Fiction
Ghost Tricks
by Chiatse Hsu
If there’s no clear justice in our world, can we rely on justice from another world? “Hey, I’m just as scientific as those CSI folks! It’s just that happen to be haunted by the victims as well…” –Police Officer Good old-fashioned police work + Mystical forces of the supernatural = A compelling page-turner combining the best of the whodunit and the ghost story. The wife of the president of a well-known finance firm is found dead at home, and security cameras show that the victim was pulled off her bed by an unseen force, and killed by multiple blows to the head. Rumors swirl in the neighborhood about the apartment being haunted, and even TV talk shows are talking about the “ghost killer.” Ah-che, the police detective in charge of the case, drags his colleague and best friend Ma into the investigation. Ma is a skilled detective and a lover of logic puzzles. He decides to take on the case and do everything he can to find the truth, because he doesn’t believe that a ghost did it—not because of his devotion to scientific investigation methods, but because he knows that a ghost would never go to all this trouble just to kill someone. Plus, what Ma never told anyone is that he can see ghosts—and the victim’s spirit has already visited him… An inversion of the typical detective novel, Ghost Tricks starts with a traditional scientific investigation before having its protagonist interact with another world, where the secrets and troubles of supernatural forces are revealed. The novel’s initial skepticism toward the ghostly transforms into an uncovering of what goes on behind unexplainable phenomena, creating the perfect blend of the detective novel and thee ghost story. The writing is action-packed and brings the reader into a multitude of scenes and settings, recalling the vividness of a film. The plotting is tight, humorous, and suspenseful, rivalling the best action-comedies out of Hollywood.
