Customer Reviews

Ghouls Gone Wild (Ghost Hunter Mysteries, No. 4)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I usually like Victoria Laurie's books and was really looking forward to reading this one. Unfortunately it turned out to be a major disappointment. It was pretty violent, which isn't typically a big deal for me, except her books are not usually like that so it came as a bit of a surprise. The dialogue at times was pretty juvenile. I started to get really tired of the word spooks. I also felt the characters really lacked in this book as well. Gilley's constant whining and melodramatics were a bit much. I found myself becoming more and more irritated with his character. His unrelenting terror of the paranormal continually makes you wonder why he even works for MJ in the first place. I liked Heath in her other book, but in this one I found him somewhat sleazy. I understand that Ms. Laurie is trying to incorporate some sort of love triangle, but MJ does in fact have a boyfriend and it seemed to me that Heath didn't respect that. It was a turn off. I even found myself disliking MJ herself. She went from a very strong female persona to kind of a mega b***h. She was snapping and lashing out at people throughout the entire book. She came off as selfish and arrogant. Everything had to focus on her. Even Heath's grandfathers spirit talked to her instead of his own grandson! That really didn't make a lot of sense to me. I also didn't care for the fact that her relationship with Steven was so non-existant in this book. I found that kind of odd. I think they spoke on the phone once the entire time she was in Scotland. If you are going to create a love triangle, it helps to include all people so you can actually get a feel for the character being torn in two. Once she landed in Scotland, she seemed to forget all about her boyfriend and since Steven was not there to give her direct attention, MJ immediately looked to Heath for that. It made her seem fickle. I had a hard time even finishing this book which is surprising because I usually can't get enough of Victoria's books. I'm hoping the next will be better and the characters will be a little more believable and little less self indulged.

I listened to the Audio Download. The narrator, Eileen Stevens is really good. I just had a hard time finishing it. Something was missing...I missed Steven. He had become part of the group and he wasn't in this one, except for the last 30 seconds. I was disapointed in MJ for being wishy washy and had a hard time not calling her names when she was going gaa-gaa over Heath.

The story was good, but not as good as Ghouls Just Haunt To Have Fun. Gilley whines way to much though and it's getting old.

If the character Steven is not going to be in the books, I won't buy another one.

This is the fourth book in the Ghost Hunter series featuring M.J. Holliday and her sidekick M.J. Gilley.

Halliday and Gilley have signed up to do a reality show on ghost hunting. In Ghouls Gone Wild, Halliday and Gilley along with Heath Whitefeather, another strong psychic go to Scotland to check out the caves near Edinburgh which have long been known to have strong supernatural happenings.

Ghouls Gone Wild was pretty violent and wasn't a gentle read. The mystery was interesting and Laurie executed it well. My biggest issue with Laurie's books has to do with dialogue and words she uses. For instance in this one there is a scene where she yells "Holy Freakballs." There is another scene with a pug dog that she lapses into baby talk. That said, I thought that this book was written far better in terms of dialogue and word usage than most of her other books. Although like another reviewer I wish she would not stereotype Gilley so badly as a gay person. His whining and cowardly approach to ghost hunting is getting a little old. I am looking forward to her next book and am hoping her dialogue will continue to improve and leave out overdone dialogue and cute stuff.

I was really getting into this series, but this book might just be the last one I read.. The paranormal stuff was intriguing but MJ has in my opinion become a whiny diva, Gilly is just unbearable and I dont appreciate the animal abuse.

FIVE STARS

I love this series and thought this book was the best yet, although each has been good in its own way. Gilley may be a bit stereotypical but on the other hand, he's also a lot of fun (although less so in this book.) Also, if you watch a certain Ghost Busting tv show, there was a character (no longer on the show) who shared many of Gilley's cowardly traits, which made the show fun to watch, IMHO (as in not everyone is heroic.)

I appreciate the fact that MJ isn't a shrill or whiny female character, as sometimes happens, nor is she stuck on manhunting 24/7, which gets tiring to me. I also enjoy Heath as MJ's new partner. Mostly, I enjoy the storyline and the ghostbusting. This story centers around witches as the antagonists and Victoria Laurie has managed to make them seem real, relevant and menacing. I hope she writes many more of these stories, as I, for one, am very tired of traditional cosies that seem to be stamped out by the same author using the same plot.

While I loved the first three in the series I'm not quite sure I really cared for this one. I love Gilley and MJ and her parret Doc. I'm also a big fan of Dr. Steven Sable who was not really in this book and seemed to be replaced by Heath who MJ keeps refering to as too young for her yet some how the story seems to be moving towards her and heath hooking up. This I'm not a big fan of so book five in this series my just be my last depending on where the relationships stand. If steven goes I must go as well : (

I just finished and greatly enjoyed this book. It's my favorite in the series so far (admittedly, I like Heath better than Steven, so that may be part of it). It's a little bit like Scooby-Doo, but this is definitely a quick read that will hook you from the start.

This isn't "I can't go to sleep" scary, but it's enough to make you feel a little anxious while reading. That's about as scary a novel as I want to read.

Ms. Laurie does a very good job of this latest installment of the Ghost Hunter Mysteries. MJ is a medium that has been employed by a famous cable channel to produce a real life show about ghouls and ghosties. MJ is quite the real deal and is accompanied by Heath Whitefeather, another highly talented medium. The cast of characters is rounded out by MJ's ever present partner Gilly (who ironically is scared to death of ghosts) and Gopher the producer.

The book starts out in Scotland at a location supposedly the most haunted in all of Scotland. Before they even begin to start filming, the ghosts attack and it becomes non-stop action to the end. The action is intense and all too real. The main ghost is a real witch that was murdered centuries before. She cursed the ones who killed her. Unfortunately, they discover that poor Gilly is a decedent of one of the murderers so the witch tries several times to kill Gilly....or does she?

A real murder does happen causing the gang to figure out who did it while at the same time trying to banish the evil spirits and save Gilly's life. If that isn't enough, a budding romance finds it's way into the story. I loved Gilly in this book. He is quirky and funny and balances out some of the more intense action. The ending makes you want to continue right away instead of having to wait for the next book.

In my opinion this is the best of the series so far. The action is tight and there are enough twists to keep you going. I highly recommend this book.

M. J. Holliday is a psychic with her top skill being a medium who can communicate with ghosts. She gives readings and makes her grateful clients feel good by telling them the truth; unlike the numerous charlatans. She and her partner are also ghostbusters who send evil spirits back to where they came from. They are now on Briar Street, the most haunted street in Scotland. Under the street is the close (several caves and catacombs) where victims were sent to die from the plague.

While they are on Briar Road, the interest of the hundreds of spirits make M.J. and her co-worker medium Heath Whitefeather almost insane. Inside the close the same phenomena happens with the ghouls of the plague screaming. They would love to leave immediately, but they are contracted to Bravo TV to film what they find at this location. To make matters worse, the centuries dead witch Rigella who cursed the village of Queen's Close because they murdered her and her sisters are brought back by a villager to murder seven descendents of the families that killed them. When their tech expert is attacked by ghouls, M.J. and her crew becomes the target of a mortal who is in league with the witch because brake lines were cut, which means the witch has a human helper. When another villager dies, M.J. and company investigate determined to find the witch and her mortal assistant.

Victoria Laurie is the queen of paranormal mysteries as her fourth ghostbusters whodunit brings the reader into her world (see DEMONS ARE A GHOUL'S BEST FRIEND and GHOULS JUST HAUNT TO HAVE FUN). Ghouls Gone Wild is a hauntingly good whodunit filled with plenty of action above and below the street. The cast is solid even the spirits while the two protagonists are fully developed especially when the supernatural haunt their senses. With plenty of humor including with a Potter meets Bedknobs and Broomsticks battle of flying brooms, fans will enjoy ghosts, ghouls, and witches, oh my.

Harriet Klausner

As the series continues on I am starting to care less and less. I used to like MJ's character but after the way she treated Steven in the last book and now making goo goo eyes with Heath. I am starting to find MJ annoying. I used to find Gilly very funny now I find his constant fright very annoying. I don't care much for Heath's character and I do miss Steven. The mystery was ok but one previous reviewer was correct when the review stated it felt like a Scooby Doo episode.