All four stories are pretty spooky and I loved the fact that all of them are about books and/or stories.

My favourite of the four stories was definitely the first one. But I also enjoyed the others! Ronald Malfis writing style was also a big plus in this that made me like this anthology as much as I did! I will definitely read more by him as soon as I get the chance!

⭐️ 4/5 stars ⭐️

I don't usually care for novellas or anthologies with short stories but I was craving some dark tales during the spooky season and knew that Ronald Malfi wouldn't disappoint!

This is a collection of four chilling novellas in the same universe, all revolving around peculiar books. I enjoyed all the stories! I thought they were brilliantly constructed, the characters stand out and the visuals are memorable. I can see each one being an episode of The Twilight Zone through their uncanny explorations.

“The Skin of Her Teeth” - Screenwriter McElroy is adapting a book to the screen, but he encounters a terrifying hurdle. His agent Gloria tries to help, but the book seems to have a mind of its own. “The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride” - Two brothers are tasked by their mob boss to deliver a book with strict rules to follow. But one of them goes rogue, and their road trip turns into a surreal nightmare. “This Book Belongs to Olo” - Ten-year-old Olo is smart, creative, and a little weird. But when he invites the neighborhood kids to his birthday party at home, it’s clear he has other plans involving his very special book. “The Story” - Grady is shocked when his friend Taryn is found dead, even more so when he sees the confusing state of her house. He’s soon pulled into a dizzying choose-your-own-adventure story with terrible consequences.

Perfect for lovers of books and horror in the mood for a strange, spooky ride!

There are certain stories that stick with you. They create a home somewhere in the back of your mind and refuse to leave. For me, those were often fairy tales, Ray Bradbury short stories, episodes of The Twilight Zone, and dark legends whispered amongst children or discussed online. This collection somehow managed to capture the magic and dread of all of those combined. How fitting it is for a book about living stories to have burrowed its way inside of me.
A scriptwriter seemingly driven insane, two brothers making an unusual delivery, a lonely child's birthday party, and a grieving journalist searching for answers… The stories have a way of feeling fresh yet vaguely familiar; like getting deja vu from a hazy dream you once had. The characters are compelling, with the stories weaving together in ways that make them stronger as a collection.
It took me a bit to get into Ghostwritten, but by halfway through the first story, I couldn't put it down. If I could give this collection more than five stars, then I would. It's truly a masterpiece.

This book consists of four novella's and all the stories have an author/book theme. When I first heard this I assumed that they might feel a bit repetitive. That is the farthest thing from the truth. All four stories were very different from one another.
The first novella, The Skin of Her Teeth is about a book that seems to have a "soul" and drive people to their deaths.
The second story was The Dark Brother's Last Ride which was my favorite out of this collection. It's about two brothers who have a job to deliver a suitcase. The instructions are exact and precise. When the brothers start the job, things start to get weird and their sanity is tested.
The third story, This Book Belongs to Olo is about a young boy named Olo. He is a homeschooled boy without friends and a magical book. As his birthday approaches he goes to the playground and invites all the kids to his birthday party. The story was super unique and the ending was so unexpected but it worked. This ending creeps into my random thoughts often.
The last novella was called The Story. This was my least favorite of the collection. It's about a man who follows a Pick your own Adventure story. That's really all I can saw without giving too much away.

Overall this was a great collection and I enjoyed reading it. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advanced arc copy for my honest review.

‘Books Can Be Deadly’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Ghostwritten’ by Ronald Malfi.

This was my first experience of Malfi’s writing and I was very impressed. While I don’t usually draw comparisons between writers, ‘Ghostwritten’ reminded me of early Stephen King and the best of The Twilight Zone. The kind of stories where the uncanny enters the life of ordinary people.

Each of the four novellas features books in some form. In ‘The Skin of Her Teeth’, a cursed novel protects itself and racks up quite a body count. In ‘The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride’ delivering a rare book turns deadly. In ‘This Book Belongs to Olo’ a lonely child has possession of an unusual pop-up book. Finally in ‘The Story’ a choose-own-adventure book finds new life (and victims) on the dark web.
 
I enjoyed these creepy atmospheric tales and now plan on seeking out Ronald Malfi’s other works.

Ronald Malfi has quickly become one of my favorite authors! This book of novellas is exceptional! All of the stories are tied in together. Do not miss this one!

As a fan of Ronald Malfi for going on a decade I have many favorites. The Night Parade, Bone White, and December Park, and a short titled, Mr. Cables. In my opinion Ghostwritten may very well be his best. It is on the top of my list for best reads this year. For fans of Ronald Malfi, this is must read material. Ghostwritten has everything horror fans want and thrill seekers need.

When an author’s main character is a writer and is writing a book the story has a magical quality to me, and it takes on a life of its own. In The Skin of Her Teeth we travel down the rabbit hole with Gloria as she tries to figure out the real story of a screenplay. The further down this rabbit hole we go, the stranger The Skin of Her Teeth becomes. Ronald Malfi has outdone himself with this novella. The tension and suspense are enough to make your heart race. This story gets Ghostwritten of to a bang. And, Ghostwritten only gets better from here as Ronald Malfi seamlessly slips in many connections to past works.

In The Dark Brothers Last Ride Ronald and Tommy are hired to transport what should be an innocuous item, a book. Transporting items is their business, but to their surprise, all is not what it seems with this job. The Dark brothers find out the hard way that not following directions can have dire consequences. This novella had me on overload with many tense and uncertain moments. I really didn’t know how it would all shake out, but it was fantastic.

This book belongs to Olo, started off a little slow for me but there was a lot of background to build. Olo’s parents are writers, so Olo’s decides to create a book of his own. His book is a work of art and a piece of magic. A pop-up book that is an intricate replica of his home, and can do the impossible. This book belongs to Olo was a thrill ride, it was horrific and the tension was on full blast. Ronald Malfi blurs what is real and make believe with the best of them. This was a great story, with a concept that had my head spinning.

Ronald Malfi may have saved the best for last, and that’s saying something considering the three previous stories. The Story, is a hard novella to summarize without giving it away. I’ll do my best, and apologize in advance if this wrecks it for anyone. I’ll start by saying that if I thought This book belongs to Olo made my head spin, The Story had me questioning everything. My head was fuzzy and disoriented, similar feeling as when I watched Inception. This novella took the blurring of really to the next level.

In The Story, Grady is looking for answers into his ex girlfriend Taryn’s suicide. What he finds is more then he can wrap his mind around, and nearly dives him crazy. Taryn was investigating an online dark web story, titled, The Story. The deeper Grady looks at the strange events leading to her suicide, the stranger the truth becomes. Ronald Malfi, again, loosely ties this final novella to the first, bringing Ghostwritten full circle.

Overall I just think books about haunted objects and paranormal are not for me. This one contains 4 novellas all surrounding the topic of books. I do like Ronald Malfi’s writing and his previous books however this one was just dragging for me but that’s probably because I’m just not into the subject matter. I will continue to read his work though and thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Ghostwritten.

I've recently become a fan of the author's since I began reading his ARCs on NetGalley.

Naturally, when I saw Ghostwritten, I had to request it.

Ghostwritten is a collection of four novellas set in the same universe; bound by the theme of haunted books, the power of the written word and the people who are haunted.

The author has a comfortable, easy to read writing style, and the narrative flowed easily in all four novellas.

There's an inherent creepiness in each novella, that something isn't quite right (and will only get worse).

I wasn't scared but I was creeped out and the need to know more propelled me to keep reading.

I liked how each novella focused on a haunted book and how it affected the characters in that particular story; for good and for bad.

I enjoyed all four novellas, especially certain aspects of it though my favorite was 'The Dark Brothers' Last Ride.'

I liked the ending of The Skin of Her Teeth and wished there was some sort of explanation for why Olo is able to create the mysterious and dangerous pop-up book in "This Book Belongs to Olo."

I really liked the concept in "The Story" and how Grady's demise is linked to his treatment of Taryn.

I look forward to the author's next book.

After absolutely loving Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi earlier this year, I was so excited when @titanbooks sent over this new collection of short stories!

This collection contains 4 horror stories all about books, erm yes please?

In The Skin of Her Teeth, a cursed novel drives people to their deaths.

A delivery job turns deadly in The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride.

In This Book Belongs to Olo, a lonely child has dangerous control over an usual pop-up book.

A choose-your-own adventure game spirals into an uncanny reality in The Story.

I found all 4 of these stories to be incredibly creepy and so dark! I love Ronald Malfi’s writing, and it’s so gripping that you won’t be able to put it down!

I think my favourite story was This Book Belongs to Olo - that was so bloody creepy and I loved the tension throughout the whole book!

The concepts behind all 4 of these stories were so intriguing, and not like anything I’ve read before! I’d definitely recommend this as a short story collection if you’re wanting to try out some horror, because not only are they excellently written, but they’re all about books? It’s a win-win.

GHOSTWRITTEN by @ronaldmalfi is a compilation of four short horror stories that all involve spooky books so I would say this is the perfect #spookyseason #bookstagram book! Thank you to @netgalley and @tantoraudio for the Audio-ARC.

The four stories in this book were THE SKIN OF HER TEETH, THE DARK BROTHER'S LAST RIDE, THIS BOOK BELONGS TO OLO, and THE STORY. I found all four of them to be unsettling but THE SKIN OF HER TEETH (evil book curses those who gain possession of it) and THIS BOOK BELONGS TO OLO (a creepy kid wields uncanny control using a pop-up book) were definitely my favorites!

Books have always contained mystery and magic to me so it is no far stretch for me to believe that especially older books may have sordid pasts! The idea that a book could affect your life in such a negatively powerful way is very juxtaposed to the overwhelming love and joy I have gotten from books over the years too which is an interesting twist.

I really enjoy Ronald Malfi's work and he is one of the reasons I got into the horror genre (fun fact!). WE SHOULD HAVE LEFT WELL ENOUGH ALONE was my first Malfi title which I would still highly recommend along with BONE WHITE, THE NIGHT PARADE, and BLACK MOUTH (which also came out this year and I have yet to review on here). He has plenty more that I have never read as well so let me know if you have a favorite outside the ones I have mentioned.

Four linked novellas about the haunting power of words. Even though the novellas can work as standalones, they all exist in the same universe:

The Skin of Her Teeth, a cursed novel drives people to their deaths.

The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride, a delivery job turns deadly.

This Book Belongs to Olo, a lonely child has dangerous control over an usual pop-up book.

The Story features a choose-your-own-adventure that is anything but ordinary.

Highly recommended! This collection is out now.

This is perfect for a spooky read and I can definitely see this being made into a series. This book consist of four novellas and I realised they all have a common underlying theme - BOOKS! What a treat!

I really enjoyed reading all four stories. They give off creepy vibes and were dark and fast-paced. I love the creativity of each story and how different they were despite having the same theme.

I highly recommend this to fans of horror and you will not be disappointed. Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for the arc.

A book about the power of words and the books created with them. Sounds some,even dull, but Ronald Malfi has written a book of 4 novellas that are anything BUT dull.
A manuscript that refuses to be edited or changed, a story that changes itself and you as you pick a path for it to go. Pure genius,all of them and I am now officially a fan of Ronald Malfi!
Highly recommend!
Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Words, books in particular, have a way of getting under our skin and haunting us. Malfi not only managed to write four novellas that are haunting but that are about books that are haunted in their own way.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this frightful tale! My thoughts are my own! The First Story “The Skin of Her Teeth” was interesting and started off great, I just felt it fizzled out, I would give that one a 3 star. The Second short story “The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride” was fantastic! I read it in bed at night with a sick kiddo cuddling, it was so atmospheric and creepy that my kid coughed, and I jumped out of my skin. SOLID 4 star! The story “This Book Belongs to Olo” is amazing and I got Twilight Zone vibes, old school Twilight Zone. AND I loved the crossovers, there are things, people, and objects that are crossing over from the other two stories which then gives me a Stephen King vibe. Just vibes all around and most of them are freaky! The last story called ironically “The Story” was one of my favorites! Loved the suspense and of course the hints to previous stories! 4 stars for this story which brings this book to a solid 4 stores! LOVED IT!

👻👻👻👻👻
Right in time for spooky season, I was so lucky to nab this from Netgalley! Ronald Malfi is a guaranteed favourite of mine. Huge fan.

If you enjoy psychological-existential horrors with great character development and interactions, and vivid environments that instil a slow terror.. pick up a Malfi book!

This book is a series of 4 short stories. Normally I'm not into it, BUT the stories are connected in little ways which tickled my happy lil horror brain. The way Malfi weaves little hints of the other stories, as if they'd crossed the pages and the characters noticed, was such a delight.

My favourite story had to be This Book Belongs to Olo, where we follow a sweetly intelligent, but creepy little boy named Bartholomew around his mansion. Not giving much away but the absolute terror and intrigue this story filled me with.. I felt for little Olo, but don't underestimate him. What an amazing character.

The other stories follow:
Two brothers on their last illegal mission together, on a strange request to deliver a box they are not to open. Both at odds with each other's personality, forming a dysfunctional little adventure into liminal space.

Another follows a guy who helps investigate his missing ex-lover, who appears to have disappeared into thin air. The only trace of her are her apartment walls covered in chaotically aggressive text and codes, as if crawling out from the PC. And with a final ominous touch of large black paint attempting to cover the scribbles of text, saying "DO NOT READ".

And then a scriptwriter who tracks down an author who went MIA at their remote cabin, to investigate the strange phenomena surrounding the book draft that seemingly doesn't want to be written. The haggard looking author describes having to build several boxes around it.. not to keep them from getting it, but to keep IT from getting out.

Amazing stories. Get into it!!


Thank you to Netgalley, Ronald Malfi and Titan Books for this advanced copy.

I'll admit I was a little disappointed in this one. I am still definitely going to read from Malfi, but this particular collection just wasn't for me --- But I can DEFINITELY see why others enjoy it.

1) The first story - Skin of Her Teeth - a no from me. I didn't enjoy this one at all. The main character was an idiot and I felt like the story could've been executed much better.

2) The Dark Brothers' Last Ride - I enjoyed this one more than the first, but it took too long to gain my interest. The most interesting part was the end.

3) The Book Belongs to Olo - This was the best one in the collection for me. The most creepy and interesting for me as it felt like it had a bit of fantasy. But, I wanted MORE from it.

4) The Story - I liked the concept but it just wasn't giving what I needed from it in terms of the unsettling feeling. I wanted more details about the tech and journey.

I just don't think books about haunted items/books are for me. While the settings were well done, I feel like the stories just weren't real enough for me, if that makes sense? Too predictable, and I was generally uninterested except for one story.

Narrators were great, but the pacing and overall execution wasn't what I expected. 2.5/5

Ronald Malfi has been doing a fantastic job of quickly becoming one of my favorite new authors. I read and loved Black Mouth earlier this year and now Ghostwritten (a 4-novellas in one book with an overarching theme about books) which was so good too. Also before the year is up I WILL be reading Come With Me by the same author.

While this may seem strange to say being that it took me almost 3 weeks to finish this book, Ghostwritten truly was an addictive read & so often during it I was completely immersed in Malfi's work.

He has this way of writing certain ideas & imagery that gets under your skin, sticks with you, and fills you with such unease.

Definite Black Mirror, Twilight Zone, and X-Files vibes at times.

So glad this author has a decent size backlist I can dig into.

I give Ghostwritten by Ronald Malfi 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Big thanks to @titanbooks & @netgalley for this e-ARC!