Review of Grave Refrain: A Love/Ghost Story

Posted August 10, 2012 by Literati Lovers in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

Cover from Omnific Publishing

 Blurb from Omnific Publishing:

Andrew Hayes, a brilliant but troubled musician, has been haunted since childhood by memories of his muse. One night from a San Francisco stage, he spots her, but before he can reach her, she vanishes from sight. Desperate to find the woman, he accepts a curious offer to stay in the city, moving into a dilapidated Victorian under going renovations that stir up far more than dust.

Andrew’s life soon becomes even more chaotic with the arrival of martini-swilling ghosts and a troupe of flesh-and-blood stoner spiritualists bringing bad tidings from the Great Beyond. The dark side of his obsession creates visions both thrilling and menacing, and as he struggles to solve the mysteries threatening him, Andrew discovers his life is repeating a refrain more deadly than he’d ever imagined.

Inspired by the sexy noirs and comedies of the past, Grave Refrain transports the reader to a place where the things that go bump in the night not only thrill you, but might just take your breath away for good.

The Review: 
I highly recommend this. Ms. Glover’s clever mix of humor, mystery, and love have created a story that you won’t be able to put down. The novel pulsates with a sense of urgency. If you are able to do so, Ms. Glover’s knack for providing vivid descriptions will easily put you back sync with everything from the emotions of the characters, the look of the city, and down to the smell of the room that they are in.

Grave Refrain is a story which questions how far you’d go for love and how long will that love last. The enjoyable main characters, Emily and Andrew, explore this theme throughout the story. Although there seems to be many secondary characters (including the city of San Francisco), their appearances and dialogue do not slow down the story, but ensure that our star-crossed lovers stay somewhat grounded and within the world they are supposed to live.

At times it felt as if I was watching an old Hollywood movie with modern-day characters. It was almost as if Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergman, Montgomery Clift or Spencer Tracy would appear and give their two cents on what the characters should do next. All of this was juxtaposed with the rock and roll style of Andrew and his band that is on the edge of super stardom.

Grab a blanket (you’ll need that), your best vintage clothes or rocker t-shirt, and your favorite libation and enjoy the story.

Have you read it too?  Let us know what you think.

One response to “Review of Grave Refrain: A Love/Ghost Story

  1. Grave Refrain is a wonderful well-written Ghost/Love story. I loved the characters (both past and present) and loved the depths they go through to be with one another.

    I loved the mix of the old and new and the mystery that it’s all about.

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