The Ghost Box

A Reagan Moon Novel

By: Mike Duran

Narrated by: Randy Streu

Reagan Moon - paranormal reporter, terminal underachiever, and staunch cynic of the human race. The only ghosts he really believes in are the ones in his own head.

But his world is about to get an upgrade.

When Moon is hired by a reclusive tycoon to investigate the events surrounding his girlfriend's tragic death, he learns of an impending apocalypse about to flatten Los Angeles. Seems that the Summu Nura, ancient gods from a parallel dimension, are looking for a new stomping ground. And Hollyweird is ground zero. What's worse, Reagan Moon is the only one who can stop them.

With the help of an occult archivist and a carefree guardian angel, Moon is forced to confront an invisible world of toxic parasites and dimensional outriders. But no amount of magic can save him from monster that awaits...inside him.

©2014 Mike Duran (P)2016 Mike Duran

Supernatural Mystery for Harry Dresden Fans

Mike Duran’s Reagan Moon series narrated by Randy Streu are the best supernatural mystery combination since Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden series narrated by James Marsters.
The Ghost Box is a solid introduction to questionable tabloid reporter, Reagan Moon who investigates ghostly activities and faces demons both real and personal ones.
A solid mystery with a fun (and funny) hero.

Awesome!

I already read the book, so the plot was not surprising. However, it make me love the story even more. I love how the narrator gave Moon life through his voice, and how he put emotion in his voice.
Can't wait for the final book of this series!

Eclectic

What made the experience of listening to The Ghost Box the most enjoyable?

The fast pace. This is a page turner. While the author is incredibly gifted in descriptive language, he doesn't let that darling bog down the story. The story is the main thing here, and it is delightful.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, mostly because of the sheer mystery. It was a mystery, but one I could latch on to. Mike Duran has such a grasp of the Bible, ancient myths, and even recent mythologies from greats such as HP Lovecraft, that I was pulled into this huge world where there is at least a little truth in every myth.

What three words best describe Randy Streu’s performance?

Perfectly snarky as Reagan Moon.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, but it was an hour before the end and I don't want to be a spoiler.

Any additional comments?

This was such a fun and thought provoking novel. Mike Duran combines many of my favorite elements in this novel. This fast-paced supernatural thriller immediately reminded me of Joe Hill’s “Heart Shaped Box," but with a little less splatter and vulgarity. Okay, a lot less!

The descriptions of dark, old, and mythological/scientific arcana was reminiscent of the Special Agent Pendergast Series.

Delightfully, the author also has a grasp on many ongoing theological issues within Christianity, which reminded me of Stephen King’s deft handling of the Freudian pop-psychology infiltrating the Catholic church in “Salem’s Lot.”

His main character, Reagan Moon, has the snark of Jack Reacher. I have listened to over 400 books from audible, 200-300 of them works of fiction. I have been disappointed too many times to count, but not by this book.

A great voice for witty characters!

Overall, this book was fantastic, and I couldn't keep it off for very long before coming back for more. The story is very fast paced, and it's easy to miss a dramatic turn of events if you're not paying attention, but it's not easy to take your attention away from the witty characters and exciting story.

The narration seemed a little choppy in the first couple chapters, but as the story developed, so did the narration. It seemed with more character development, the voice (both Moon's perspective and Randy's narration) also took on more personality and depth. (edited review after the edited reading! (: )

Moon and friends were great company, and the pace was just right for me personally to keep me interested and coming back whenever I could. Good characters, a truly interesting story, and great narration will keep me looking forward to the next book in Moon's adventure.

Fantasy and Science Fiction at breakneck speed

The narration carried this book. The detailed F/SF descriptions were superfluous for me, but the narrator made each character come alive and easy to keep track of, and there were a lot of characters. Fast moving action at the climax left me thinking I might like to see what happens in the next novel in the series.

Paranormal - Noir - SciFi - Mystery. ..more please

I am normally a SciFi or Nonfiction guy and certainly not a Noir Mystery lover but I did like this one. I could feel it building into a series. Having the book in audio form really helped me keep the characters straight and I think the voice actor really helped too.

Interesting concept

Having previously read the sequel to this book, it was nice to go back and figure out what started it all. Randy Streu is a great choice for Reagan Moon's voice--just the right blend of cynicism and snark. Enjoyed the production and will likely listen again--and pick up the next books in the series on Audible as well.

Was given a copy of this audiobook for review purposes.

Mix of Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Noir

Would you listen to The Ghost Box again? Why?

The Ghost Box is an enjoyable mix of urban fantasy and science fiction, with a smartass noir protagonist and moments of real horror. Reagan Moon is a reporter for a tabloid newspaper that focuses on the paranormal. He is a cynic who finds his skepticism challenged by a dramatic series of events. The Ghost Box is reminiscent at times of the C. S. Lewis classic “That Hideous Strength,” but with a sharper edge. The Audible narrator, Randy Streu, captures the tone of the novel perfectly. Highly recommended!

AWESOME! VERY WELL WRITTEN AND NARRATED

Enjoyable. Reason Moon is a paranormal journalist who is a cynic and doesn't believe in the supernatural, Now he has become the seventh guardian of earth. Very fast moving and the dialogue was well written very witty and the protagonist is a very interesting character. The narrator, Randy Streu is new to me and I find he is excellent. I hope future books in this series will continue to have Randy Streu as the narrator. Worth a credit.

Great spiritual mystery noir

Mike Duran strikes a perfect tone with The Ghost Box. Right from the first words, it has such a great feel of old school noir/hard boiled private eye stories, but mixed with spiritual thriller. I was worried it might be too scary but again it's a perfect balance of thriller-esque but not too dark. The narrator is a bit inconsistent and there were some editing issues, but the strength of the story overcomes any of those. All the pieces come together in the end, and Reagan Moon is fantastic main character.