What do you think?
Rate this book
Ebenezer
John Wick meets Charles Dickens in this gripping crime thriller.
After assassinating the developer of the 3 Gh05t5 virus intended to cripple the economy, hitman Ebenezer Scrooge is forced by Jake Marley - the mentor he murdered - to reevaluate the choices that led him to work for the Bleak House Syndicate. As Ebenezer delves deeper into his own past, will he find redemption or be damned to relive brutal childhood traumas for eternity?
On Black Friday, the lines between Good and Evil, hero and villain blur in this gripping modern crime thriller adaptation of Charles Dickens's timeless classic, A Christmas Carol.
After assassinating the developer of the 3 Gh05t5 virus intended to cripple the economy, hitman Ebenezer Scrooge is forced by Jake Marley - the mentor he murdered - to reevaluate the choices that led him to work for the Bleak House Syndicate. As Ebenezer delves deeper into his own past, will he find redemption or be damned to relive brutal childhood traumas for eternity?
On Black Friday, the lines between Good and Evil, hero and villain blur in this gripping modern crime thriller adaptation of Charles Dickens's timeless classic, A Christmas Carol.
147 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2018
9 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Duncan Ralston
76 books2,094 followers**CVLT: Lonely Motel Book 3 out now!!!**
**Sequel to the hit novel PUZZLE HOUSE coming Winter 2026**
Author of the cult smash-hit Woom and Ghostland and more than 15 other books that aren't the cult smash-hit Woom or Ghostland. His debut collection was blurbed positively by the legendary Jack Ketchum. His vampire novel, Pedo Island Bloodbath, was nominated for a 2024 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novel. His horror-thriller Ghostland will soon be a board game from Crystal Lake Publishing.
For 10 FREE dark fiction short stories/novellas including the prequel to GHOSTLAND, "The Moving House," signed copies of Woom, bookplates and merch, please visit www.duncanralston.com.
Photo © Josh Silver 2015
**Sequel to the hit novel PUZZLE HOUSE coming Winter 2026**
Author of the cult smash-hit Woom and Ghostland and more than 15 other books that aren't the cult smash-hit Woom or Ghostland. His debut collection was blurbed positively by the legendary Jack Ketchum. His vampire novel, Pedo Island Bloodbath, was nominated for a 2024 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novel. His horror-thriller Ghostland will soon be a board game from Crystal Lake Publishing.
For 10 FREE dark fiction short stories/novellas including the prequel to GHOSTLAND, "The Moving House," signed copies of Woom, bookplates and merch, please visit www.duncanralston.com.
Photo © Josh Silver 2015
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 5, 2022
I'd go 4.5 stars here. I've read Dicken's Christmas Carol and seen so many interpretations on the silver screen. The story is just timeless. So to approach it with a complete reimagining is a tall task and very risky move, but Duncan Ralston nailed it. I enjoyed each of the twists on the original, ranging from Ebenezer now being a hitman to being mentored in an altered state by his old friend, Jacob Marley. They visit the various, yet defining, moments in Ebenezer's life between seeing his parents die, to living in a foster home, his strained relationship with Aria, and even beginning his tenure with the Bleak House. Lots of action, but with a lot of heart, too. Each kill was significant in its own way, and there weren't any faceless or meaningless victims. So that was wonderfully done. My only critiques were that I wanted to know more about the Bleak House syndicate and get a little more development to various parts of the story. It was only about 140 pages, and if it jumped to maybe 160-180, I think it would have allowed everything to open up a bit more, and fine-tune anything that wasn't already fully established. But I had a great time here, and, having now read my first Duncan Ralston book, look forward to more from him.
December 23, 2020
This was a twisted modern tale of the man Ebenezer Scrooge and it only comes out of the mind, author, Duncan Ralston!
A small backstory:
A hitman by the name of Ebenezer Scrooge killed a friend by the name of Jake Marley and now Jake comes back to haunt him as he appears to Ebenezer as a ghost.
Ebenezer tries to kill Jake again but since he is a ghost nothing happens, but in the process of trying to take Jake out, Ebenezer makes a costly mistake which he ends up knocking on death's door and this is where the adventure begins as Jake takes Ebenezer on a trip into the past showing him the different paths that Ebenezer took on his journey up to the time of killing Jake. That is about all I can give without spoilers so you will just have to read the book!
Thoughts:
This was definitely a cool modern adaption of the story " A Christmas Carol" from Charles Dickens, but the author, Duncan Ralston adds his own twist and touch making this story a very unique crime thriller.
There is no horror within these pages, so if you think you will be finding what you normally do when reading a Duncan Ralston book - this isn't it. The same pace and action with the same writing style of this author is still there, but you just are not going to find the extreme blood splatter that is normally associated with his work.
I like crime thrillers and I like reading different types of books that have different twists to the storylines so this was perfect for me as I just love dipping my toes into different types of stories!
I still loved this story though as it captured the essence of the background of the hitman, Ebenezer and what he went through on his journey into the past. Giving this book five "scrooge" stars!
A small backstory:
A hitman by the name of Ebenezer Scrooge killed a friend by the name of Jake Marley and now Jake comes back to haunt him as he appears to Ebenezer as a ghost.
Ebenezer tries to kill Jake again but since he is a ghost nothing happens, but in the process of trying to take Jake out, Ebenezer makes a costly mistake which he ends up knocking on death's door and this is where the adventure begins as Jake takes Ebenezer on a trip into the past showing him the different paths that Ebenezer took on his journey up to the time of killing Jake. That is about all I can give without spoilers so you will just have to read the book!
Thoughts:
This was definitely a cool modern adaption of the story " A Christmas Carol" from Charles Dickens, but the author, Duncan Ralston adds his own twist and touch making this story a very unique crime thriller.
There is no horror within these pages, so if you think you will be finding what you normally do when reading a Duncan Ralston book - this isn't it. The same pace and action with the same writing style of this author is still there, but you just are not going to find the extreme blood splatter that is normally associated with his work.
I like crime thrillers and I like reading different types of books that have different twists to the storylines so this was perfect for me as I just love dipping my toes into different types of stories!
I still loved this story though as it captured the essence of the background of the hitman, Ebenezer and what he went through on his journey into the past. Giving this book five "scrooge" stars!
October 4, 2023
Enthralling
What a great read, thoroughly enjoyed the whole storyline with the reference to the names from A Christmas Carol and how the characters intertwined with each other. My favourite character of course is Ebenezer. How the whole story evolves in a twisted macabre way, that has you enthralled. Triggering senses of anger, joy, disappointment and lots more. Yet heightening your need to read more. A great inspiring read. Definitely recommend 100%
What a great read, thoroughly enjoyed the whole storyline with the reference to the names from A Christmas Carol and how the characters intertwined with each other. My favourite character of course is Ebenezer. How the whole story evolves in a twisted macabre way, that has you enthralled. Triggering senses of anger, joy, disappointment and lots more. Yet heightening your need to read more. A great inspiring read. Definitely recommend 100%
May 13, 2018
A modern style remake of Charles Dickens’s, A Christmas Carol, with as expected, the main character being named Ebenezer Scrooge. After his latest ‘job’ assassinating an IT software developer, who had managed to develop a virus that would end the wealth of the few!
He got to the top, having killed all he was told to by his anonymous employers at Bleak House. After this last hit, he is visited by his old mentor, who he murdered to rise up the ladder, to re-evaluate his life. His past, present and future are shown to him as he accompanies his old, yet dead, mentor, with himself as a ghostly presence. It’s Black Friday, consumers are looking for bargains and the economy is spiking!
The tale of his past and how Ebenezer came to be in the position he is in, now in the present, and what effect his actions will have on the few people he used to know and care for. A retake of Scrooge tales of old and the more modern films we are familiar with such as Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. A good way of bringing this tale to the future, possible redemption of an assassin. From his beginnings and where he started to be shaped into the person he is in the present and what he needs to change if he wants to redeem himself.
I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
He got to the top, having killed all he was told to by his anonymous employers at Bleak House. After this last hit, he is visited by his old mentor, who he murdered to rise up the ladder, to re-evaluate his life. His past, present and future are shown to him as he accompanies his old, yet dead, mentor, with himself as a ghostly presence. It’s Black Friday, consumers are looking for bargains and the economy is spiking!
The tale of his past and how Ebenezer came to be in the position he is in, now in the present, and what effect his actions will have on the few people he used to know and care for. A retake of Scrooge tales of old and the more modern films we are familiar with such as Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. A good way of bringing this tale to the future, possible redemption of an assassin. From his beginnings and where he started to be shaped into the person he is in the present and what he needs to change if he wants to redeem himself.
I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
May 14, 2018
When author Duncan Ralston asked if I would like a copy of his new novella in return for an honest review, naturally, I said “Yes.” When he also told me that it was basically a mixture of John Wick and A Christmas Carol I was even more excited to get reading.
The story tells of a man called Ebenezer Scrooge (not his real name) who works as an assassin for a syndicate known as Bleak House; a shadowy clandestine organisation with a predilection for giving its members codenames based on Dickensian Characters and for controlling various aspects of society by having people killed who they consider to be detrimental to their goals.
Much like A Christmas Carol, Marley is dead to begin with. After that Ebnezer encounters Marley’s ghost and starts to relieve various aspects of his life and how he came to be part of the Bleak House organisation.
Also in a similar vein to A Christmas Carol, the story is written in the style of a narrator, which admittedly took me a few pages to get into but once I did I really dug the style which not only was a nod to Dickens, but it worked really well with Ebenezer’s no nonsense, professional attitude. There’s are a few references to Dickens scattered throughout the book, with one of my favourites being Marley’s comment about being “a bit of underdone potato,” was not only a nice little reference, but was also pretty funny too.
In fact, on the subject of Marley, the cantankerous old bugger nearly steals the show with some of the best lines in story. His particularly insightful, yet crude observation on young love was among my favourite lines in the book.
The story is different to anything Duncan has written before (at least in so far as what I’ve previously read of his work) but I really enjoyed it and it’s nice to see an author try something new.
One thing I should mention are the colloquialisms in Marley’s speech. Not that I’m overly familiar with cockney patois, but it suited the character perfectly. The only issue that stood out for me was when Marley called someone a “minge” which is something I’ve not heard used as an insult between males before. I’d have gone with Tw@. (Hopefully my attempt at censorship will make it through.) But that is a really pedantic quibble on my part and nothing that deters from the story as a whole.
To balance things out I’ll switch to Duncan’s native Canadian as I round things off to tell you that I this book is aboot a hitman, is the perfect accompaniment to your Kraft dinner and is well worth a few loonie eh?
For everyone else; I found the book really enjoyable and highly recommend it. It’s unique and tells an interesting and entertaining story which never gets bogged down or becomes boring.
Also I apologise to Canadians everywhere for my terrible stereotyping.
The story tells of a man called Ebenezer Scrooge (not his real name) who works as an assassin for a syndicate known as Bleak House; a shadowy clandestine organisation with a predilection for giving its members codenames based on Dickensian Characters and for controlling various aspects of society by having people killed who they consider to be detrimental to their goals.
Much like A Christmas Carol, Marley is dead to begin with. After that Ebnezer encounters Marley’s ghost and starts to relieve various aspects of his life and how he came to be part of the Bleak House organisation.
Also in a similar vein to A Christmas Carol, the story is written in the style of a narrator, which admittedly took me a few pages to get into but once I did I really dug the style which not only was a nod to Dickens, but it worked really well with Ebenezer’s no nonsense, professional attitude. There’s are a few references to Dickens scattered throughout the book, with one of my favourites being Marley’s comment about being “a bit of underdone potato,” was not only a nice little reference, but was also pretty funny too.
In fact, on the subject of Marley, the cantankerous old bugger nearly steals the show with some of the best lines in story. His particularly insightful, yet crude observation on young love was among my favourite lines in the book.
The story is different to anything Duncan has written before (at least in so far as what I’ve previously read of his work) but I really enjoyed it and it’s nice to see an author try something new.
One thing I should mention are the colloquialisms in Marley’s speech. Not that I’m overly familiar with cockney patois, but it suited the character perfectly. The only issue that stood out for me was when Marley called someone a “minge” which is something I’ve not heard used as an insult between males before. I’d have gone with Tw@. (Hopefully my attempt at censorship will make it through.) But that is a really pedantic quibble on my part and nothing that deters from the story as a whole.
To balance things out I’ll switch to Duncan’s native Canadian as I round things off to tell you that I this book is aboot a hitman, is the perfect accompaniment to your Kraft dinner and is well worth a few loonie eh?
For everyone else; I found the book really enjoyable and highly recommend it. It’s unique and tells an interesting and entertaining story which never gets bogged down or becomes boring.
Also I apologise to Canadians everywhere for my terrible stereotyping.
June 28, 2018
Bah Humbug
Unusual story about a man orphaned as a child learning to be a hit man for Bleak House, a secret organization. At Bleak House they favor Charles Dickens. Therefore, they call Simon, Ebenezer Scrooge. This book goes into some paranormal stuff that I don't understand. Not ghosts. But those recently dead are still around to see what the living are doing. But not able to interact with them. A little strange but an alright story.
Unusual story about a man orphaned as a child learning to be a hit man for Bleak House, a secret organization. At Bleak House they favor Charles Dickens. Therefore, they call Simon, Ebenezer Scrooge. This book goes into some paranormal stuff that I don't understand. Not ghosts. But those recently dead are still around to see what the living are doing. But not able to interact with them. A little strange but an alright story.
June 28, 2018
On the title page, not the cover, of Ebenezer by Duncan Ralston readers will find the following information: it is a Noir Crime Thriller and it is based on characters created by Charles Dickens. The 169-novelette published in 2018 is based on A Christmas Carol. And here is where assumptions can lead a reader astray. The cover is interesting with its hint of superspy 007. Just like one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, relying on the first few pages alone is also not reliable. In the first few pages, Ebenezer Scrooge and Marley appear as serious adversaries. My first reaction was Duncan Ralston endeavored to overcome writer’s block by choosing a classic to twist and bend a bit in pursuit of a mildly entertaining read. There is a lot more to this story than that. And it is more than mildly entertaining.
It is a challenge not to write spoilers for things that Duncan Ralston writes. I will refer to some events and characters and encourage readers to try it for themselves. On Amazon, it sells for USD 2.99 but I took advantage of Kindle Unlimited to read it for free. Ralston also writes in a genre I call extreme horror. This novel is not that. However, at the end of my Kindle edition, there is an invitation to his website. From there a reader can select several free stories to read in a browser, not a download. One of the stories was too extreme for me. By submitting an email address on Ralston’s website, the reader will receive a free copy of Where the Monsters Live: A Dark Revenge Thriller. I read Monsters and found it too extreme (pedophilia) for me to review.
It is not a spoiler to mention that Marley and Scrooge are professional assassins. Marley was Scrooge’s trainer and mentor when Scrooge, under a different name, was a teenager. As Scrooge grew up and established his own identity (Scrooge) he received an assignment to kill Marley. Both Scrooge and Marley worked for the same company but this is not a story of a big company avoiding pension payouts. Just because Marley is dead doesn’t mean he is through with Scrooge. Fans of Christmas Carol will have fun comparing updated characters with original Dickens characters. My favorite from the Ralston novel was the renovated Tiny Tim.
This can also be a novel of time travel because 1) ghosts do that and 2) that fits into the story on which this novel is based. There ARE the following elements: poverty, an orphanage, more than one long-running love story, and modern street gangs. There IS RARELY weird sex or gory violence. The absence of the last two elements made me check the author’s name to see if it was the same Ralston I had read previously in other stories.
And there are twists and surprises at the ending which make this an interesting read. I gave it four Amazon stars and will read almost anything Ralston writes. But I won’t review everything I read from him; I would have to sprinkle the review with trigger warnings.
It is a challenge not to write spoilers for things that Duncan Ralston writes. I will refer to some events and characters and encourage readers to try it for themselves. On Amazon, it sells for USD 2.99 but I took advantage of Kindle Unlimited to read it for free. Ralston also writes in a genre I call extreme horror. This novel is not that. However, at the end of my Kindle edition, there is an invitation to his website. From there a reader can select several free stories to read in a browser, not a download. One of the stories was too extreme for me. By submitting an email address on Ralston’s website, the reader will receive a free copy of Where the Monsters Live: A Dark Revenge Thriller. I read Monsters and found it too extreme (pedophilia) for me to review.
It is not a spoiler to mention that Marley and Scrooge are professional assassins. Marley was Scrooge’s trainer and mentor when Scrooge, under a different name, was a teenager. As Scrooge grew up and established his own identity (Scrooge) he received an assignment to kill Marley. Both Scrooge and Marley worked for the same company but this is not a story of a big company avoiding pension payouts. Just because Marley is dead doesn’t mean he is through with Scrooge. Fans of Christmas Carol will have fun comparing updated characters with original Dickens characters. My favorite from the Ralston novel was the renovated Tiny Tim.
This can also be a novel of time travel because 1) ghosts do that and 2) that fits into the story on which this novel is based. There ARE the following elements: poverty, an orphanage, more than one long-running love story, and modern street gangs. There IS RARELY weird sex or gory violence. The absence of the last two elements made me check the author’s name to see if it was the same Ralston I had read previously in other stories.
And there are twists and surprises at the ending which make this an interesting read. I gave it four Amazon stars and will read almost anything Ralston writes. But I won’t review everything I read from him; I would have to sprinkle the review with trigger warnings.
December 13, 2020
I love Dickens and I am happy to report how good this is. This is A Christmas Carol done in a modern dark noir format. A crime syndicate that gives each of its operatives a name from a classic Dickens novel and similar to A Christmas Carol you start off hating Ebenezer but slowly grow to like him and root for him. It was fun to see the names of all my beloved characters appear as new characters in this story.
This is a wonderful crime story that further shows Duncan Ralston's versatility. His writing style is natural and makes it easy to get lost in his many worlds.
This is a wonderful crime story that further shows Duncan Ralston's versatility. His writing style is natural and makes it easy to get lost in his many worlds.
January 1, 2024
This book does not disappoint. The author does a great job recreating the Dickens classic into an action packed thriller. The theme of revenge and greed are still present along with the choice to change his future. The ending was exciting and sad. But you understood why it had to end that way. Looking forward to read more of the author’s books I own. Highly recommend this quick read!
November 28, 2023
Very choppy story line and not a very good job developing any other characters besides Simon
December 3, 2023
Crazy retelling of A Christmas Carol. I enjoyed it. Loved all the Dickens character references.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews