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Ghost Finders #2

Ghost of a Smile

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The Ghost Finders answer a distress call from the private research center of one of the biggest drug companies in the world, where a team of police enforcement agents have vanished. They have no idea what they're facing-except a deadline that threatens to remove the entire building from existence if they fail to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Audiobook

First published January 1, 2011

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About the author

Simon R. Green

312 books3,229 followers
Simon Richard Green is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.

His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.

Excerpted from Wikipedia.

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5 stars
349 (21%)
4 stars
581 (35%)
3 stars
562 (34%)
2 stars
118 (7%)
1 star
33 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
Profile Image for سیده زهرا.
141 reviews26 followers
August 27, 2017
دقیقا مثل کتاب اول، پر هیجان و طناز. و البته با عقیده هایی که هیچ جوره با هیچ دینی جور در نمیان.
برای منی که فقط به دنبال هیجان کتاب های نویسنده هستم و از ماجراهای شگفت آورش لذت میبرم و جنبه های ضد دینش روم تاثیری نداره، خیلی جذابه. ولی قطعا برای یه نوجوان که متزلزل هست، میتونه افکارو به هم بریزه.
Profile Image for Emily Kestrel.
1,209 reviews78 followers
May 5, 2018
I've read a couple of Simon Green's books before, and I always end up thinking they would make really good movies. This one was no exception. He's a very visual author, with the sort of descriptions that provide vivid images for every scene, and this book consists of long action sequences alternating with lots of snarky banter between the characters. All the things that work quite well in a movie.

Unfortunately, in this case, it didn't work so well for me as a book. The banter and bickering got real old, real fast. It kind of shouldered out any actual character development. As far as I'm concerned, the characters can be summarized as: the cocky, over-confident one (JC), the neurotic one (Happy), the geeky girl who blurts out TMI about her sex life (Melody) and the manic pixie dream ghost (Kim). And in this case, the action sequences--if this were a movie--would be best suited to a campy B movie. Lots of violence, gore and cheap thrills, and very little actual tension.

It probably didn't help that I listened to this as an audio book. Hearing all the non stop bickering made me want to shout at the characters to just STFU. Green's not a terrible writer by any means, but this was my least favorite so far.
Profile Image for Thomas Baltes.
9 reviews4 followers
September 22, 2011
As far as Green's British horror fantasy world goes, the Ghost Hunters series has the most to offer the casual reader, lacking the depth of the Nightside series or the intricate plotting of the Secret Histories. The second entry into the series is no exception consisting of only two acts and a limited if central conflict, and characters that do not strain the author's writing abilities in the slightest. Sadly, I must say that this book acts as filler between the next Nightside novel and Secret Histories and while I enjoy much of Green's clever use of British Legend and his innate descriptive talent, this series could die a very quick and quiet death and few would lament its passing.
Profile Image for Eddie Hodges.
47 reviews
December 27, 2011
The second book in Simon Green's Ghostfinder series and while better than the first book in the series it's still a bit light. It's not bad, in fact, it was actually fun in places, but it's still trying to get its legs compared to Green's other series. The biggest problem is that the book seems to be written by a formula. At the beginning of a chapter the heroes are in danger, but save themselves with some quick thinking. Start the next chapter and the same thing happens until you get to the end of the book and our heroes face the big bad who often seems to be dispatched with not much more effort than the lesser villains.

The back and forth banter/arguing between the characters is one of Green's strengths, but even that seems to get repetitive after a while. You may not know exactly what each character is going to say, but you're sure of its general tone.There are places where it's still funny, but for the most part it's déjà vue all over again.

To me it feels as though Green doesn't take this series as serious as he does his other series; all of which are REALLY good and is just kind of throwing this series out there. Even if that's true though it's still kind of fun; very light reading, but fun. I just hope as the series goes on Green gives it a little more depth so it can become really good. Perhaps good enough to stand aside the Deathstalker series, the Nightside series and the Edwin Drood series; now that would be a reason to smile!
Profile Image for David Caldwell.
1,673 reviews35 followers
January 17, 2012
Have you seen those shows about ghosthunters?This is what they wished they were.

The fastest rising A-team of the Carnacki Institute are back. Again, they are facing off against forces that are well beyond them with no briefing and almost no tools or weapons.JC is still dealing with the changes he underwent in the first novel.Melody has to try to cope without all of her beloved tech.Happy Jack Palmer is trying to deal without his chemical support.Finally Kim,JC's ghost girlfriend,is along for the ride.A medical research facility has been tampering with things best left alone and know it is up to the team to straighten it all out.

This is only the second book in the series.The characters are still growing into themselves.Their relationships with each other is only growing stronger.The story is eerie and downright spooky at times.

There was a little confusing editing.Both the American and British version of numbering a building's floors were used.So at times, the same floor was called the third floor and the second floor.I rather enjoyed the British version, since it went so well with the other British slang and idioms used.If a story is set in London, with British characters, they shouldn't be speaking "American" English.
Profile Image for Craig.
6,917 reviews197 followers
March 31, 2019
This is the second volume in Green's Ghost Finders series, which features a team of three operatives from the brilliantly-named Carnacki Institute in their attempt to keep the world of the living safe from those who are not. I did not enjoy it as much as the first book, Ghost of a Chance, because I felt it really lagged in the middle. The first fifty pages were sort of a stand-alone adventure that was great, and the last fifty pages had the same feel in that they found things to be not as well wrapped-up as they thought from the middle section and had to re-resolve the situation and suffered a surprising loss. The middle hundred and seventy five pages, however, just involved them going from the ground floor to the top floor of a haunted building, and while the dialog was jaunty and clever, there just wasn't enough plot to justify the length. I'll give the third book a shot, though, just to find out if they can regain their lost comrade.
55 reviews8 followers
December 20, 2013
This actually managed to break out of some of the standard Simon R. Green writing and be genuinly scary at times. Often Green's own writing gets in the way of pushing the horror of a setting, but this time it worked very well. Overall I liked it a bit more than Ghost of a Chance and am looking forward to the next book. The long term plot arc is starting to unfold and it seems interesting. Although once again Green has decided to tie his worlds together. For good or ill, I haven't decided.
Profile Image for Alexander Draganov.
Author 30 books157 followers
September 12, 2011
Another great book by Mr. Green. JC and his team of Ghost Finders enter a building of an unethical medical firm, which has become a house of horrors. Green's unique sense of humour is keeping the story from becoming too horrific to enjoy and the plot twists in the end are unbelievable. Can't wait for book 3!
Profile Image for Bryn.
107 reviews5 followers
July 27, 2015
I really enjoy Simon Green's writing style. This reminds me of the Nightside novels and close to but just not quite as good. The characters are flawed and fun. The plot was interesting overall, even with my not having read the first book, but it did get just a bit repetitive when they started going up inside the building.
Profile Image for Stuart.
114 reviews6 followers
August 3, 2012
I've read a lot of Simon R. Green's work, and I have to finally say this: I'm done.

He revels in death and destruction, depravity and dementia...and there are just so many ways he can write about eviscerations, people being turned inside out, tortured, maimed, etc etc etc..and it just becomes one big repetitive narration. He's also gone to the "oh, it's so grotesque no human mind can hold onto the thought" wayyyyyyyyy too many times.

This series is just a rehash of all the same old, same old, with uninteresting characters who spout (and often re-spout the same things, in just different word configurations) with great pompous attitudes.

Give this a wide pass.
Profile Image for Loretta.
1,250 reviews12 followers
February 23, 2015
A true psychological paranormal mystery horror thriller! I swear there was an entire book in just he first chapter! I love how these guys power through their neuroses despite everything.
5,870 reviews144 followers
January 24, 2020
Ghost of a Smile is the second book in Ghost Finders series written by Simon R. Green. It stars a second string team in the Carnacki Institute, who hunts ghosts.

Kim Sterling, the resident ghost, joins the newest A-Team for the Carnacki Institute with overly enthusiastic leader, JC Chance; the pill-popping pessimistic telepath, Happy Jack Palmer; the technogeek Melody Chambers – they are the best, albeit they might not be the first choice.

The Ghost Finders are summoned to London's Chimera House, which went radio-silent after broadcasting a cry for help. Furthermore, anyone who's gone in since has simply vanished. So now the team has to plunge into the depths of a horrifying situation that's left no survivors to date. However, as they climb the floors towards the top, the things they encounter are progressively more disturbing, and more deadly. Ghosts are the least of their worries when the team finds out just what this simple branch of the Chimera House was really up to.

Ghost of a Smile is moderately written well. The narrative, mood, and pacing is significantly better than the first. Green plays with some interesting concepts, some of which are a recurring motif in his books such as human vs. superhuman and man vs. monster, but done better elsewhere. Unfortunately, when compared to his other books, it still falls a little flat. His characters aren't that well developed compared to other protagonists in his other series.

All in all, Ghost of a Smile is written somewhat well and is a mediocre continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.
Profile Image for Mehrbod Shamss.
152 reviews2 followers
April 19, 2026
شبح لبخند دومین جلد از مجموعه «شکارچیان شبح» به قلم سیمون آر. گرین، در مقایسه با جلد نخست پیشرفت محسوسی دارد، هرچند هنوز به سطح آثار شاخص نویسنده در مجموعه‌هایی مثل «نگهبانان شب» نرسیده است. داستان همچنان ماجراهای همان تیم از مأموران سازمانی مخفی ر�� دنبال می‌کند که وظیفه مقابله با پدیده‌های فراطبیعی را بر عهده دارند. نقطه قوت اصلی این جلد، تلاش آشکار نویسنده برای عمق‌بخشی به شخصیت‌هاست. اعضای تیم این بار انگیزه‌های شخصی‌تر و لایه‌های روانشناختی بیشتری پیدا کرده‌اند که تعاملاتشان را باورپذیرتر و درگیرکننده‌تر می‌سازد، هرچند برخی از آن‌ها هنوز در مرز کلیشه باقی می‌مانند. دیالوگ‌ها، همان سبک همیشگی گرین، همچنان تند، طنازانه و هوشمندانه است، اما این جلد تعادل بهتری بین شوخی‌های کلامی و ایجاد فضایی از تعلیق و دلهره برقرار می‌کند. مشکل اصلی کتاب، مشابه جلد پیشین، خط سیر نسبتاً خطی و قابل پیش‌بینی روایت است. معمای مرکزی آنچنان پیچیده یا لایه‌لایه طراحی نشده که ذهن خواننده را واقعاً به چالش بکشد، و گره‌ها اغلب با سرعتی بالاتر از حد انتظار و بدون ایجاد تنش واقعی باز می‌شوند. همچنین، جهان‌سازی سری هنوز به غنای آثاری که گرین در اوج توانایی خود نوشته، نرسیده است و گاهی حس می‌شود نویسنده بیش از آنکه به خلق فضایی منحصربه‌فرد و وهم‌آلود بیندیشد، بر پیشبرد مأموریت بعدی شخصیت‌ها متمرکز است. در مجموع، «شبح لبخند» برای طرفداران ژانر فانتزی شهری و معمای فراطبیعی که از جلد اول ناامید نشده‌اند، تجربه‌ای سرگرم‌کننده و نسبتاً رضایت‌بخش است.
Profile Image for Clare O'Beara.
Author 22 books372 followers
May 6, 2026
The cover should have been a clue. A youngish woman is shown with a bosom that appears to consist of a single bowling ball shoved up her jumper, perching on her folded arms. I was waiting to see when this odd physical characteristic would be mentioned, but it's not. Maybe they are all being polite about it.
Another character didn't make it onto the cover, he's described as an ageing hippy with problems, who constantly pops pills of random sorts. And where is the man in the ice-cream suit? Whatever that is. I was picturing Neapolitan stripes. The folks are shown in a workplace canteen, but in the book they spend their time in a dark, stripped out warehouse, which used to be a factory, where hauntings have been reported, and factory noises are heard from time to time.
Maybe if you like horror you'll enjoy this one more. I could not muster enthusiasm. Setting is the UK.
I read a paperback. This is an unbiased review.
Profile Image for Andrea Guy.
1,483 reviews66 followers
February 11, 2022
I wish I could have found book 1 in this series, because reading them in order would be fabulous, but WOW did I love this book.

I love the quirkiness of the team members, Happy was my favorite.

The book read like a Sci-Fi tv show, and was very visual to me, the action and banter between the characters was superb and funny, as were their relationships.

I loved JC and Kim and their odd and unnatural relationship but for me Happy and Melody are the best because of the superquirkyness of their personalitys. Think of them as Shaggy and Velma getting together, assuming Velma were super kinky, it seems.

The book was fast paced and really held my attention the whole way through. I cant wait to read the other books
300 reviews
July 15, 2024
This is a review for the series (books 1-6) Graphic Audio version. So that means this isn't quite the same as the text version since they dramatize it and basically make it into a play. Perhaps I would have liked the text version better. They are entertaining but like goofy action popcorn flick movies. There isn't any depth here. There tends to be a lot of repetition of phrases and descriptions. Sometimes within the same book, almost always from book to book. This is in a shared universe with his Nightside books but I liked those much more.

It was entertaining but not quite good enough to make the 3 star rating (which is my normal rating for most books - it has to be really good to get 4 or 5 stars for me.)
Profile Image for Gary.
314 reviews3 followers
June 9, 2018
Oh my God! I can't believe that this book is worse than the first one! Shame on you, Mr. Green!
Unlikeable and unbelievable characters; uninteresting action. Glacial pacing. A perfect example of how bad this book was is the fact that the last 13 pages has four characters standing around TALKING to each other while a fifth member is carrying out a risky clean up situation!
That's it-I have books 3 and 4 in the series but I'm not going to waste my time. Into the donation pile they go-let some other unsuspecting reader suffer.
Absolute crap.
256 reviews4 followers
July 27, 2020
This is a very good entry in this series. A few years old, but I just found it. I had read #1 "Ghost Of A Chance", a while back. If I had read these close to each other, I probably would have gotten tired of the banter between the characters, but with this distance between books, it was still mostly funny.
Our three (four?) ghost busters are on a new case involving a drug trial gone seriously bad. Charming and thrilling throughout. And wait till you see what JC Chance has up his sleeve (pun intended)! Good read. Sort of along the lines of a British Harry Dresden adventure.
233 reviews1 follower
April 8, 2021
Scooby Doo for adults. It is a great romp. There are lots of teasers for the next book. I do wish I’d read the previous book 1st. I would recommend doing that.
The four primary characters are well developed And likable. I found myself comparing them to the Scooby Doo characters I must admit. But likewise to other characters in my life. The story was simple, Just as it was intended to be. If you want a nice break with something a little dark but fun, this is your book.
Profile Image for Annette Newby.
3 reviews
June 19, 2019
A helter-skelter ride of a book.

This book starts in top gear and stays there, right to the end. If you're looking for a cosy, Sunday afternoon read then this isn't it: It's fast paced, edgy and horrific. Some of the concepts in the book will discombobulate your brain... I loved it. I can't wait to read the next one.
153 reviews2 followers
October 10, 2022
I tend to like Simon R. Green -- I'm a huge fan of the Nightside chronicles and of Hawk & Fisher/the Blue Moon series. This was...meh. The characters just didn't seem as well-rounded as some of his others and unfortunately, the plot wasn't enough to make up for them. If you are planning to read Simon R. Green [and you should :)] try starting with a different series.
Profile Image for Richard.
341 reviews3 followers
December 30, 2019
podobne ako prvy diel, jednoduche citanie, nicim vyrazne neprekvapi, ale splni to, co po precitani prveho dielu od nej ocakavate...
401 reviews2 followers
November 13, 2022
Don't take this series seriously and you'll enjoy the ride.
Profile Image for Evan.
784 reviews14 followers
December 16, 2022
Book 2 was almost as good as the first one. It is where we get introduced to the Flesh Undying. Can't say enough about how great Graphic Audio is.
Profile Image for Kathleen De Vreese.
62 reviews
April 8, 2026
Imaginative world building but I really got annoyed that JC calls his team members "children" this is just too silly for me.
Profile Image for Ryan.
627 reviews24 followers
May 23, 2016
Part of the reason I love Simon R. Green's book so much, are the names he gives to his creations. Whether they are the good guys, or bad, they all just have cool names. It can be a name that is very specific to the type of person they are; personality, abilities, that sort of thing. They can be bad-ass names, that come straight from a dark and twisted comic book. Or they can be a simple definition of what the character is, as in the case of the main, terrifying villain in Ghost of a Smile, The Flesh Udying.

I've never really thought about it, but names truly are a powerful thing. Yeah, we have all read a book, or watched a movie, where the bad guy is vanquished by the hero learning the true name of their foe. If a demon is involved, the name hunt is going to come up, it's a sure thing. Hell, just ask Superman and Mr. Mxyzptlk, names are important.

But that's not the importance I'm placing on names in these books. After reading numerous Simon R. Green's books, nine of them now, I've learned, anew, how powerful names truly are. Sure, the whole vanquishing through uttering a name cliche has come up in his books, but it's more in the way he uses names that I've become intrigued by. Since I don't know the author, I'm not going to say this as a definite statement, but I'm pretty positive that he puts some thought in to the names, and that they aren't picked out of a hat. Each name he picks seems to have a very specific function. And I appreciate that. These are names that give me insight into the characters's personality. They help me understand the character's thought processes, and their motivations.

I've always appreciated the author's style and humor in his writing. He blends satire, horror, fantasy, and science fiction, just about better than anybody I've ever come across. Ghost of a Smile, the second book in the Ghost Finders series, is a continuation of my love affair with his work, and it's the book that finally got me to look at the naming of his characters, and the insights those names give into what's going on on the page. It's a madcap ride through a locked building, think a traditional haunted house story set in an office building, and involving a lot more than a ghost or two. Think more on the primal level, and you may get an idea of what our ghost finders are facing. If you think of the name he gave his main monster in this one, The Undying Flesh, you get an even better idea of what it is they faced in that building. Like they always say, names have power, and Simon R. Green is genius at utilizing that power.
Profile Image for Shannon (Savhage Temptrest).
338 reviews10 followers
August 21, 2012
(This review was originally written for Nocturne Romance Reads)

An imaginative and interesting story, "Ghost of a Smile" marks the second installment of the Ghostfinders series. Filled with a balancing blend of paranormal and reality, this book will keep readers on the edge of their seats as the mystery and drama progresses from the first chapter!

Ghost of a Smile has all the elements most Urban Fantasy buffs will enjoy in their reads: paranormal activity, mystery, action, and, of course, the demise of civilization. The story picks up where the first book, Ghost of a Chance , left off and fills readers in on some important aspects previously visited while setting the stage for something much bigger than our group of ghost hunters has ever faced. JC, Melody, and Happy Jack along with JC's ghost girlfriend Kim make up the characters in this tale. The concept of an institute of individuals who investigate the paranormal and who put wayward spirits to rest was entertaining and original to fans of Science Fiction and Simon R. Green alike. The characters the author has created in this series are all unique and different from one another yet they see to balance one another out and make up a workable team together. Some witty repertoire and funny moments often accompanied this group while working together or being in close proximity to one another, but there were definite moments where the biting conversations during extreme situations seemed a bit unrealistic and problematic in the overall story plot. The sarcasm was almost overwhelming in some aspects, but overall it made JC, Melody, and Happy Jack much more interesting in the end.

Action driven and interesting, Ghost of a Smile was a book fans of sarcasm and paranormal mysteries will enjoy and fans of Simon R. Green will appreciate.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews