Title: The Forgotten Dead
Series: OutFoxing the Paranormal: Book One
Author: Jordan L. Hawk
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 178 Pages
Category: Paranormal, Transgender Romance
Rating: 5 Stars
At a Glance: Few authors delve into the supernatural as thoroughly or compellingly as Jordan L. Hawk does, and this book has “please make me into a binge-watch” written right into its premise.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: Parapsychologist Dr. Nigel Taylor doesn’t work with psychic mediums. Until, that is, a round of budget cuts threatens his job and an eccentric old woman offers him a great deal of grant money. The only catch: he must investigate a haunted house with a man she believes to have a true gift.
Oscar Fox, founder of the ghost-hunting team OutFoxing the Paranormal, has spent his life ignoring the same sort of hallucinations that sent his grandmother to an insane asylum. When he agrees to work with the prestigious—and sexy—Dr. Taylor, he knows he’ll have to keep his visions under wraps, so his team can get a desperately needed pay day.
Soon after Nigel, Oscar, and the OtP team arrive at the house, the questions begin to pile up. Why is there a blood stain in the upstairs hallway? What tragedy took place in the basement? And who is the spirit lurking in the closet of a child’s bedroom?
One thing is certain: if Oscar can’t accept the truth about his psychic abilities, and Nigel can’t face the demons of his past, they’ll join the forgotten souls of the house…forever.
Review: As a bit of a paranormal junky who’s watched plenty of ghost hunter shows, I say with utmost sincerity that Jordan L. Hawk pushed all my happy reader buttons with his latest release, The Forgotten Dead. I’m still not thoroughly convinced that spirits of the dead linger on the mortal plane, but I’m not entirely unconvinced either. I’m also not about to spend the night in a reportedly haunted house to confirm one way or the other, but that’s precisely what makes this such a fun and spooky read. Few authors delve into the supernatural as thoroughly or compellingly as Hawk does, and this book has “please make me into a binge-watch” written right into its premise.
Oscar Fox and his OutFoxing the Paranormal partners, Chris and Tina, are lingering in internet limbo, that place between being heard of but not having a big enough audience to attract sponsorships, which means money is tight. When Oscar is approached by Dr. Nigel Taylor—a man who knows there are far more frauds out there investigating paranormal activity than there are people who are legitimately sensitive to those who have not yet crossed the veil—to investigate a particular house in Georgia, Oscar knows it’s an offer he can’t pass up. Nigel was in a similar financial predicament himself when he was approached by a wealthy benefactor who offered him a generous sum of money to partner with Oscar and his OtP crew on this specific investigation. Whether it’s a wise decision to take the job is challenged at every turn.
The secrets that both Oscar and Nigel are attempting to preserve become a hindrance as the ghosts make themselves known and the activity in the house begins to escalate from orbs of light, voices, and cold spots to deliberately lethal threats. Every scene, every brush with a ghost, every sequence in which the group are in danger, is written to a heart-pounding fever pitch, and when Nigel’s secret in particular is revealed, his guilt and the tragedy of it play perfectly against each other.
Oscar and Nigel meet under such dire and bizarre circumstances, not to mention that this is a professional arrangement; that is to say, it gives them the opportunity to decide what is and isn’t out of bounds or too fast when it comes to their relationship. They’re wildly attracted to each other from the get-go, but the inappropriateness of acting on it keeps them in check. This, however, does not in any way exceed their need for human connection when the question of dying before they even have a first date comes into play. Their interest in each other is right there on the surface, and watching them settle in and hold on to each other made my heart happy. Oscar is such a teddy bear, and Nigel is his perfect match.
For those who’ve read Hawk’s Spirits series, you may see a hint or two that the OutFoxing the Paranormal series is its distant kin, though it’s not necessary to have read the Spirits books before reading The Forgotten Dead. It was simply fun to make the connection. As is always the case with this author’s works, the characters are wonderfully, beautifully diverse, and the haunting is . . . well, chillingly haunting perfection.
You can buy The Forgotten Dead here:
I got the Patreon ARC, and read it on a dark and stormy night. There were several points where I nearly hid under my covers. LOL! Note to self: Do not read spooky books at that time of night. However, I liked the protagonists and their friends, and wanted to see how the romance played out (and whether they all survived that terrifying haunting!). Readers who like some horror themes and settings with their romance will particularly love this one.
I couldn’t agree more! I loved all the spooky bits and the soft bits and the terror bits. Jordan brought it all together so beautifully :)