The
Spirit Chaser
Book
One
Kat
Mayor
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Romance,
Horror, Ghosts
Publisher: Kat Mayor
Date of Publication: November 13,
2015
ISBN:1517161479
ASIN: B01845NL8K
Number of pages: 424
Number of words: 134,300
Book Description
Some places are too evil. Some
places should be left alone.
Austin Cole has it made. Star of
the hit television show Spirit Chaser Investigations, he has become the world’s
most famous paranormal investigator. Although hard work, a talented investigation
team, and favorable genetics have something to do with it, it’s his lack of
fear and willingness to take risks no one else will that make Spirit Chaser
Investigations cable’s number-one show.
When a ghost-hunt-gone-wrong
seriously injures his best friend and lead psychic, Austin is forced to find a
replacement for a team member he considers irreplaceable.
Casey Lawson can’t catch a break.
She’s been on her own since she turned eighteen and is scraping by as a
part-time psychic and cashier at a New Age store. When a desperate Austin Cole
calls her up and offers her a position on his team, has her fortune finally
changed?
He’s a control freak; she’s
stubborn and opinionated. It takes time, but when they finally realize they’re
working on the same side, everything clicks, both on and off screen.
Just when things are looking up,
a new threat emerges. Over the years, Austin has angered plenty of demons, and
one of them has set her sights on him. Now he’s the one in danger, and it’s up
to the team to rescue him from the riskiest investigation of their lives.
Excerpt:
“I got your message. I guess that means Austin
tracked you down.”
“Yeah, he did,
and I have some questions about that for later.” Casey threw her purse on the
entry table and flopped down on the couch. “But first I want to talk about you.
I saw what happened on the finale. It was awful.” Casey paused for a moment.
“How are you doing?”
“Yeah, that
wasn’t my finest moment.” No it wasn’t. Casey thought it was a crappy thing to
do, televising what had to be the lowest point in Barrett’s life. But she
understood about ratings and the Almighty Dollar. “I’m better now, though,” he
told her.
“How did it get
in your head?”
“She was strong.
Very strong.”
“She?”
“Yeah, the
entity self-identified as female. She got in before I even knew I’d been
attacked.” An involuntary shiver went through Casey’s spine. Barrett had always
been careful. If an entity could get hold of him like that, then no one was
safe.
“So, do you
remember what happened?”
“Thankfully, no.
I have vivid memories of everything that happened before we entered the
warehouse. But after that, it’s all kind of a blur. This is what I do remember:
She put the darkest thoughts of violence and rage in my head.” It had been like
seeing his friends through someone else’s eyes. He had been
crazy-out-of-control-angry at Gary and Luis. But the level of hate he’d felt
for Austin was off the charts. Not only did he want him to suffer a slow,
agonizing death, he wanted to inflict the pain and watch every excruciating
moment as he slipped closer and closer to the edge. Barrett exhaled. “Anyway,
the next thing I know, I’m in the hospital with a broken arm, terrified of
something I can’t name or describe. You remember how I was in high school? When
everything was hopeless and I was hating life?”
“Yeah,” Casey
said. For as long as she had known Barrett, depression had been a daily
struggle. He was the typical high school loner, a bit of a weirdo who didn’t
fit into any of the usual cliques. He wandered around the halls with a sad,
empty look in his eyes. The dark cloud over his head was what drew Casey to him
in the first place. She was an outcast in her own right. Being the preacher’s
emo daughter who spoke to ghosts didn’t win her any popularity contests. His
vulnerability struck a chord with her. She wanted to take him home with her,
like a stray puppy, and hold him until he felt safe and secure. But her comfort
was not what he needed.
“That was
nothing compared to the level of depression and despair I was feeling after the
… thing”—he couldn’t bring himself to articulate the word “possessed”—“attacked
me. I found out later that the doctors placed me on a suicide watch.” Barrett shook
his head. “Weird. Sorry to unload on you. I’ll save the confessing and
emotional vomiting for my priest and shrink.”
“No worries. I
shouldn’t have brought up a sore subject.”
“No, Casey.
You’re one of the few people who’ve even asked how I’m doing. My boyfriend,
Derek, wants to ignore it, pretend like nothing happened. He’s afraid if we
discuss it, I’ll lose it or something. I think a few of my friends are even
kind of scared of me.” Barrett sighed. “Well, enough about me. What have you
been up to, Ms. Lawson? Something fabulous, I’m sure.”
“Not really.
I’ve been working at my friend’s store. It’s a low-stress job and not taxing on
the brain. I’m kind of at an in-between place in my life right now. Trying to
figure stuff out.” Casey paused and took a breath. “So, what’s the deal with
this Austin dude? He tells me you’re the one who suggested me as a replacement.
Why?”
“Because you’re
the best. And Spirit deserves the best. They’re great people and I don’t want
some attention-seeking charlatan screwing things up for them.”
“Well, if it’s
so great, why don’t you want to go back?”
Barrett sighed
and put his hand to his forehead. “That is a completely fair question,
especially since I’m the one who gave Austin your name. But truthfully, I’m
still in recovery mode. When Luis exorcised the she-demon, he got rid of my
familiars, too. And I relied on them a lot.” Unlike Casey, Barrett came from a
long line of seers. The familiar spirits that helped him see the future and
communicate with the dead had been in his family for generations. “I mean, I
can still see ghosts, but I can’t see the future anymore, and that kind of
sucks.”
“So ask them
back.”
“No, I don’t
want to do that. After the she-devil got in, I’m not itching to open myself up
again.”
Casey couldn’t
blame him. “Well, even without your familiars, you’re still a million times
better than most of the so-called psychics out there. And when you do get
better, you’re going to want you’re fantastic job back.”
“No. I have my
own personal reasons for not wanting to return that I’d rather not get into.
It’s a great job, Casey, just not great for me.”
“Well, I haven’t
even interviewed yet. Once Austin meets me, he might say forget it.”
“I know for a
fact he has no one else lined up. The job is yours to refuse or accept.”
“I don’t know.
I’m going to tell it like it is. Some people can’t handle that.”
“That’s what
makes you the perfect choice. Austin is very persistent, very charming, and
very persuasive. It’s nearly impossible to tell him no. And once he gets his
mind set on something, he won’t stop. The team needs someone like you to stand
firm, because Austin can’t see the danger and really doesn’t understand it.
He’ll lead them all straight into hell without even knowing it.”
Review:
I love books about the supernatural and this one was awesomesauce! In my other writing life, I write paranormal ghost hunting books as well and this one had me riveted. The story was solid, the characters realistic and the dialog was spot on. Great conflict, ghostly dilemmas and the ending...wow. Just wow. Bring on more. Kat Mayor is going on my follow list and if you like books about things that go bump in the night, you need to grab a copy!
5/5
Kat Mayor is a native Texan,
wife, and mom. In addition to The Spirit Chaser, she has written a young adult
series, The Circle. She’s a full-time reader, part-time writer, and when she’s
not kicking a story around in her head, she loves to read and review books on
Goodreads.
Tour
Giveaway
First Prize: $50 Amazon gift card
and signed Paperback of The Spirit Chaser
Second Prize: $25 Amazon gift
card and e-book of The Spirit Chaser in Mobi, EPUB, or PDF.
