Speed Dating with the Dead

by Scott Nicholson

A paranormal conference at the most haunted hotel in the Blue Ridge Mountains goes haywire when ghost hunters accidentally stir up demons.


SPEED DATING WITH THE DEAD


When Digger Wilson brings his paranormal team Spirit Seekers International to the White Horse Inn, he is skeptical that his dead wife will keep her half of the bargain. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, and just before she died, she promised to meet him there.


But when one of the conference guests channels a mysterious presence and an Ouija board spells out a pet phrase known only to Digger and his wife, his convictions are challenged.


And when guests start to disappear, Digger and his daughter Kendra must face the circle of demons that view the hotel as their personal playground. Because soon the inn will be closing for good, angels can’t be trusted, and demons don’t like to play alone . . .


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Scott Nicholson is the author of bestselling thriller, mystery, and supernatural novels THE RED CHURCH, DRUMMER BOY, DISINTEGRATION, THE SKULL RING, AS I DIE LYING, and BURIAL TO FOLLOW, as well as the story collections THE FIRST, ASHES, GATEWAY DRUG, and FLOWERS. You can visit him at Author Central or www.hauntedcomputer.com


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"Scott Nicholson is the kind of writer who always thrills and always entertains." --Jonathan Maberry, Patient Zero


"Scott Nicholson understands that the best horror novels achieve primal fear through a combination of sustained atmosphere, richly drawn characters, and believable if uncanny evils that draw unholy power from everyday lives." --Christopher Ransom, author of the international bestseller, The Birthing House


"A master of atmospheric suspense." --Eric Wilson, NY Times bestselling novelist


"Scott Nicholson knows the territory. Follow him at your own risk."--Stewart O'Nan, Boston Noir


"Like Stephen King, he knows how to summon serious scares."--Bentley Little, His Father's Son


"Keep both hands on your pants, because Nicholson is about to scare them off."-- J.A. Konrath / Jack Kilborn


About the Author
Scott Nicholson isthe bestselling author of 14 novels, seven story collections, six screenplays, and four comics series. His first novel THE RED CHURCH was a Stoker Award finalist.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Ghosts, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2010

About the author

With more than 800,000 books sold worldwide, Scott Nicholson is an international bestselling thriller writer. He won the Writers of the Future Award in 1999 and was a Stoker Award finalist in 2003. His Fear series was published by Amazon's Thomas & Mercer imprint and 47North released the supernatural thriller McFALL.

He's also published a number of supernatural, paranormal, and fantasy books and stories, including the AFTER, NEXT, and ARIZE post-apocalyptic series, as well as children's books, comics, and screenplays. His 2006 novel The Home is in development as a feature film.

Reviews

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
I am not sure what to think of this book. Is it entertaining? Yes, in the same way a haunted place horror film is entertaining. The evil doesn't come out all at once. It takes its sweet time, working on individual people one by one. After all, none of them are innocents.

There was exactly one person I didn't want dead. Imagine a full hotel and I would save only one. I don't think that was intentional though. The character in question simply didn't get enough space to annoy me, I think.
Somewhere around the middle, Digger gets a warning to get his daughter out of the hotel and leave. And what does he do right after that? He leaves her alone.

The blurb gives a bit too much: 'And when people start to disappear, Digger and his daughter Kendra must face the circle of demons that view the hotel as their personal playground. Because soon the inn will be closing for good, angels can’t be trusted, and demons don’t like to play alone.'
First of all, Digger and his daughter are hardly together in the book and almost the whole damn plot is there. Some of those things aren't revealed until much later in the book.

While the book is really entertaining, there were a couple of things that annoyed the hell out of me. You see, I don't like preachy books no matter the side (a believer or an atheist, both can be rabid) and I am choosing to read those parts as a religious satire. That God doesn't want to dirty his hands and that demons are doing it for him is a statement scattered all throughout the book. The most tedious parts of the book belong to an informal demonologist who doesn't see anything wrong in killing another person for greater good. The mocking was not subtle, I am afraid. It completely ruined the book. That's why I chose to read those parts as a satire. As I said, I don't have patience for any kind of preaching.

Next, how hard it is to create at least one decent female character? I will forgive the teenager since she can't help being annoying.
Instead you have an old washed out hag of a manager, a dishonest and beautiful employee, a stereotypical Mexican laundry woman, a cougar who has a hidden reason to be there, and the rest of the visitors are crazed ghost hunters.
Comments like 'she’d aged a couple of decades since he’d last seen her, or maybe she’d taken off her make-up', 'Nothing was sadder than a woman fighting the losing battle with the time and growing desperate and scared as her feminine vanity fought the truth.', '...an unfortunate woman whose make-up was think enough to make an undertaker proud. She was way too old to put Kool-Aid highlights in her hair.','... a woman couldn't count on looks forever' don't help either. Yes, because all a woman has is her looks. Poor thing.
Now, I do not notice things like this every single time, but it was really hard not to see it here.

Overall, as a haunted hotel story with a couple of truly creepy moments, it was pretty entertaining, but don't expect any character depth. I am not sure I like the resolution either.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love those books that keep me engaged so fully in the story that I can lose myself between the pages for hours and not even realize how much time has passed. That's exactly what I found with Speed Dating with the Dead. I was alternately terrified and captivated by this story. Now, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting based on the title. I was thinking it would be a humorous paranormal romantic thriller. Boy was I wrong! This book reminded me of a combination of that movie 1408 and an episode of one of those ghost hunter shows. But scarier, much scarier!
Alcoholic widower and well known ghost hunter Digger Wilson sets up a ghost hunting conference at one of the reputedly most haunted Inns. The White Horse Inn has special significance to Digger, since he and his wife made a pact long ago to meet here if one dies before the other. He's hoping he's able to find his wife's spirit there, but he ends up finding more than he expected. Along with his team of specialists, Digger brings along his artistic daughter, Kendra, who resents him and only wants to lose herself in the fictional world she creates on the canvas. While the plot was fairly evenly paced, there were many unexpected twists along the way. Don't get me wrong, there was a fair share of action, but the story unfolded little by little, which increased my sense of dread and anticipation.

I felt that the characters were one of the main strengths of this book. Each character was believable and all too human with very human failings. Each one was presented in such a way that I wanted to know more about them. Whether I liked them or hated them, I was interested to know what they would say or do next. One of the standout's for me was known as "The Roach", although I wasn't fond of his unfortunate moniker, I felt he was one of the most perplexing yet intriguing characters in the book. I was kept guessing at his true motivations. I also really enjoyed Kendra and her teenage antics to attract the attention of crush Cody aka The Future of Horror. I thought that their flirtation was immensely believable. All of Nicholson's characters were true to life and I found the dialog to be engaging and entertaining. The paranormal aspects were chillingly realistic as well. From ghosts, to demons, to creepy kids that seemed to show up at random, all were extremely goosebumpworthy.

I would compare Nicholson's writing style to Koontz's early stuff. I was really impressed with how effortlessly this story grabbed me and took me on a paranormal journey into some places I'm not so sure I want to revisit. I certainly won't be journeying into any basements any time soon. This is definitely a "lights on all night" kind of book and one that will keep you up late reading. I highly recommend for those who like to read about things that go bump in the night.

Rating – 4

[Tasula · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely write reviews for or rate books I didn't care for, but since it contained so many misogynistic and irksome comments, and the characters were SO stupid, I thought I would put this out as a warning for anyone thinking about picking up the book. I kept reading in hope, but it does NOT get better, and the ending makes no sense.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like ghosts and demons and people getting killed every few seconds, you'll probably really enjoy this book.

If you like in-depth characterization, consistent world-building, and plots that make sense...you will probably really despise this book.

Sadly, I fall into the latter category. I just couldn't figure out what I was supposed to think about the supernatural elements of the story - not least because the author and therefore the characters couldn't seem to make up their minds about whether ghosts were real or not. The various categories of ghost were confusing - so a demon is a ghost, and not a fallen angel or the like, although they use the same names? Huh? - and the whole thing seemed to just be an excuse to kill people off in increasingly odd and/or messy ways.

Entertaining if you're a fan of splatfests, I suppose, but really not for me.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for book club. It had some creepy scenes but none that made me want to jump out of my chair, as I've experienced reading Stephen King! It's one of those books that I'll no doubt forget completely 5 minutes after reading... or 5 minutes after writing this review :)

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note: I originally read and reviewed this in Dec. 2011; am just standardizing my reviews as I run across old ones.

Disclosure : I picked this book up from Amazon because I enjoy the author's work. All opinions are my own.

My Synopsis: Wayne “Digger” Wilson made a promise to his wife, Beth, on their honeymoon at the White Horse Inn just outside Black Rock, NC – he promised that, if one of them died, the other would come here, to the inn, to try to make contact with the decedent’s spirit. Eight years after Beth’s death from cancer, Digger is finally coming to the White Horse to keep that promise. He has become a guide for paranormal tour groups and hunters, although he doesn’t believe in the paranormal himself. However, there is no denying that something really weird is going on in the White Horse Inn – people are disappearing, and even die-hard skeptics are being freaked out. Will everyone survive the weekend? And what is the mysterious entity that lives in the basement?

My thoughts: Based on actual events from a paranormal conference in the NC mountains in 2008 (you can read about it on Nicholson’s website), this is a fast-paced and well-developed story of paranormal suspense and horror. The story had a large cast, and many characters remained in the background, unnamed and undeveloped, but those that were highlighted were intriguingly developed. There were a lot of mysteries left, even at the end, and I’m wondering about the chance for a sequel – I know I’d love to read it! Highly recommended for fans of horror and dark psychological suspense.

[Moses Siregar III · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Scott Nicholson novel I've read. If you ask me, Scott's got a great way with words. His voice is hilarious and perpetually creative. What's nice about this is that no matter what story he's telling, I can enjoy it for the writing itself.

This one is kind of a ghost/horror story, but because the cast of characters was so wonderfully quirky, I found it to be at least as humorous as it was scary--and I think that's a good thing. It was fast-paced and fun, and the suspense kept me glued to the pages. I found it to be a great read.

[Lin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, but not good, either. The general storyline was decent enough, but I didn't really connect with the characters. And the ending was rushed, after a whole lot of buildup. Some good graphic and gory descriptions. All in all, not awful, especially for a cheapie easy read.

[Grace Krispy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The White Horse Inn. Located in the remote Appalachian Mountains, it's a perfectly spooky setting for a paranormal conference. With a haunted history and an utterly dreary atmosphere, the ghost hunters are in their element. Using their high-tech equipment, they are eager to capture the entities' visages and communications, even willingly offering up their own energy. Wayne "Digger" Wilson is the leader of this group, having dragged his unwilling teenage daughter along on the trip. He's got this whole ghost hunting schtick down pat; he knows exactly how to plan the hunting expeditions to keep his clients entertained. But Digger has an ulterior motive that no one- least of all his daughter- suspects. Digger's true purpose may actually be the catalyst to open up the door for something much scarier than a few lost ghosts....

Scott Nicholson has a gift for creating an action-packed storyline that begs to be read. I found myself enthralled, unwilling to stop turning page after page, late into the night. His writing style is wonderfully engaging, and his characters are brought to life on the page. Kendra is a typical teenager, with her secret thoughts and her outward disdain. Digger is the preoccupied father with bigger things on his mind, and he often forgets what's most important. His motley ghost hunting crew contains several intriguing characters, each with his own distinct personality. But the true stars of this story are the conference attendees. From the self-proclaimed skeptic who is just along to debunk the findings to the medium who channels demons, each character comes to colorful life under the author's pen. For fans of shows like "Ghost Hunters" and "A Haunting," the characters and tricks and tools of the trade in this book will be recognizable. I think the fluid writing and the clever characterization makes this an author to watch.

Starting out fairly tame, yet interesting, this story quickly and unexpectedly evolved into something sinister and dark, and I found myself a little lost at times. Throw Beth into the mix, and I never quite understood the whole angel/demon connection as well as I felt I should. I loved the character of "The Roach," but the way his motives were written were sometimes perplexing. I wasn't always sure upon which side he stood, which isn't necessarily a negative in and of itself, however, I felt like it was meant to be clear. I was eager to find out what would happen in the end, but some elements of this story left me a little muddled along the way. This was very reminiscent of some of Stephen King's better work in that it's spooky and can be gross, and it's not afraid to do the unexpected (yet somehow slightly predictable in that regard). Those can be very good things in a horror story, and it definitely kept my interest the entire way through.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the writing style and the characterization, and I look forward to sampling more of this author's work.

@ MotherLode blog

[CC. Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost stories, real ghost stories not the new paranormal ones with fantastical creatures, are my very favorite! I love reading about things that go bump in the night with shivers, sitting all curled up on the couch with every light in the house on. It's really hard to find a good one, though, and I am disappointed more often than not. This book did not disappoint! There were goosebumps galore!

Digger is a ghost investigator and has planned a conference at a famed, haunted North Carolina inn (I love stories set in North Carolina!). His real purpose for returning to the inn, though, was a promise he made to his late wife, Beth. Digger promised to return to the site of their honeymoon and allow Beth to contact him as a ghost should she ever die.

Digger has avoided the place for years, trying and failing to come to grips with her death. Finally, he can stay away no longer but is certain her ghost will not appear. Not much faith for a ghost hunter! Digger brings his ghost hunting team which includes his and Beth's daughter, Kendra. Kendra is a very reluctant ghost hunter. She doesn't believe in all the hype and has no respect for her father, mostly because of his spiraling alcoholism. Digger's secret attempts to find his wife's ghost and the conference members' attempts to contacts ghost opens a gate to a demon bent on taking over and soon there are more ghosts in the inn than living people!

The ending of the book was an explosion, both literally and figuratively. It was full of action, adventure and ghosts! I liked the book more than I thought I would. I have had occasion to tag along with ghost hunters myself and the author portrayed everything just as ghost hunters do things in the 'field'. There were never any moments I felt the story was faked or false and really enjoyed getting taken on a fun, but spooky, ghost ride!

[BigJohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speed Dating with the Dead is a refreshing tale of the supernatural. What's most refreshing is that it shows the genre continues to survive and thrive despite the market being flooded with vampire and zombie stories. This story is a straight-up tale of haunting, told from the perspective of a group of ghost hunters who are staging a paranormal conference at a haunted hotel.

There's a great cast of characters, including a widower hoping to connect with his dead wife, their skeptical daughter, a paranormal staff member who has his own religious and faith-based drive that directs his actions, and the money grubbing hotel staff themselves, who deliberately let the premises fall into disrepair in order to foster the tension and anxiety that is brought to the surface with every creaky board and squeaky door hinge. And finally, there are the skeptics that are out to debunk the industry as a whole, whether they are learned and educated nay-sayers, or malicious miscreants who use their technical prowess to stage fake encounters.

The tapestry is set, the starting gun is fired, and everyone takes off on their own agenda all at once. This is a fun romp with a dark twist, as the house decides it doesn't want to play by anyone else's rules.

Very enjoyable. I just don't quite get the name of the story.

[Icy-Cobwebs-In-Space · Rating 5 out of 5]

I selected “Speed Dating with the Dead” because that title just titillates me! It inspires me to howl aloud and simultaneously grab for my Kindle for PC and get reading! And of course, as I begin the first page, immediately I settle into that comfortable armchair of the mind, installed beside a cozily blazing fire, feet ensconced on an ottoman, while outside the windows (of my mind’s eye), a furious blizzard rages. No matter-I am now inside a Scott Nicholson novel, and reading is all I need.

“Speed Dating with the Dead” is such a catchy title-a reader might come to this novel expecting a paranormal chuckle-a-minute. True, the humour is present, in that trademark Nicholson way, that sneaks up and taps the shoulder before the mind realizes the leg has been pulled. But there’s some very real, and realistic material here too: a father and daughter partnership, two remaining sides of a three-legged table, with the wife/mother left out, gone into death.

“Speed Dating with the Dead” is such a multi-layered novel that it almost beggars description. Like a Supernatural version of good literary fiction, this novel compels attention, interest, and the reader’s dedication. I read it marveling at Mr. Nicholson’s talent, as I do each time I open one of his novels. Write on!

[Bewitched Bookworms · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of shows like Ghost Hunters, I found the circumstances the characters of this book faced very believable. The author had accuarate and detailed descriptions of the technology that real life ghost hunters use for their investigations. If you go to the author's website, you can explore links to the real life conference and Inn that inspired this book.

I give Speed Dating with the Dead 5 out of 5. I great, fast paced, twisty turning, not predicatable, paranormal thriller.

Read the full review here.

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I snuggled up to this book. It was the literary equivalent of a horror comedy. A father and daughter find themselves caught up with some very dangerous paranormal activity in a creepy hotel. I must admit by the choice of title and my interpretation of the style of the book it was meant to be tongue in cheek. Like a lot of books I have read this kept me amused but did not provide soul searching questions. I did not expect it to or want it to. I read it on holiday and it was just the tonic to get me off to sleep with a grin on my face but never a feeling it would induce nightmares.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly interesting take on the haunted house story. Skeptical ghost hunter organizes ghost hunt with lots of eccentric paranormal investigators at a haunted hotel. It turns out he may not be so skeptical as he has another agenda involving his long dead wife. While I enjoyed it, I wasn't really that taken by the characters that crowded this busy little novel. If you like ghosts, demons, and bad paranormal cable TV shows, you may like this more than I did. A marginal three stars.

[Holly Nessling · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with all Scott Nicholson novels, a good page-turner but it was somewhat unsatisfactory. The pace was a little off and some of the characterisation a bit disjointed. This was probably due to going into a little too much depth about some characters without providing sufficient back-story to actually explain motivations. The combination made for a slightly thin story. It was still an enjoyable read but a little disappointing.

[Bethica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading "Speed Dating for the Dead" by Scott Nicholson that I borrowed from Amazon's Lending Library. I really love his works but this one was so slow until more than half way through. I almost put it down several times unable to finish. Finally it did get really good, picked up the pace, and ended very "Nicholson-esk" which is gripping and full of page turners. It was a story about a ghost hunter conference taking place in an old hotel in the Apalacian mountains.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The description made me want to listen to the story. But the story made me want to forget I did. Just all over the place and wasn't scary but just a strange story. I try to give a story the benefit of the doubt and listen to the end....just wish I hadn't on this one. Just didn't like the story, characters or narrator.

[Jean Cogdell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was OK. Not as scary as I like.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I confess ... I lost interest half way through and couldn't finish it. I might try again later, it just could be the timing.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was half way through and only finished it because I hate starting a book and not finishing it. I would not recommend this book at all!!

[David Donaghe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Speed Dating With the Dead takes you into the world of the ghost hunters as a ghost hunting group investigates a haunted hotel. I found it to be a good read.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting.. I simply couldn't put it down.. It's excellent.

[Natasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! My first by this author and definitely not the last, can't wait to read more from him (good to know he wrote a lot of books!).

[Ed Crickmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as I had thought it would be.

[Daniel Kaminski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of this writer, Scott Nicholson, before this book, although he already had 17 published works to his credit. My daughter had found it randomly and, after reading it herself, recommended it to me. In turn, I highly recommend it if you like supernatural horror. A father and daughter who run a con of a ghost hunting business, and are strictly in it for the money, although the father does have a terrible event from the past that is pertinent to him getting into the spooking business. They get the real thing when they book a conference for paranormal enthusiasts at a hotel with a haunted reputation. The writing is very creepy, and disturbing at times, and I mean that in a good way. I have put Scott Nicholson on my list for future reads.

[Nikki E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who like the horror genre. The visual descriptions the author used were wonderful and on point. Reading about what could or could not be a demon possessed or haunted hotel was a good read.

[Elaine Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title definitely contradicts the book's tone. I haven't read a book that could give me even the slightest spook in a while, but this one did. I took a star off for the dialogue. At some points I just wanted to smack the character for what they said. Otherwise it was a decent spooky story.

[Angela Verdenius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, kept my interest!

[Debra Schwitzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Campy

I think that this story was way more comical than I am used to reading but it was interesting in it's own way.