Ghost Monster by Simon Clark

Set in the UK, the novel centers around a mausoleum housing a mural containing the soul/spirit of an incredibly evil man from the 18th century. Since Justice Murrain’s death, his ancestors have been protecting the mural to prevent Murrain’s spirit and those of his insane followers from breaking loose. Nature is conspiring against them, however, as the land surrounding it is in danger of falling into the sea. As the land continues to erode, slowly Justice Murrain and his followers begin to break free and take possession of residents of the area and wreak havoc in a very violent way. It is up to Jack Murrain and his grandfather, along with a couple of members of the excavation team to stop Justice Murrain before they possess the entire town.


For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. The characterization was pretty strong. The plot was logical and the story had a good flow. There were some trouble spots, however. Most striking was that certain parts of the story seemed unoriginal and very much like other stories I have read. Specifically, I’m referring to the montage of when the author would give these little slices of Murrain’s followers doing damage to the town. It felt as if I had read similar passages dozens of times in other novels. That was the only thing that really bothered me, but it bothered me quite a bit. So, I generally enjoyed the novel and would recommend it, but it failed to hit the mark as a result.