𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭: Ronald Malfi has written four horror novellas that all have something to do with the power of books.

The first novella tells the story of a book that seemingly drives people to death or madness, and a publisher who's trying to fit the puzzle pieces of these weird happenings together.

The second story involves two brothers who are tasked with driving a mysterious book on a very strange journey to its new owner. Employed by a mob/gang boss, this atypical assignment for the brothers starts to get real weird, real fast.

The third novella tells the story of a creepy boy with a pop-up book of his house that somehow changes the layout of his own home. Naturally the kid is weird and not great with people, so there are going to be some consequences.

The last story involves a journalist trying to investigate the apparent suicide of a former friend/colleague under some very strange circumstances.
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Ronald Malfi
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬: 400
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Horror
𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: Yes!
𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭: Yes
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝: Contemporary
𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:👻👻👻1/2
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Malfi is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Last year's 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘔𝘦 set the bar really high, and this group of short stories is up to the task.

The 2nd story, with the gangsters transporting a mysterious book, was easily my favorite. It had interesting characters, some twists and turns, and was genuinely creepy. I also really enjoyed the first and third stories a lot as well, and the one with the creepy kid reminded me of classic Stephen King.

I only gave the book 4 stars though, because I didn't care for the last story at all. The first three stories were terrific and I thought the standard dropped substantially in the last one. It reminded me of the Netflix film 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘋𝘪𝘦, both in plot and slightly underwhelming execution. That being said though, I loved the first three stories and would absolutely recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once again Ronald Malfi has delighted us with his chilling tales. Ghostwritten gives us four (loosely interconnected) fantastic novellas. Each novella focuses on the written word / stories in some way - haunted book, a delivery job gone wrong, horrific imaginings of a child & a choose your own adventure, that was definitely not like the ones I remember I grew up reading.

I love the way Ronald Malfi is able to draw you & build up the tension & horror.
Like all novellas, sometimes you just wish there was a little bit more.
Definitely great read come spooky season, or anytime you want a scare.

Thank you to Netgalley & Titan Books for an advanced copy.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

***

A book full of scary stories about books, yes. I'm so in. I love this as a premise for a story/collection.

I really enjoyed Malfi's last novel and his writing style. The same is true of this book too.

Of the four stories, I liked 1 & 3 best. 2 didn't quite hit for me.

Story 1 was my definite favorite.

Sometimes stories are more than written words on a page. This was more entertaining than scary for me, but I found it quite enjoyable. I love the idea of stories being more than meets the eye, having supernatural-like presence.

Four fantastic novella's, could not pick a favourite story as they are all equally as good. These stories have a theme running through them. One of the best books I've read so far this year.
I received this book from Titan book and Netgalley for a review.

I love Ronald Malfi. I discovered him for myself when I read Come with Me, which was beautifully written and really highlights how many secrets your spouse can be hiding when you don't realize it. After that, I read Black Mouth and The Night Parade, both of which were very different than Come with Me, much more horror than thriller. I'm currently reading December Park about a serial killer who is hunting children. But Ghostwritten was absolutely fantastic. It's four novellas that are connected, but are all about books in some way. The stories are so created and have these little Easter eggs throughout, and I highly recommend it.

Ronald Malfi's GHOSTWRITTEN is the equivalent of Metallica's Black Album. A bit of a change from COME WITH ME and BLACK MOUTH, but each story is a smash in its own right. The loosely interconnected novellas center on books and writing, with each story better than the last. THE STORY, the last of the four, Is one of the best stories I've read this year.

I have to get my hands on anything by Ronald Malfi the minute I hear something new is being released.

Ghostwritten is clever and unique in the way the stories are structured. The stories are all intertwined and lead the reader down a desolate road where the story itself is the horror.

There are four stories total. As I was reading I thought By the Skin of Her Teeth would be my favorite. A story possessed by an domineering and abusive dead mother. But then I got to the second story, The Dark Brothers. Two brothers being paid to transport a book through another world.

The third story, This Book Belongs to Olo, was filled to the brim with horror reminiscent of Twilight Zone. And one of my favorite episodes too. Children are always creepy, genius children even more so, add in a bit of the mystical and you have terror. But what surprised me is that I also felt bad for Olo. I wanted him to have NEW FRIENDS so badly.

The last story, The Story, mixed some of my favorite things; True Crime, Podcasts and the Paranormal. And a spin on Choose Your Own Adventure, which I used to read when I was a kid.

I loved them all, There we’re no favorites or highlights because they were all fantastic.

This book was great! It has 4 different stories that center around the same theme. Make sure to check trigger warnings if you need them.

I’m such a fan of Malfi that I read his books without checking descriptions or word count. And that’s huge for me.
Malfi is just that good at literary frights and this book is no exception. In fact, it’s one of his best yet.
We, the readers, know that book have power. They can transport, enlighten, change minds, etc. But that’s looking at the bright side of things…what about the obverse? What about the dark powers books might have?
That’s the essential premise here but what Malfi does with it is a thing of beauty. In one story after another he terrifies the readers with inked nightmares, alternate dimensions, and all the frightening things written between the lines.
Each story is original, unique, wildly imaginative and edge-of-your-seat thrilling. Malfi is really on top of his game here. Whatever darkness speaks to him must be saying all the right things.
I can’t possibly pick a favorite either – there are so many fascinating concepts here with the underlying idea that books are alive (and dangerous) in profoundly terrifying ways.
This book is safe, though. Surely. Go ahead and pick it up. You won’t want to put it down. Great read. Yes, I said it. Great. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

There is just something about the way Ronald Malfi writes. He manages to suck you into his stories and even if they don't end the way you'd like them to, you respect his work and his vision.
I honestly enjoyed every short story in this book. He has made me a fan and I will continue to read all of his books!
5⭐️

Delightfully creepy in the vein of old Night Gallery or Alfred Hitchcock presents. Four separate stories with tantalizing scenarios, each with a totally unique voice, tied together by fantastic weird overlaps. Excellent storytelling.

First of all I wanna say I love how diverse Ronald Malfi is. Because every book I read from him is vastly different from the other. I found this book to be a fast read for me because I didn’t want to sit it down. And I appreciate the attention to detail in this novel. This may be my favorite Malfi novel yet.

This book contains 4 separate stories, interlinked revolving around the same theme. It was hard to chose a favourite as each individual story is fantastic and really sticks with you. Easy 5 stars. Do check trigger warnings though.

GHOSTWRITTEN
by Ronald Malfi

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book !

Ghostwritten is a book containing 4 chilling short stories. Malfi has a way to satisfy his readers by removing all the filler pages of the typical novel and get down and dirty with the meat of a story.

I am usually not a fan of short stories however, Ronald Malfi is one of my favorite horror writers and he does not disappoint in Ghostwritten. My personal favorite was “The Skin Of Her Teeth” which proved to be better the most of the full novels I have read this year.

Shocking, chilling, terrifying and loved every minute of it !

Four incredible novellas about books and the power of words. It starts out with a fun monster story, then an exploration of brotherhood and crime, then a creepy kid story and ends with some twisted techno-horror! Individually, all these stories are great. Together, they sing! Malfi’s style will terrify, move and amuse you — sometimes all on the same page. If you like his work, you’ll love this.

4 stars--I really liked it. This volume contains 4 horror novellas about books: one of my favorite topics! I especially enjoyed how themes, phrases, and characters are carried throughout all four novellas.

The Skin of Her Teeth: 3 stars. My least favorite of the four, about a haunted story. (view spoiler)

The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride: 3 stars. American roadtrip gothic! I know a lot of people who are fans of lost places/backrooms horror who will love this.

This Book Belongs to Olo: 4 stars. The image of a child in a clown mask? Utterly horrific.

The Story: 5 stars. My favorite of the bunch. I'm a sucker for lost media, and this short tale, about an ARG/darkweb story, was great.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

Four clever and spooky horror tales perfect for dark autumnal nights.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a good collection of horror tales. This collection of separate, but linked, novellas, takes me back to teenage years of reading classic Stephen King, Richard Laymon and Dean Koontz and I loved it.

Not just stories about hauntings, these novellas tell haunted stories where the subject or totem of the spooky goings on are centred around a book or story itself. If that concept is hard to grasp I don’t blame you, but all I can say is that it absolutely works in four completely different ways.

First, I looooove Malfi. He's so damn talented. So, I was so excited to see this new book just in time for Halloween. And it was glorious!

"Ross Finter gave her a shark’s smile."

One book, 'The Skin of Her Teeth,' ties the innocent lives of several people (victims) together in a mess of horror, violence, and bizarre misfortune. But it is the man who penned the book who holds the true scary tale in this one. A dying mother, an old drone wasting away on her death bed, desperate for an ending . . .

The Dark brothers are not strangers to the sinister side of life, but this particular run involves a book that upends their sense of reality forevermore. Not so tough after being spit out by coal Dust (population: - 11), are ya boys?

“'Books are magic, Olo, which makes writers the only true magicians. Dark, terrible magicians.'”

Olo is a WEIRD kid. And the story is a mystery, revealed piece by ominous piece. He harnesses that magic in the most sinister way a child can.

And finally, the riveting tale of an all too real pick your adventure audio file. Spoooky! So original and twisty.

I thoroughly enjoyed all four of these novellas, each one showcasing a different side to Mr. Malfi's brilliance. A must read

Ghostwritten is a collection of four stories which all overlap and all contain spooky/haunted books.

The first story Skin of her teeth is my favourite of the four and I found the most interesting.

The Dark Brothers Last Ride is my least favourite and I found this short story rather long and tedious for what it was.

This Book belongs to Olo I found the creepiest of the stories and would have made a good stand alone book with a lot more to offer.

The last offering The Story I have yet to read but by the time I had finished the first three I feel I need a change of read so my rating is one what I have read so far.

I have read a book by Ronald Malfi before and enjoyed it so would read more in the future. The author references Stephen King and I feel he is greatly influenced by him.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the book for review.

Ok, so what we have here is a collection of short stories-4 to be precise. They are creepy, spooky, and all book related. Ronald wove a tangled web with details slightly connecting between them, and slight overlaps. Are you picturing the red string board yet? Because that’s exactly what this is like. It is a masterfully written horror piece, with 4 separate stories. 4 separate stories but picture a Venn diagram with slight overlaps. They all happen in the same universe, and honestly, I would pass on that one. It is spooky and paranormal (which I can deal with) but also like someone else is in complete control: the author of the book is controlling the story. So please don’t make me a character in any of your upcoming stories, ok? Please and thank you. 😂