I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Series: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #2
on November 13, 2014
Genres: Adult, Ghost, Horror, Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 179
Source: Author
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The second book in the Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper series.
Footsteps in the attic. Toys that play by themselves. A dark presence in an upstairs room.
Paranormal investigator Ellie Jordan faces a difficult new case. Her new clients are a family haunted by multiple ghosts and a poltergeist that wrecks their home at night. Their seven-year-old son’s invisible friends may not be imaginary at all, but the restless spirits of dead children.
To clear her clients’ house of the dangerous entities, Ellie must unravel the mysterious deaths of another family who lived in the old mansion more than a hundred and sixty years ago—and she must do it before the ghosts can carry out their malevolent designs on her clients and their children.
I love a good detective story, and the only thing I love more is a great ghost story. The Ellie Jordan series is the best of both worlds for me, combining great investigations–digging into the past of a location to determine who may be haunting the house, and more importantly, why. And these books also feature super creepy ghosts that can actually deliver physical damage and put lead ghost trapper Ellie and her perky technical assistant Stacey into mortal danger.
In this second, stand alone installment Cold Shadows, Ellie is called out to investigate a family that is having problems with more than one ghost. The hauntings seem to be centered on the family’s two children: a sullen, angsty teen aged daughter and the dutiful preteen son who has suddenly found two imaginary friends soon after the family moved into their relative’s home as caretakers. But a darker, more sinister presence has also made itself known in an upstairs room, along with a possible poltergeist. Ellie and Stacey certainly have their hands full and their work cut out for them trying to figure out which presence is the nastiest, most troublesome one to be dealt with first.
You get to learn more of every characters’ back story in this book, from Ellie to Savannah Historical Association fellow Grant to ex-detective/ghost agency owner Calvin. Psychic Jacob was brought in just when they needed him, but Ellie is still reluctant to use his skills unless she doesn’t have much choice–especially since Stacey has taken a liking to him and can’t hold back the flirting. J.L. Bryan has a knack for writing side characters that really shine, full of unique characteristics and charm without overwhelming the main characters. I really loved every appearance of Grant, Jacob, and Calvin in Cold Shadows, and I can’t wait to see more of them in the next book.
I give Cold Shadows a five out of five. This is an excellent fast paced second installment in J.L. Bryan’s new urban fantasy series. With a spookier and harder to figure out haunting than the first book–Ellie, Stacey, and Jacob definitely meet their match in this house full of ghosts. The ultimate baddie of the family of ghosts totally surprised me, and I really enjoyed how Ellie and Stacey have to use good old fashioned detective work along with modern science to find out what the ghosts want, why they are sticking around the house, and how they can trap and get rid of the spirits. And the way J.L. Bryan finished up this one has me eagerly excited for book three!
Be sure to head on over to the Goodreads page for Cold Shadows, where you can enter for your chance to win a copy of both books in this series: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper and Cold Shadows. The contest closes to entries on January 31, 2015, and it’s open to people living in the US, CA, and GB!
Latest posts by Heather (see all)
- The Book of Thorns by Hester Fox - April 6, 2024
- The Happiness Blueprint by Ally Zetterberg - April 5, 2024
- Maya’s Laws of Love by Alina Khawaja - March 30, 2024
I really enjoyed the first book and this sounds every bit as good. I miss the gang and can’t wait to get into it with them again.
I was offered the eARC but something must have went wrong with my reply as I never heard back. Will have to see when it’s available so I can read it.
laura thomas recently posted..What’s New On My Bookshelf #87 and The Sunday Post
Reply »
Cold Shadows is out now, Laura, so you can pick it up and start reading. It was nice catching up with Ellie and the gang. This has been a really great series so far!
Heather recently posted..Spectacularly Creepy – Cold Shadows by J.L. Bryan
Reply »