2 out of 4 stars
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Ghost in Notes is a crime/mystery type book. I am not sure if it counts as “horror” or “thriller,” as it is not actually scary, although the potential is present. The plot centers on a few people trying to determine whether suspicious deaths in a particular music studio are the result of a serial killer or the result of paranormal phenomenon. As reader, you are broken into the story somewhat abruptly, with very little information about what is going on. No background is given initially. Background information important to the plot is dispersed throughout the story, which I found to be a nice technique overall, but needs to be better developed. The first “main character” is hired to write a film score. You do not realize until much later the importance of this piece of information. In the past, a different musician had been hired to write a film score, had booked a particular studio, and had died under suspicious circumstances. The mystery now, is to discover whether this is suicide, murder, or paranormal.
We are introduced to one of the main characters partly through dialogue between him and his girlfriend. At the first, it was very difficult reading this story as there are no indicators letting you know who is speaking. Additionally, the dialogue is rather stilted and difficult, as though it is not written by a native English speaker. I strongly suspect that English is a second language for the author. Once I figured that out, the dialogue became easier to read. I suggest that an editor come back and smooth out the dialogue, in order to create better flow for the average American reader. Another clue that this is not written by a native English speaker is the rough flow of the whole document. The author uses a lot of simple sentences and includes very few descriptive passages. This hinders the story from really shining as it ought.
Ghost in Notes is an intriguing story, with decent plot twists. One does not truly know the answer to the mystery until the final page. The author has come up with a story that I think worthy of being developed further. However, I was disappointed in the lack of character development and general flow of the story. I encourage the author to work on these issues, work with an editor for general flow, and republish. The storyline was interesting enough to make me want to read to the end to find out what happened, despite the aforementioned hindrances. I also thought several times while reading, that Ghost in Notes could make a strong screenplay. But, again, more character development is imperative.
I would also encourage the author to not be in too big of a rush to get to the end of the story. String us along some more! Additionally, the potential horror of the plot could be highlighted, if we were given more details and descriptions. I believe the lack of these items may be due to the language barrier.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. The reason for the lower rating is largely due to the stilted dialogue, difficulty in sometimes knowing who is speaking, lack of overall character development, and the rushing to the end. Take your time! This story is worth being told.
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Ghost in Notes
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