"Little Ghosts" by Gregg Dunnett

 

"Little Ghosts" by Gregg Dunnett is a touching and alluring paranormal thriller of loss, grief, family, and everlasting love. Usually, I don't like to read books about child abduction and murder, but the unique premise caught my eye. While I don't believe in ghosts, I do love ghost stories. A kid who sees and talks with his dead sister's ghost?? Counts me in.

The book follows ten-year-old Gales and his family after a tragedy has struck them. Two years previously his sister was abducted and murdered while they were at the beach. DI Kieran Clarke is the detective assigned to the murder case, but the murderer was never caught.

Two years later, Gales is still sad and withdrawn. After claiming to see the ghost of his sister, his parents send him to a grief counselor to deal with his issues. The plot thickens when his sister's ghost starts communicating with him and asks for his help in revealing her murderer.  The two start investigating and find a clue that may help tracking the murderer. Now, all they have to do is to convince the adults to believe them. A bit hard to do when Gales can't reveal the source of his knowledge. The clock starts ticking when the murderer threatens to kidnap another kid.

I enjoyed the book and found it very touching. As a mother myself, I identified with the mother and admired her determination not to give up. The characters are all finely drawn. The author did a great job creating interesting, believable characters (most of them anyway) I could care about.  I found the exploration of the characters' mindsets fascinating. The author draws the kids very well, although there were a bit old for their age. However, grief and loss do that to a person. The story does demand a suspension of belief, but what book doesn't?

Gregg Dunnett takes the reader on an intense, terrifying journey into the mindset of a murderer (not a pretty sight). There are twists and other surprises in store for the reader. The book is written in the third POV and divided into two parts. The first part is focused on Gales and his parents, while the second part is focused on the murderer and the dark road he took. This is a thriller mixed with a police procedural, and it was interesting to see the steps taken to uncover the murderer. We know who is the murderer by the end of part one, and I certainly didn't see it coming. The identity of the murderer left me agape. There is tension as the reader is eager to discover if they catch the murderer on time before he carries out his evil plan, if at all.

Don't let the length of the book deters you from reading it. The reading was smooth sailing, and there is not a dull moment. There were a couple of typos I saw (grief being spelled as grief in Loc 5104), but nothing another round of editing won't solve, and it didn't hurt my enjoyment of the book. As I couldn't stop reading and needed to know how it would end, I felt the book deserved full stars. The book may not suit everyone due to its subject matter. I recommend the book to those who enjoy psychological thrillers with paranormal elements and can stomach the triggers.

Triggers alert: child abduction, abuse, and murder.

* For more info about the book: "Little Ghosts" by Gregg Dunnett

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.