The thing about Ask For Andrea is that it features a serial killer and ghosts but does so with a realism that makes it much creepier than other novels.
The serial killer in question is portrayed as handsome, charming, persuasive, and pretty much normal. As we unfortunately know from real life, these types of murderers turn out not to be the boogeyman in the flesh but basically normal guys blending in and never drawing attention to themselves.
This one scours a dating site and lures his soon to be victims to dinner. There, he will drug them, take them to a remote location, and strangle them.
This killer provides the main narrative for this book but it's the ghosts that are the focus. Because these three spirits are all victims of his and, for whatever reasons, are stuck on earth unseen, unfelt, and unheard.
It's really their story as they attempt to stop him from killing again. However, despite what we think we know about ghosts, they have no supernatural powers. They can't walk through solid objects, they can't interact with physical objects, and nobody hears them when they scream.
As we learn more about them and the killer, the dread ratchets up because the police are closing in and the spirits of his three victims are learning how to manipulate their "powers" to their (and the police detective's) advantage. But he will not go down so easily and is getting ready to commit an unspeakable act to ensure his escape.
This book is bittersweet and heartfelt as we can sense the feelings these woman are experiencing, knowing that their physical lives have ended and they will never see their living loved ones again. This author does a fantastic job at giving us information about their past lives and it truly makes them sympathetic characters.
The story is tense and filled with great "WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN" moments that will put you on edge. It's an excellent psychological horror novel that will haunt you after you've done. I highly recommend it!
Pick up your copy of Ask For Andrea here.
Dave from Horror Reads