The Loveliest Dead

by Ray Garton

Book Overview

In this "shocker from [a] horror maestro," a grieving family's inheritance stirs the past and brings out the dead (Publishers Weekly). After the sudden death of their youngest child, Josh, Jenna and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0843956488
• ISBN13: 9780843956481
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Leisure Books
• Length: 372 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Requiem for the Children

It all begins with Josh, the Keller's beloved son, and his agonizing death. Filled with grief and an unending suffering, distraught over memories of their son's short life, the Keller's move from their small apartment into a dilapidated old house seeking an escape from the memories they can no longer bear. Here, they shall have a new start and thus escape the tormenting memories of a son that is lost to them. Here, in this dismal house, neglected and in need of repair they see only hope and happiness for their future. That is, until they see them. Alone in her home, awaiting the return of her husband and remaining son, Jenna Keller glances up the darkened upstairs corridor to see a young toddler, clothed in the shadows soundlessly running toward her. An apparition sent from beyond the grave as a messenger of hope or a conveyor of peril? Later, her husband hears the haunting laughter of children in the back yard, children that soundlessly elude him as they fade into the darkened night. Miles, the Keller's remaining son, is woken from a fitful slumber to suddenly witness the apparition of a man as he phases through the floor uttering the chilling words, "Be a good puppy." Jenna's feisty mother, Martha, also witnesses disquieting apparitions as she awakens nightly to the images of children long dead writhing along her bedroom wall wailing in agony throughout all eternity. What can it all mean? This house of hope, this dream of peace, this desire for life, shall it all be shattered by the children's mournful requiem and the secret of what happened to them in that house so long ago. Will the Keller's survive or shall their sorrowing phantasms be added to the legion of the dead stalking the shadows of 2204 Starfish Drive, forever engulfed in waves of unending sorrow? This is the story of the loveliest dead and their haunting requiem. As the reader is introduced to the Keller's in the initial prologue, the waves of foreboding and eloquent foreshadowing instantly engulf the stunned reader leading them deep into the chasm of despair enshrouding the haunting world of the Loveliest Dead. The atmosphere of the novel truly gained its own life to the extent that I was actually terrified whilst reading this novel and lost several nights sleep as I peered into the shadows, some part of my mind still entangled with the Keller's and their new home, silently reverberating with the mournful dirge of the dead. Despite logic, I discovered myself becoming increasingly frightened and thus I had to quit reading this novel before bed. Still, even during the daylight hours, the heavy aura of the novel weighted upon my conscious clothing everything in a dingy aura of unwholesome despair. Added to the fearful emotions induced by this woebegone tale, the revelations as to the nature of the fitful spirits, especially the large man who wanted children to be "good puppies", was most disquieting and despite my continual sojourns into the fascinatingly fearful world of horror,

Great for the Ed & Lorriane Warren Characters

This is a rather standard ghost story. However, I give Mr. Garton 5 stars for writing the Ed & Lorraine Warren based characters into the story. Mr. Garton wrote In a Dark Place for the Warrens. He found the Warrens so fake he posted the true tale of In a Dark Place on Usenet in 1999 & 2000. In Loveliest Dead, he reinterates the tale for all to see. Bravo for that alone!

A delightfully spooky haunted house tale

Three years old Josh Keller screams in severe pain waking up his sleeping parents. His migraine medication fails to relieve him from his latest headache in what has been an almost unrelenting series of pain suffered by the kid. Jenna and David decide to rush him to the hospital, but he dies in his mom's arms. Several years later, the Kellers have not recovered from their loss. They move to a new home with their other child Miles and his maternal grandmother Martha recovering from a debilitating stroke; Jenna and David hope to put the tragedy behind them. However, they begin seeing and hearing weird things. Jenna sees a toddler who appears and disappears magically out of thin air; Martha watches children playing on the backyard swings only to see them vanish; Miles watches an obese man coming from out of his floor every night; finally David is awakened every night by the sound of children in the backyard. They will soon learn from a neighbor Lily the psychic that the violent truth is in the past in the basement. This is a strong haunted house tale that though somewhat typical of the genre grips the audience because there is a sense that Josh is involved either reaching towards his parents from the grave or through a psychologically disturbed mother. The story line provides a deep atmosphere of foreboding that something malevolent resides in the new house will bring danger to the living occupants while at the same time believe that the love for his parents and the innocence of the late toddler would never let that happen. Ray Garton provides a great horror tale refreshed by the question of whether Josh is the center of the paranormal happenings. Harriet Klausner

Who the hell is Ray Garton???

This is the first Ray Garton I've read, and I wasn't sure what I was getting into. When I slipped into the first chapter, I found myself immediately interested in his characters. I cared for his family. In three pages I learned that these folks were honest-to-god people, living and breathing there on the page. That's Ray Garton's strength, in my opinion. I'll be reviewing this book for Horrorworld, so I won't say much more than this. I recommend Ray Garton's THE LOVELIEST DEAD for horror fans, and folks who just want an honest to goodness read. This is a darned fine novel, probably the best I'm going to read this year. I'm definitely going to have to hunt up some more of this guy's work. He lives up to everything I've heard, and then some. Don't fart around. Order this book. You won't regret it. I believe this is the first five-star rating I've given, and it's definitely worth it. Yours in horror, Steve Vernon

Garton at his Best

This book is pure Garton at his best. The Loveliest Dead is a haunted house novel, but it is a *scary* haunted house novel, not merely formulaic. Garton provides a believable cast of characters whom we come to care about. And then rips reality out from under them. It's been a long time since a book made me keep reading into the night...and then turn a light on before going to bed. The Loveliest Dead was a nice surprise from one of my favorite authors, and I hope to read more by him soon.