Ghost Story is a remarkably effective bookįun Facts: Ghost Story was a national bestseller, and is considered to be the book that cemented Peter Straub’s reputation as one of the finest horror writers of our time In my experience, few books have that kind of lasting power on its readers - but in Ghost Story, it’s like Peter Straub is just showing off. Standout achievements: There are some genuinely creepy moments in Ghost Story that you’ll remember long after you’ve finished the book.

So as much as I hate to say it, yeah, they really don’t write ‘em like that anymore. I can’t think of a book that makes better use of a haunting (paranormally AND psychologically) than this one. In Ghost Story, Peter Straub pulls out all the big guns, and he makes it look easy. Greatest strengths: I hate to make myself sound like a grumpy old man by saying they just don’t write ‘em like that anymore (technically, Ghost Story was before my time) but it’s kinda true. Nightmares, you ask? What’s been haunting them all these years, you ask? In short, it’s a heinous crime they committed in their past - and now the men are beginning to realize that maybe, they can’t get away with murder after all …

The gist: The Chowder Society - James, Hawthorne, Benedikt, and Jaffrey - have been friends for fifty years, gathering together to tell each other ghost stories in hopes of relieving the terrible nightmares all of them suffer from. Opening scene: A man named Donald Wanderley is traveling to Panama City with a young girl he has presumably kidnapped Most interesting characters: Sears James, an attorney Ricky Hawthorne, attorney and partner to Sears James Lewis Benedikt, an entrepreneur (retired) John Jaffrey, a doctor Alma Mobley, a graduate student Eva Galli, a beautiful stranger who came to town one day and changed everything …

I’ve always suspected it was evil and now there can be no doubt.) My favorite quote: “It seemed that if you listened to that snow hissing long enough, you wouldn’t just hear it telling you that it was waiting for you, you’d hear some terrible secret-a secret to turn your life black.” (Thanks, Peter Straub.

Ghost story by peter straub review