Book 24 Review: Charlie Harmer Takes a Ride

So this is another one of the books I was given in an exchange for an honest review. I pretty much was given a batch of them, so I’m trying to finish them as quickly as I can. This one was very different from the others I was provided. I was looking forward to reading it because it had a touch of the super natural. Yes, I have read books about curses, witches, vampires, etc etc but this one was about ghosts! I love a good ghost story and this one did not disappoint! I couldn’t give this one 5 stars for the simple fact that it did need better proof reading. There were a few typos that really pulled me out of the story a little bit. I also wish that the book would have been a bit longer. I mean, the author created this great world and it was fun to be inside of it. I did feel the ending came at me really fast and I really was just left wanting more. So let’s get to the review.

Author: Brendan Detzner    Page #: 174 

Genre:  Paranormal

Star Rating: 4 out of 5

The book starts off with two men looking for a place to stay for the night. Once the two find a place Mark finds the time to sneak away, go to their car, place a crystal on the dash, put on the radio, and drive. Seems like a normal thing right? Wrong! Once he gets on the stretch of the highway he hears Charlie Harmer from WBLI come on the radio and start to talk. What’s the big deal? Well Charlie is dead and he is literally talking to Mark. As the rules go Mark has a certain amount of time to contact the other side and get as many questions as he can answered by those from the other side. This part of the story really pulls you in and leave you with a bang.

The chapter after this is done from Charlies perspective and you get to find out more about who Charlie was before he died, and where he ended up after he died. Here is a little hint…..there were no pearly gates. And the chapter after that you finally get to meet Ashanda. She is a young girl with the gift of actually being able to communicate with the dead. Now, don’t start thinking that this book is going to take you down the same path as the classic movie Ghost did. Charlie doesn’t have unfinished business that he will need Ashanda’s help with. No not at all…..in fact he is going to need her help sorting out some craziness that is happening in the after life.

You see his boss was removed from the equation and this sadistic person was put in her place! Not to give away the major points of the story, but Charlie and several of the other ghosts on his side need help in stopping their new boss. His management style was more out right torture and they were not ready to spend eternity being severely tortured again. There are levels of the side they ended up and they were no longer on the very bottom. Think middle management. So they hatch a plan to try and over throw him and get balance back in their afterlife, and they are going to need Charlie and Ashanda to get it done.

Pros: 

• The world created by Detzner is fantastic. I love the concept of the dead having jobs to do. It was kind of like the movie Beetlejuice or the show Dead Like Me, everyone had a job to do.
• The tone of the book is very more of a dark comedy. Yes there were serious parts, but you could always count on Charlie to say or do something that would make you chuckle.
• I adored all of the characters….well no let me rephrase. I love Charlie and Ashanda! I loved their interactions and how Ashanda, though only 16, was tough and not afraid. And even if she was afraid, she just pushed it aside to do what she had to do. She had a hard life but she did not give a damn. She was a fighter.

Cons:

• There were a few typos. Mainly repeated words that made a few sentences weird. I was able to let the first one slide but the other ones really pulled me out of the story a little bit.
• I wish it was longer. As I mentioned before it seemed like I was really getting into how this world worked and then suddenly we were rushing to the end. The book could have used a little more time in the final poker scene…you will understand when you read it.

Overall: 

I really enjoyed the book and hope to read more from this author. It was a refreshing take on the typical ghost story. It seems like once you read one ghost story they seem to follow the typical “unfinished business” story line and that was not the case for this book. I really hope that we end up getting more books with Charlie as the main character because he was fantastic. So, if you are looking for a quick paranormal book I really recommend you give this one a try.