Could not finish this title, main character is horribly unlikable. Deserved every miserable thing that happened.

The cover art is eye-catching. The blurb instantly sucked me in. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more by the author.

I love the premise. It really screams 90s horror movie plotline. This was very entertaining and unique.

Many thanks to NetGalley and CamCat Books for providing me with an eARC of Phantom in exchange for my honest review!

I had quite the gripping time with this ambitious mixture of thriller, mystery, and horror—a blend that belongs in an odd territory between the sci-fi and the supernatural. It kicks off the plot fairly fast and gets me invested in all the increasingly strange goings-on and the endearingly acidic and self-destructive protagonist that is Roz. The horror atmosphere thickens during numerous beats, particularly the ones that focus on the grisly murders and the connection that Roz gradually realizes she shares with them. I don't think the romance subplot is completely necessary, but it gets more compelling as the story progresses. And when the book wraps up, it leaves me feeling satisfied while also interested to dive back into this world. It does go for a somewhat open-ended conclusion, so who knows? Maybe Helen Power could pen a sequel in the future.

Overall, I'm officially rating Phantom four out of five stars. I'll be keeping an eye on more of the author's work.

This is a unique entertaining story that was loads of fun to read! It's written well and perfectly paced! I would highly recommend this! Thank You to Helen Power, Camcat books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love the way the author used the very real phenomena of phantom limb pain and then had Roz experience the psychotic sensations of her hand murdering people. The serial killer was using her hand to kill people, and she could sense it! Roz was not the best decision maker and the side effects of the experimental drug amplified that. I never knew what she was going to do next and there were great plot twist placements in this book. I loved learning about the company that Roz sold her hand to as she tried to find and expose them.

I cannot get past how unlikeable the main character is, or how slowly everything is happening. I got about a quarter of the way through this book, and I had to stop. I had high hopes for this as the premise is very intriguing, but I cannot get into it.

I loved The Ghosts of Thorwald Place and I was so excited to be a part of this book tour. Phantom is the kind of unique thriller that I enjoy escaping into for a few hours. Helen's writing style draws me in and makes me forget that I'm reading. The story is fascinating as it plays out, and while Roz is an absolute mess I had to keep turning the pages to find out where it was going. If you're looking for an entertaining novel that delves into a bit of horror, sci-fi, and mystery this is one you don't want to miss!

Regan is a starving artist with a lousy part time job, who’s about to miss her third month of rent. Just when you’re sure she’s already hit rock bottom, after a one night stand with a mysterious man, she snags $1200 from his wallet and ditched him.

When her mystery man returns, he makes her an offer for her hand. The literal body part, not her figurative hand.

Of course once things start going her way, she just starts throwing her very finite money away.
But worse she experiences strong horrific phantom pains.

Just when I thought I knew where this story was going, it turn yet another turn for the weirder.

Pacing was a bit slow in the middle but overall fun read.

I love the cover for this one, and I really enjoyed The Ghosts of Thorwald Place, so I wanted to get into this one ASAP.

I was interested in this novel right off the bat. The blurb sounds much more like a scifi thriller than a horror, but I figured we’d still get elements of darkness. Would you sell your hand for a million dollars? I have to be honest, I thought “it wouldn’t be that bad” more than once. You’d still have a hand to use! And you’d have $1,000,000! What could go wrong?

Let me tell you, it wouldn’t be all sunshines and daisies. Regan thought like me and then she started suffering from intense pains. Pains in her hand…that was no longer there. While that phenomenon is real, the author takes it and gives it a more scifi spin. It’s dark and eerie, and has so many what-ifs attached to it that it will make you sick.

I really enjoyed the doubled meaning of phantom, as the novel also features a serial killer on the loose known as the Phantom Strangler. Now I did guess the twist VERY early on, but that didn’t suck the fun out of it for me, because even as someone that reads (and even writes) mysteries, I am seldom right somehow. So the verification kept it going for me.

Personally a 4/5*! Well written and a very enjoyable unlikable liked main character, in a kind of Jessica Jones-y way.

It did kind of flounder while finding its footing between the blend of genres, and that was the only snag for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and CamCat Books for the ARC of this book to read and review.

Omg this book was so damn good!

I really liked the characters in this story (yes all of them), I feel like the author put a lot of time into developing them and creating people who you wanted to root for. Especially with Roz.

Writing wise, I was a bit shocked when I opened the contents and saw 69 chapters plus phantom chapters, but it was so easy to read. The writing just flowed really well and I flew through reading this.

On that note as well, the atmosphere and intrigue were so well done that I felt like I was on the edge of my seat!

Coupled with the excellent twists and turns, I think I'm still in shock after reading this.

And the plot was just SO GOOD, it felt a bit like an urban legend, but with much more meat on the bones. Added with the relationships and loss of a limb, it just created a really really good story.

The only downside was that I guessed who the phantom was quite early in the book - I feel like that was made a little too obvious.

On the whole though this was such a good book and I really enjoyed it!

This book is an odyssey into the realm of the bizarre, a rollercoaster ride through the eccentricities of Roz's tumultuous existence. She's a veritable character imbued with complexity and unpredictability. As an unreliable narrator, she excels, keeping readers on tenterhooks, uncertain of what's real and what's not. The supporting cast in this narrative is equally engrossing, an ensemble of intriguing personalities that adds depth to the story.

I’m surprised at the mixed reviews for this book. I found the premise unique and intriguing. The protagonist can be frustrating with her decision-making, but that is how she got into this predicament to begin with! You’ll be left asking yourself how far would you go to obtain all the money you need? I loved this book and I hope others give it a try!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

The premise sounded so interesting. I feel as though I have been let down though by this one. Or maybe I just have certain expectations and wasn't given them. And the main character drove me nuts with her decision making. I'm sure there will be others who will enjoy this though.

I just finished Phantom by Helen Power and here is my review.

Regan, better known as Roz, is broke. She can’t cover her share of the rent and life is looking worse and worse. Her ex boyfriend, a drug dealer, won’t take no for an answer and she can’t get any traction in the art world.

When she is at her most desperate, Roz is approached by a man. He offers her a million dollars for her left hand. Before she can change her mind, she wakes up to find her hand gone and a prosthetic in a box for her and her bank account…. FLUSH!

You think things would be better but now she is left with pain so bad she is enrolled in a clinical trial for a drug company. Relief at last but then something strange happens… She can suddenly feel when her missing hand is being used… to commit murder. The phantom strangler is now using her hand and Roz is at a loss to know what to do.
This book was so weird! I actually really enjoyed it. Roz was a hot mess and a half before all this happened and now she is totally out there. As far as unreliable narrators go, she was pretty good and I enjoyed all the characters in this book.
I love psychological thrillers where there is like a syndicate of criminal activity and this one really was well done. I just still have some questions so I am really hoping there is a second book. So many whys!! I won’t spoil it but I have more questions than answers and that drives me insane.
This was definitely my favorite read of the month!


4.5 stars

I’ll keep this review short and sweet.

Helen Power’s “Phantom” hooked me with an incredible premise, but it is haunted by poor execution.

A recent amputee experiences alarmingly dull visions of her lost limb being used by a notorious serial killer to murder countless victims.

Keyword: alarmingly dull.

An extra star for a loveable queer secondary character, but overall, this was a miss for me.

Be careful what you wish for. When Regan, in a drunken stupor decides to give her hand away for a million dollars, I don’t think she was prepared for what her life would become. Phantom pains, not able to practice her art and still being unhappy was not what she signed up for. This novel was full of twists and turns. I cannot say I would trade a body part for money….theres always a catch.

Phantom is a psychological thriller centered around Regan "Roz" Osbourne. Roz is broke, and in a deal with the devil, sells her hand in exchange for a million dollars and a good prosthetic. However, she soon realizes the deal was to good to be true, and believes her hand is being used by none other than the deadly and evaise Phantom Strangler. Can she both prove her innocence and catch the real killer?

Phantom was an interesting and unique concept. Roz is a very engaging main character, and you really feel for her as she starts to spiral. I definitely got some Girl on the Train vibes from the psychological whiplash this book whalloped at times. The book was fast paced and very intriguing. However, there were some plot holes and the ending was a little lackluster for me. Some of the plot holes could be overlooked but weren't as minor. I do feel like stretching this into a duology could provide for some better closure for readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Books for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

I wholeheartedly adored this book and found it to be immensely enjoyable! The central theme of phantom limb pain is incredibly intriguing, and it's a topic I've seldom encountered in novels. When you blend it with art, the backdrop of a city haunted by a serial killer, and the backdrop of experimental drug trials, you have the makings of a perfect thriller narrative.

The book's protagonist, Regan, is undoubtedly a complex character. She receives a substantial sum of one million dollars for her lost arm, and instead of using it for life's necessities, she squanders it on alcohol and gambling. Regan's character is further complicated by her compulsive lying, particularly to her psychiatrist, regarding her drug and alcohol consumption. This behavior significantly impacts her participation in the clinical pain medication trial, as the substances she takes interact and lead to side effects, including vivid hallucinations. Regan's constant hallucinations create an intriguing narrative dynamic, leaving both her and the reader often uncertain about what is real. Only when others inform her that her experiences never took place does she discover the truth. I particularly appreciated the way she harnesses her phantom limb sensations to track down the Phantom Strangler, the serial killer at the heart of the story.

While we do get intermittent glimpses into the Phantom Strangler's point of view, I found myself yearning for more chapters from this perspective. My only critique is that it was occasionally challenging to distinguish between the Phantom Strangler's point of view and Regan's narrative, as her chapters were unlabeled, resulting in abrupt transitions.

The plot was filled with an abundance of unexpected twists that consistently kept me on my toes. For instance, the unforeseen introduction of a deranged, "touch her and die" ex-boyfriend with a history of drug dealing, and the arrival of a charming ex-marine private investigator, added a compelling layer to the story.

In conclusion, I adored this book, and Helen Power has once again proven to be an author whose work I relish. "The Ghosts of Thorwald Place" already held a special place in my heart, and "Phantom" did not disappoint.

I’m always a little sad when a book that sounds very promising doesn’t deliver what I thought it might; the premise of selling your hand for sheer desperation and finding out a serial killer (with the apt name of Phantom Strangler) uses it for their crimes (that you can feel happening through the means of phantom limb pains!) is incredibly intriguing - it’s definitely what drew me to read the novel - but falls flat in the end.

The novel tried to weave an intricate web consisting of mystery thriller tropes, science fiction themes and horror elements, but it ended up losing in believability - and not because of the fantastical bits, but because the author joined all elements of the plot that wouldn’t quite connect in a believable way with a high dose of convenience to give the right rhythm to the precise timing a mystery thriller should have in order for it to work like a well oiled machine.

This culminated with the use of the protagonist as a clear device to drive the plot forwards instead of creating the plot around her: everything in her life is there to make her an unreliable narrator, so that the reader can’t possibly feel cheated when an event happens or a red herring appears, both of which can be then swept under the rug of oblivion with a snap of the fingers, only so that the story can gain momentum to spring up with a new theory or a new narrative. It’s definitely a way to keep a plot going indefinitely, but I find it a cheap way to keep a reader’s attention. And not only she’s unreliable (because of reasons I won’t go into as they are plot sensitive and I don’t want to spoil anyone) but I find that her intelligence wavers, again, for the convenience of the plot. Sometimes she has insightful thoughts that seem like leaps of imagination given the information she has, and some other times she has all the cards in her hand but still forgoes the most obvious decisions or ignores the most obvious clues because those would trigger a result that needs to be explored a bit later in the book, for plot reasons.

Another thing I noticed that irked me a bit was the overexposition, especially at the beginning - in the first few chapters, when we’re supposed to get to know our protagonist she tells us everything herself instead of letting us see things through her eyes: for example, in one of the first three chapters there’s a brief mention of her ex texting her. She doesn’t read the text, so you would think it’s a detail that we’ll explore later, but then right in the next paragraph we’re spoonfed the full backstory of how they broke up and what she thinks of him, when it’s clear she’s not thinking that in that moment and it’s only there for our benefit. Sadly I found many examples of this, which took me out of the reading experience.

This all might be a matter of experience - this is after all the author’s second book, so I hope with time she can find her footing because her premises sound very fun! I firmly believe in giving authors the opportunity to grow and thrive, letting them hone their skills.

I do have positive things to say, as well! The pacing was tight and engaging, especially when the book got to its second wind, and the protagonist has her own moments in which she shines - sadly for her they are always whenever she reaches rock bottom.

A theme I expected to be explored more was that of abject poverty - as I understand it Chicago is one of the prime examples of it when it comes to US cities (but I’m basing these impressions from the portrayal seen in tv so I clearly don’t know much), and the book does talk about it at length, but for some reason it doesn’t really delve deeper than “rich people exploit poor people for their own unethical gains”.

Overall it was a solid effort, and despite it being more of a 2/2.5 rating for me I’m rounding it up because I believe in the author’s potential.

Access to the ARC acquired thanks to NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.