The living and the dead have finally made contact...turns out that was the easy part.
Detective Owen Hoath spent his life chasing dangerous people, never thinking he would end up a victim, choking to death on his own blood in the house of the infamous Cherry Tree Killer. Now, trapped between this life and the afterlife, Owen is desperate for justice, for one last chance to put right what went wrong - and maybe find a little peace.
Amateur paranormal investigator Wil Tagg has spent his life chasing ghosts, never thinking one would chase him, let alone get his attention by attacking him in a public restroom. When Owen makes contact, Wil can’t resist the opportunity to finally study a real spirit, even if it means helping Owen close his last case. But what begins as a thrilling supernatural partnership quickly spirals into something far more sinister.
As Wil is pulled deeper into the mystery of Owen’s death, he discovers that the living aren't always who they appear to be — and the dead can't be trusted either. With a killer on the loose and Owen's restless spirit growing more desperate by the day, Wil has to decide who to trust before he becomes the next victim.
How To Contact The Living is a different kind of ghost story, a darkly comic paranormal thriller about learning that in this life or the afterlife, the most dangerous lies are always the ones we tell ourselves.
Reviews
This book ticked so many boxes I didn't even know were there to be ticked! This wouldn't be my usual type of read but I'm very glad I went outside my comfort zone. Even if, like me, your usual cup of tea is a good crime novel (sans ghosts) like Rebus or DCI Banks, I think you'll still find a lot of those thriller elements here along with a whole other level that will make you glad you broadened your horizons. Highly recommend!
Suspense,humour and heart blended in a very clever and sometimes chaotic way, with a few great plot twists. A dark prologue and a unique interaction between the two main characters: one living, a quirky, introverted paranormal investigator with an off-beat sense of humour and one ghost, a detective in his previous life, looking for justice. If you're looking for a gripping ghost story with dark humour and great character work and have your heart full after you finish, I highly recommend this.