The Eidola Project

Rating: 4/5 Ghostbusters

I find mediums and fortunetellers fascinating. I think a lot of them are frauds (“Does anyone here know someone who died from something involving a sickness?”), but a few have me convinced that there are some people with a paranormal gift. (Like Seema Bal from The Real Housewives of New York has to be the real deal, right?) So I was thrilled to see The Eidola Project by Robert Herold explored fraud within the paranormal and didn’t force the reader to accept all paranormal activities as truth.

The Eidola Project tells the story of a paranormal investigation group in the late 1800s. This group debunks frauds and tries to learn more about the few real deals who they encounter.

Much of the book tells the story of Sarah Bradbury, a young woman who, early in the book, is able to find a missing woman using paranormal skills. These skills lead to her being sold to a traveling circus, but she escapes that to join the Eidola Project. Soon after, she has dreams that drive her to find a stranger named Nigel Pickford, who quickly becomes part of the group.

The group is called to Nantucket Island to investigate some odd happenings. They are assisting a woman named Lenore Hutchinson, who has a pesky ghost problem. Almost immediately, the Eidola Project knows something sinister is going on in the house. But is it as simple as the presence of ghosts? Or is it a more complex villain?

The Eidola Project has some truly creepy and suspenseful moments, but much of the action happens at the end.

The Eidola Project spends a good deal of time developing Sarah Bradbury’s character. But Nigel Pickford is an interesting (and equally important) character, and it would have been nice to get more of a backstory on him.

The last third to quarter of the book is the best part; it has a lot of creepy things happen, and the earlier seemingly unrelated chapters come together. The chapters go from location to location, and the Nantucket Island chapters are scary and disturbing, and it would have been great if the other chapters also had this.

Overall, The Eidola Project is a great quick read for anyone craving a ghost story.

On a minor note, the author’s note at the end rebranded the book group as a literary coven, and that’s my favorite new term. I refuse to join a book club unless it’s called a literary coven.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ebook copy of The Eidola Project from Netgalley.