‘The Ghost’ by Andrew Lowe.

Published by Matador,
28 June 2015.
ISBN: 978-1-78462-300-5

Dorian Cook is a bit of a 'has been' film critic whose past comes back to haunt him. Alternating chapters gradually reveal the pranks he and two friends got up to. At first these seem quite innocent, the sort that most boys think are really daring at the time. However they increase in intensity until the trio carry one out that Dorian especially never gets over.

Later in life his friends start receiving strange messages that indicate the sender knows all about what happened.

His two friends turn to Dorian for help and he reluctantly gets involved. This leads to threats not only to the friends but to Dorian and his family and he has to come up with a plan to protect them and save himself from certain death.

This is a beautifully descriptive book with lots of surprises. I do not usually like a narrative that keeps going back in time, but this was different. I found I looked forward to the tales of the three boys as they grew up and all the scrapes they got into.

The plot is clever and very well thought out, creepy in places with more than a hint of menace running throughout. The ending especially has plenty of unexpected twists.

This is Andy Lowe's first novel and I hope he soon writes plenty more.

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Reviewer: Tricia Chappell

Andrew Lowe is a writer and journalist from the north of England, currently exiled in the south.
He has written for The Guardian, Sunday Times, Men's Health, Total Film and contributed to numerous books and magazines on film, music, videogames, sex and books.
His debut novel is psychological thriller The Ghost. He is currently working on a second, when he can stop playing Japanese shoot-'em-ups and eating coconut yoghurts. He divides his time between the various rooms of his house in London, and occasionally goes outside to cycle and coach youth football.

andrewlowewriter.com

Tricia Chappell. I have a great love of books and reading, especially crime and thrillers. I play the occasional game of golf  (when I am not reading). My great love is cruising especially to far flung places, when there are long days at sea for plenty more reading! I am really enjoying reviewing books and have found lots of great new authors.