Winner of the 2018 Kindle Book Review Award for Best Horror/Suspense.On the day the villagers were forced to flee Hensu, not everyone got out alive.Jackson Stone is touring the abandoned Chinese city when he slips away from the group to spend the night, determined to publish an account of his ghostly experiences there. Then he meets Yuèhai, a strange, soft-spoken woman who can tell him the city’s … who can tell him the city’s secrets—secrets the Chinese government would kill to keep hidden.
As Jackson uncovers the truth about Yuèhai and the ghost city, he’s drawn into a web of conspiracy, betrayal, and murder. He must risk everything to save himself and bring honor back to Yuèhai and her family.
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City of Ghosts by J H Moncrieff is a predictable, at times realistic, horror story that had me rapidly flipping the pages as Jackson Stone was chosen to tell a ghostly tale of pain, anger and vengeance.
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If you’ve followed along with me on social media or with any of my reviews, you know how much I love J.H. Moncrieff and her writing. From ‘The Bear Who Wouldn’t Leave,’ to ‘Return to Dyatlov Pass,’ and over to ‘Those Who Came Before,’ Moncrieff has crafted some of the best and creepiest horror/thrillers out there.
Through chatting with her, she herself had said she wasn’t sure if I’d like her GhostWriters Series, as it’s not as horror and gore as the others, but she said these were the books closest to her heart.
When the Ladies of Horror Fiction announced their ‘Read Ladies First’ in 2020, I decided to jump on that and make ‘City of Ghosts’ as my #LadiesFirst2020 read.
‘City of Ghosts’ follows Jackson, as he travels in China on a holiday tour. He’s booked this trip to experience a country that has always fascinated him and he’s excited to see some of the tourist spots. We pick up in the fictional Hensu – a ghost city that the tour attendees are told used to be a town, but when the dam was put in, the village was relocated.
Here Jackson decides he wants to try and write a book about ghosts and decides to sneak away from the group and spend the night in Hensu, hoping to have a paranormal experience.
From here, Moncrieff crafts a fast moving thriller. Once that has as much mystery in it as ghostly happenings and she uses the country of China as a fantastic character all on its own. Things are different than in North America over there and this creates added issues, which I loved.
Along the way, Jackson meets Kate, a gorgeous red-head who he is quickly smitten with, but who he holds back his feelings about as she keeps helping him as things unravel. Normally, I wouldn’t mention any of this – but I simply need to make a point here. One of the best things that happen throughout, is that even though Jackson and Kate get closer and closer and there is some distinct chemistry between the two – Moncrieff purposefully holds off on them becoming intimate. While most authors would have these two shack up and use both the pros and cons of that as story fodder, by having them remain respectful of each other’s space and having some really meaningful conversations around the expectations put on men and women, I found the characters became elevated and I really wanted to root for them to become a couple.
I have the other books in the series and I’ve heard from a very reliable source that another book is in the works, so I’m excited to jump into Book 2 ‘The Girl Who Talks to Ghosts,’ soon.
As for those who haven’t read Moncrieff before, this is a great spot to start, but as mentioned, don’t expect too much gore, creatures or dark, dark horror. This book doesn’t suffer because of that. No, in a way, not having those features made it all that more enjoyable.
Here’s another book I waited too long to read. Luckily I already have the next one in the series. Even though dark thrillers and horror stories aren’t usually my preferred read, this story didn’t come off so scary that I couldn’t sleep at night, but then I did make a point not to read it right before bedtime. I think what’s so scary about this story, is that if you take out all the paranormal elements, it’s still scary. What happens to the main character is the worst nightmare of anyone traveling in a foreign country.
Most of the characters in this story are so real that they are actually annoying, ’cause you’ve met these people. I think it’s a mark of good writing when you can say to yourself, if that character was real, I’d avoid them like the plague and their not even some kind of creature. Still, there were some very likable characters, who weren’t perfect by any means, but realistic, normal, and likable. I find that the MC is rarely my favorite character in a good book, but I actually like Jackson a lot. I also liked Kate and believe we’ll be learning more about her in the next book.
Aside from the intense suspense and paranormal elements of this story, there are other darker parts that were hard to read in this current age of self-centeredness, bullying, racism, sexism, and passive-conscientiousness- I know that’s not a term, but it should be. Still, I glad I read this and all the ugly parts that came with it. Sometimes you have to get through the ugly to find beauty.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more of the series.
Highly recommended to horror, suspense thriller, and paranormal fans. Also, a great diversity read.
In this book we are introduced to a spirit that latches onto a tourist visiting a destroyed village. She wants her story told! Sounds like a good ghost story right?
We come to the conclusion near the end that something horrific happened to the villagers. The rerouting of a river didn’t go as planned. But most of this story deals with the interactions of the tour group! Who dislikes who, who doesn’t want to bunk with a certain person, awkward arguments between members of the group. Don’t get me wrong, there is some good dialogue in here, but with a title of City of Ghosts, I thought there would be more ghosts! I enjoyed the book, but it was a letdown for me. That’s my opinion, grab it and decide for yourself.