Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Ghosted
AUTHOR: Josh Lanyon
NARRATOR: J.F. Harding
PUBLISHER: JustJoshin Publishing, Inc.
LENGTH: 7 hours and 43 minutes
RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2025
BLURB:
Every year, for the past four decades, Dr. John Perry, head of the Twinkleton Paranormal Society, hosts a gala ball and invites the quaint Oregon village’s most notable citizens (both living and dead) to attend a Ghost Walk. This year is no different—with one exception.
This year, John Perry will vie for the role of Ghost of Honor.
On leave while he recovers from injuries sustained in the line of duty, FBI Special Agent Archie Crane returns to Twinkleton, Oregon—and soon finds himself suspected of homicide by Police Chief Beau Langham. Beau and Archie go way back, and not all the memories are good. Ten years ago, Archie broke Beau’s heart. Is Beau looking for revenge or does he really think Archie capable of murdering his eccentric former guardian?
REVIEW:
Oh Josh. You’ve done it again 🙂
SA Archie Crane was come back to Twinkleton, OR, his unplanned adolescent home after his parents are killed in a car accident. His father was an FBI agent and he has always wanted to follow in his footsteps. Dr. John Perry, his godfather and guardian had hoped that his time from 15 onward in Twinkleton and in John’s care will change his mind. It does not. Archie’s high school years are not easy in a new small town where everyone has known each other, fitting into John’s family who view him as an outsider, and his secret and hidden relationship with closeted town golden boy and son of the police chief, Beau Langham.
Archie and Beau parted on not great terms and Archie left for college in California and then joined the Bureau. Twinkleton held little for Archie after he and Beau were through. He eventually ended up in the DC area and for the previous 16 months prior to his nearly fatal injury in the line of duty, he hadn’t been back for seven years. He and John have met in other places – mostly near where Archie has either been living or working since he became an FBI agent.
Archie is in pretty sorry shape when he and John arrive in Twinkleton. He’s under concussion protocol and on indefinite leave. He’s still feeling the affects of his near fatal beating and being shot during his undercover op. John is clearly worried about him. Archie feels bad that he has unintentionally hurt John and he really wants to clear the air. But then during the Ghost Walk ball, he goes to find John and discovers him fatally wounded on the grounds of his home. And who shows up but his former HS secret boyfriend, Chief of Police Beau Langham.
It’s obvious that Beau is not exactly happy to see him. And certainly Archie is stunned about the events of the evening. He has regrets about how things turned out with Beau, but in his view, there wasn’t anything he could do to change things and he moved on with his life. And so did Beau. But once things begin to unfold after John’s murder and while Beau if investigating, the lines get murky. Who all has a potential motive to want John out of the way? John’s sister who has never liked Archie (largely because she and her daughter have had John’s attention and support before Archie came to life with John) accuses Archie of killing John. Say what??? Why? Does Beau still have an axe to grind with Archie? Does he think Archie is really capable of murder? What about Archie’s job? And his undercover work?
I really loved this story. Archie and Beau have a LOT of history. They came together at a very vulnerable time for both of them. They were kids and they each had baggage. Archie has had his entire world turned upside down losing both of his parents and moving in with John. Granted it’s a comfortable landing and John is a very caring guardian, but it’s a very bad time for a teenage boy to lose his parents. Beau is the golden boy – from Archie’s perspective everything has come easily to Beau. He’s definitely the BMOC. What doesn’t jive with that is his attraction to Archie. They are a lot more than friends, but nobody else knows that. Until they do. And that shifts everything. In hindsight, neither handled the events of the past particularly well. And in truth, they were both young and inexperienced. They both have some pretty serious regrets. And Beau is very worried about Archie. As the mystery is unraveled, they both get to the point of being able to be honest with themselves and each other about how things went down. And consider what the future might hold. One of this author’s greatest strength is her ability to take flawed characters and make them believable and have the reader by so invested in what happens to them. How are they going to learn from their flaws? What will they do differently going forward? How can they learn from the mistakes of the past? How have they grown up in the intervening years. I also really enjoyed the double-meaning of the title of this book 😉 This is just such fine writing. Continue to be a huge fan of this author 🙂 Highly recommended.
J.F. Harding is a favorite narrator. This book is another example of why. His world weary Archie, his aloof, critical and cold (at the beginning) Beau, his sad John, his competent and precise Ms. Madison, his eccentric Leo and other members of the TPS, his shrill portrayal of John’s sister and niece were spot on! The other potential suspects and the inexperienced cops in Beau’s department were also well performed. I FELT Archie’s pain and sorrow. There were some really nice moments too of heartfelt apologies and truth telling. The end! Oh man. It was so beautifully written. Love this performance!
RATING: 
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