Kate is not pleased when it seems she’s been ghosted in the worst possible way by her boyfriend – but then things start to get really weird.

Jason Arnopp’s new novel is one of those you want to devour in one sitting: he creates an intriguing situation that he proceeds to explain with carefully doled out backstory, and moves the plot forward increasingly into suspense and supernatural territory. There are more than enough twists and turns in the plot (and some abrupt reversals that make a second read fascinating given the knowledge you have by the end of the book).

The book’s partly set locally to me and Arnopp skilfully captures the pace of life in Brighton, with his research into the sometimes gruelling life of a paramedic leading to scenes that feel very true to life. That grounding helps when the story starts to get into weirder territory, and there are plenty of horrific moments, not all of which stem from the supernatural side of the plot.

As with his first book, The Last Days of Jack Sparks, Arnopp has various points to make about our social media-dependent world, and the way in which we both want our privacy yet lay ourselves open via the internet – how smart is the way that we use our smartphones? It certainly may make you consider your own dependency on the devices…

Verdict: Cleverly plotted and told, Ghoster is an unsettling novel that will quickly draw you in. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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