Enjoyed this very much. A chilling read which kept me up during the night! A real page Turner for me.

The concept of this book, clothes coming to life, is a very different thing but it worked very well. It’s very creepy with some paranormal twists to it. I did find myself losing interest mid-way through but this was still a very good read.
Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this book.

Clothes horror in London is not for the faint-hearted people!

A young girl looked at her mirror in her bedroom and opened a bottle of acid and drank it. She met her gruesome end. The homicide detectives inspected her corpse with the forensic officers and decided that she committed suicide with her second-hand coat on.

DC Jerry Pardoe was transferred from Scotland Yard to combat against the anti-social and racist attack crimes. He was joined by his sergeant, Jamil Patel, who also worked at the Yard despite not knowing each other there. They arrested a young man who was locked in the charity shop. Sophie, the manager of that shop, opened the door for the young man to be led away to the custody at the station.

Later that evening, Sophie was picked by her arrogant boyfriend. She wore a second-hand coat when she went home with Mike. During the night, she attacked him while he slept.

Jerry and Jamil figured out why the people started killing the others – they were infected with the virus in the second-hand clothes. Those were gruesome horrors as Sophie and more people attempted to remove the coats and other clothing but those clothes were like the octopuses’ tendrils sticking or glueing to the skins. They had to “peel them off!”

I was a bit light-headed as the book was more gruesome than Sharknado and zombie apocalypse in London as many people were attacked by the clothes. This is for the fans of the horror movies and tv series!

Columbpoirot

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

I loved this book, a fantastic and creepy horror story with a real paranormal twist. The story was fast paced and I didn't want to put it down. There were a lot of characters to keep track of at the start and I wish the paranormal element had been explored more, however maybe this is leaving it open for a sequel? I would definitely recommend this for fans of the horror genre.

The first sentence of the novel drew me into this novel as it aroused my curiosity. As I discovered the first deaths I couldn’t imagined why DS Jamila Patel of the Tooting Police Department would think the victim’s death was murder rather than suicide. She has DC Jerry Patel help her investigate the deaths. As they investigate they decide that it must be a virus infecting people to become murderers. If not, what is it? Will they be able to stop the virus?

There is gruesome, gory, and creepy descriptions throughout the novel. It is not only a horror novel but also a mystery. I still found the author’s plot intriguing and refreshing for a horror novel. It was different than a lot of the horror I read, especially with “ghosts” in it. I would recommend reading if you want a different version of horror.

Oh boy. I love Graham Masterton, but this book got pretty silly. Murderous clothes?? Definitely an interesting concept, and as a horror writer Graham literally brought these clothes to life like Stephen King did for the car in Christine. A little hokey, sure, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

I've never read a Graham Masterson novel prior to this one. I realized while reading this that could be because I'm not the target audience for his novels.

I love a good horror movie but I Ghost Virus did nothing for me as a horror fan or a reader. This book played out exactly like a B-movie playing on the SYFY channel in the wee hours of the morning. Don't get me wrong, I can see its appeal for some, it is fun and Masterson is clearly established enough as an author to take risks. This one didn't pay off for me.

The "horror" of this story comes almost entirely from explicit, violent murder scenes. I couldn't bring myself to finish the novel because I didn't get invested in the story. The constant barrage of senseless gore put me off. I don't mind gore in horror when it has a purpose and I didn't feel like it was necessary to the extent it played a role in this story. The needless violence coupled with the "killer coat" storyline made me quit the book at the halfway mark.

Masterson does have a talent for descriptive writing but it wasn't enough to compel me to continue reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Masterson, and his publishers for furnishing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Graham Masterton needs no introduction to any reader who enjoys the strange and wonderful world of his novels. This book grabs your full attention almost from the first page, and it just gets better the further you read. A scary, eerie premise that'll put chills down your back... highly recommended!

[This is with renowned crime author Graham Masterton! This is for his new book Ghost Virus, which I cannot tell you to read enough!
Graham trained as a newspaper reporter before beginning his career as an author. His credits as a writer include the bestselling horror novel The Manitou and the Katie Maguire crime series, which became a top-ten bestseller in 2012.]

See my review here - https://facelesslibrarian.com/2018/05/21/you-are-not-me-whoever-you-are-you-are-not-me-ghost-virus-2018/

I have heard amazing things about Graham Masterson so was very excited when I had the opportunity to read one of his books. Now, I realize the synopsis speaks of second hand clothing and the possibility of them being possessed but I don't think I was quite ready for the read that I received.

This is part police procedural, part horror and part silly. Personally, I read this as almost a satire to what we would expect from a true horror book. The "horror" part is in the gruesome death scenes - and don't get me wrong - I LOVE a good, gory and bloody death scene. This is where it ended for me in terms of horror. I just can't picture clothing racing after me as scary - I find it more comical than anything. Though to be honest, I'll probably be steering clear of second-hand stores from here on out.

I was enraptured with the scenes and how the clothing would possess the wearer and how they attached themselves to their prey... but after a while this did get a little repetitive and I found myself skimming through certain parts. Mindy, bar far, was the scariest part of this possession - but I always find children a bit scarier than anyone else.

While this did get a little farcical at a certain point, I have to give credit to creating such a unique storyline. Once I rid myself of thinking of this as true horror and took it to a more satirical side, I began to enjoy the book further. If you can look past the fact that this is about demonic second-hand clothing, then this can be quite the fun ride. Personally, I think this would have worked better as a novella or short story.

Beware the clothing that you buy. And if you're feeling hungry.... well, try not to get caught, ok? 😉

Read this for the shocking death scenes. If you're a lover of frivolous horror, then this will be perfect for you.

A series of bizarre murders and suicides in London bring together two disparate police officers, who must work together to solve the increasingly unexplainable deaths.

I’m not sure that I’ve ever read a Graham Masterton novel before, but if you’d told me that Guy N. Smith or Shaun Hutson had written this manuscript and then binned it, I would have believed you, especially if they’d written it in the 1980’s. The attitudes of most of the characters would mesh perfectly with those of thirty years ago, and it was quite jarring when modern technology was mentioned.

I won’t give any spoilers on what/who the killer is, or where it/they came from, but I have to say that it’s one of the most ridiculous ‘Big Bads’ that I’ve ever come across. There’s really not much more that I can say.

I received an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A teenage girl on the brink of adulthood commits suicide in an excruciating way. A young woman kills her boyfriend after horribly torturing him. A calm, silent man turns into a murderer. As the crimes of the last days pile up, DC Jerry Pardoe and DS Jamila Patel realize that they all have one thing in common : the criminals blame it all on the "other one". A deadly virus is rapidly spreading in the city, and the two detectives will have to keep a very open mind in order to solve this mystery.

As a first time Masterton reader, I have to start by saying that he obviously has a very good and experienced style of writing. The characters are very carefully constructed, and the reader feels strongly the need to keep reading in order to fully grasp the concept of the crimes.

However, I found the concept a little too much. The story starts off brilliantly, with just the right amount of mystery involved. Up to a point, Ghost Virus is a very interesting concept. As it starts to unwind, there are two things that start lowering its quality : first of all, there is too much gore. Some parts of the plot could have been equally interesting if they were described in less details. In fact, it is this reader's personal opinion that less description would have made a better impact on the plot. Secondly, it feels like the detectives are mere observers to an extent of about 80% of the book. Traditionally, if you want to have detectives as the main characters of a story, you expect them to do some investigative job, and come to at least a couple of conclusions. In Ghost Virus, the work of the two main characters is more observing and less figuring anything out. In fact, the final resolution is almost handed to them instead.

Despite these objections, however, the book kept my attention to the very end (which I found quite anti-climactic). Ghost Virus would probably be a good book for people who are alright with detailed gore scenes. I would probably recommend this book, but only to targeted audience with specific reading preferences.

I received this book from Netgalley and Publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

Graham Masterton has done it again. His work is dark and this was no different. I don't know where he gets his concepts from but I enjoy his world. His works tends to get better as the more he puts out. I love that he went back to his darker roots. If you are not a horror fan or like dark books, then stay away from this book. It was very well written but definitely for those of the horror genre.

I have been a huge fan of Graham Masterton for a fair while now and I absolutely love the bestselling series featuring Katie Maguire, Now I have to be honest and say that I haven’t read any of his work from the horror genre. They do say that a change is as good as a rest and so when I was asked if I would like to read his new horror release called ‘Ghost Virus’ and take part in the blog tour for it, I naturally grabbed the opportunity with both hands. I was not to be disappointed as I really enjoyed it but more about that in a bit.
The main characters are a pair of police officers (DC Jerry Pardoe and DS Jamila Patel) who are tasked with investigating a crime which on the face of it appears to be an honour killing. However the truth is more terrifying. Pardoe and Patel are then tasked with investigating a series of crimes. they have to establish whether or not there is a pattern to the crimes and to try to determine what is causing the spate of horrific crimes. Not an easy task at the best of times. Pardoe and Patel have a good working relationship and they get on really well. At times I did wonder if there was going to be a romance between the pair of them as there was definitely an undertone of mutual attraction going on, although this did not dominate the book.
Blimey oh riley was this book gory!! I wasn’t prepared for how gory the book was going to be. The first killing uses graphic description of how the victim actually burned her face off- quite literally. There were a few times where I winced as if I was feeling the acid burn my own face. The deaths that follow are no less graphic or gruesome in nature but the amount of gory detail does not seem excessive nor did it put me off reading. In fact (and because I must be a sadist), I found that the gorier the book got, the more determined I was to read on and see if the murders could possibly get any gorier and if the murderer could be stopped.
I must say that I was hooked on this book from the moment I picked it up and I binge read it over the course of a couple of days. The author’s writing style is such that you can’t help but be drawn into the story and before you know it you are hooked. That was certainly the case for me. I became addicted to reading this book and I just had to feed my addiction and read one more page or one more chapter and so on and so forth. Before I knew what was happening I had cleared a fair chunk of the book but because I was so immersed in the story, I hadn’t noticed the speed with which the pages were flying by. I had mixed feelings about finishing this book. Don’t get me wrong I was pleased to finish because at least I knew how the story and investigation ended but at the same time I guess I was enjoying the horror aspect, the gore and the story so much that I just wanted the book to continue on and on.
To conclude, I must say that I really enjoyed my introduction to the horror books written by Graham Masterton, so much so that I will definitely be seeking out his other horror books. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to other readers but perhaps not to those few people who are squeamish or of a delicate nature. ‘Ghost Virus’ is one of those books that will stay fresh in my mind for a very long time to come. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 4* out of 5*.

Where to begin with this one? ......For some unknown reason, I have never read any of Graham Masterton's books so when the chance came up to read an ARC of "Ghost Virus", I jumped at the chance for an introduction to his work.
I have never read anything quite like "Ghost Virus". After a young woman looking forward to her promising future and marriage dies a gruesome death by pouring sulphuric acid on her face, DC Jerry Pardoe and DS Jamila Patel are faced with an incomprehensible reality. Their search for the truth about this terrible tragedy is connected by even more horrible crimes that force them to confront the impossible. I do not want to say more than that because I really do not like to have spoilers in my reviews.
I have read similar books and stories about haunted or possessed items but this one stood out from the others for a variety of reason.
I absolutely adore the characters of DC Pardoe, and DS Patel. I really would love to see another b00k continuing the story of these characters. They were very complex and well developed and I found much of the book derived its strength from these characters and their interactions with each other and the investigation at hand. Graham Masterton must have done much research about Muslims and I found the information provided quite accurate and very pertinent to the story especially with the first known victim. I have to admit I also found it interesting and entertaining to learn about current British lingo especially regarding the names of street drugs and other slang words ( I am Canadian).
All in all, I found Graham Masterton's writing to be solid and fluent and I enjoyed this book enough to try another one. I wish I had discovered his books before now but I look forward to reading more of his novels.
I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus via Netgalley for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you so much for allowing me to read this novel.

This was a fantastic read, I enjoy reading horror although don't do it often nowadays this book was brilliant, full of gory details and descriptions, right up my street, certainly didn't disappoint me

I received a copy of Ghost virus to review via Netgalley. Below is the blurb

"Samira was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her. What could have brought her to this? DC Jerry Pardoe and DS Jamila Patel of Tooting Police suspect it's suicide. But then a meek husband kills his wife, and the headteacher of the local school throws her pupils out of a window. It's no longer a random outbreak of horrific crimes. It's a deadly virus. And it's spreading. Somehow, ordinary Londoners are being infected with an insatiable lust to murder. All of the killers were wearing second-hand clothes. Could these garments be possessed by some supernatural force?"

I was extremely pleased to get this book to review as Graham Masterton is one of my favorite horror authors of all time. I don't particularly enjoy his crime series books but I have always found his horror books to be spot on. I must admit that I didn't know whether to find it comical or disturbing in some of the scenes in the book where items of clothing are trying to make a break for it. Having said that I still found myself not being able to put the book down as I waited to find out the reason behind the clothes suddenly coming to life. I didn't rate the book 5 stars even though I enjoyed the read, just because I didn't find the ending satisfying enough, I felt it needed more or some big explanation that just didn't happen. Having said that I did like the final scene.

Graham Masterson’s career is equalled if not bypassed by Stephen King with his tantamount body of work. He has consistently been able to horrify, entice, keep his readers in suspense and making the unexplainable very tangible.

His new novel, The Ghost Virus is a book the welcomes Graham back to his horror roots. Although he has never left this genre, he has been able to improve on it and carry it well into the future. This is something that most of his contemporaries are not able to do.

What starts out as honour killings, Masterson steers his readers into one direction and then sharp turns them into another to fantastic results. He has even been able to take something that most writers could not even dream and make it laudable within the fabric of his writing. This is one book that takes chances and delivers on every horrifying turn.

His characters are above par and he writes in a very three dimensional style that brings the reader in and enables them to identify. Even the victims become someone that the readers truly care for. They are not written within the pages as fodder but there for a reason.

Masterson is able to mix different styles into a kaleidoscope of fluid genres to make this an exceptional novel. For all horror writers, could really learn a lesson and there is no better to time to start than with his latest novel. Masterson can match the best genre writers out there word for word and there is no stopping the master of horror with his latest release.

If you are looking for a novel that his horrifying, thrilling, exciting and holds a mystery just waiting to be unlocked, you can not go wrong with this excellent foray into a genre that has a lot of weak imitators out there. It is time that you start reading and experiencing the masters at work. This is one of the best that I have read in a long time.

A series of violent murders break out in the Tooting area of London, inexplicably linked by items of second-hand clothing. DC Pardoe and DS Patel are assigned to the case and, as the murders continue and get more and more gory, they start to wonder is something supernatural is behind the killing.

Ghost Virus was a LOT more gory than I was expecting. It’s the kind of book where crime/mystery and horror cross over – not for the faint hearted or easily grossed-out. But, at the same time, the graphic details weren’t unnecessary or merely there for shock factor; they were a part of the story, making them an unpleasant but effectual feature of the book.

To be honest, the premise sounds completely ridiculous: clothing becoming possessed by evil spirits and killing people. Not only that, but apparently the clothing is unstoppable (my first thought: grab a flame thrower). But, in fact, it’s great. I loved the writing. The detectives are classic (fictional) British cops, the kind we see all the time on telly and love. (There was a lot of cockney slang used throughout the book, though, which non-British readers mind find difficult to understand).

The relationship between Jerry and Jamila felt genuine and was fun to read about. They came across as believable partners with an attraction to each other, and none of it was forced. Thanks to the intense situation they find themselves in, neither of them act upon their feelings until a pretty realistic time, so the romance fitted into the story as a nice undercurrent and never eclipsed the plot.

Overall, Ghost Virus is gory, gross and a lot of fun. Definitely worth a go.

Ghost Virus by Graham Masterton is a horror novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Head of Zeus, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Synopsis:
There are strange deaths occurring in Tooting, a borough of London England. When DC Jerry Pardoe and DS Jamila Patel are called to the home of a young Muslim girl who had her face splashed with sulphuric acid while in her own bed, they aren’t sure if it is a suicide, or perhaps an honor killing.

However, when more strange deaths occur, they can hardly believe they are starting to look at second-hand clothing as a possible murder weapon. It is difficult to fathom how a coat can attach itself to someone, its fibers melding with their flesh, turning the innocent wearer into a killing machine. But that seems to be happening, and as the bodies begin to pile up, the police try to keep things out of the press.  But this may be too much for even the press to handle.

My Opinions:
This was probably one of the most bizarre horror novels I have read. The idea of coats rising up and killing people would be hilarious if Masterton hadn’t made it so gruesome. Still, it was difficult not to see the true silliness in the plot, and early on, I wondered if I should continue reading. However, as the pages drifted by, I developed an interest as to where this was headed next. The author truly has a descriptive flair which he uses to describe limbs being torn apart and intestines removed. The gore abounds, and the premise is unique, but it still seemed too ridiculous.

Bottom line, this one just wasn’t for me. I’m going to try to read something else by Masterton, because he’s been around a long time. I can’t see this being his best.

One more thing….this one isn’t for the squeamish. Oh, and it will make me think twice before buying used clothing.