SOLVED. first page, ghost controls pencil, writes 'find Halloran' [s]

[Tamahome]

Smallish supernatural thriller from the 70's maybe? It's not The Shining. I remember starting it as a kid. Came up empty on google books.

[Melanti]

Maybe someone could move this to the "unsolved" folder?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Tamahome, are you still looking for this book?

[Tamahome]

Yes.

[Michele]

Necroscope by Brian Lumley. It's in a flashback I think of when Harry was a kid in school and when he found the grave of Halloran he could use the ghost of the math teacher to pass his class.

[Michele]

Nevermind, I must be getting things all mixed up because I looked in the Necroscope and can't find any ghostwriting scene. It doesn't explain how Harry knew to go to the grave and the teacher's name was Hannant not Halloran. Now I want to know too because that sounds so familiar.

[Tamahome]

I think Halloran is the main character.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Still looking?

[Tamahome]

I put my pencil on a piece of paper. It seems to tap and move by itself, and write "yes". I might have the Halloran name wrong. But I remember it happens right at the beginning.

[Kris]

Tamahome, what else do you remember about the main character - his job, background, etc.? Location?
Can he communicate with just this one dead person?
Is this a story about revenge or mental illness? Would you call it a horror story?
Is this book for kids, teens or adults?

[Tamahome]

It's been a long time. Adult ghost thriller? I think maybe it's a woman with the pencil in the beginning, and the ghost tells her to find a man who's some kind of ghost expert. I'm pretty sure this stuff literally happens on page one. There's a quote offset of what the ghost is writing through her hand. It kind of reminds me of the movie Witchboard with Tawney Kitaen. Now I'm not even sure I finished it as a kid, but that first scene gave me chills. There's not an early scene like that in The Shining is there?

[Kris]

Here's a preview of "The Shining" on Google - http://books.google.ca/books?id=8VnJL...

In Waiting Spirits (Dark Forces, #11) by Bruce Coville, a girl writes "Welcome Home". Preview = http://books.google.ca/books?id=4Dh5B...

Does she write this message during a seance?

[Tamahome]

Definitely not those 2. She's just by herself in the beginning.

[Lanica]

Murder on the Blackboard?

The Sentinal?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sent...

Also, Halloran was the name of a priest involved in the real life exorcism that inspired the book The Exorcist.

[Tamahome]

Interesting find but no. It's probably out of print. I wish my mom hadn't thrown it away.

[Tab]

Platforms has a Peter Halloran who can see dead people.

I skimmed the first and second chapters on OpenLibrary quickly. A psychic named Jennifer is performing a seance (I may be wrong; I scanned quickly), and the spirit told her to contact/find Halloran.

Here is the Open Library link
https://openlibrary.org/books/OL41006...

[Tamahome]

Tab wrote: "Platforms has a Peter Halloran who can see dead people.

I skimmed the first and second chapters on OpenLibrary quickly. A psychic named Jennifer is perfo..."

That sounds like it could be it! How the heck do I read this protected daisy thing?

[Tab]

@tamarind, click on the ebook link. You should be able to read it online (you may have to login/make an account, but it's free and easy)

[Tab]

oops I mean Tamahome (stupid auto correct)

[Tamahome]

At least you didn't say Tahoma.

[Kris]

Side note - I like Tahoma. Side side note - Tamahome, do you know if the book Howl's Moving Castle is very similar to the animated movie? I noticed you're reading it, and I'm going through an art book of the movie.

[Tamahome]

I think the book is different, but it's considered a classic. I should get back to it.

Darn, couldn't change to Tahoma font.

[Tamahome]

She's not writing in pencil in this scene, but I think this is right!

...
Amy Connoly fainted. Alex snatched her arm to break her slide to the floor.
"Good-bye, Andrew. I'm bringing Jennifer back now."
—No. Lictor's coming.
"Lictor?"
—I'm Lictor. This new voice coming from Jennifer's body was a toner lower and had a ring of authority. —You are Alex?
"This is Alex." Lictor had never called him by name before. All kinds of suprises today.
—Tell Jennifer to see Bloomer. Amersham. Lake Forest. Same thing. It's happening again. Riverside. In Connecticut. See Bloomer.
"Where is Amersham?"
—Near London. Same as Lake Forest. Now Riverside. Work with Bloomer. Find Halloran.
"I know Lake Forest. I know Bloomer. Who is Halloran?"
—Halloran. Riverside. Halloran sees them.

Amy Connoly's sobs had become softer...


The first line of the book is:

Halloran has been seeing dead people since early spring.


How did you find it, Tab? Are you a medium??

[Tab]

lol, no not quite
I used the online book database Novelist Plus.

[Tamahome]

Hmm, there is some ghostly pencil writing in chapter four.