Poltergeist: A Greywalker Novel    by Kat Richardson Order:  USA  Can Roc, 2007 (2007) Softcover Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto I have read Kat Richardson's first Greywalker novel, and I liked it, but I love her follow-up to it, Poltergeist. This series is a masterful blend of horror and mystery that will delight fans of both genres. Harper Blaine is a PI who lives in the normal world, but can also cross over to the paranormal world if need be - which happens more often than not. Her latest case involves possible faked psychic phenomena at a research site for the creation of a poltergeist. The professor in charge of the testing refuses to believe that the reason his results are off the chart is because the poltergeist is real, so he calls Harper in to investigate. When one of the study participants ends up dead, Harper knows without a doubt that the poltergeist was the murderer, or at least the murder weapon. Now she must find out who is controlling the poltergeist, stop that person, destroy the entity, and convince the police that a ghost killed the victim. Kat Richardson's writing style has really grown between Greywalker and Poltergeist. Greywalker could be hard to get into at times because it had three main story lines. Poltergeist is a more accessible novel because it focuses on one thing – Harper's hunt for the entity and its master. Of course, there are parts where Harper learns more about her greywalking abilities and also some aspects of her love life that are not part of the main plot, but none of this takes away from the main story. The story in Poltergeist is very solid with all the elements fitting together nicely - rather than leaving a few threads hanging, then having to wrap them up at the end with a deus ex machina, which can happen in mysteries, especially when they deal with the paranormal. Also, it is very apparent in Poltergeist that Richardson did her research. The parts where the Philip Experiment and charlatan medium tricks are explained are in depth, but never boring. Not only did Poltergeist offer me a good read, but I also learned from it, something that is not too common with this genre. Poltergeist is a great October read – which just happens to be the month during which it takes place. It has its spooky parts, but overall, is a thrilling mystery. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Fantasy books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews