N. D. Hansen-Hill, ErRatic

ErRatic

N. D. Hansen-Hill

Five Star, Feb 2008, $25.95

ISBN: 9781594146435

With all that is going on in Emma Rathburn's life, it is a wonder she has remained radically unchanged. She is a medium psychic who sees ghosts and once in a while a horde of rats invade her home causing mass destruction and chaos for "Rat" to clean up afterward. One night a man appears on her front steps; a frightened Emma calls the police, but when she hangs up she realizes the man outside stalking her is a ghost.

Police officer Harley Chalmers answers the call and hears but does not see a dog in her house. Emma knows it is her beloved pet that dies a week ago. When he leaves her home, Harley sees a ghost he recognizes as Terrence Edward Forsby, who he arrested last year for murdering his son. A vicious killer in life, he tries to kill Emma. Harley witnesses her struggles; he sees the marks on her throat. Emma and her ghostbuster friends along with Harley fight to keep her alive as the malevolent spirit keeps attacking her.

ErRatic is a fantastic horror thriller filled with an eccentric cast (what else would you expect from a psychic, ghostbusters, and a dog who finds the bones of dead people). Adding to the mix is Emma's stepbrother, a cop who loves, loathes, and mostly fears her. Emma is a delightful lead character who holds the tale together as she accepts her extraordinary skills as being ordinary and normal. The graphic scenes are not for the squeamish as this is not pea soup being fired at open wounds. N.D. Hansen-Hill provides an entertaining powerful ghost story that will gain entry to fans' keeper shelf.

Harriet Klausner