Book Review
Title: City of Ghosts (GhostWriters #1)
Author: J. H. Moncrieff
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Rating: ****
Review: I requested City of Ghosts because it won the 2018 Kindle Award for Best Horror/Suspense, so I had to read it. As many of you will know I am a huge horror fan so I was expecting a lot from this book and it definitely delivered but it wasn’t the best horror/suspense novel I have read that still belong to Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.
We follow our protagonist, Jackson, who is tired of being an IT consultant when he gets the idea to write a book about hauntings but not just any hauntings, true hauntings. With this singular goal in mind he hides from the rest of his tour group in order to spend the night in the city of Hensu. This was another aspect of the book I loved, Asian Horror. Hensu is a ghost town created a few years before when the dam was opened, flooding the city. The atmosphere of disquiet and discontent is present from the very beginning and only intensifies as the novel progresses. Something else is strange about the city of Hensu as the Chinese built statues of people being tortured to reflect their soul’s judgement after death. While Jackson is waiting for something to happen he sees a cold, wet, shoeless Chinese girl named Yuèhai and invites her sit by his campfire and this is when things begin to get really interesting.
I don’t want to go into too much depth in regard to the story because that would spoil the experiences for those that haven’t read the book. It isn’t often I do spoiler free reviews but this book definitely deserves one because there is so much going on. The first half of the novel is a little slow as it just getting to know the characters but this is really important for the second half so just power through it because it pays off in the end. As Jackson gets know more about Yuèhai and the ghost city, he learns secrets that some people are willing to do anything even kill to make sure they remain secret. Political intrigue is a massive theme in the novel and I loved it, not only the differences I saw between China and the UK, where I am from but the political difference between different parts of China which was so exciting for me as I am hoping to travel across Asia, specifically Japan, China and Korea in the future.
By the time I finished City of Ghosts I couldn’t believe how well crafted the characters were and how perfectly they blend into the story. The plot is intriguing and really keeps you guessing until the very end but not everything is tied up as I have just learnt there is a sequel to this book I will definitely be picking up in the near future. Overall, I found City of Ghosts to be a superb horror, full of suspense with amazing character, beautiful atmosphere and locations and it really sends a chill down your spine. If you haven’t read City of Ghosts I highly recommend you pick it up as soon as you can.

J.H. Moncrieff has created a stellar series that features two extremely related characters and blends together a variety of genres for a gripping read that will sure to appeal to fans of various genre types.

Wanting to be the next great author, Jackson Stone has come up with an idea to write about haunted places. Travelling round China, Jackson decides to ditch his tour group and spend a night in Hensu. Supposedly haunted, Jackson a non-believer, thinks nothing of it when Yuehai a mysterious young woman joins him and wants him to tell her story. However, the further he delves into her story, the more he finds himself in danger, running for his life, he needs to trust someone and finds himself turning to Kate a member of the group who has a special talent. Can they tell Yuehai’s story before time runs out?
At the start of this story Jackson was a sceptic when it came to ghosts and just thought that it was an easy option to get a best seller. As he starts to look into the Hensu flooding, his curiosity gets the better of him and he starts asking questions which draws attention from the wrong people. Although Jackson was easy to like and was a team player I had the feeling that he was a bit of loner and found it hard to trust. He was confident in himself and even used his skin colour to escape capture, however he did have a guilty secret, and it took the help of Kate for him to shed his guilt.
Kate had a soft spot for Jackson from the start and always found a way to gravitate towards him. She was always a target from one nasty girl in the group and although she defended herself you could tell it hurt her feelings. Once she told Jackson about her talent their friendship moved to another level and if the circumstances were different I could see them becoming a couple.
Whilst the story revolved around Jackson and Kate, reading this story you get to know about the other people on this trip. The minor characters were described in detail and whilst they were minor they all played a role in Jackson being able to tell Yuehai’s story. Set in China, Jackson had the added barrier of not using the internet to search for information, and you could sense his struggle in finding out what had happened. This shows just how much we rely on the internet to get our answers. The start of the story was a steady pace as you get to know the characters, but as the story of Hensu is revealed and you realise that Jackson’s life is in danger, the pace quickens up. Whilst this is a supernatural read, this book does not rely solely on the hauntings to tell the story. This way of telling the story added suspense as you did not know when it was going to happen. The action is nonstop, which builds up to a dramatic ending.
This is the 1st book I have read by this author and I did enjoy this story. Book 2 in this series is already out

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but wow, did I. City of Ghosts by J.H. Moncrieff succeeded at not only being a creepy ghost story, but a fascinating assay into another culture, and an action-packed adventure all in one. I’m a huge horror fan, but books don’t usually creep me out—and this one did. I was up till 2 am reading, and I couldn’t stop myself from checking out the dark corners of my house—just to be sure. My attempts to pronounce Yuehai out loud to myself during my read-through made me feel as if I were conjuring her ghost into my house.

This story was well written. I didn’t run into any obvious typos, grammatical errors, or formatting mistakes. The narrative voice was both detailed and easy-to-follow without being overbearing or poetic. The characters were interesting and although not terribly complex, I couldn’t help but like them—even the ones I grew to hate. (I’m looking at you, Meghan & Harold).

Overall—this was just a fantastic book. I read through it in a matter of hours, and I almost hated to stop and sleep (but I was only halfway in at that point, so I figured I better!) It’s been a long time since I’ve picked up a ghost story that I’ve liked as much as I did this one. There were elements of the Chinese culture, a ghost story, action/adventure, human rights, and even a tad bit of a romance within its pages. If you’re looking for a good all around read, I’d highly recommend picking up this book. I’m excited to read on into the rest of the series!

I was not really familiar with J.H. Moncrieff but the cover to “City of Ghosts” immediately captured my attention. I was happy to give the book a read and hoped for a frightening ghost story when I started the novel.

Jackson Stone thought that a tour of China would be just the vacation that he needed to escape his mundane life. Everything seemed to be going well at first and Stone was a peace for the first time in a long time. Everything was fine until the tour group arrived at the city of Hensu. The village had been the scene of a great disaster in which the villagers had little time to flee before their homes were destroyed by a flood. When Stone gets separated from the tour group, he finds himself stranded in the abandoned city overnight. He was not alone, however, as he soon learned when a woman appeared to him. Stone learned some of the history over the course of the night. This wisdom that was passed onto him was supposed to remain a secret forever. Stone knows that secret and the government will do whatever it can to keep the secret from being known by the world. Unfortunately for stone, the ghosts of Hensu want the secret to be known and have no intention of letting him go until her serves their purpose.

When Stone rejoins the tour group the next day, he finds that his pleasure trip through China has come to and end. The tour guide, as a representative of the government, is immediately hostile toward him as he suspects that Stone has learned of the government’s cover-up. To make matters worse, the ghost from Hensu is determined that the world learn of the village’s horrible secret and will not leave Stone alone until all is revealed. Stone finds himself caught between the government and a supernatural force each determined to persevere over the other. Stone is trapped between a worldly and a supernatural force that see him as a pawn in their chess match with only a fellow traveler to help him in his fight to free himself of the ghost haunting him and regain his life.

While I had never read much from Moncrieff before, it was immediately clear that he was in full control of the story. The story starts out a little slow but Moncrieff does not lose the interest of the reader. Instead, he uses the slower start to build the tension in the novel on a slow burn and that makes it much more powerful in the end. This novel does not get up in the readers face but rather keeps the evil in the background so that it is a sinister presence that runs throughout the story. The evil in the story is very real but it keeps to the background for most of the story and the reader is left trying to uncover the secret along with Stone. This makes everything seem more immediate as the reader almost becomes a character in the story. It is not easy to pull off a story in this manner and keep it interesting throughout but Moncrieff manages to do just that in this novel.

“City of Ghosts” is a ghost story but not in the traditional sense. There is a haunted place, Hensu, but that is not the focal point of the story. The focal point of the haunting is a person, Stone, and that gives the story a unique angle. Stone had brought the ghosts of his past into Hensu only to find a greater ghost living there. Finding himself between a rock and a hard place, Stone is left to find a reason to survive and the only path to redemption lies in finding a strength within himself that he never believed in before. While “City of Ghosts” is a ghost story, it is also a story of a man’s struggle to overcome the sins of the past in order to shine a light into the future. The soul of a human shines bright at the center of this story as Stone struggles to not only survive but to prevail over tyranny. It is this humanity that makes the novel shine and brings it to a higher level than it would have otherwise been able to obtain. “City of Ghosts” is recommended for fans of supernatural suspense and of the human condition prevailing in the face of overwhelming opposition.

I would like to thank Death Zone Books and NetGalley for this review copy. City of Ghosts is available now.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is a supernatural- suspense - mystery - “ghost” story set in China where the culture is very much different than our American culture. The Chinese view ghosts more as demons and torturers. Much more macabre, and it definitely sets the tone for the story.
The book wasn't fast paced like a runaway train – but it was as fast as a runner sprinting for the finish line. I guess I mean that the action and events go fast, but not so fast that you miss or lose detail.

It was a fascinating story that kept me reading – compelled to find the truth, if you will. It did not disappoint.

The story had several characters and several locations. None of the characters or locations were actually given a lot of “depth”. It would have been nice to have more vivid descriptions. It would have grabbed the reader and drawn them into the characters and the story more. My ARC Kindle edition of the book did not display a book cover (not the authors fault in any way), so I had no idea until several pages into the book that the main character, Jackson, was black. While this fact doesn't make one iota of difference in America, it most definitely does in China! Of the 1.3 BILLION population in China, the only statistic I could find on “African” in China states there are 5,000 Africans in China. This clearly gives Jackson an almost celebrity status. Same goes for his red haired female friend Kate.

Jackson Stone is part of a tourist group in China. He has this awesome plan. He's going to make a living getting people to pay him to travel. {My first thought was, what? Like a “Go Fund Me” Account? Awesome plan}
His plan is to spend the night in the world's most haunted places and write books about his experiences. Being a skeptic, what he never imagined was actually encountering real ghosts! In particular the very powerful and angry ghost of Yue'Hai. Yue'Hai attaches herself to Jackson when he deliberately gets left behind at the Hensu Temple ghost city. The ghost of Yue'Hai demands that Jackson tell her story and the truth of what happened to her. It's not that simple though since Yue'Hai herself isn't allowed to just tell him. As he attempts to do so, his life turns into one nightmare after another.

The ending is both heartbreaking and terrifyingly intense. The book is well worth the read.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is so haunting I love it!!! It's absolutely brilliantly written and has an opening line that could contend with some of the greats. I highly recommend this mysterious thriller for anyone who enjoys a good chill-infused mystery.

An amazing book. Very glad I had the chance to read and highly suggest it for fans of this genre.

Jackson, an IT consultant is bored. He goes on tour to China where he gets the idea to write a book about haunting S even if he has to make some up. While on tour, he decides to stay behind at Hensu, a ghost town. He spends the night and meets a cold, wet, without shoes Chinese girl. She eventually tells him, that she wants him to tell her story. When Jackson is found at Hensu in the morning, the tour guide, Harold is angry with him. He becomes more angry with Jackson asks him about Hensu. Meanwhile Jackson goes back and forth about telling the ghost's story. There is so much more that happens and I don't want to give any spoilers, so this is all I will say about the story in general.

The characters in the tour are described so realistically that I felt I was on the tour with them. The atmosphere is perfect. There is violence, scarey moments and death in this ghost story. I didn't want the story to end!

This was a well-written unique Paranormal Mystery that kidnaps you, gets inside your head and drags you along for the ride. The sense of danger of knowing something that could get you killed in a country where you don't even speak the language amped up the tension. Throw in a touch of romance, and you've got everything you need to keep you reading straight through from beginning to end. What starts out as an adventure travel story quickly evolves into a full-fledged horror story of hauntings, nightmares, threats, evil and government sanctioned genocide. I will definitely look forward to reading more of this series. What could possibly be next?

It takes far too long for CITY OF GHOSTS to get started. Plot and character development is pushed to the second half of the novel, leaving the first half aimless. The revealed backstories aren’t enough to humanize characters who have spent the entirety of the novel telling us how women are just the worst.

Jackson Stone is looking for ghost stories. He decides to spend a night alone in Hensu, an abandoned, flooded Chinese city. He ditches his tour guide, sets up camp and invites a shoeless, wet, Chinese girl to sit at his fire. It isn’t long before the girl decides that Jackson is the best person to tell her story, whether he wants to or not.

It’s hard to remember that Jackson is in his mid-twenties. He acts like a college bro and has no plan except ‘writing a book = millions’. Jackson is self-described as charismatic,which is surprising because he talks smack about almost everyone. Especially women. Throughout the book, Jackson drops knowledge bombs like: women only talk about cats, women overpack, or that women talk too much. The only two female characters spoken well of are his sister and his love interest, Kate.

Kate is a genuinely interesting character. She drives the plot, knows the answers, and pulls Jackson along. She’s funny, smart, and has a much better handle on ghosts. Are you surprised? Don’t worry, Jackson was too. Good thing she’s super hot, acts just like guy, and also doesn't get along with women. Kate’s backstory is incredibly problematic, veering too close to ‘sometimes people deserve to be bullied’ line of victim-blaming. She also explains a new, uncomfortable element to ghosts: that they will resort to rape and molestation to get attention.

These elements overshadow the plot entirely. It’s hard to focus on a ghost story when characters are only talking about how terrible women are. CITY OF GHOSTS is formed by misogyny. It drives the characters, it drives the plot, it’s validated every step of the way. No one learns from these opinions, if anything these opinions are supported. Setting the book in China keeps the main characters off-balance but it should have provided more tension as they raced through the country, stood out in crowds, and were hampered by language barriers. Instead the setting just highlighted the characters' prejudices. If you want a good ghost story, look elsewhere.

CITY OF GHOSTS, by J.H. Moncrieff, is the first book in her "GhostWriters" series. I found this supernatural horror novel to be incredibly immersing in both the setting, and the charters (living and dead). We begin with a tour group on a sightseeing trip to China. The significance of this setting contributed greatly to my enjoyment of the novel--after all, placing us in the midst of a culture so different than our own adds an element of the "unexpected" that we might not have, otherwise.

". . . What the Chinese call ghosts are more like demons to us . . . "

Jackson, a bored IT consultant, gets the idea to write a book about true hauntings. With this in mind, he hides away from the rest of his tour group in order to spend the night in the city of Hensu, a "ghost town" created a few years back when a dam was opened, completely flooding it. The atmosphere is disquieting right from the start. The Chinese had built statues of humans enduring tortures while having their souls judged after death.

"Was Hensu always this disturbing, or did they build this stuff after the place was abandoned . . . Like some Disneyland from hell?"

When Jackson is confronted by a cold, wet, shoeless Chinese girl, he invites her to sit by his campfire.

This is the true beginning of the tale.

I found that the characters Moncrieff chose for this novel were the perfect blend for a story of this type. Mostly flawed individuals, these people had the capacity to learn and progress as time went on. When you take into account that they are in a foreign land, this becomes especially important, as a character who is closed off to new experiences and "knows it all" would simply not work in this setting. The descriptions of the tour group as a whole were at times quite funny, on account of how well I could picture them in real life. The author nailed the "group dynamics", with examples of the women who are quick to pass judgment on all other women, the man (or woman) that studies every aspect of the tour BEFORE it commences, and those that merely "do their own thing" as the drama of their everyday lives has made them habitually stand apart from others.

The first half or so of the novel is spent mainly in getting to know our main characters, and setting the stage for the supernatural mystery that Jackson has unwittingly volunteered himself to reveal. After the woman he met in Hensu begins appearing to him all over China, Jackson is forced to reassess his initial skepticism and must open himself up to the new reality confronting him.

". . . Denial is a powerful thing. It's funny what people will attempt to find rational explanations for . . . "

Kate, a woman with secrets of her own, is the first to understand the seriousness of Jackson's situation, and the two join forces eventually.

". . . When we die, something leaves--breaks off. . . the spirits who stick around? They're not the people they were when they were alive."

The political differences--not only between China and North America--but also between the different "sections" or cities in China, was simply astonishing to me. The Country and cities visited were so expertly described that I felt almost as though I were there, myself. These differences added substantially to the fear factor, as they also posed a direct threat to our characters, in addition to the mission that they realize they must accomplish.

" . . . Ghost stories aren't fun when they're true."

Overall, an outstanding supernatural tale with great characters, excellent atmosphere/location, violence, fear, and death. With everything I love in a horror novel present, my only complaint was that it ended . . .

Luckily, Book 2 in the "GhostWriters" series is now out.

Highly recommended!

City of ghosts by J H Moncrieff.
The first book in the GhostWriters series, which features Jackson Stone, a disgruntled IT worker with dreams of writing books about the supernatural, and Kate, a gifted medium who experiences the emotions and deaths of the departed souls she communicates with.

In City of Ghosts, Jackson and Kate meet on a tour of China, where they must work together to reveal a dark and sinister secret about what happened to the women who vanished from a Chinese village.
A very good read with good characters. I liked the story. Little slow in places.
4*. Netgalley and jks communications.

City of Ghosts is a paranormal fantasy about a disgruntled IT worker who decides that he should write about ghosts. For research, he travels with tour groups to various places around the world. His most recent trip finds him in China, and it's not long before it's revealed that something fishy is going on. Between the tour-guide giving him the stink-eye, the girl appearing in his bedroom, and the dreams he's having, he's suddenly forced to reevaluate his life choices. And, you know, not be 'disappeared' for some reason or the other. Nothing goes to plan.

For those searching for diversity, the main character in City of Ghosts is a POC. He also doesn't fit any of the stereotypical roles of his race, which is pleasing. His companion during most of the novel has abilities that make her different, yet she is not written stereotypically either. I rather liked her, actually. The rest of the group fades into the background enough that it's hard to remember if there were any other examples of diversity within it.

J.H. Moncrieff does make a salient point in City of Ghosts about the difference (or lack of) between males and females getting raped. It's a simple scene, but given the way it's written, not one I've ever read before. It's well handled, and I'm glad she decided to address it. It'll take readers by surprise, but it's worked in perfectly to the story. Especially Jackson's thoughts on the subject.

I liked City of Ghosts, but it's a read that quickly fades from your mind. Just a few days after reading it, I can remember the basic plot and that's about it. In fact, I had to look up the main character's name - Jackson Stone, by the way - before I could write this. It's competently written, and I was completely sucked in the whole time that I was reading it. It just lacks any sort of staying power. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another one of the author's works again (in fact I have one on my wishlist now!), but I just can't rave about City of Ghosts.

City of Ghosts is worth the time, just not worth the buy. Persuade your local library to get it instead.