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Computer gamer Sean Stewart has written a tale with the perhaps no longer startling theme of a man who sees and speaks to dead people. Although the notion itself has not been done to death of recent times, Stewart has lit a spark of new life in the idea. Will Kennedy has been seeing ghosts since he was a child. He is divorced from the wife he has loved since the two were at high school. Josie realised that life with Will was a perpetual dead end so although she was pregnant with their daughter, Megan, she left Will and married Marine Don. Both Will and Josie came from unfortunate, poor families. One of Will's earliest ghastly, ghostly encounters was with his Uncle Billy who was blown up in an industrial accident that scarcely seemed strange to his disadvantaged relatives and fellow townspeople. Now Will, whose ability to see ghosts has been an open family secret, is approached by a cousin who wants the ne'er-do-well to rid him of a troublesome ghost, a woman who cries constantly. Kennedy does so, but in an unfortunate manner that sees him nearly killed. The task inspires him to make a potentially profitable career from what could well be seen by others as a handicap. Stewart has an ability to engage the reader's attention and maintain interest through a series of unfortunate events and unlovely characters, not the least lovely being the protagonist himself. Several unusual themes, such as dead roads, could, perhaps have been explored in more detail than they are in the novel. The long-suffering pre-teen daughter, Megan, is an attractive invention who enhances the intriguing tale. It says a lot for Stewart's writing style that, while the story is very dark, the reader will probably be prepared to consume the book in a single sitting. In short, readers who take on the unlikely story may find themselves well rewarded by reading it to the pessimistic end.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, December 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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