The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost, Brad Strickland
The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost, Brad Strickland
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The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost

Author: Brad Strickland, John Bellairs

Narrator: Johnny Heller

Unabridged: 3 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/18/2023

Synopsis

A young man fights to save his father from a spirit’s curse in the epic finale to the Johnny Dixon series.The sea is calm, the air is fresh, and the bobbing boat feels like a living creature underneath Johnny Dixon’s feet. Johnny hardly ever sees his father, who trains Air Force pilots in Colorado, and their annual Florida fishing trip is the highlight of his year. They’re on their way back to Duston Heights, Massachusetts, where Johnny lives with his grandparents, when a visit to a fortune-teller puts a terrible fright into Johnny. Inside the seer’s crystal ball, he sees a grinning ghost who cackles out a fearsome message: “The universe shall be mine!”Johnny tries to forget what he saw, but when he and his father return to Duston Heights, his dad falls into a coma, and Johnny is certain that the ghost is to blame. With the help of his old friend Professor Childermass, Johnny will defeat the smirking ghoul—or never see his father again.

About Brad Strickland

Brad Strickland was born in New Holland, Georgia, in 1947 and has written over seventy-five books in the intervening years. He is also a professor of English at the University of Georgia in Gainsville, about six miles from where he was born. He and his wife, Barbara, have two grown children, both of whom have artistic careers of their own. Their nest is not empty, however, as they have three cats and two dogs, which is enough to keep them busy.

About John Bellairs

John Bellairs (1938–1991) was beloved as a master of Gothic young adult and fantasy novels. His stand-alone novel The Face in the Frost is regarded as a fantasy classic. He published more than twenty novels in the Anthony Monday, Johnny Dixon, and Lewis Barnavelt series.

About Johnny Heller

Johnny Heller, winner of numerous Earphones and Audie Awards, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013 and he has been named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Justin

Another mysterious evil book? Brad Strickland, you know you can do better! This was a long-needed return to Johnny’s relationship with his dad. It’s a very poignant and driving problem in Johnny’s life, and has the potential for some great drama. Although Major Harrison Dixon is extremely present in......more

Goodreads review by Mel Hauser

"The Trolley to Yesterday" has always been the weirdest book in the Dixon stories--shifting its focus from one of our primary cast of protagonists getting cursed and shuffling the "savior duties" to the remaining characters to an unabashed bit of "take it or leave it" weirdness involving a time mach......more

Goodreads review by Cliff

Admittedly, this is one of the books that I had not read previously. It is an interesting one for various reasons. Since it has been nearly 20 years since its publication, I think it safe to presume that this is the last of the Johnny Dixon books. But it is also interesting in that this plot is perh......more

Goodreads review by Greg

I didn't know what to expect from the finale of the Johnny Dixon series, but it certainly wasn't a big, splashy "TV series finale" adventure like this. Reuniting almost all the main characters (late addition Sarah gets sidelined again, I'll dock a few points for that), this final volume amplifies St......more

Quotes

“Sophisticated notions on the nature of good and evil, nuanced storytelling, and expert world-building.” AV Club, praise for the series

“There’s suspense and action aplenty…Perfect for the pre-Stephen King set.” Booklist, praise for the series

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