Possession (Peter James, 1988)

One of the quotes on the inside front cover described Peter James as having found a literary niche 'somewhere between Stephen King and Michael Crichton', who just happen to be two of my very favourite authors, so I was intrigued to say the least. I can see where the King comparison comes in with Possession, a tale of a 'ghost' with unfinished business, but I'm not so sure about Crichton, although I suppose James does explore some of the different theories provided for possession by the church, mediums and sceptics. 

The book follows Alex Hightower in the months following her son's untimely death in a car crash, and the supernatural experiences she encounters, including a vision of Fabian at the moment of his death, strange items appearing or moving around the house, and of course there's a dog who goes mental when inside the haunted home. Many of the typical ghost tropes are invoked, about the only thing not present is a cat jumping out at the heroine, but this isn't just a literary Halloween blockbuster. Because the dead presence is Alex's son there is a strong emotional connection and James also builds an interesting mystery around the purpose of Fabian's inability to cross over. 

There are competing theories as to what the haunting means and whether it really is Fabian or a malevolent spirit. Right until the end, and even at that point, there is ambiguity about Alex's son, his life and his death, and his afterlife. James' easy style kept me hooked on Alex's exploration of the supernatural and his description of a seance was particularly chilling. I was a little let down by the inconclusive ending but the unexplained nature of events is in keeping with the lack of evidence of the haunting.