The problem I always have with reading any kind of media tie-in novel is of course that if I’m not familiar with the source material, chances are high that I’m not going to know who any of the characters are going in, or what the setup of the world is supposed to be. But, that given, Doranna Durgin’s Ghost Whisperer novel Ghost Trap does a good job giving a newcomer reader just enough data to get the idea.
I’m a big fan of Durgin’s work. I prefer her fantasy novels, but was pleased to see here that even when playing in somebody else’s universe, she can still deliver a story with substance. Melinda Gordon, the “ghost whisperer” of the title, must track down why the children in her small town are all mysteriously falling into comas–and at the same time, what happened to the members of a deceased barbershop quartet who are following her around.
The ghostly characters, both the main ones driving the plot and periodic side characters that show up to aid Melinda in her seeking, are by far the stars of the action. Especially the quartet, who are awesome. By contrast, the flesh-and-blood regulars are almost inconsequential–at least to me as a reader; I figure that fans of the show will be better able to judge how well those characters are portrayed. I did like the chemistry Durgin had between Melinda and her husband Jim, though. Three stars.
