STAND AND TAKE NOTICE!

Here we have, by far, one of the best books I have read in 2022. I was lucky enough to get an ARC through Netgalley. I found myself losing time as I greedily ate up the pages of each story. As I finished each novella, I paused and thought ‘It can’t get any better than that one,’ but when I moved on to the next, it would match and surpass the previous one. What wizardry is this? Did Ronald Malfi sell his soul to the gods of ink and page? When I was midway through this collection, I felt compelled to personally reach out to Ronald Malfi on social media and explain how reading this book, reading his writing, is like when you get some really good food or drink and you have a bite or a sip of it and smack the table with the ecstasy it brings. Then you keep smacking that table after every taste despite protests from your friends to STOP being so disruptive, but you just CANNOT. IT NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT TO EVERYONE’S ATTENTION. STAND AND TAKE NOTICE!

No matter how many times I try to assess which story was my favourite, I cannot choose just one. I love them all so much. The stories encircle the topic of writing, creating, and books, bringing an avid reader such as myself into a kind of meta realm where I get to read about the book that I’m reading, which is a trope I am in love with. They all have terrifying, magical surrealism to them that is so unbelievably satiating.

When the first story (The Skin of Her Teeth) starts at a grade of 100%, the rest can only continue on that trajectory that falls beyond a scale above which people don’t usually bother counting. The second novella (The Dark Brother's’ Last Ride) reminded me of Stephen King’s ‘Desperation’ in a strange way and was so freaking cool and creepy. The third one (This Book Belongs to Olo) blew my mind with its originality, character development, and disturbing concepts. The fourth (The Story) called to the journalist in me and made me feel like I was in danger, that curiosity is not a safe tactic, and that sometimes you don’t really want to find out how things end. And to top it all off, each story was connected in some way to the rest in the book. How cool is that?

Indomitable stories aside, any Ronald Malfi fan will also discover that there are some subtle and not-so-subtle connections to other books he has written outside of this collection. This guy is creating his own universe, which is another writing method that will always win me over and guarantee my undying devotion when done well (see Stephen King and Terry Pratchett). I know there is a lot of work involved in linking characters and ideas across many books and that just adds to the checklist of why Ronald Malfi is an emperor of the written word.

Drop what you’re doing, hesitate not, and pick this book up when it comes out October 11th, 2022. Trust me.

I loved this concept, 4 books in one. I took a break in-between and dropped straight back into it. Loved how all the stories were the same theme but so different. This was my 1st read from Ronald Malfi but will be going on to read more.

This is my first book by this author and I had higher expectations (based on other's recommendations). Unfortunately, try as I may, I could not get into this. I typically enjoy compilation books with different novellas and stories, but this fell really flat. I DNF'd almost near the end of story 1 and I don't think I made a bad decision. I was not compelled to continue on.

What an excellent book! All of the stories were creepy and had me turning pages quickly! He proves he is the master once again with these tales. On one hand I wish they were longer, on the other hand they were just perfect!

Is it possible for a story to be possessed? Can books have curses and power? Can novels consume you and bring about your death?

These themes are explored throughout Ghostwritten. This book is a collection of 4 novellas that all tie in with one another through the exploration of the dark side of stories.

Malfi has a way of creating dread with his writing and I found each one of his tales to be super creative and unique.

The first story, Skin of Her Teeth, has to do with a story that does not want to be changed…and things get spooky. I really enjoyed this one.

The second story, The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride, had underground crime vibes and involves two brothers transporting a mysterious book for a large sum of money…but of course things go wrong. This one had some super creepy moments and I loved it.

The third story, The Book Belongs to Olo, was so fun. It gave me American Horror Story feels. It involves a missing girl, absent writer parents, and a peculiar little boy who has a strange pop up book…

The fourth and last in the collection is titled, The Story. It begins with a man being asked to identify the corpse of a coworker, has a mystery to solve, and involves a choose your own adventure game that goes off the rails.

So, book lovers, if you’re brave and want some story related thrills, make sure you get this collection to add to your spooky reads this season.

The audio is also great!

4.5 stars out of 5 rounded up for this review

With his latest quartet of novella length pieces, Ronald Malfi tries something a little different: he approaches the subject of storytelling from four different angles and finds plenty of anxieties to analyze and fears to foment.

In "The Skin of Her Teeth," Hollywood agent Gloria Grossman goes in search of a missing client and finds terror in the most unlikely place. Screenwriter Davis McElroy was supposed to send the script for his adaptation of bestselling novelist John Fish's The Skin of Her Teeth to Paramount weeks ago. However, after he went off to his remote cabin to work, he soon enough dropped off the map. When she arrives, she finds the cabin in a shambles, and the writer in a state of psychological distress. He seems to believe the book he's been adapting is somehow alive, threatening, and in need of containment. And he might not be wrong …

As Gloria digs into the scenario, she discovers how right he is to fear the book, how wrong his assumptions around that threat are, and how dangerous a beloved story can be. The original author might hold the key to unlocking the whole mystery, but Fish is reclusive. Can Gloria get all the information she needs before a jealous doom swallows her stability?

The titular characters of "The Dark Brothers' Last Ride" are an unlikely team. Daniel Drake (aka Danny Dark) is the reliable courier, the one who follows the rules his clients put forth to the letter. His brother Tommy is as much of a loose cannon as their jailbird father. When they are contacted to deliver a case to Arizona by car, following a specific, circuitous route, the instructions are puzzling. The enigmas only intensify when their instructions conclude with a trio of items: they are told never to open the case, they are to ignore any requests by strangers to look inside, and if the case is opened they are never to touch the contents. What's so important? They will be transporting a one of a kind book.

A job is a job, of course. And this one is paying big bucks. The route takes them cross country via numerous backroads and dot-on-the-map towns. Quite possibly to Other Places altogether. Ghost towns where a laundromat and church occupy the same building, places with strange brand names like Budscheisse beer and Gentlemen's Jerk beef jerky. All the while, the brothers discover that sometimes seemingly crazy rules are best followed after Tommy breaks a crucial one and begins to pay the price for doing so. Can they deliver this damned thing and get some kind of intervention/help before Tommy's condition degenerates too far?

The longest of the four pieces is "This Book Belongs to Olo," which concerns a cast of predominantly younger characters and the handful of adults who interact with them. Olo is the creepy kid, the home schooled weirdo who lives in his family's big mansion. When he shows up at the playground to invite the schoolkids to his tenth birthday party, he wears a clown mask and doesn't behave like a kid his age ought to. Olo might have genius level intelligence, but he seriously lacks social skills. Most of the kids tease him and decide to attend if only to take advantage of his family's wealth and maybe break some stuff. However, Peyton Joya takes pity on him and decides to go just to be nice.

Olo lives with two writers: his mom is a bestselling author of detective mysteries, and his stepdad is a more "artistic" writer who never really accomplishes much and critiques what he does to the point of eradicating it. As it turns out, Olo has made a book too. "This book belongs to Olo," the cover reads. "Do not open." It's a popup book that contains a facsimile of the house itself, but this book is special. When Olo reveals it and activates its special features, it can make the game of Hide and Seek so much more interesting … and terrifying to the other players. Olo's book is a doorway of sorts and possibly a prison, it's got one or two occupants already but by the time his birthday party concludes, it should have plenty more. And they will all be Olo's friends, people to play with whenever and however he wants!

Peyton Joya wants to be nice, but she's no fool. So when things get strange, she is the one kid to realize she needs to GTFO before it's too late. How will she escape Olo's needy clutches?

Finally, "The Story" opens with former podcaster turned journalist Grady Russo learning that his former partner and lover Taryn Donaldson has committed suicide. He's thrown by the news and subsequently pulled into her story's aftermath, identifying the body and trying to account for her deteriorated state of mind. Her apartment is a mess of information pasted to the walls, a crazy person's disorganized thoughts. She has notebooks stuffed with details. Before she died, she redacted some of this data with smears of black paint and even posted a warning to the curious: "Do not read."

Curiosity piqued, Grady delves into her situation and soon discovers Taryn was receiving white noise audio files and documenting their hidden message contents. Dogs barking, chanting, classical music, and more are tucked away under the walls of sound. These all tie to a Choose Your Own Adventure styled narrative hidden away in the dark net: The Story will find you when it wants to, and when it does, it provides information, clues, about how to proceed. Making the right choices will continue the game, making the wrong ones can be fatal. Everyone who participates in The Story commits suicide eventually. And Grady's investigation has possibly exposed him as the next participant … Will he find the answers he seeks and succeed in escaping the fate of everyone who has read The Story?

Writers certainly do enjoy their profession. Taking Hemingway's advice to write about what they know, many a writer has succumbed to the temptation of using writer protagonists, and Ronald Malfi certainly has done that as well. There are several writerly characters in Ghostwritten, but that makes sense because Malfi is tackling the subject of storytelling and stories themselves. Who better to explore that subject than writers? That he also takes a couple of shots as the aching, starving artist type of writer who has unbelievable expectations for what books should be and who can never quite seem to finish one is all the more enjoyable when paired with characters who are ultra-successful at the publishing biz, as well as the workmanlike writers who work hard on their subject of interest and then move on to the next one. They are all here, invoked directly or not. However, the novellas contained within these covers are not content to always center on writers. They broaden their scope to include many different sorts of characters. There's a baseball player, a courier, an ex-con, and an agent who all take the lead, as well. These are stories about how the big idea of Story can change us on personal and psychological levels. Because they are dark fantasies and horror yarns, those changes are not always welcome, but they are nevertheless deeply rooted.

Malfi's writing is well suited to his subjects. He has a knack for tightening the suspense screws, but he's also adroit at giving us sympathetic views of his characters—not all of whom ultimately deserve our forgiveness or sympathies. Prose like this is seductive, inviting us to shed our defenses and surrender to the story and its revelations.

In additions to the stories themselves, one of the joys of the book is finding the various connections between the different narratives. Names, items, and situations cross over, so a drunk screenwriter client of an agent in "By the Skin of Her Teeth" is also the absent owner of a stranded RV in "The Dark Brothers' Last Ride." A baseball with markings found in an otherworldly stop on that same Last Ride is also a key component in "This Book Belongs to Olo." This kind of loose tethering is fun to spot, opening up intriguing multiversal questions about Malfi's fiction. This doesn't even touch upon the motif linkages. Books and stories in general are the core concern here, as well as the people they haunt. And neither of these touches on the supernatural themes; to differing degrees within these novellas, The Story seems to be a character itself, influencing events and choices, seeking revenge for slights, and otherwise behaving like an unfathomable cosmic horror entity from Lovecraftiana. Then again, the connections are not merely between these four stories, either. The author draws in elements from his other works as well. Specific mention of the opening paragraph of Floating Staircase, the author's tenth book, appears here (credited in the text to Travis Glasgow, a character from that novel).

The author is obviously having a ball drawing all his work together in unexpected ways. Most importantly, as fun as it is to find these crossover elements, doing so is not crucial to appreciating the stories themselves. These novellas stand alone nicely. Readers who want the joy of picking up a story and then setting it down afterwards will be more than satisfied. Folks looking for a more layered experience will find it. Fans looking for sly and subtle Easter eggs will find a rewarding hunt.

Any collection will find readers selecting favorite yarns, of course. Ghostwritten has such a variety of offerings between the four novellas that it will undoubtedly generate the same conversations. For my money, each novella is written with the same attention to language and craft, and while my nightmares were fueled far more by the eerie otherworldliness of the second and fourth stories, I enjoyed them all.

The book is a solid, scary experience. The ease with which one can slide out of the comfortable world and into a place beset by horrors, or the ease with which malefic forces can intrude upon a life when they want to both plagued my post-midnight hours as odd dreams and a reluctance to venture from my nice cozy bed into the dark house.

Ghostwritten is a haunting and beautifully written quartet of stories. Each tackles its subjects and themes with a different approach and sensibility, but the whole experience is enjoyable. This collection of quality novellas deserve will sit comfortably on the same shelf as Joe Hill's suspenseful Strange Weather and Joyce Carol Oates' atmospheric Evil Eye.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Ghostwritten but that has in no way influenced my review.

Ronald Malfi has quickly become an author whose books I pick up without a moment's hesitation. I don't always bother to read the blurb, Malfi's name alone is enough to convince me I have to read the book. In the past I've fallen head over heels in love with the nightmarish worlds he creates and the poor souls he subjects to endless, unimaginable terrors within those worlds. And on that note, it would be a travesty for me to continue without mentioning the exquisite Come With Me and the sublime Black Mouth.

Ghostwritten is the latest chilling publication from this very talented author but it's a little different to the previous full-length novels. Ghostwritten is a collection of four novellas, all based within the same world with clever links between them, all about writing and the written word. Now anyone who knows me knows I love books about books (show me an avid reader who doesn't!) so I was seriously excited about making a start on this collection. My expectations were high, and I can tell you now that Ghostwritten delivered on every single count!

The four novellas within this collection are The Skin of Her Teeth, The Dark Brother's Last Ride, This Book Belongs to Olo and The Story. It's virtually impossible to select a favourite as all four stories are very different. Alone they all stand tall but together, side by side, with the clever connections the author has threaded through each novella, they form a highly compelling reading experience which I savoured every dark and disturbing moment of. I've found with this author's books in the past that I come to care for the main character over time. I was a little concerned that I would feel that aspect was missing in the shortened novella form and in all honesty, it was. But that was because there are very few characters with any redeeming features in the four stories. However, in what I'm coming to see as 'trademark Malfi style', they're all solid, believable, very well-written creations put in terrifying and often unnatural situations. I was engrossed, I was agog, and I was lost in the storytelling.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Ghostwritten is a thoroughly gripping, highly unsettling read packed full of suspense and tension. The take home message for me was that books are powerful and in the wrong hands, or with a sprinkle of the supernatural, can cause death, destruction and untold devastation. The pen most certainly is mightier than the sword. Don't say I didn't warn you! There is a lot going on in Ghostwritten with every novella feeling deserving of its place in the collection. I loved the cursed novels, the creepy kids, the brotherly bond and how fiction becomes a dark and twisted reality. And as a side note, the choose-your-own-adventure style structure featured in the last story is something I strongly believe we need back in our lives! All in all, this is a well-plotted, beautifully written collection of disturbing stories which, like several of its predecessors, has left its mark on me (nothing to do with Tommy Drake, that would be a terrifying thing!). I'm a little obsessed with Malfi's novels and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for his readers next. I'm sure it will be creepy as hell and impossible to put down! Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Ghostwritten. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Chilly. gripping, magnificent! God this book was good and perfect for spooky season!! I can't recommend it enough!

Malfi has such a pleasant way of writing stories. He goes into great detail about the characters and setting the scene. To me, that is a special gift. To be able to pull a reader in and send them into a dream land while they read the story. Everything I have read by Malfi, has done this for me. But, alas, this book of short stories fell flat for me. What I think happened is that for Malfi, he is a novelist. He can write long stories that are beautiful because he pays attention to the details. With novellas, you can’t really do that too much. And so I feel that is his downfall, his kryptonite, so to speak. Don’t get me wrong, these are awesome stories! They are just not enough to pull me in and keep me in the moment. I found myself bored, more often than not. I think each of these stories could have been a book within itself.

All four of these stories happen in the same universe. There are crossover characters in each story linking all of these characters into the same universe with different experiences.

The first story The Skin of Her Teeth is about a son who needs to finish a book for his mother. She really wants to know how the story ends. So every day for a year he would write during the day and read to her every night. A special bond is formed between the son, mother, and the book. I was bored with this one, unfortunately.

The second story The Dark Brother’s Last Ride is about two brothers, who are couriers for a mafia boss, find that what they need to deliver is more than they bargained for. This one has a strong sci-fi feel to it and has an excellent ending.

The third story This Story Belongs to Olo is a fantastic short story. A soon to be 9 year old has invited some neighborhood kids to his house for his tenth birthday. He really loves the game of hide and seek and can’t wait to play this game with his guests. This one is my favorite out of all four.

The fourth story, aptly called The Story, is a choose your own journey story that has literal consequences. This one is my second favorite of the four.

I’m not giving up on Ronald Malfi’s books. He is an excellent storyteller and this book of short stories shows his skills.

Thank you #NetGalley and Titan Books for sending me this ebook for an honest review. #Ghostwritten

Ronald Malfi steps away from full-length novels to deliver this excellent collection of four horror novellas set around the theme of books, manuscripts and stories.
Described by Malfi as a palate cleanser after the sombre themes of Black Mouth and Come With Me, there is a definite air of fun to these tales (at least when compared to the two aforementioned novels) but there is also plenty of horror.
The novellas are written with a zesty energy reminiscent of early Stephen King and the stories - which range from possessed books which refused to be adapted to courier trips into otherworldly dimensions - are all page-turners in their own right.
Malfi writes across many genres but his recent horror output - such as this collection - has really cemented his stature as one of the genre's 'must read' authors of today.

Mysterious manors? Check. Parallel realms? Check. Haunted objects? Check. Crippling paranoia? Check. These are just a few of the devilish delights waiting for you inside Ghostwritten.

This book was fantastic 5 star read and my introduction to Ronald Malfi who has now secured a spot as one of my top authors! Each novella is so vividly told with the narration style changing to match the tale and the characters. Whilst every story was stylised and unique, they were all equally atmospheric, unnerving, creepy, disturbing, unsettling, horrifying and mysterious. One of my favourite aspects was the subtle connections, casually dropped into each story which hugely appealed to the geek in me. The overall ambiguity that you are left with at the end really worked for me because let’s face it, nothing is more terrifying than the unknown.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the digital ARC. This book was thoroughly enjoyed.

In the beginning of The Neverending Story movie, the bookseller tells Bastian that the books he reads are safe. The books you’ll encounter in the four novellas that comprise Ghostwritten are most certainly not safe.

The Skin of Her Teeth

Gloria’s client, Davis McElroy, has been adapting a bestseller into a screenplay. He’s usually reliable but he’s missed his deadline and it’s up to Gloria to salvage the deal. This book doesn’t like change.

‘“The simplest thing,” Finter said, “is to give it what it wants.”’

The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride

Danny and Tommy Drake have been hired to deliver a package. There are specific rules they need to follow:
* Don’t open the briefcase.
* Don’t touch the contents of the briefcase.
* Follow the route that has been mapped out by the client to get to the drop off location.
* Ignore anyone who asks to see the book.

The rules are very important. This book is out of this world.

‘“How can a book be dangerous?”
“Because they contain all the powers of the universe.”’

This Book Belongs to Olo

Olo is having a birthday. He will be ten years old. At his party there will be cake, games, prizes and surprises. This book has no words.

‘“Well, everybody knows how to play hide and seek, I think,” said the girl. “It’s just that, it’s kind of a baby game.”
“Not the way I play,” he said, then tugged the clown mask back down over his face.’

The Story

Grady is determined to figure out what story Taryn was working on when she died. This book is Choose Your Own Adventure.

‘You have been approved to read the Story.’

The four novellas have common themes but there are other connections to be found between them. Your attention to detail will be rewarded and I expect a reread will help me discover crossovers I missed the first time around.

It’s difficult for me to choose a favourite story but I definitely had a favourite character, chronically lonely but ever enthusiastic Olo. I’m always a sucker for books about books and here I was treated to four compelling reads. This may only be my second read by this author but Ghostwritten has confirmed my suspicions that I’ve been missing out on something special. I have lots of catching up to do.

Content warnings include death by suicide.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.

Firstly, huge thanks to Netgalley, Ronald Malfi and Titan Books for approving me for a digital ARC!

Malfi struck gold with ‘Come With Me’ his novel that came out just last year, Summer 2021. Imagine our surprise when it was then announced that we would be getting not one, but two releases from him in 2022. First up was the fantastic ‘Black Mouth.’ And now, here we are with ‘Ghostwritten.’

‘Ghostwritten’ is a collection of four novellas that can either be digested individually, or read as four parts to a longer story all interconnected through the mysterious books that take center stage and the horrible events surrounding the books. Malfi covers a lot of ground in these ones and it shows just how solid and capable of a writer he is that none of them felt repetitive when held up in comparison to the other’s within here.

What I liked: We start off with a bang – ‘The Skin of her Teeth’ is both a straightforward story of a book that drives people to madness and death. Taken at face value, we follow as an agent desperately tries to save a huge deal between her client and a movie studio, as her client is tasked with writing the screenplay. It could also be taken as a metaphor to the writer’s grind of trying to make a deadline and feeling all consumed by a project.

Either way, Malfi gives us creeps and tension which all comes to a head and will leave you breathless.

Next up, we get ‘The Dark Brother’s Last Ride.’ This was a fun one, revolving around two hired goons tasked with transporting a briefcase and given some simple rules. Follow the map exactly. Don’t open the case. Don’t touch what’s inside. Ignore anyone asking about it. It made for really fun trip.

Third was ‘This Book Belongs to Olo.’ First – the cover of this collection relates to this story, which really heightens the insanity you’ll find within. Second – this was my favorite story within the collection. Almost a YA-Fantasy novella that has tinges of Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro, Malfi introduces us to Olo, a lonely child who has no friends and lives in a mansion with his stepdad and mom. Both are preoccupied with their own careers to even care about Olo, so he decides to find a way to make friends. I almost wish this particular one was illustrated or maybe one day we get a stop-motion movie out of him akin to James and the Giant Peach. I can’t rave more about this one without going into spoiler territory, but really loved this one.

Lastly, we finish with ‘The Story,’ which goes in so many different directions. Malfi manages to hold it together and close out with a strong finish.

What I didn’t like: While I enjoyed them all, I did find ‘The Dark Brother’s Last Ride’ to be the one that didn’t click with me as much and I think a part of that is my own personal reasons. I’m not a huge fan of mob stories, gangsters etc and this starts off with that aspect and then goes from there. It is fun and solid, but not completely my cup of tea.

Why you should buy this: Malfi continues to deliver and showing why so many people rave about his work. Throughout we get solid storylines, great characters and horrifying events – all the while tied together thematically from start to finish. Really well done and definitely a place where new fans can dive in, while old fans will be more than happy with what they read.

**This review has been posted on Goodreads, Bookbub and here - https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/2022/09/28/book-review-ghostwritten-by-roland-malfi/**

3.5 stars rounded up.

Although I wasn't in love with the first two stories, the second two really saved it for me! I loved all the subtle ways the stories were connected. Each story was creepy and unsettling in its own way, but the second two were just more my style! If you're looking for creepy short stories, give this one a try! It's also a book about books.. so you just can't really go wrong.

The Skin of Her Teeth is about Davis McElroy who is supposed to be adapting a book into a script for a movie but is no where to be found. Gloria, his manager, decides to drive up from the city to find out what is going on. Once there, she finds Davis alive but in bad shape. He says its dangerous in the house because of the book.

The Dark Brother's Last Ride is about two brothers, Danny and Tommy, who are hired to deliver an important book in a briefcase to a man named Choptank. They are told not to open the briefcase or touch the book.

This Book Belongs to Olo is about about a boy named Olo. He's super smart and has a big imagination. Both his parents are authors. But Olo has a secret which is explained when his tutor, Iris, goes missing...

The Story is about a guy named Grady Russo when one day he gets the call that Taryn, an old friend and coworker, committed suicide. After confirming with Detective Mathis that the body they found was Taryn's, the detective asks to meet him at her apartment the next day. All over the walls are writings in several languages. Has Taryn gone mad? Or did something make her do this?

This book of 4 novellas is amazing! I love how each story was connected to other by a book with strange power/entity. The 3rd and 4th novellas were my favorite out of all of them. Each of Malfi's stories got creepier and creepier after each story you read. I was impressed by the author and how he was able to not only creep me out but also pull me into the stories, which is why I read this book in a day. This was my first book of Malfi's that I have read and it will definitely not be my last.

I loved the novellas in this collection. I especially liked the fact you gradually learn that the stories are linked. For example, the same character appears in more than one novella. The novella are quite dark at time, but well-written and gripping. I loved this book. The best novellas are The Skin of Her Teeth, This Book Belongs to Olo and The Story.

Ronald Malfi's follow-up to his last two (spectacular) novels is what the music industry would call a concept album. Ghostwritten features four novellas with the common theme of a mysterious (evil? cursed?) book at the center, each is its own tale, but they have some nods to each other, and still feeling like they belong together. Malfi is just tearing it up with his writing as of late. The four stories are all quite excellent, and stray all over the place in terms of plot. He has actually managed to hide his writing style and still produce words of the upmost quality, Had I been given the stories to read without knowing who wrote them, I would have guessed Stephen King for the first two and Joe Hill for the third, simply because they way they played out felt like the best of those two's works. The fourth is only one that felt definitely like Malfi's style, but elevated, even so.
"The Skin of Her Teerh" features a literary agent trying to find out why one of her clients has not only failed to produced the movie screenplay whose deadline is here, but also why he has stopped taking or returning calls and emails. When she visits him, he claims it's because the book upon which the screenplay is based is stopping him from completing it. Things only get crazier and more disturbing from there. "The Dark Brothers' Last Ride" features two brothers who act as couriers for a gangster-type are tasked with delivering a strange book to a new client. But the delivery comes with some very specific and odd instructions. As the brothers set out, they soon wonder just what they got themselves into. "This Book Belongs to Olo" is about a young, peculiar boy with fairly absentee parents and no friends who is excited for his upcoming birthday. So much so that he invites all the kids in the park even though he doesn't know them and they make fun of him. What they don't know is the special book he's created for himself and magical properties it has in connection with house. The final tale is "The Story" about a podcaster who kills herself and her estranged friend and former partner who discovers what she left behind. What started out looking like some nonsensical investigation into a mysterious book that is somewhat of an urban legend on the internet, but has now gotten him involved.
Of the four, I would have to say The Story was my favorite There are versions of this plot out there in book, film, even video game form, but Malfi puts a new spin on it, and the tale just built the tension and and anticipation right to the end. "The Skin of Her Teeth" was my second favorite of the bunch, and I still really enjoyed the other two. If you haven't yet discovered the brilliance of Ronald Malfi's writing, this is a great place to start.

What an awesome book! Again Ronald Malfi at his finest! I just love his books! This one is very special too!

3⭐

This is a collection of 4 novellas, all about cursed books. This collection was ok for me. I love Malfi's writing, but none of the stories stood out as new favorites. The first story "By the Skin of Her Teeth" was pretty entertaining, but the other three stories were very middle of the road for me. I am finding I really enjoy Malfi's full length novels a lot more than his short stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for an advanced copy of this collection

This is an autor I've been wanting to read for a long time. I have been recommended Come with me and Black mouth, so when I received a copy of his new collection of four novellas I was very excited to say the least.
Each one of the novellas in Ghostwritten is an adventure, it explores its own world, its own characters, but they all revolve around certain themes such as passion, guilt, loneliness. In addition, Malfi does usewith great mastery books as the main element. A cursed novel, another book that is a trap or a portal to other dimension. There are ghosts, murderers, realities that are distorted and even a western in this collection.
His writing style is agile, precise, with a large dose of humor and satire.
I must admit that my favorite was the first 'The Skin of Her Teeth'. While the cursed book trope has already been extensively explored in horror literatura, I feel like the story that managed to innovate the most was the first one.
I recommend it for those who love stuff like The Twilight Zone.