Book Review of Ghostly Summons by John A. Karr

Behind the Walls of Nightmare is pleased to host a Tribute Books blog tour. Please welcome John A. Karr as we take an inside look at his novel Ghostly Summons.


Ghostly Summons: Book Summary

Lars Kelsen doesn’t believe in psychic phenomenon. To him, visions of murder victims are a form of mental illness. Once they begin, options are limited; he can try to ignore them or deal with them by exposing a killer. Only the latter provides any semblance of peace. Temporarily, anyway. Five years into his new life as a programmer, Kelsen—ex-crime beat reporter with a penance he can never fully satisfy—sees a victim.

In person. Upright. Staring.

Typical of such past "Visits" as he calls them, he doesn’t welcome this one. The nude form of a beautiful millionairess in his cubicle means murder has come to the vacation haven known as North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It means he’ll have to go places he'd rather avoid. See things he'll wish he hadn’t. Do things that don't come naturally, like in-your-face confrontation and bending the law. Actually, breaking the law ... but with good intent. It also means dealing with one very attractive county coroner, who pushes his buttons in a not entirely unwelcome way.

So begins Kelsen's return to investigative reporting—complete with attempts on his life, fights, deception, and all the technological tricks, such as GPS and computer hacking, at his disposal. And maybe even finding a new love interest.

Format: ebook and paperback
eBook Price: $3.99
Pages: 312
Publisher: Dark Continents Publishing
Release: March 14, 2013

Kindle buy link ($3.99):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUT38VS?tag=tributebooks-20

Nook buy link ($3.99):
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghostly-summons-john-a-karr/1114842051?ean=2940016384696

Kobo buy link ($3.99):
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Ghostly-Summons/book-bpmT46S2dkKBvBsnJjtGE

John A. Karr: Biography

  John A. Karr believes fiction writing each day helps keep the demons at bay. Ghostly Summons is his first full-length novel for Dark Continents Publishing. DCP has also published his Weird West novella, Ujahwek. He is the author of a handful of other novels: Death Clause, Hippocrates Shattered (scheduled for reprint by World Castle Publications as Shattered), Rhone, and Van Gogh, Encore. His short stories have appeared on webzines Allegory, The Absent Willow Review, and Danse Macabre. More works are in progress and in the marketing queue.

Karr is an ardent believer in the quote by Carl Van Doren (1885-1950), U.S. man of letters: "Yes, it's hard to write, but it's harder not to."


Our Review of Ghostly Summons

John A. Karr has written in a number of genres with Ghostly Summons being described as a paranormal mystery. The protagonist Lars Kelsen is haunted not only by the remembrance of his son's death, which he was powerless to prevent, but also by ghostly Visitors seeking amends for their violent deaths. He can never right the wrong of his own son's murder, but he is able to gain some relief by helping other victims of violence. In Ghostly Summons, Kelsen encounters the ghost of a woman who is slain and whose body is dumped in the wilderness. He becomes her voice in the novel by exploring the past and telling her story in the local newspaper, as well as undertaking a trek to discover her murderer. In doing so, Kelsen confronts various dangers and is presented with a number of credible suspects, and we are left guessing to the end of the novel as to the actual killer.

The novel is built on an intriguing premise and will potentially appeal to readers of both the supernatural and mystery genres. Ghostly Summons could also lead to other ghostly adventures if the author decides in the future that there are more “Visits” in store for Lars Kelsen.

Related Sites

Rafflecopter GIVEAWAY:

CLICK HERE to enter the giveaway!
(after clicking, scroll down for entry form)

• 1 $25 Amazon.com gift card or PayPal cash

John A. Karr's Web Site:
http://www.johnakarr.com/

John A. Karr's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/JohnAKarr

John A. Karr's Facebook:
http://facebook.com/johnakarr

John A. Karr's Blog:
http://johnakarr.blogspot.com/

John A. Karr's Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/Karr

Ghostly Summons' Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17733941-ghostly-summons

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Ghostly Summons' blog tour site:
http://ghostlysummons.blogspot.com/