The creepy ghost story that begins the Ghost Hunter series of books.
Malachi Hunter's abiding passion for the occult and supernatural has made him a loner and social misfit.
Unfortunately, his lack of self confidence has always prevented him from fulfilling his ambition to become a ghost hunter. That is until he meets Anna Spalding. In a misguided effort to impress her, he agrees to investigate a property managed by her father's letting agency. His investigation has consequences that none of them could have anticipated....
Excerpt
He exited the dining room, closing the door, and made his way down the hall to the front room. Entering the room, Mal was immediately aware of a difference in the atmosphere. It felt somehow heavier, as though the darkness was denser. He closed the door and stood absorbing the feeling. It was a little uncomfortable, yet he felt he was starting to accept it. He shone the torch around the room, its beam revealing nothing but the walls and the armchair. He walked towards the chair, focussing the camera on it. He swapped the torch for the EMF meter and held it out towards the chair. Immediately the digital display registered a slight fluctuation in the electrical field. Mal pointed the camera at it to record the reading. He moved the meter closer to the chair, and the reading rose. Moving the instrument around the chair, he was able to establish that the electrical disturbance was only present in the immediate vicinity of the chair; as if someone he couldn’t see was sitting on it. He cautiously put the meter on the seat of the chair and stepped back a pace, pulling the digital recorder from his back pocket, keeping the camera trained on the chair.
“EVP session, front room, Spalding Lettings house, 22.03,” he whispered. Than at a more normal volume asked: “Can you tell me your name?” There was no audible reply. “Can you tell me who David is?” The EMF meter slid slowly from the seat of the chair and fell to the floor. Mal’s jaw dropped open. There was no way that it could have happened accidentally! A shiver ran through his whole body. There was really something there. He had to keep going. With a tremor in his voice he asked: “Why are you here?” But it was too late. As he spoke he felt the atmosphere lighten. Whatever had been there was gone. It was as though the effort of moving the EMF meter had exhausted its energy, and it had gone back to wherever it came from to recuperate.
Mal could hardly contain himself. He scooped up the fallen meter and hastened back to the kitchen. Fumbling as his eyes adjusted to the light, he plugged the camera into the laptop and uploaded the recording, waiting impatiently as the computer worked. As soon as it was ready he opened the file and played it, skipping to the section in the front room. Yes! He had it! He could clearly see the EMF meter slide slowly across the seat and fall out of view to the floor. Mal sat back in the chair. He felt almost euphoric. All his self-doubt vanished. This was what he had been waiting for. He had found his purpose. Forcing himself to calm down, he swapped the camera for the recorder and uploaded its contents to the laptop. Putting on the headphones he listened to the recording. The first section in the dining room was unremarkable other than the creaking sound which he couldn’t realistically attribute to anything paranormal. The session in the front room, however, was quite different. As he asked ‘Can you tell me your name?’ there was what he could only describe as a wail that started as he was speaking, and finished afterwards. But when he asked about David, there was a reply. He had to replay the section several times, as the words were quick and indistinct, but in the end he was satisfied that he understood what was being said: “Not your business.” The voice was unmistakably female.
Professional Reviews
Definitely spooky!
Enjoyable, eerie, story. It was an awesome, spooky, and entertaining read. I liked the author's style of writing, and I just love these chilling stories. Malachi was something else. Much braver than I could ever be. The pacing of the story moved along fluidly also, and the characters were well developed. It was such a pleasure to read this haunting tale. :)
Learning to reach into the paranormal.
A great story of a young man learning how to contact ghosts. Hard to put down.
Great story.
A very creepy little ghost hunter story. We definitely need the Ghost Busters. Well written. Enjoyable. Few errors. Fleshed out characters.
