When you’ve lost it all, how far would you go to get it back? Bennett Covington has a good life. The support of a loving, growing family. A satisfying job. A roof over his head. Not perfect, but close enough. Nothing lasts forever, of course. After stumbling into the middle of a back-alley murder, Bennett becomes entangled in a web of violence set in motion by members of a shadowy criminal organization. Subjected to psychological torment, Bennett struggles to understand the depth of their evil intentions – intentions that threaten to take much more than just his life. Through it all, one question why have they taken such a keen interest in him? When he runs, they catch him. When he hides, they find him. The only way out is to fight back.
Chip Scarinzi is an award-winning communications executive by trade and a dyed-in-the-wool baseball fan at heart. A lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, he lives with his wife and two young daughters in the shadow of the Oakland Coliseum in nearby Alameda, Calif. Diehards is the manifestation of his own passion for sports and a desire to understand why he and his tribe care so much about games. He is an Athletics season ticket holder, member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and spends most of his free time at the ballpark.
Bennett Covington leaves work early one day due to a fire. But on his way home he stumbles upon someone being executed in an alley. They next thing he knows, he is sitting in the alley and it is 3 am the next morning. Upon arriving at home his wife discovered a cell phone that she has never seen. The next day Bennet decides to follow the instructions on the cell phone. He meets some unsavory characters that work him over. Bennett decides he is not going to follow the instructions and finds his daughter kidnapped. His wife calls the cops and Bennett finds himself in the police station, with several murdered cops.
Shortly thereafter, several things start happening and it is looking like Bennett has gone off the deep end and caused all of these events. In truth he is being forced into them to keep his family safe. But there are bigger things planned and whenever Bennett tries to stop them he finds that there is no escape. What is really happening? Is Bennett going to make it out alive?
There is lots of action and edge of your seat thrills. Every time it looks like Bennett has found a way to get ahead of the kidnappers prove that they are still several steps ahead of him. I felt for Rose. She knew something was wrong but every time she tried to handle the situation with the police things just seemed to get worse.
If you like thrillers you need to get this book. Just make sure to start reading early on a day that you have nothing planned. You won’t be doing much once you start reading.
I received Ghosts for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I can't really understand what is going on in this story. Supernatural events to be sure with Armageddon lurking in the background. The main evildoers seem to be Poe and his cohorts.
Superb storyline! I can't say that I wasn't intrigued and on the edge reading every chapter. Bennet's character was so out of sorts that you just really can't believe rather he really doesn't know who or what he may be at times. I truly don't know what Poe is, he's got to be evil incarnate. I just hope there's no sequel because I enjoyed the suspense of the story but let's just leave well enough alone. I feel this way because you completely left Franks out of the storyline in the mmmm most intricate parts of the conclusion, and I truly hate sequels!
Ghosts by Chip Scarinzi is a crime novel with a sci-fi twist in which we’re taken through the dream-like tale of Bennett Covington.
This isn’t your average mystery. This modern world has something new coming to light. A mix of chemicals, in the wrong hands can be used to distort others’ realities.
Bennett is an everyday guy. He has a steady office job complete with a nosy coworker and moody boss. He has a family he loves that he goes home to nightly. All in all he’s you or me – standard, maybe even boring, but happy.
Of course, Bennett’s life is about to change. It all begins with a dark scene in an alley that Bennett stumbles upon. From there, Bennett is sucked into San Francisco’s dark underworld. Confusion surrounds Bennett, his family, and the reader as murders are on the rise and Bennett seems to be at the heart of it all. There’s even surveillance footage of him committing these heinous crimes. And yet, Bennett has no memory of any of it. A man named Poe and his strange holographic-like scenes, tell another story however.
We’re taken through this mystery not only through Bennett’s eyes, but through the eyes of his wife, daughter, a strange professor and the police. Even with all those viewpoints we’re left in a shroud of confusion as we discover bits and pieces along with those involved. With Bennett you’ll question his true involvement in the many many murders that surround him and because of that you’ll pull for a win for Bennett and his family even harder.
Bennett’s wife and daughter, Rose and Viv, along with the novel’s other lead roles, are written so believably, you can feel each of their emotions with them. From the very first page, this novel draws you in.
Ghosts is a must read for any fan of crime and sci-fi genres. There are so many twists and turns that you won’t be able to put it down.
I thought this was a mystery but it is more suspense with a sci-fi twist. There are many things that are not really explained at the end - like Poe, what exactly is he but he isn't human!
The book did keep moving on at a pretty quick pace and kept me interested in what would happen next. Would Bennett get out of the situation he was in? Would his family be ok? Why did they keep calling him Yannick?
There were many times at the beginning when Bennett first got involved with these characters by accident and why he kept going back - was it curiosity or was it more?
There was a twist at the end that leaves the book open for a sequel or just leave you wondering what could possibly happen next.
4.5 stars: (review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)
A good mystery novel shouldn't be easily figured out. It should be orchestrated where each chapter gives you another piece of the puzzle but the whole picture eludes you. Sometimes the piece will fit snugly against a neighboring partner and sometimes you know it has to go there, but no matter how you turn it, it just won't click into place.
While I was reading Ghosts and presented with the puzzle pieces, I couldn't get the bigger picture to unveil itself. Was I mad? HELL TO THE NO! I didn't want a few clicks and boom the show was over. I wanted my brain challenged and Chip definitely made me think. He made me doubt almost everyone, questioning even the good guy's motives and presented an evil - unsavory - vile character (Poe) who took a licking and kept on ticking... much like Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) and Michael Myers (Halloween). Those two psychopaths wouldn't stay dead either.
You want a good mystery, then look no further. Ghosts will challenge your mind and keep you hooked until the very end.