On the other hand, a book--a paranormal horror book--can be quite interesting to consider. Where the Dead Walk pulled me in...I didn't know where it was going when a female character was introduced who was a "cutter"...Yikes! There are really no clues until it all blasts you midway and the "real" investigation becomes addictive as readers try to figure out what is happening... Is it real? An attempt to revive a television program going down the tubes...Wait and see... There is surprise after surprise as the investigators go back to an early fire...of a Victorian house... |
| NOT Like the Fun Ghost Busters... |
Where the Dead Walk is a paranormal investigation show. Recently, however, the activity is now under another producer and there has been discussion as to whether their show will make it into the second season. All they can do is proceed to create the programs until... The characters for the program are an interesting group although it doesn't seem to have any with paranormal expertise except Charles. Charles has some skills but admits that, just like everybody else on the crew, he knows the main purpose is to entertain. He has the perfect personality to be a favorite member on the show and enjoys his position. Still, there are questions as to how far a show can go and still get away with advertising that they produce the "real thing."
Kate calls forth one of the group , a short, neat looking, middle-aged man in a dark suit, "Charles? Can you sense anything here with us?"
The man nods, "I certainly can, Kate. There's a good deal of energy concentrated in this space. I'm certain at least one presence is..." He pauses, his face registering surprise, "Goodness me. Did anyone else feel the temperature drop?" There are vague mumbles of agreement. The man, Charles, looks around, as though trying to track something travelling among the cobwebbed rafters, "I feel very strongly there's some manner of unfinished business connected to..." He closes his eyes, cocks his head to one side as if hearing something the others cannot. "Ah..." he sighs decisively, "The spirit belongs to a woman, one burdened with a terrible anguish , a feeling of unforgivable betrayal. ‘How could he have?’ she thinks. ‘ How could he have-’" The man breaks off abruptly, startled by a loud crash. The camera spins around, wobbles uncertainly for a moment before pulling focus on the shattered remains of a vase on the floor. The attic erupts in a jumble of screams, swears, and frantic movement… The view lurches back up, captures everyone scrambling for the doorway...
~~~
So what if a crash on set might have been just caused by a member of the crew... It's been taped and looks pretty good as each of the ones on camera had reacted so strongly... Is this allowed or does it falsify the whole program? A debate would also go on and Kate Bennett, principal presenter has realized that there is a lot at stake for ensuring continuation of the program. What will she finally decide for this program... "Loud Crash" -- In or out?!
 |
Sebastian watched it again, skipping past the show’s gothic opening sequence to the part where she appeared. Kate Bennett stood before an old mill, her lips moving but silent. The sound on the television had been muted. Sebastian had watched the DVD countless times since obtaining series one of 'Where the Dead Walk' and what Kate Bennett was saying wasn't important. His interest lay in what he could see. When she began to turn and gesture to the building behind her he hit pause. The image froze. The burn scar that snaked up her neck was clearly visible, and quite distinctive. Her shirt collar was open, exposing a v-shaped area of chest converging in just a hint of cleavage. The pale scar tissue crested the apex of her shoulder, kinked, and curled upwards to disappear beneath her ear. On first sight he had been almost sure, tantalizingly sure, it was identical to the one he remembered, sure enough to begin making plans, sure enough to take action...
A little background is needed on Kate at this time. She's
A little background is needed on Kate at this time. She's
adopted but loved her new parents dearly. She was married and had a child... All of them are dead now, except her father, who dies during the book... Kate has some underlying feelings that loving her causes such losses. Her biological mother was killed in a fire many years ago, while she escaped with burns that scarred her neck. Did that tragedy start it all? Or was she already susceptible to hearing the voices of the dead...Because as of the last program that had aired, Kate had been found...a man from her past was now a stalker in the present. And he was going to use her own program to pull her to him...
Sebastian Dahl had contacted the program producers for the show, Where the Dead Walk and asked to be considered for an upcoming investigation. He had built a wonderful new Victorian home, but he had not been able to stay in the house when he moved in. He had rented it several times just to ensure that it was happening to more than just him. They too had left almost immediately after moving in...
"I’ve just been on the phone to a chap named Sebastian Dahl, about a place he has on the south coast. Could be good." Henry's interest was immediately piqued. It was rare for Ray to get worked up about a location, but something about this one had clearly got his attention. It wasn’t that Ray was a curmudgeon , just that the majority of the locations they were approached with tended to fall into three predictable categories. Henry had dubbed them, historical, entrepreneurial and delusional...
said Henry, "Actually, Ray was just about to tell me about a prospective location he's got. I get the impression it might be something special." Kate raised an eyebrow, "Really?" She drew the chair from behind her desk and sat down. She looked keen to take a break... "A bit special, hm?" she mused. Ray leant forward, very nearly smiled , "Okay. Here it is. We got a call this morning from a property developer, a ‘Sebastian
Dahl’. Claire gave me the basics and I got back to him. This chap, Dahl, claims to have a house that’s stood empty for a decade because it’s haunted."
They decided to at least do a preliminary walk-through. Henry wasn't interested at all. Kate was. And wondered whether Henry could be jealous because Sebastian had paid quite a bit of attention to her... Kate and Henry had had a one-night fling but Henry was known to be a womanizer so Kate had kept it all light and fun. Henry, however, had begun to fall for Kate... and, yes, he didn't like this guy's attitude toward her! But she had finally won and got approval for the Dahl home...
Everything had gone well and they were ready to start. Kate, as usual, would lead off, followed by Charles... But then it happened...
Kate let out a cry, a low keening howl of pure anguish that made the hairs on the neck of every living soul in the room stand on end. It was the moan of something unimaginably lost and wounded, and it sliced through the room like a slow drawn razor, freezing everyone in place. The moan decayed to an eerie silence.
All eyes fell upon Kate, to find her stock still, head bowed , face veiled in deep shadow. No one seemed to dare move; all were reduced to bewildered inaction . Henry recovered first and reached across the table for her hand, her name on his lips. His fingers were on the verge of making contact when she suddenly threw up her head. What he saw caused him to snatch back his hand quick sharp. The woman in Kate’s seat wasn’t Kate at all; someone else had taken her place. Or at least that was Henry’s first thought, but then he saw he was wrong. It was Kate – and yet it wasn’t. From behind Kate’s eyes stared a stranger.
~~~
It was fun to watch what happened with the program staff... Henry was definitely ready to wrap up and leave with everybody following. Kate was amazed... this could be the first "real" paranormal activity for the program and nobody seemed to know how to handle it... But she did later admit, upon watching what had been taped, that she didn't remember anything that she was now watching...
But she was ready to go back in and continue... So was Sebastian Dahl who expressed his frustration that they had seemed not to even believe him when he'd said the house was haunted... Were they going to honor their contract or not?
Bottom line for Kate was that she believed someone was haunting the home. Bottom line for Sebastian Dahl--he had a great desire to have Kate help him turn the house into his long-term home... Bottom line for Henry--he was going to protect Kate whether she allowed him to or not and Sebastian Dahl was hiding something behind all that he was sharing...
And Sebastian proceeded with his plan by contacting Kate directly and asking her to meet him...
Even knowing that this is a paranormal book, there is still no way to foresee what was going to be discovered and happen as the climatic ending drew near. At one point, I even wondered if Kate was actually just coming to remembering what had happened to her when their house burned... In fact, I'm still not sure... Regardless, the investigation by Henry and those helping him to protect Kate constantly opened another door to revealing the past and how it was affecting the present. If you figure it out before the book finishes, let me know! 'Cause I sure didn't! Cool, right?!
This is definitely highly recommended if this sounds the least interesting to you. It keeps the suspense moving through and has a few curves to distract you down false paths. Even what goes on at the ending is pulled so tightly that you may not realize what's happening. This author needs to be watched... I'm wondering what he's going to bring us next time!
GABixlerReviews
John Bowen lives in the UK. When not playing video-games, catching up on movies, going to the gym and enjoying time with his wife and children, he occasionally finds time to write...
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