not up to his usual standards. Didn't even like the characters. Felt like he was ripping off Devon Monk ( )

I had previously bought and read Ghost of a Chance, the first Ghost Finders novel, not because I had read Simon R. Green's Drood or Nightside series, but because I spotted the words 'Carnacki Institute' on the back cover. I've been a fan of William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki, the Ghost Finder since I read 'The Gateway of the Monster' and 'The Whistling Room' in anthologies decades ago.

My mental ears pricked up when the Hog was mentioned, because that supernatural monster comes from another Carnacki story, 'the Hog'. Using the term 'abhuman' instead of 'inhuman' is a thing Thomas Carnacki did.

A big difference between this Ghost Finders novel and one from Secret Histories or the Nightside is that Mr. Green is not telling the story in first person, but third person. J C (Josiah Charles) Chance, Melody Chambers, and Happy Jack Palmer are described for us instead of letting us get to know them through one character's eyes. Yes, the Carnacki stories are technically in third person because we're getting them from one of the friends he invites to hear about his latest adventure. However, when Carnacki is telling them, he uses first person. I wish Mr. Green had done that here.

The Crowley Project was a bit of a puzzle for me because the book states that it has been opposed to the Carnacki Institute for centuries. Thomas Carnacki is a fictional character and one could easily suppose that he was following in the footsteps of a long line of ancestral ghost finders. Aleister Crowley was a real person who lived from 1875 to 1947. 'Do What Thou Wilt' is indeed what he preached. He might have been called the wickedest man in the world in his day, but compared to mass murderers such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Pol Pot, his sexcapades were nothing. Fortunately, we learn later that the project has changed its name several times.

It was fun to find out that neither team is considered an A list team by their respective employers. The Carnacki team has been dispatched to find out what's going on in one of the Underground (British for 'subway') tunnels. The Crowley team has a simpler objective: kill the Carnacki team, especially J. C.

What's going on in that underground is deeply dangerous and the fate of that one train's riders was nightmare fodder. So was that type of vampire I don't recall encountering anywhere else. ( )

I mostly really enjoyed this book. JC Chance leads a team of Ghost Finders for the secret Carnackie Institute, an organization which protects England from paranormal disasters. Happy is the team's telepath and pill popper. Melody is the tech support. Something has gone horribly wrong in London's Underground Tube system. Passengers have disappeared by the hundreds and a ghost train tears through the tunnels. While investigating, the team meats up with Kim, a young woman who was murdered at the Tube station just that morning. JC figures that she might be involved with this haunting. To make things worse The Project ( evil nemesis of the Institute) has also sent 2 vile agents to assassinate JC and company. This is where My liking of the book diminishes. One of the Project agents is a mad scientist/doctor who does disgusting experiments on animals an humans. He has a computer topped with a cat's head. The animal is sentient and in constant agony. I cannot abide animal abuse, and even though this is fiction, it makes my stomach churn. It ruined a perfectly good story for me. I may read more of this series as I like the quirky "good guy" characters. But, if I come across more unnecessary animal abuse, that will be the end of this series for me. Time will tell. ( )

Since I really love Simon Green's "Drood Family" series, I expected to really like this book. But instead, I should have listen to a friend of mine when he said not to bother with it. The characters were half-finished and not overly interesting. The plot was interesting, but I found myself more interested in learning about the two organizations the groups belonged to (Carnacki Institute and the Crowley Project) than I was in the plot. Also, the BIG climatic ending, was only about 10 pages long, not really worth the build-up. I am probably also going to be passing on the second book in this series. I am disappointed. Interesting idea, but a phoned-in story. ( )

Since I really love Simon Green's "Drood Family" series, I expected to really like this book. But instead, I should have listen to a friend of mine when he said not to bother with it. The characters were half-finished and not overly interesting. The plot was interesting, but I found myself more interested in learning about the two organizations the groups belonged to (Carnacki Institute and the Crowley Project) than I was in the plot. Also, the BIG climatic ending, was only about 10 pages long, not really worth the build-up. I am probably also going to be passing on the second book in this series. I am disappointed. Interesting idea, but a phoned-in story. ( )