Ghost Money by Stephen Blackmoore: Riveting
The Los Angeles Firestorm killed over a hundred thousand people, set in revenge against necromancer Eric Carter for defying the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Carter feels every drop of that blood on his hands. But now there's a new problem.

Too many ghosts in one spot and the barrier separating them from the living cracks. And when they cross it, they feed off all the life they can get hold of. People die. L.A. suddenly has a lot more ghosts.

But it's not just one or two ghosts breaking through: it's dozens. Another mage is pulling them through the cracks and turning them into deadly weapons. Eric follows a trail that takes him through the world of the Chinese Triads, old associates, old crimes. And a past that he thought he was done with.

Carter needs to find out how to get things under control, because if more ghosts break through, there's going to be even more blood on his hands.

Consequences. That’s the theme of this fifth novel in the urban fantasy series by Stephen Blackmoore. Of the authors I like the best, it is the ones that can deal with the consequences of previous novels in a realistic and authentic way that are among the best. That is exactly what Stephen Blackmoore does here, presenting the consequences of not only the previous book but the series and how those events affect his protagonist Eric Carter. Some of those consequences are physical, the injuries Eric has accrued over the years and some are emotional, like how Eric’s allies interact with him.
While there is some set up inherent in any series, the action keeps the pace up and the page turning. The action is riveting but it is the consequences of previous novels and the emotional weight of those events that makes the novel so engaging. And while the book is dark, the humor of Eric keeps the story from being too dark. While fifth in the series, this book is as good as the previous ones and if you like Stephen Blackmoore’s style, this won’t disappoint. I do recommend a read through of the other novels, as it will help with understanding the events in this book.
My only slight disappointment, this ends on a bit of a cliffhanger ending and I really hate to wait to find out what happens next.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Stephen Blackmoore is a master of noir, and a magician at paranormal noir. His Eric Carter series just keeps getting better and better, and I recommend the series from the first book, Dead Things, to the latest, Ghost Money.


One of the things I like most about Eric is that he is a fully realized character. He’s your typical noir detective, hard-boiled, carrying a ridiculous amount of unnecessary guilt, with a god-complex—oh, wait, that one might be legitimate, but he’s cool. I’d like to get a drink with him if he got a chance to breath in between catastrophes.

Eric is a necromancer in Los Angeles who has an unhealthy relationship with Santa Muerte and the old Aztec gods. He laden by guilt from his past, a bit of which a frenemy won’t let him forget, and in this book, he’s dealing with hungry ghosts who will eat souls from the inside out. It’s not a good look when it happens, and you get the idea that it is extraordinarily painful. Eric is only, sorta, maybe, yeah, is at least partially responsible for the havoc that caused the ghosts in the first place so he feels he has to help clean it up, especially because he’s the only one who can. Meanwhile, he’s on a deadline because Santa Muerte is coming to take him away to fix what he helped break in the Aztec after-life and she’s not a bony lady to be denied.

Did I mention there is also a bottle and a djinn and a demon and a magic hotel in another dimension?

It’s complicated.

The thing is, it is also awesome, and you should read it.

Yet again, twice in a month, and this never happens to me, I ended a book speechless. However, let’s start at the beginning. This is the fifth book in the Eric Carter series, and boy has he been through the wringer in every single book including this one. There are some strange ghosts killing people and Eric has to get to the bottom of what’s going on because he feels partly at fault since the killings, hence the new ghosts, happened under his watch. This was a non-stop action, angst-filled book, and Eric learns some terrible news right in the middle of the mayhem. I can’t say much because it will spoil the book, but I didn’t take it seriously; I really should have. Love this dark urban fantasy series, and I hope to see more in the future. Highly recommend! I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

I always have a very good time with this series and I was very curious to see what the author was going to propose in this volume. I must say that Eric has an extraordinary gift for getting into trouble and each volume proves it to us.

Our hero has to face the consequences of the events that took place previously, and it is not simple. And to top it all off, new problems arise in the form of ghosts. Indeed, it seems that someone is bringing them into the world of the living to be able to kill people. But our hero is determined to find out what’s going on. This investigation will force him to face the triads, but also to find people from his past.

I had a good time with this novel. Eric’s life is really not simple and there are several very touching moments in the story, especially with Vivian. And then this ending? I’m really looking forward to find out what happens next!

Eric is a wounded, cynical, dark and sarcastic character but also damaged by life. A character we love to follow!

I really enjoyed this book, it really deals with the aftermath of Fire Season, because all of the deaths that happened there created a ton load of ghosts, which is causing damage to the barrier. Plus there's the whole thing with Darius and his bottle to deal with, as well!

This book also gives us a bit of insight to Eric's past, that he was in Hong Kong, encountered a similar problem, and how he solved it. But here in L.A., it's worse, because these ghosts have been taken through, not getting through the holes in the barrier. Oh, and these ghosts are feral, which ups the danger that they pose.

Eric gets some pretty terrible news in this book, something that's been building since the beginning of the series basically. And it makes sense, given what he's been going through. I have no idea how it's going to turn out, what options there are, and I can't wait to find out!

That ending, yeah, I love all the twists and turns, how he uses his brain, smarter not harder, and that some people just rely on magic. It was a really fantastic ending, and also an killer cliffhanger, as well, so I really can't wait for book 6, which was in the "books by the author" page in the front of the ARC. Yeah!

Loved this book so much, I'm really excited for more, and I'm pretty desperate for more, I need it, because that ending was evil, and I really enjoy being in Eric Carter's world!