This book wasn't quite what I had expected. It's medium paced and kept my interest, but the story was not what I thought form the synopsis. I would recommend to not read the synopsis and go in blind with zero expectations for a better experience.

After Gales sister was taken and then her body was found she started to see her ghost. I really loved the beginning and middle. Even at times I found myself forgetting that I was reading about a ghost. The ending however not what I was expecting, and it did make me tear up. I love the bond they have, and it made me think about my siblings. I couldn't imagine the heartache Gale had to go through.

This was a surprising read for me - I don’t read a lot of paranormal thrillers but I found this to be a healthy balance of normal and paranormal.
It did not feel over the top and was an engaging story.

Little Ghosts is a twisty, disturbing thriler that will break your heart and leave you on the edge of your seat as you wait for Layla to finally find justice. Though the blurb may make you think that the mother, Rachel, is the main character, the story moves forward mainly through Layla, the little girl who was murdered, her younger brother, Gayle, and the monster responsible for Layla's death. The narrator does an excellent job throughout the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I don't want to say I enjoyed this book, due to the subject matter, but it was fast paced and very interesting. I hope the published version comes with trigger warnings...it won't be something everyone can read.

If you enjoy a good thriller embroiled with the paranormal, this is definitely one to read.
When Layla is kidnapped and murdered, DI
Clarke takes on the case. Two years later, there is still no suspect. But Gale, Laylas younger brother has a secret; one that he hasn't told anybody. He can see Laylas ghost, and she's told him who her killer is.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC!

Again I really tried with this one but it just didn't hold my interest. I might try it again when I have more time but for now it just didn't do it for me...

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for an audio copy of Little Ghosts for an honest review.

This book is so good, but be prepared because it will tear you up. This is about Layla, a little girl who gets kidnapped and murdered. A brother, mother, and father, left behind in grief. The path taken to discover her murderer.

Honestly I was super excited when I got approved for this audiobook, but it was just a little bit underwhelming.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. That seems odd to say given the disturbing and horrific way a 10 year old girl dies, but behind the horror is a story about love and healing in the midst of tragedy. I love the beautiful bond that is painted between Gale and Layla, a bond so strong that he's able to see her from beyond the grave. There are certainly parts that are frustrating regarding the handling of her case and the time that's passed, but I imagine that's how most families feel awaiting justice. You can feel the trauma in the writing.

Thank you to Netgalley, Gregg Dunnett, and Dreamscape Media for audio ARC!

Well, I enjoyed that. Nothing twisty or anything like that but the writing was great and kept me listening. I really enjoyed the relationship between Layla and Gale. Dare I say sweet? I will read more from Dunnett. 3.5-4

4.5⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Publication date ~ May 11, 2023
Page Count ~ 426
Audio length ~ 11 hours 55 minutes
Narrator ~ Katie Villa
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ kidnapped child, dead child, ghost (obvi), snakes

Well, this was pretty heartbreaking and disturbing, as dead children plots are.

Layla has been gone for 2 years and her case is still not solved, but luckily, Gale, her brother, can see and talk to her, so they work together to take down her killer. But will anyone believe where Gale is getting his inside scoop from? Not bloody likely, which is not surprising.

We hear from Clarke, the detective on the case and parents Rachel & Jon, which kept the story flowing along nicely and kept me gripped. I didn't get a big paranormal vibe, which was good since I'm not super big on that genre.

Overall, I was totally taken by surprise with who the killer was. We didn't have to wait until the bitter end to find out either, which worked really well. It was fast paced and well done, and that ending, wow, cue the tears.

Side note ~ my biggest fear is snakes, so I hated that they were in the story, yuck!

Narration notes ~ I thought she did a great job. Her male voices were fine, except Gale sounded a little older than 10.

I received a copy of this audio book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.

Little Ghosts by Gregg Dunnett captured my attention from the beginning. The story, the characters and the suspense were gripping. The narrator was excellent, and voiced each character seamlessly.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries. I will be interested in reading (or listening to) additional books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

Solid thriller. Gale is ten years old and still grieving the death of his sister Layla two years ago. What no one knows is that Layla has been hanging around her brother. Together they go about solving her murder.

Katie Villa did an excellent job narrating.

This was such a fun and suspenseful read. The plot was solid and didn’t get boring. This book had me in tears by the end.

Actual Rating 3.5
TW: Kidnapping, Murder, Rape (Underage [off page]), Abuse

It’s been almost two years since Layla was found dead after disappearing from a day at the beach with her family. Her family has been struggling with their new reality and the lack of leads in the case. But Gale, Layla’s younger brother, has recently felt a presence about the house. And that presence appears to be his sister, Layla. As the police decide it’s time to mark the case as inactive due to the lack of progress, Layla’s presence speaks to Gale. Is it possible that Layla will be able to tell Gale what happened two years ago? And even if she did, would anyone believe him?

This psychological suspense/mystery is written from the third person POV of several characters, one of which is Gale’s (the GR book blurb is a misrepresentation). I think the author did a decent job at writing from the POV of a child – Gale did feel a little old for his age, but after going through that kind of grief and trauma, that’s not entirely unreasonable. Much later in the book, we get chapters from the POV of the killer. I did like this as it gave much insight into the motives and the person behind the crime. But these chapters get dark. Darker than I’d expected – nothing too graphic, but the thoughts and reasonings of the person are intense and horrifying, giving these portions of the book a much heavier tone and feeling.

The book begins in a relatively standard way, but the tension and suspense increase as it goes along, creating an overwhelming feeling of dread and heaviness. Although the book is 420-ish pages, it felt shorter. The pacing, atmosphere, and writing kept the read engaging, though I do think the length kept this work from feeling like an actual thriller. The reveal wasn’t mind-blowing or completely a surprise, but that wasn’t a bad thing in this case – knowing something is coming but not knowing why or how is its own sort of dread and suspense.

This was a tense, suspenseful mystery that was well written. I can’t emphasize enough that this is quite a dark read, but it’s worth it if you are in the right mindset. Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Y'all. This book is amazing! Just hands down the best thriller/mystery I've read so far this year and as of now I've read a lot of books this year. (83 total not all thriller/mysteries). I wish I could tell you exactly what I was thinking...but I can't because I don't want to spoil it. Ok, let's dive in.

I love the cover, of course, you know by now I am drawn by amazing color contrasts and this one got me. The blurb on the cover with "My sister's name was Layla. I know who killed her. She told me." that pulled me in as well. I love paranormal, I love the thrillers this was already set up to be a win. It is a plus that I am unfamiliar with the author or narrator so any familiar subtext that may be present completely alluded me.

We have this poor family who's daughter was murder when she was 10 years old and 3 months. Their son, Gale, is now turning the same age as their daughter, Layla was at her murder. Now all of a sudden Layla is starting to speak to Gale and Gale is the only one that can see or hear Layla. Layla wants to catch her killer, but she doesn't know who it is or where it happened so it's up to Layla and Gale to play detective and determine who this killer was. We have multiple POVs. Of course Gale/Layla, the mother, DI Cross and Constable Stone. There may be other's but these are the one's that I remember. This story just gets darker and darker as we go on. Yes, it is a 2 year old cold case, but damn. That twist in there just floored me. I was listening at work, took a bathroom break, the twist hit and I had to restart twice to make sure I wasn't going crazy, it all spirals from there. So good. So sad because it's a child that was raped and murdered, but so good. I will say I am so glad that the author didn't go into grizzly details about the rape and murder of Layla and the details are more alluded to, because I have no interest in imagining those horrific details happening to a child. I think he handled it really well. If this type of material is a trigger for you (understandably) you may want to skip this.

The narrator did a fantastic job jumping from POV to POV, and reading this material. She gave such an incredible intensity to this book that it proves she was the perfect choice.

I loved this story, it was of course sad because it involves young children, but so good because the writing and thriller aspects were on point. I love the incorporation of the ghost of Layla and that she isn't this omnipotent ghost and has limits. This book sky rockets because I did not see the twist coming and that changed the whole tone of absolutely everything and it was amazing. Do you like thrillers? Read this book, you won't be disappointed!

A slow start for me, but intriguing enough for me to stay with it until I was well invested in the characters and finding out what was going to happen. Narration was great, story was great, and while fiction, it was realistic. Great listen!

Little Ghosts
Gregg Dunnett
Eight-year-old Gale was spending the day at the beach along with his sister, Layla and his mother. It was a nice day and a terrible day; it was the day Layla disappeared. Two years later the family is still grieving. The family is falling apart. Layla’s spirit visits Gale. She tells him she knows who murdered her. But how do you tell an adult the ghost of your dead sister is not only visiting you but has told you who the murderer is. Gale goes to the killer’s home and is almost caught. Later the killer does capture him with plans to murder him and many more after him. Despite DI Kieran Clarke’s persistent work, they have not solved her murder. He suggests a reenactment of the crime on a crime show. The telephone operators sit eagerly by the phones hoping there will be a caller with some information that could crack the case open.
This is a great read. I could hardly put it down. I went through a gambit of emotions from anger to terror. The relationship between Layla and Gale is so very sweet. The murderer was revealed early in the plot. I like the female police officer a lot. She wasn’t arrogant, she cared about Gale, and she was diligent. There are snakes in this book, and I hate snakes, however, I love this book!
I would like to point out 2 misimpressions. 1. This is not told from the mother’s point of view but from Layla and Gale’s point of view. 2. There was only 1 ghost so why is the title plural?

Brace yourself for an enthralling and chilling journey in Gregg Dunnett's "Little Ghosts." This captivating paranormal thriller intertwines themes of loss, family dynamics, and an eerie connection with the supernatural.

Following the tragic abduction and murder of ten-year-old Layla, her devastated family struggles to cope. When her brother, Gales, claims to communicate with her ghost, their world takes an unexpected turn. Together, they embark on a race against time to unmask the killer, all while battling skepticism and hidden secrets.

Dunnett skillfully crafts well-rounded characters and expertly delves into the twisted mind of the murderer. With its seamless blend of thriller and police procedural elements, Dunnett takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster, exploring the depths of grief, the resilience of family bonds, and the eerie power of the supernatural. For fans of psychological thrillers with a paranormal twist, Little Ghosts delivers a haunting and unforgettable reading experience.