Ghoul Strike!

British ghost hunter Alannah Malarra uses her psychic abilities to banish demons and collect the treasure they protect. The wealth she accumulates allows her to search for her renowned psychic parents who have gone missing while on a ghost hunt. Her companion, a professional burglar named Wortley, reluctantly helps Alannah in her merciless pursuit of treasure. But Alannah doesnt realize that simmering beyond the earthly realm is another world warring for controlEvan City, home to the A.N.G.E.L.s (Attack-ready Network of Global Evanescent Law-enforcers) and the Dark Dimension, residence of Ghouls, Gargoyles and the fearsome Gnarls. When the two forces collide on earth, Alannah is caught in the middle. She alone holds the key to saving the earth.

Ghoul Strike! by debut author Andrew Newbound offers a paranormal alternative to traditional ghost or angel/demon stories. Instead, Newbound creates another world of supernatural police who focus on combat and protecting the outer realms.

Alannahs single-mindedly mercenary character is a bit unsettling; other emotions occasionally peek through, but her hardness makes her a protagonist difficult to like, despite her desire to find her parents. In fact, this reader cared very little about any character but the beleaguered and battered Wortley. He sticks with driven Alannah despite her machinations.

The colorful, playful cover misrepresents the bookdarkness pervades throughout and the reader who expects a light or bubbly read will be disappointed. Newbound has crafted a well-considered, but dark world with numerous details that will intrigue readers. However, troubles with point-of-view shifts and explaining too much backstory rather than revealing it through scene and dialogue taint the tale.

Still, fans of sci-fi or paranormal may overlook its technical faults and enjoy this book for its otherworldly adventure.