Format: Paperback
(1 customer review)
Publication Date: 28 Jul 2023
Categories: Fantasy and Horror
ISBN: 9781915603944Thirteen doors, thirteen hauntings. News reporter Joe Baxter has a plan.
His idea is simple – to use his newsroom contacts across England to find thirteen haunted places to stay, and then record his experiences in a book. From an abandoned cinema to a dank pub cellar, from a World War Two airfield to a lonely, landlocked cruise liner, Joe is prepared to spend long nights in the cold and dark, but has no idea what he is about to unleash.
For, as he endures increasingly dangerous vigils, meeting a succession of gruesome, tragic and terrifying spectres, a terrible truth begins to emerge.
Something – or someone – is reaching out to Joe, awakening long-buried memories of his father’s death, a dark family secret and his teenage brush with madness. And then there is Wilko, the imaginary friend who haunted his childhood. After decades of silence, Wilko has found his voice again…
A spine-tingling supernatural mystery entwined with chilling ghost stories, 13 Doors places the reader at the dark heart of the moment, from gut-wrenching action to eerie vigils.
G J Phelps is an award-winning journalist who spent thirty years in the news industry, working his way up from junior reporter to eventually edit nine newspapers. He lives in Birmingham, England, where he runs a successful PR consultancy, specialising in education, public affairs and industry. A devotee of horror fiction since childhood, 13 Doors is his debut novel.
BooksandBacon - 28 Oct, 2023
Joe, a reporter, sets out on a mission to visit 13 haunted sights, spending a night at each one to document his experiences in a book. The 13 visits in the book are mixed with chapters about Joe's early life, suggesting a potential correlation between the two timelines.
With great finesse, the author weaves together a collection of eerie ghost stories, immersing readers in abandoned cinemas, damp pub cellars, WWII airfields, and a secluded cruise liner. The immersive experience created by the careful descriptions of each location allows readers to experience Joe's encounters with cold darkness and fear.
Thirteen Doors is a gripping supernatural mystery that will keep readers engaged until the last page. This is how I define exceptional storytelling! Readers will be left wanting more and eagerly anticipating the author's next work. An excellent debut.