Aside from hitting me with a car, there is nothing Paul Tremblay could do to lose his position in my top 10 favorite authors list. “A Head Full of Ghosts” is yet another reminder on how he got there in the first place.

Tremblay expertly creates a knife sharp tension between the groups of characters, family and tv crew alike, and that’s not even mentioning the role the possession plays in that dynamic. A whole other beast, it is apparent that the author draws from past examples to paint the possession imagery, but sources are essentially cited within the text itself. A quirky way of paying homage where homage is due. It did throw me off at first, and I reluctantly admit I found that specific part of the book to be cheesy, but in the end I believe it added more character development than not.

As usual, Tremblay’s masterful grasp of character creation and relationship webs are the clear foundation in this book. The complexity of a weird, little girl’s brain is such a Petri dish for horror. Add a couple dysfunctional family members and boom: perfect framework for a gripping, realistic possession novel.