Ghostwriter

Yikes" is the one word I would use to describe Travis Thrasher's newest novel "Ghostwriter". A supernatural thriller that goes nose to nose with any Stephen King novel I've read. Not a genre for squimish, but for those who enjoy a `thriller' this one tops the list. The main character, Dennis Shore is living la dolce vita (the very good life). He is a best selling author with the ideal marriage. Lucy, his wife, is not only is his best friend but provides the inspiration for all his novels. Together with their teen-age daughter, Audrey, they live in a beautiful home, and have another home as well. But then, Lucy dies. Lucy was Dennis' connection to all things good. Now that she is gone, Dennis develops paralyzing writer's block. Success comes at a cost. Once his talent for weaving catchy phrases and memorable scenes is made known, his public demands more. As his deadline looms over him, Dennis does the unthinkable. He claims a novel, written by another, as his own. Enter Cillian Reed, the groupie type author-in-waiting that demands Dennis' attention and the literary acclaim that Dennis is accepting as his own. As you read more and more of Cillian's torments and tortures, Dennis descends to the place we all reach in our lives, a moment of Truth. Armed with memories of Lucy and with other gifts as well, Dennis begins to face and overcome the evil that has consumed his life. A gripping tale, with a redemption quality, this is a story you will not forget. Travis Thrasher has excelled in this genre proving that a christian can indeed create a novel work without unnecessary vulgarity or profanity. I am looking forward to more of his work. [...]

I snatched this book off the table at Barnes & Noble two days after it was released. I'm not a reader of horror, but because I'm a ghostwriter, I had to at least look at it. I noted the author's name and went to his site when I got home that night. Four days later I'm at a writer's conference and guess who the key note speaker is: Travis Thrasher. We had a chance to speak and he's a great guy, and quite the engaging speaker. He autographed my copy and when I got a chance to read it, I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend Ghostwriter and can't wait to read the rest of his books! CCSemick

Although horror is not my usual genre, I found this book to be very entertaining and enjoyable. The author's ability to effectively weave reality alongside the hallucinations of an unstable man kept my mind guessing and the pages turning. The book was scary--but not so scary as to scare me away. I highly recommend adding this book to your summer reading list.

This book is a must read. I finished it in 2 days because I just couldn't put it down. I think this is Thrasher's best novel to date.

Dennis Shore is a successful horror novelist but has suffered one of life's greatest tragedies in the past year, the death of his wife. "When stricken by a paralyzing case of writer's block and a looming deadline, Dennis becomes desperate." He plagiarizes an unstable fan's manuscript, setting off a chain of events and the pursuit of violent revenge that threatens his sanity and the lives of his daughter and friends. This was a difficult review for me to write. I'm a fan of the horror genre, but loathe the excessive profanity, sexual content, and gratuitous gore that so many writers in the genre depend on to make an impact with the reader. I had not previously read a Travis Thrasher novel, so I was excited to see what he had to offer. It would be an injustice to the readers of this review, to myself, and ultimately to the author if I merely stated "This book is great--read it," and was negligent in revealing some disappointment. The fan in me loved this story. The critic in me found some minor negatives. I was concerned a few pages in whether I would truly enjoy it. The story took a while to develop and incidents occurred that seemed disjointed from the plot. The dialog felt forced. There are some editing errors, for example, the wrong pronoun used (p.17 "Did you threaten you?" The first "you" should be "she."). To the author's defense, it is tricky starting a novel, establishing the plot and characters, and simultaneously hooking the reader. If you stop reading this book because of these flaws, you'll miss out on what simply can be defined as an extraordinarily good story. I'm incredibly grateful I stuck with it. Yet there was still one more thing that frustrated me--I couldn't wait to see what happened next! This... was a good feeling. For thrill-seekers, GHOSTWRITER is very much like the beginning of a monster rollercoaster. After climbing that first big hill (having time to look around, check your watch, shift around in your seat...), the rest flies at you in an eye-watering rush and your focus is dominated by what's coming in the next stage of the ride. Kudos, Mr. Thrasher. When you read a scary story and you're not really sure what's going on, but just when you think you've nailed it, something unexpected happens and your perception is shattered, that is the outline of a great horror story. That's a great story, period. That is what GHOSTWRITER is. It's easy to develop compassion for Dennis Shore and identify with his grief, lack of faith, and his struggles with what's real and what's not. While it's a remarkably frightening story, it is also an emotional love story. The reader feels Shore's nightmarish fears and also his gut-wrenching sorrow. Shore bounces in and out of lucidity so the reader cannot always discern what is real and what is the product of his poor mental health. This element can be difficult to pull off while mitigating reader confusion, but Thrasher makes good use of the technique, effectively keeping the reader gu