. I enjoyed Jake's tongue in cheek attitude and his charm. It was also set in places that are in my own neck of the woods, so to speak. The characters in the story really come alive and it was so easy to picture them. It's intriguing to think of a secret world within our own, where all the nightmare creatures live. I'm so glad I took a chance and decided to read David Bussell's book. I will definitely be reading more. Very entertaining.

[MRS G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake Fletcher - what a guy! What a ghost! OMG I laughed all the way through this book. It's super sharp and punchy. Packed to overflowing with hilarious come backs and one liners! There's so much action, you'll need a holiday to recover!

It's exactly as you would expect from the Uncanny series - INCREDIBLY BRILLIANT!!

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fresh Hell, the first book in the Ghosted series (though it actually follows the excellent prequel Deathday which you can get free from the author), is set in David Bussell and MV Stott's wonderful "Uncanny Kingdom" urban fantasy universe. I'm just coming off a reading-high from books in a related series, the London Coven books (by MV Stott), so I expected good things. Boy oh boy was that expectation met.

I love the whole concept of an ex-exorcist phantom, providing PI services to lost souls with the aim of solving their cases so that they can "pass on to the other side". Jake Fletcher is a fantastic (if nicely flawed) character and Fresh Hell easily passes what I call my "Dresden Test" both as a book (is it as good as the average Dresden book) and in terms of the starring character (how does that lead stack up against Harry D). I think my key word here is "top notch" as that describes the overall writing quality, the lead and supporting characters (and I love the snarky dialogue deployed at times), plot (fast paced and with appropriate thrills and adventure, twists and turns) and, as mentioned, the Uncanny Kingdom world built for the characters to play in (including the magic system that allows Jake to occasionally take over of other bodies - at times with pretty funny consequences).

Bottom line is that this book is wonderfully written true snarky fun, and highly recommended.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake Fletcher is a ghost on a mission. In life, he exorcized spirits, mistakenly believing that he was helping them move on. Unfortunately, after he's murdered and becomes a ghost himself, Jake finds out his exorcisms were a bit more permanent. Now, he dedicates his undead hours to helping earthbound souls find their true eternal reward as penance.

In the past five years, he's learned some tricks. Jake is a huge fan of telephones but occasionally hijacks the body of his childhood nemesis when acting as a paranormal consultant on police cases...in the service of karma, of course. Madame Olena, a perceptive and talented living magician acts as Jake's "Q", lending him nifty gadgets to help with investigations (ode to James Bond).

Jake's current mission? Solve the grisly murder of a supermodel...and he has a 7 day "deadline." Turns out, his 5-year earthbound stint has not gone unnoticed by some judgy celestial beings intent on forcing Jake's long-delayed judgement day. Solving this case might win him a reprieve.

Warning-contains excessive amounts of dry British humor.

I read the prequel, Deathday, before Fresh Hell, which really set me up to understand Jake's background. Not required, but highly recommended.

[Holly Booms Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've been looking for the next Harry Dresden-esque favorite, check out this series starring Jake Fletcher. Like most urban fantasy, we are shown the contemporary world (London, in this case) with the Uncanny (magical) world that exists right alongside the human one without humans ever really noticing. The thing that sets this story apart is its flavor of film noir detective story as well. Our MC is smart-talking, a little jaded, and of course, he agrees to take the case for the mysterious hot dame in distress. (We all know how dangerous that is!) The writing is fast and funny, with dialogue full of one-liners but not enough to make you dislike the MC, a cast of imaginative characters and a fully developed magical world, and plot twists and red herrings a-plenty. I love the character arc that Fletcher undergoes as he settles into his new existence with a new moral compass.

The narrator, Mark Restuccia, did a great job with Jake's wry humor and pacing, though he struggled a bit more with some of the other characters' accents. He handles female characters well, and he's enjoyable to listen to. The Audio quality is excellent as well.

Note: I got a copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Katheyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Spectral Detective” is the first full instalment in the eponymous series by David Bussel, an excellent, uncanny, dark, very dark, even more funny series, that weaves elements of urban fantasy, procedural, light horror, and dark humor to an interesting, twisted story, that captivates from the very first page.

Jake Fletcher died at the end of a very, very bad day (event depicted in the prequel ‘Deathday’), and found himself stuck in the in-between, after learning of his past mistakes, because Jake method to redeem souls, while working as an exorcist, was flawless and instead sending them into the happy afterlife, the souls were annihilated. Now that Jake himself is dead, he has to atone for those mistakes, if he ever wishes to cross into the afterlife himself. How do you atone for that, might you ask? Simple , by finding the killers of those restless spirits also stuck in the in-between and bring their killers to justice. You might also note, I said ‘simple’, not ‘easy”.

This is a very dark, very funny story, gore galore with a very generous serving of British humour. It might be an acquired taste, but once acquired is a wonderful taste.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unapologetically British paranormal murder mystery with a bit of a procedural/noir feel and generous amounts of dark, irreverent, often self-deprecating humor. Jake Fletcher is the kind of guy who means well, but doesn't always quite get it right, which gets him in a bit of hot water. He's going to have to pull it together for this case though, because the clock is ticking and solving this one isn't just about getting justice for the victim, his own fate is on the line.

The narrative style in this book is a bit stream of consciousness and not always entirely reliable. Jake does get to the point, but breaks the 4th wall on the way there and sometimes goes of on some odd tangents. The jokes dont' stop no matter how dark, dangerous, or macabre the situation. And he is good at diving in headfirst and figuring out what is going on later.

This is the first book in the Spectral Detective series, there are a few references to other books in the Uncanny Kingdom as well as events from the prequel, but the story is self-contained and you don't need to have read any of those to enjoy this book. There is a good twist at the end of the book for the next in the series, but no cliff hanger.

[Kate Wendley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun, punchy story. Jake Fletcher was an exorcist in life, getting rid of ghosts in haunted houses. Now that he’s dead he realizes that instead of helping ghosts on their way to their next stage in life he was actually obliterating their souls. Deciding to make things right, he uses his knowledge of magic and possession to solve murders and *actually* help lost souls find their way to the great beyond.

This story had me laughing out loud. Between Jake’s biting sense of humor and his reasoning for who he uses as a ‘meat puppet’ when he needs a physical body to possess and walk around in, I couldn’t read this book fast enough. And as soon as I was done, I downloaded the prequel and read that as well. If you’re a fan of Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden books, this will be right up your alley. My only complaint was that the story was over too fast! Would love to see a longer book in this series.

[Michele Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great addition to the Uncanny Kingdom books. In this book, former exorcist, ghost/paranormal investigator, Jake Fletcher, tries to help the local police catch a killer who skins the first victim and eats the hearts and souls out of subsequent victims. Looks like a demon summoning gone wrong and Jake has to use his paranormal contacts and knowledge to try to catch the psycho before they kill again.

I loved the comedy in this story, and the phrases that were used cracked me up. The main character is a self proclaimed sinner who had made many mistakes while still breathing. In his afterlife, he is trying to even up the slate, or get some of the red out, before his judgement day. This book had exciting turns of events, who-done-its, and great peeks into the things that go bump in the night in the Uncanny Kingdom. Look forward to hearing about Jake's next chance to get rid of some of the red before his meeting with his maker.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 stars. This is a review for all three books.
They were a fast, fun read. The plot and the world building was interesting and creative, although if you aren’t familiar with London (I’m not) a fair amount of the geographical references will not make much sense. The irreverent humour was the best part of the books.

My main dissatisfaction with the books is that I didn’t really get to know any of the other characters outside of the MC. They were at best roughly sketched out and most of them were fairly tropey. Ironically, the character that was the best characterized was Jake’s dead father who appeared for, at most, a chapter.

My other nit-pick with the book is that the author felt the need to explain the “rules” of the world and the MC’s circumstances in each book (and each time we met a recurring character) this led me to start skimming and jarred me out of the story each time it happened.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite being dead, Jake Fletcher is not ready to move on to the afterlife but stays in London to help other ghosts move on, trying to cancel out the red in his ledger. He is sarcastic and funny, whether he is fighting wizards or demons or helping out the police in his own inimitable style. He has help from a new friend he has nicknamed Jazz Hands and their interaction is brilliant.
The story is fast, full of twists and turns and hugely entertaining. It is new and unpredictable.
The book is well-written in proper English (not American English) and full of cultural references that I got and which added to my enjoyment. The writers are definitely on my wave length and I love them for that.
I received an Advance Reader's Copy but this review is my own opinion and is not influenced by the author.

[A' · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first real story 5yrs after Jake Fletcher ‘escaped’ from his final judgement day. The cast of characters for this part of Uncanny London have come together in this story. While Jake tries to cleanse his own soul from the mistakes he made by helping others cross over, the detectives, his friend the witch, his old school bully and the local crime boss all have roles to play as he tries to find out who skinned a local model and is killing a group of magicians. There’s lots of British slang, but you can look it up or extrapolate from the story for meanings. Although it seems that Jake is always looking out for his own ‘soul', he really does want to help others as his way of redeeming himself. He’s not just a ghost, he really is uncanny! I enjoyed this story and have started the next in the series.
** I received a copy of this story for an honest [always] review **

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a hysterical book. It was well written and full of wise crack jokes and a few scenes that made me really laugh out loud. The book is fast paced and full of action throughout the whole story. We are introduced to Jake a dead PI trying to earn brownie points before he has to face the "Big Guy" upstairs. Although Jake is a ghost he can possess people when he has to, leading to quite a few funny scenes. Some of his contacts on the street are alive and some are dead but all are a hoot. Jake keeps a dialogue going throughout the book that lets us know what he is thinking as he tries to solve the poor murder of the skinned victim. In other words I found this book to be very hysterical and worth a read.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one awesome and unique story in the Uncanny Kingdom. If you loved the Harry Dresden series you will love this urban fantasy. Jake Fletcher is an unusual PI as he is a ghost who is trying to earn points with the "Big Guy" for things he did in life as an exorcist (was unknowingly destroying their souls). This is excellently written and very funny in arears when Jake needs to take over a human body (his "Meat Suit") when he wants to interact with the living. His snarkiness is fantastic and some of his associates are a real hoot. This is a story that I highly recommend. Received an ARC and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty fun ride of a story. Along with its serious side. Well written and keeps the attention and imagination very well.
An exorcist gets murdered and learns the truth of what happens to ghosts when you exorcise them. Believing all along he was helping them to get to a better place when in fact he was obliterating them into nothingness. Faced with the pearly gates he chooses to atone for his sins believeing he would not be allowed to enter until done so. Becoming a spectral detective he inhabits bodies he calls meat puppets to solve murders and bring perpetrators to justice to help lingering ghosts to move on in the hopes they reach that better place.

[Christine Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake Fletcher is dead. As an exorcist, he’d banished a lot of ghosts. But he didn’t know that he wasn’t supposed to be doing that until after he died. Now he’s a ghost and he’s got to figure out how to make it up. And that makes for some awesome adventures. This is a supernatural detective story and is the first in this series (there is a prequel). It’s a hell of a ride, snarky and sarcastic and absolutely engaging. An urban fantasy must read for anyone who likes that genre. And maybe for a few who don’t.

[Kriselda Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in "Ghosted," one of the (so far) three series that Genre Reader has that are set in its "Uncanny Kingdom." (The others are "The London Coven" and "Dark Lakes," if your curious. I haven't started Dark Lakes yet, but London Coven has been excellent so far.)

Jake is a fairly recently deceased ex-exorcist who hadn't realized that when he was exorcising ghosts from haunted houses or other places ghosts shouldn't be he was completely destroying their very essence rather than sending them on to their eternal rest, and had no idea just how much that would puss the Big Guy off. So now he's trying to help with solving paranormaly-related crimes and get rid of a bunch of bad spirits to try and make up for his quite inadvertent bad deeds so he'll have a chance at going Up when his time to leave Earth finally comes.

As with all of the Uncanny Kingdom books I've read so far, this is a great mix of laughs and thrills. Jake can be quite the rascal, but he's still got a bit of the romantic in him (even if there's no romance to be had) and usually tries to do the right thing. His friendship with Jazz Hands is adorable. There are a number of twists in the book - one of which was telegraphed a bit early, so the reveal want as surprising when it came - but the rest were well done and provided the intended shock. The story moves at a fast pace, and the characters are well developed.

If you're looking for a really fun read, give this a try!

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read. Jake Fletcher, the Spectral Detective in this paranormal mystery, was an exorcist whilst alive. Now, as a ghost, he realizes the error of his ways and is trying to redeem himself. The things he does as he tries to solves the murders that are happening is hilarious. The storyline is good and I loved the characters in this, at times, very funny book. It had me laughing out loud. I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

[Helen Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Promising start to a new series. I love finding Urban Fantasy set in the U.K. It makes a refreshing change. It's quick and clever, and my only criticism is that it's far too short! It is a quick read, and although it does rip along at a right old pace, at no point did I get that 'bored so I'm finishing writing it quickly' feeling. It's as long as it needs to be, it's just I enjoyed it so much I wanted more.

[Sean Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know if I'd like Jake Fletcher after briefly encountering him in the London Coven series, but I clicked with him straight away. Dying has required a career change for Jake, from small-time exorcist to private homicide investigator, working on behalf of the recently dead. Spectral Detective is a fun, fast-paced read, and a great addition to the Uncanny Kingdom universe.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake Fletcher has been trying to stay off the radar of the big man upstairs so he can atone for some of his sins in life before his judgement. When a skinned corpse is found our spectral detective is just the man, sorry, ghost for the case.
Awesome story with a twist I didn’t see coming. Jake’s character is sarcastic and humorous which makes him relatable and very likeable.

[Sherri Shade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh & Funny as Hell.

I'm kinda crushing on Jake Fletcher, a loveable loser in life & a would be hero in death. I really enjoy reading this series so far, hope it continues for quite some time.

[Patricia Stover Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book with this author and will not be my last. He kept a good pace, the characters were nicely fleshed out and though it seems like it took me a long time to read, it didn't. I just did not update on Goodreads. I recommend it to everyone.