Loreth Anne White

Ghost Writers on the Storm
Review of the Amazon Original Stories eBook (March 19, 2024), released simultaneously with the Audible Original audiobook.

This was a great modern day gothic fiction with true crime ghost writer Grace Logan accepting a commission to write the memoir of reclusive author Claudia Blackwell at her island retreat. The stormy setting is creepy (the island mansion is named The Overlook, shades of Stephen King & The Shining!), the servants act suspicious and the author was suspected of a vicious triple murder in her youth (I immediately thought of author Anne Perry, even though the cases are not similar). Although not convicted at the time, the accusation has stayed with Blackwell for her entire career. She says that she is finally ready to reveal the truth.

More revelations are in store, a previous ghost writer had already accepted the assignment but then died in an apparent accident on a stormy night. A warning is revealed on the guest room's bathroom mirror when steam from a bath fills the air. I thought that the atmosphere and setting here were well done, and the allusions to other authors were clever. There is of course the now expected final twist when the reveal arrives. 🤐

The Ghost Writer is the second of six Amazon Original Stories eBooks/Audible Audio audiobooks released on March 19, 2024 as part of the Never Tell Collection of short stories which are promoted with the collective description:

"How well do you know people? How well do they know you? Six award-winning, bestselling authors of suspense explore the lingering threat of secrets and the inescapable fear that they can’t stay buried forever. No matter how dark the hiding place, the consequences of revealing the truth can bring out the worst in lovers, friends, family, and strangers."

Soundtrack
Once I thought up my lede, I immediately wanted to hear "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors from the L.A. Woman (1971) album, which you can also listen to here.

Trivia and Links
Loreth Anne White is a very prolific author with dozens of books to her credit. Her most popular novel to date is The Maid's Diary (2023). Her most current novel is The Unquiet Bones (March 5, 2024).

You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page here (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).… (mais)

This is a good story - with a few surprises – about the discovery of a body that is now being investigated as a cold case.
The chapters are short and jump from one person to another, as each deals with the aftermath of the unearthed body. There are a lot of names to keep track of (and 2 people whose names change): we follow the investigator (who has her own baggage to deal with), the media person covering the story, the relatives of the victims, and each member of a group of 6 high school students (now adults several years later) who for years have kept a big secret related to the case.
The book felt a little imbalanced in that it was initially very focused on the lead investigator’s personal issues, which were then barely mentioned. It otherwise had all the right ingredients, but I didn’t love this one, maybe because there were so many people that I didn’t get invested in them, and maybe because the crimes that they committed were so awful.
I was provided with an ARC (thanks to the author & publisher!) and I am voluntarily posting my honest review.… (mais)