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Ghosts of the Past
In the spring of 1945, an unmarked German transport plane crash lands deep in the rugged Swiss Alps, and with it is buried one of the greatest single collections of World War II stolen artwork never recovered. Lying undisturbed in its rocky tomb for over half a century, a family member’s deathbed disclosure and war memorabilia hold the key to the existence and dormant location of this incredible treasure. American advertising executive Matt Ferguson, upon his discovery and pursuit of his great uncle’s mysterious legacy, enlists the help of a beautiful art expert, Courtney Lewis, and as their quest is unwittingly exposed, immediately become embroiled in a local murder investigation that draws them together in an effort to save not only a piece of history, but ultimately their lives. Striving to stay ahead of anonymous pursuers, they are stalked by a ruthless South American industrialist bent on forcibly seizing the priceless collection for himself, while simultaneously being hunted by a murderous band of ODESSA henchmen representing the past and present generations of the German Nazi party, seeking an additional relic from the crash more sinister than a mere cache of stolen art. With the dogged persistence of a city homicide detective determined to solve a triple murder, and his ability to knit together a global police effort, the chaotic and thrilling race to recover the find of a lifetime becomes a fast-paced, action packed adventure that weaves together an eclectic cast of characters in an international web of intrigue, murder, mystery and an unexpected conclusion that will keep readers riveted until the last page.
322 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2012
3 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 14, 2014
Very nice read with twist at the end. I am from Louisville, KY so that added to the read for me. Well worth picking up.
January 21, 2022
I would like to thank Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to experience the rush of international adventure that this novel had to offer.
I was first drawn to Ghosts Of The Past when I read the plot summary. It seemed like an intriguing approach in historical fiction writing, three parties traveling across the globe followed by a tenacious detective in order to locate a priceless cache of stolen World War II artwork.
I was hooked from the beginning. The background of the main character’s uncle set up the premise of the story as the history was followed by an introduction to the characters that played an active role in the modern day events, including brief, relevant snippets of how they came to be who they were.
Although the idea that two inexperienced people could have a remote chance of finding a treasure trove of art by themselves, much less in pristine condition after sixty years in a mountain cave, seems unrealistic and far-fetched, the author lays a foundation for expanding on this notion in a possibly more detailed and edited version of the book.
Speaking of editing, I came across a plethora of grammar, punctuation, and run-on sentence errors that even a debut novelist and his or her editor should never miss. The story was peppered with misplaced quotation marks, making it hard to discern to which character the dialogue was attributed. Commas were awkwardly placed in areas where their main purpose, to create a pause, stopped the flow of action where it should have been continuous, as if taking a deep breath in the middle of a thought before finishing the sentence.
Nonetheless, I was on the edge of the figurative seat and too fascinated to let minor mishaps of writing stop me in the middle of the fast-paced action.
In particular, I thoroughly enjoyed one pair of bad guys following another set of villains who were chasing the two protagonists across the Atlantic Ocean to Switzerland, trailed by a law enforcement officer who was on the hunt for the main characters and hard-pressed to obtain the truth.
Ghosts Of The Past packed the punch of a Jason Bourne thriller written by an author with a potential for rubbing literary elbows with the likes of Daniel Silva and the late Robert Ludlum.
It was an honor to have been part of the journey as a reader.
I was first drawn to Ghosts Of The Past when I read the plot summary. It seemed like an intriguing approach in historical fiction writing, three parties traveling across the globe followed by a tenacious detective in order to locate a priceless cache of stolen World War II artwork.
I was hooked from the beginning. The background of the main character’s uncle set up the premise of the story as the history was followed by an introduction to the characters that played an active role in the modern day events, including brief, relevant snippets of how they came to be who they were.
Although the idea that two inexperienced people could have a remote chance of finding a treasure trove of art by themselves, much less in pristine condition after sixty years in a mountain cave, seems unrealistic and far-fetched, the author lays a foundation for expanding on this notion in a possibly more detailed and edited version of the book.
Speaking of editing, I came across a plethora of grammar, punctuation, and run-on sentence errors that even a debut novelist and his or her editor should never miss. The story was peppered with misplaced quotation marks, making it hard to discern to which character the dialogue was attributed. Commas were awkwardly placed in areas where their main purpose, to create a pause, stopped the flow of action where it should have been continuous, as if taking a deep breath in the middle of a thought before finishing the sentence.
Nonetheless, I was on the edge of the figurative seat and too fascinated to let minor mishaps of writing stop me in the middle of the fast-paced action.
In particular, I thoroughly enjoyed one pair of bad guys following another set of villains who were chasing the two protagonists across the Atlantic Ocean to Switzerland, trailed by a law enforcement officer who was on the hunt for the main characters and hard-pressed to obtain the truth.
Ghosts Of The Past packed the punch of a Jason Bourne thriller written by an author with a potential for rubbing literary elbows with the likes of Daniel Silva and the late Robert Ludlum.
It was an honor to have been part of the journey as a reader.
February 11, 2021
Matt Ferguson’s uncles deathbed revelation makes Matt realise he now knows the location of priceless artwork the Nazis stole during the war.
Matt sets off to find the buried treasure, accompanied by art expert Courtney Lewis. Unfortunately they are followed by different groups of criminals, who want the treasure for themselves and the police, who want to know about the bodies found along the way.
Ghosts of the Past has a bit of everything, history, adventure, suspense and romance.
I loved the storyline and was instantly drawn in to the book, devouring it in 24 hours. The characters are well developed and easy to connect to. And I never saw the plot twist coming.
Mark Downer has a good descriptive style of writing so you can really visualise where Matt and Courtney are.
A very easy 4 stars.
With thanks to NetGalley, Mark Downer and Books Go Social for my copy.
Matt sets off to find the buried treasure, accompanied by art expert Courtney Lewis. Unfortunately they are followed by different groups of criminals, who want the treasure for themselves and the police, who want to know about the bodies found along the way.
Ghosts of the Past has a bit of everything, history, adventure, suspense and romance.
I loved the storyline and was instantly drawn in to the book, devouring it in 24 hours. The characters are well developed and easy to connect to. And I never saw the plot twist coming.
Mark Downer has a good descriptive style of writing so you can really visualise where Matt and Courtney are.
A very easy 4 stars.
With thanks to NetGalley, Mark Downer and Books Go Social for my copy.
May 18, 2021
Read his full review on Rosepoint Publishing.
Information from a dying uncle sets Matt Ferguson on the quest of a lifetime.
An immense treasure of purloined art is hidden away, not by design but by a fortuitous accident as the treasure is being flown to Switzerland by two young shanghaied German Luftwaffe pilots. The transportation of art objects is at the personal bequest of Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering himself, but a chance meetup with a US fighter pilot results in a crash landing. The plane and its’ crew remain in hiding, sitting out the rest of the second world war.
Max Hignite, the German pilot in question leaves a map drawn on the back of the cargo manifest. Two pieces of art are in Max’s safe and are authenticated by assistant curator Courtney Lewis and her contacts at the Speed Art Museum. The two small paintings are valued and insured at $4,000,000.
Courtney and Matt set out to find the treasure and have it distributed to the rightful family owners. The problem is that the curators who helped verify the authenticity of the paintings are interested in the rest of the shipment and as Matt and Courtney begin the quest, they start an international conspiracy to obtain the balance of the valuable cargo.
Mark Downer has put together a quick engaging read with a number of twists and turns that are very entertaining. The book took center stage in my daily activities until I finished it. You will find the story well-plotted and paced although at times predictable. I highly recommend it for a quick and satisfying read! 5 stars – CE Williams
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from publisher through NetGalley. These are my honest opinions.
Information from a dying uncle sets Matt Ferguson on the quest of a lifetime.
An immense treasure of purloined art is hidden away, not by design but by a fortuitous accident as the treasure is being flown to Switzerland by two young shanghaied German Luftwaffe pilots. The transportation of art objects is at the personal bequest of Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering himself, but a chance meetup with a US fighter pilot results in a crash landing. The plane and its’ crew remain in hiding, sitting out the rest of the second world war.
Max Hignite, the German pilot in question leaves a map drawn on the back of the cargo manifest. Two pieces of art are in Max’s safe and are authenticated by assistant curator Courtney Lewis and her contacts at the Speed Art Museum. The two small paintings are valued and insured at $4,000,000.
Courtney and Matt set out to find the treasure and have it distributed to the rightful family owners. The problem is that the curators who helped verify the authenticity of the paintings are interested in the rest of the shipment and as Matt and Courtney begin the quest, they start an international conspiracy to obtain the balance of the valuable cargo.
Mark Downer has put together a quick engaging read with a number of twists and turns that are very entertaining. The book took center stage in my daily activities until I finished it. You will find the story well-plotted and paced although at times predictable. I highly recommend it for a quick and satisfying read! 5 stars – CE Williams
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from publisher through NetGalley. These are my honest opinions.
January 31, 2021
My husband has his pilots license and sitting in the co-pilots seat gives one a sense of thrill and knowing you are going to be up in the sky within the clouds! I can only imagine the exhilaration Major Max Hignite was feeling about flying a special mission until he figured out that it was stolen art and other priceless artifacts and jewels of spoils during the war.
During the flight mechanical failure arises and Max had to do a crash landing. He survived the flight , but nothing was ever said of the cargo until his death. He gave a deathbed confession to his nephew, Matthew an average every day guy who was a advertising executive. He decided to obtain help and this is where Courtney Lewis , a art expert enters the picture.
A can of worms has been opened because now that it’s been validated that the treasure does exist all these criminals come out of the woodwork!
Twists and turns and get ready for a electrifying ride from country to country as the author develops the storyline moving. The action packed duplicity will keep you turning the pages until the end! For a first time book the author has kept my undivided attention from start to finish, I HOPE he continues a series with this cast of characters because I would definitely read the book!
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.
During the flight mechanical failure arises and Max had to do a crash landing. He survived the flight , but nothing was ever said of the cargo until his death. He gave a deathbed confession to his nephew, Matthew an average every day guy who was a advertising executive. He decided to obtain help and this is where Courtney Lewis , a art expert enters the picture.
A can of worms has been opened because now that it’s been validated that the treasure does exist all these criminals come out of the woodwork!
Twists and turns and get ready for a electrifying ride from country to country as the author develops the storyline moving. The action packed duplicity will keep you turning the pages until the end! For a first time book the author has kept my undivided attention from start to finish, I HOPE he continues a series with this cast of characters because I would definitely read the book!
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.
January 26, 2021
287 pages
3 and 1 / 2 stars
This book is a very good debut. I'd be interested in looking at this author's next work. It is fairly well written and plotted. I liked the Matt and Courtney characters. I wonder if they will feature in the next book?
It is 1945 at the time of the fall of Germany. I felt like I was in the cockpit with pilot Max and his young co-pilot during the introduction to the story. The plane ultimately crashes. It was very well written. Years later, Max's nephew Matt Ferguson inherits a mysterious legacy. With it is a letter written in German. When Max takes it to someone who can translate it, he meets Courtney, the other main character in the story.
The secret of the downed German aircraft with a load of stolen art gets out and a romp around the world starts with bad guys chasing good guys. This is where the story gets a little formulaic. There is a nice surprise in store for the reader near the end of the book.
I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for forwarding to me a copy of this good debut book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
3 and 1 / 2 stars
This book is a very good debut. I'd be interested in looking at this author's next work. It is fairly well written and plotted. I liked the Matt and Courtney characters. I wonder if they will feature in the next book?
It is 1945 at the time of the fall of Germany. I felt like I was in the cockpit with pilot Max and his young co-pilot during the introduction to the story. The plane ultimately crashes. It was very well written. Years later, Max's nephew Matt Ferguson inherits a mysterious legacy. With it is a letter written in German. When Max takes it to someone who can translate it, he meets Courtney, the other main character in the story.
The secret of the downed German aircraft with a load of stolen art gets out and a romp around the world starts with bad guys chasing good guys. This is where the story gets a little formulaic. There is a nice surprise in store for the reader near the end of the book.
I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for forwarding to me a copy of this good debut book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews