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Finding The Way Back
Finding the Way Back is the story of Laney, a recently divorced woman who agrees to help her mother fix up her dead grandfather's house. From the first night when she hears ghostly music to later physical attacks that seem targeted only at her, she soon discovers that a spirit in the house may have plans of its own. For her own well-being, she needs to find answers as the danger escalates and she learns to trust herself and others. With the help of her cousin Connie, an attractive ghosthunter named Emmett, and several other eccentric characters, Laney uncovers the dark secret of the house and a new path for her future.
234 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 2014
361 people want to read
About the author
Jill Bisker
4 books19 followersI write non-fiction, paranormal, and fantasy. I love to connect with other readers to discuss the craft of writing and world building, so feel free to friend me.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 11, 2014
Laney Mackenzie is recovering from a messy divorce when her mother offers her the opportunity to live in her dead grandfather’s house and work on renovating it, a task she loves. Her cousin Connie moves in to help and be company, but it soon becomes apparent that Connie is not the only company in the house. Unexpected noises and feelings of dread suggest that perhaps the house has less welcome guests. But Connie has friends who are amateur ghost hunters and she invites them along to try to discover what is going on. One of them is the handsome and charming Emmett, who has a devastating effect on Laney.
Add to this the complication of her dead grandfather’s girlfriend breaking into the house, and the revelation of a family secret and you have a robust plot that keeps your interest throughout.
I loved this story. It is the second of Jill Bisker’s books that I have read and I must say I am very impressed by her skilful use of language and her realistic characters. If you enjoy a good ghost story, you will love this one. I’m just hoping she’s going to write some more.
Add to this the complication of her dead grandfather’s girlfriend breaking into the house, and the revelation of a family secret and you have a robust plot that keeps your interest throughout.
I loved this story. It is the second of Jill Bisker’s books that I have read and I must say I am very impressed by her skilful use of language and her realistic characters. If you enjoy a good ghost story, you will love this one. I’m just hoping she’s going to write some more.
December 26, 2014
Finding the Way Back, is a paranormal thriller. Laney, a soon to be divorcee finds herself fixing up her recently deceased grandfathers home, who was a hoarder. Beginning the first night, she hears music being played in the basement but when she goes to check, no radio is to be found among the many boxes. Soon her cousin Connie arrives to help with the overwhelming job of redecorating the house so her mother can put it up for sale. Soon, Connie and Laney hear knocking sounds and Connie begins to speculate the house is haunted. Laney is skeptical, but soon gives into the idea. Connie enlists the help of a friend, Emmett who is also a part-time ghost hunter. But then a ghost targets Laney and a dark secret begins to reveal itself and why the house is haunted.
Jill Bisker is a talented author who sends the reader on a thrill ride that will keep them up long after the lights go out.
Jill Bisker is a talented author who sends the reader on a thrill ride that will keep them up long after the lights go out.
April 13, 2015
Laney is divorcing her controlling and cheating husband. Suddenly finding herself homeless, jobless, and with a dent in her self-esteem, she embarks on an ambitious adventure to restore her recently deceased grandfather’s house. From the minute Laney takes up her residence in the home where every nook and cranny is filled with boxes and accumulated possessions, strange incidents start taking place. First, there is the music in the middle of the night; then knocking and footsteps; chairs moving; and most disturbing, Laney being pushed on the stairs. Laney’s long-lost cousin and childhood confident, Connie, arrives on the scene to help bring order to the chaos, and when it becomes clear that the inexplicable occurrences cannot be attributed to natural causes, Connie calls in the help of a friend, supernatural investigator, Emmett.
The journey Laney embarks on is much more than what she enrolled for. Not only does it take her on a new road of reuniting with her family, finding her old confidence and lust for life, and restoring order to a house submerged in physical and spiritual distress, but it also brings her on a path of personal development and finding answers to the family mysteries. Remodeling the old residence becomes a metaphor for Laney’s growth, finding herself again in the chaotic aftermath of a destructive relationship.
Finding the Way Back is an enjoyable read that is suitable for lovers of both the ordinary and the extraordinary. The first person narration style is witty, down to earth, and has the stamp of a unique voice. Overall, the plot flows at a good pace and the story is well written. The author adds a dash of magic to a supernatural storyline, and brings it all together with an amorous bow. Although I experienced a few thrilling hair raising moments (in a good, enjoyable sense), I could read the story at night … home alone.
The journey Laney embarks on is much more than what she enrolled for. Not only does it take her on a new road of reuniting with her family, finding her old confidence and lust for life, and restoring order to a house submerged in physical and spiritual distress, but it also brings her on a path of personal development and finding answers to the family mysteries. Remodeling the old residence becomes a metaphor for Laney’s growth, finding herself again in the chaotic aftermath of a destructive relationship.
Finding the Way Back is an enjoyable read that is suitable for lovers of both the ordinary and the extraordinary. The first person narration style is witty, down to earth, and has the stamp of a unique voice. Overall, the plot flows at a good pace and the story is well written. The author adds a dash of magic to a supernatural storyline, and brings it all together with an amorous bow. Although I experienced a few thrilling hair raising moments (in a good, enjoyable sense), I could read the story at night … home alone.
December 29, 2014
What can I say except holy crap! What a tediously long-winded mundane novel. I just wanted it to end and I was so happy when it did. To be honest, I surprised myself that I actually read the book cover to cover. I kept waiting for something major to happen. It was a good mystery once all was revealed, but getting there was something else. Wish I could say I liked the characters but I didn't as there was nothing special about any of them. The one thing that I didn't understand was In the end, a paranormal novel that I found to be quite boring.
July 15, 2014
Laney has just come out of a marriage to a rather unpleasant, control freak of a husband and is now determined to do things her way and do them independently. When her mother suggests an alliance with her cousin to renovate the ancestral home she balks at the idea but eventually agrees if she is in charge of the project. She needn’t have worried though as her cousin proves to be a huge asset and, when things go bump in the night, her cousin knows just the man to investigate.
This is a cracking ghost story; very satisfying with a slow and steady tension build up worthy of a movie script. Absolutely loved it! Ms Bisker kept me guessing until the end with an excellent conclusion. There is a tad of romance but far more ghostly substance and the balance is perfect. This book really surprised me with its consistency and its content. Thoroughly entertaining.
This is a cracking ghost story; very satisfying with a slow and steady tension build up worthy of a movie script. Absolutely loved it! Ms Bisker kept me guessing until the end with an excellent conclusion. There is a tad of romance but far more ghostly substance and the balance is perfect. This book really surprised me with its consistency and its content. Thoroughly entertaining.
July 17, 2014
Finding the Way Back is a great story about a newly divorced woman trying to figure out who she really is and what she wants in life. Then you add ghosts and a new romance and you have the perfect story!
October 4, 2014
Laney MacKenzie is ‘finding her way back’ from years spent with her cheating and controlling, now ex, husband, Simon. Her self-worth is almost non existent after being subjected to Simon’s undermining attitude and cavalier treatment. Laney’s mother has given her the option, with a little push, of refurbishing her late grandfather’s house, affording her a place to live and something to restore her confidence and self-respect. Her cousin and erstwhile best friend, Connie, moves in to lend a hand and she and Laney rekindle their old and close friendship.
The house is crammed full of boxes and the accumulations of a lifetime and Laney feels daunted by the task, especially so when strange and unexplainable incidents begin to occur. As she and Connie start to gradually uncover the secrets of the house and their family, Laney gets much more than she could ever imagine. As the ghostly occurrences escalate and become extremely threatening, Connie has an idea.
I like the inclusion of the ghost hunters, they add an extra layer of interest to the story although I would have liked to learn more about Emmet’s backstory.
This is a very enjoyable, humorous and well crafted story of re-learning the values of trust and love and letting go of the past. There are likeable, realistic and some eccentric characters, several scary scenes and a satisfactory conclusion, despite me not quite understanding why the two ghosts would elect to stay in the house rather than move on together.
The house is crammed full of boxes and the accumulations of a lifetime and Laney feels daunted by the task, especially so when strange and unexplainable incidents begin to occur. As she and Connie start to gradually uncover the secrets of the house and their family, Laney gets much more than she could ever imagine. As the ghostly occurrences escalate and become extremely threatening, Connie has an idea.
I like the inclusion of the ghost hunters, they add an extra layer of interest to the story although I would have liked to learn more about Emmet’s backstory.
This is a very enjoyable, humorous and well crafted story of re-learning the values of trust and love and letting go of the past. There are likeable, realistic and some eccentric characters, several scary scenes and a satisfactory conclusion, despite me not quite understanding why the two ghosts would elect to stay in the house rather than move on together.
July 8, 2014
Finding The Way Back is the story of newly divorced Laney, who agrees to renovate her late grandfather's house. As any good ghost hunter knows, remodeling can kick up all kinds of paranormal activity, and this house has its share of spirits and dark family secrets. I really enjoyed the relationship between Laney and her cousin, and the mystery surrounding the haunting they experience while cleaning out the old house. I devoured this book in one day- it was a wonderful poolside read, and it ran over into the evening, which meant the creepiest part was read in the dark, lol. The ending is sweet and satisfying. It was an awful lot of fun to read, and I look forward to more work from this author.
August 31, 2016
Laney's experience in her grandfather's house started out as a classic tale of haunting and turned into much more. With warmth, humor, chills, and a real threat of danger, Laney was at the center of a shift in multiple generations of family relationships. The story drew me in as it escalated, featuring elements of the past as well as modern-day ghost hunters and a really sweet and likeable romance. Good storytelling, character growth and a satisfying resolution of multiple threads in the storyline. If there's a sequel I'd love to see more of mean Melanie and skanky Saundra!
October 4, 2014
Ms Bisker has converted me to ghost stories.
I have to admit I am not normally a ghost reading kind of a gal. However, after reading Finding the Way Back, I think I may be a convert. This story was well written and flowed; Ms Bisker did an amazing job keeping me guessing right up until the end story. The characters in this story are fascinating, and I love the spontaneous comments, that were witty and down to earth. So much so, I cannot wait to read more from this author.
I have to admit I am not normally a ghost reading kind of a gal. However, after reading Finding the Way Back, I think I may be a convert. This story was well written and flowed; Ms Bisker did an amazing job keeping me guessing right up until the end story. The characters in this story are fascinating, and I love the spontaneous comments, that were witty and down to earth. So much so, I cannot wait to read more from this author.
July 18, 2014
The wonderfully written story about a recently divorced woman named Laney has a ghostly twist that makes the story a must read. The characters were very easy to love and the story itself with the mystery of who the ghost is was well played with a twist. If you like ghost stories you will love this one by Bisker!! Just don't read before you go to bed at night or you might hear footsteps in the hall or music playing.... ;)
October 22, 2014
Finding the Way Back is a quick, cute read about a new divorcee trying to figure out what to do with her life. In the meantime, she moves into her grandfather’s haunted house with the intention of cleaning it out and renovating it. The spirit(s) roaming the house aren’t always pleasant to her, but what is pleasant and appealing to her is ghost hunter Emmett. If you like stories with intrigue, some suspense, and a bit of romance, you’ll enjoy this story.
September 3, 2025
The book was ok. A simple, quick read.
October 7, 2015
I put off reading Finding The Way Back for a while because I don’t typically read adult fiction. I’m pretty sure I’ll be 19 forever, though my body may age. That said, I know Jill Bisker personally and I designed her cover, so I gave it a chance.
Finding The Way Back is the story of Laney, a young woman going through a divorce. She’s picking up the pieces of her life and learning to be herself again now that she’s no longer under the spell of her loser of a (soon-to-be) ex-husband. To help get her mind off things Lancey’s mother invites Laney and her cousin Connie to live in and fix up the old house their grandfather lived in. As it turns out, Gramps had a bit of a hoarding problem, there’s hardly any room to move around the old house he’s packed it so full!
As Laney and Connie begin their mission of clearing out the house—trashing the junk, dispersing sentimental items to the family, and selling the valuables on eBay—things really get interesting. As it turns out, the house is haunted and the women’s mothers’ never bothered to share that little bit of information on them. Let me tell you, there are some creepy moments in this book that made me wonder what I was thinking reading this on my Kindle in bed in the dark late at night!
So, when the ghost makes it’s appearance, Connie does what any intelligent girl does: she calls the Ghostbusters. Okay, not really, but close enough. She invites a guy she knew in high school, Emmett, plus some of his friends, to come scope out the joint. Emmett is a hobby ghost hunter. And hot. Really hot. Laney tries to deny the attraction but it’s there. So as Laney and Connie attempt to cohabit the house with a ghost, Emmett becomes their knight in shining armor.
I liked the romance in this book, it was a slow build that didn’t seem sudden and out of nowhere. The ghosts were the perfect blend of spooky, creepy and wondrous. And Ms. Bisker created a fabulous story for the haunting of the house. As a bonus, there were some local details in the book that made me chuckle because I know those things oh so well. Not to mention the little points of humor scattered throughout the story (I loved the closet scene with Emmett and Laney!)
There were some things I didn’t enjoy as much. I found some parts of the book to be too over detailed (I read YA, remember? We gloss over the details for the most part in YA!) and sometimes it felt a little repetitive.
Overall, I did enjoy this story and I will be reading (and reviewing!) the sequel which is due to come out from Melange Books this fall.
Disclaimer: I designed the cover for this book so I do receive a small monetary compensation for sales of the book. This in no way affects my review of the book. If I wanted to be dishonest, every book I design covers for would be a 5 star read! ;)
Finding The Way Back is the story of Laney, a young woman going through a divorce. She’s picking up the pieces of her life and learning to be herself again now that she’s no longer under the spell of her loser of a (soon-to-be) ex-husband. To help get her mind off things Lancey’s mother invites Laney and her cousin Connie to live in and fix up the old house their grandfather lived in. As it turns out, Gramps had a bit of a hoarding problem, there’s hardly any room to move around the old house he’s packed it so full!
As Laney and Connie begin their mission of clearing out the house—trashing the junk, dispersing sentimental items to the family, and selling the valuables on eBay—things really get interesting. As it turns out, the house is haunted and the women’s mothers’ never bothered to share that little bit of information on them. Let me tell you, there are some creepy moments in this book that made me wonder what I was thinking reading this on my Kindle in bed in the dark late at night!
So, when the ghost makes it’s appearance, Connie does what any intelligent girl does: she calls the Ghostbusters. Okay, not really, but close enough. She invites a guy she knew in high school, Emmett, plus some of his friends, to come scope out the joint. Emmett is a hobby ghost hunter. And hot. Really hot. Laney tries to deny the attraction but it’s there. So as Laney and Connie attempt to cohabit the house with a ghost, Emmett becomes their knight in shining armor.
I liked the romance in this book, it was a slow build that didn’t seem sudden and out of nowhere. The ghosts were the perfect blend of spooky, creepy and wondrous. And Ms. Bisker created a fabulous story for the haunting of the house. As a bonus, there were some local details in the book that made me chuckle because I know those things oh so well. Not to mention the little points of humor scattered throughout the story (I loved the closet scene with Emmett and Laney!)
There were some things I didn’t enjoy as much. I found some parts of the book to be too over detailed (I read YA, remember? We gloss over the details for the most part in YA!) and sometimes it felt a little repetitive.
Overall, I did enjoy this story and I will be reading (and reviewing!) the sequel which is due to come out from Melange Books this fall.
Disclaimer: I designed the cover for this book so I do receive a small monetary compensation for sales of the book. This in no way affects my review of the book. If I wanted to be dishonest, every book I design covers for would be a 5 star read! ;)
April 2, 2015
Finding the Way Back by Jill Bisker
Recently divorced Laney decides to help her Mother fix up her dead grandfathers house. The first night there she hears music and soon discovers a ghost lives there. With the help of ghost hunter, Emmett and her cousin Connie she begins to discover some family secrets.
I liked Laney, just divorced and trying to make a new (happy) life for herself. Connie is likable as well. Although (She has an) opposite personality from Laney they get along well. Then Emmett, he is very likable. He's a "ghost hunter" (a unique quirky job), who wouldn't like someone like him!
A well written story. There are a lot of spooky ghostly happenings, and sightings, family secrets surface, plot twists and turns. The dialog and vivid details bring the story to life. There is family bonding and many "I didn't see that coming" moments. Overall I really enjoyed Finding the Way Back and feel that those who love a great ghost story will enjoy it as well.
Recently divorced Laney decides to help her Mother fix up her dead grandfathers house. The first night there she hears music and soon discovers a ghost lives there. With the help of ghost hunter, Emmett and her cousin Connie she begins to discover some family secrets.
I liked Laney, just divorced and trying to make a new (happy) life for herself. Connie is likable as well. Although (She has an) opposite personality from Laney they get along well. Then Emmett, he is very likable. He's a "ghost hunter" (a unique quirky job), who wouldn't like someone like him!
A well written story. There are a lot of spooky ghostly happenings, and sightings, family secrets surface, plot twists and turns. The dialog and vivid details bring the story to life. There is family bonding and many "I didn't see that coming" moments. Overall I really enjoyed Finding the Way Back and feel that those who love a great ghost story will enjoy it as well.
November 11, 2015
The characters were great! No clichés (well, except the grandpa’s floozy ex which was entertaining, and the philandering ex-husband), each character had their own quirks. Little details the author put in about their choice in furnishings, or clothing, revealed something of each personality.
I like Laney, she is sort of finding herself again after a failed marriage, and as the book goes on she accepts herself more and more. At the same time there are funny scenes, where she is a bit of a clutz, or blurts out something she shouldn’t. She gives Emmett a hard time now and then, when it’s really about her insecurities, but he seems to be pretty easy-going and makes her tingle, so that’s all good! He seems like the bit-nerdy/sexy type!
I found myself waiting for the next mysterious thing to happen with every page, and yet there were down times and funny scenes to balance it out so it wasn’t all tense, all the time. It built up nicely, but still had a little ‘extra’ surprise toward the end.
I like Laney, she is sort of finding herself again after a failed marriage, and as the book goes on she accepts herself more and more. At the same time there are funny scenes, where she is a bit of a clutz, or blurts out something she shouldn’t. She gives Emmett a hard time now and then, when it’s really about her insecurities, but he seems to be pretty easy-going and makes her tingle, so that’s all good! He seems like the bit-nerdy/sexy type!
I found myself waiting for the next mysterious thing to happen with every page, and yet there were down times and funny scenes to balance it out so it wasn’t all tense, all the time. It built up nicely, but still had a little ‘extra’ surprise toward the end.
January 4, 2015
I don’t usually read ghost stories, but I have to say this book hooked me in. I loved everything about it. The characters came alive for me. This book really haunted me, but I couldn’t put it down. Love the house and her description will draw you in.
The story scared me, but it did it just by great story telling and not gore.
The twists and turns, even the ghosts were charming, for the most part. Without giving anything away, there was one, I didn’t like at all.
I loved Emmett and Laney. I adored the relationship between Connie and Laney as well. I got a kick out of their moms. The thing that I loved was how Laney stood in her own strength after being in a very bad relationship with a complete control freak and all around jerk.
This book left me wanting more and I so look forward to reading more.
The story scared me, but it did it just by great story telling and not gore.
The twists and turns, even the ghosts were charming, for the most part. Without giving anything away, there was one, I didn’t like at all.
I loved Emmett and Laney. I adored the relationship between Connie and Laney as well. I got a kick out of their moms. The thing that I loved was how Laney stood in her own strength after being in a very bad relationship with a complete control freak and all around jerk.
This book left me wanting more and I so look forward to reading more.
September 27, 2015
So far I am really loving this book. It keeps me laughing but at the same time it keeps me on the edge of my seat and jumping out of my skin at every sound. lmbo Yeah I love when a book can do this. Hope there is more from this author.
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