Travis Thrasher, Ghostwriter

Ghostwriter

Travis Thrasher

Faith Words, May 28 2009, $13.99

ISBN: 9780446505581

Horror writer Dennis Shore is extremely popular with his novels always making the bestseller lists. However, since his wife Lucy died several months ago, he has struggled with making coffee let alone writing. After driving his daughter Audrey across the country to her college in California, Dennis has come home to a lonely empty nest overlooking the Fox River.

He is desperate as a deadline is coming soon, but he has nothing. That is nothing except a manuscript sent by a fan. Dennis sends in the work as his; it becomes published with incredible critical acclaim. The author Cillian Reed is irate that his hero stole his work. Cillian wants what he deserves and harasses Dennis who feels his life is in jeopardy as much as his reputation, but what to do to remove the horror that threatens his existence is met with the same paralysis he suffered with writer's block.

This is an exciting tale starring an intriguing lead character whose morale anchor died when his wife passed away. Dennis is a terrific protagonist who knows he is doing wrong but cannot stop himself from passing Reed's manuscript off as his. The story line for the most part is fast-paced even though the jumping back to the relationship between Dennis and his then alive wife can be confusing and detracting. Still Travis Thrasher hooks the audience with this fine tale somewhat mindful but much more psychological suspense than the movie A Murder of Crows.

Harriet Klausner