Book Review: "Ghostwriter" by Travis Thrasher

For years Dennis Shore has thrilled readers with his spooky bestselling novels. Now a widower, Dennis is finally alone in his house, his daughter attending college out of state. When he's stricken by a paralyzing case of writer's block and a looming deadline, Dennis becomes desperate. Against better judgment, he claims someone else's writing as his own, accepting undeserved accolades for the stolen work. He thinks he's gotten away with it . . . until he's greeted by a young man named Cillian Reed--the true author of the stolen manuscript.

What begins as a minor case of harassment quickly spirals out of control. As Cillian's threats escalate, Dennis finds himself on the brink of losing his career, his sanity, and even his life. The horror he's spent years writing about has arrived on his doorstep, and Dennis has nowhere to run.

Ghostwriters are interesting characters as it's hard to imagine the thought of working hard on something and then letting another person take all the credit for it. This story manages to grab the reader from the get go, with material that pushes the edge and makes you cringe and squirm but keeps drawing you in. One thing I really did enjoy about this book was the tidbits it told about what life is like for an author. Just all the daily going ons of writing, touring, marketing, fan mail were very interesting to read and it made me wonder how many authors are struggling with these issues every day. The story builds up slowly but once it does it's like a non stop roller coaster.

I've been reading other reviews and have seen that other readers have found this book too gory, very dark, and quite scary. To be honest, I didn't feel that way at all. I have read other Christian fiction books that are way more gorier than this one. In fact, compared to books I've read that have people being gored up on doors or having their skin peeled off, this book paled in that factor. I will admit the storyline is very creepy. Cillian's character is one that gets under your skin and makes you very uncomfortable due to his obsession with having Dennis tell the truth. However on the other hand Dennis is also a character that you could despise because of his actions. To me that is more the horror of the story, the fact that you get so desperate that you do anything to save someone you love, even if it means going against everything you believe in.

A funny note: when I first picked up the book and flipped through it, the first thing I saw was Dennis Shore's bibliography. I was immediately confused and thought the publisher had inserted the wrong page from another book inside this one. Luckily though, I turned that page and all was made right.

I really enjoyed reading this book as it is a page turner and kept me on the edge of my seat. If you're in the mood for a thriller and you're looking for a new author to try, you must read this book. I'm looking forward to reading Travis' back list and whatever new he's cooking up.

Ghostwriter by Travis Thrasher is published by Faithwords (2009)