Gracie Flynn may be dead, but she’s not gone.
Three university friends are divided by a tragic death. Eighteen years later, chance reunites them. Robyn is still haunted by memories of her best friend Gracie, and Cohen’s heart has never healed. Only Sam seems to have moved on and found success and happiness. But death rocks their lives again when Sam’s body is found in mysterious circumstances. And the ghost of Gracie Flynn has a story to tell about the night that changed their lives forever.
Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:
The Ghost of Gracie Flynn is a great read, with heaps of intrigue and great characters. The story centers around four friends, Sam, Robyn, Cohen and Gracie, from their time at uni to twenty years on. The story jumps between 2001 and 2019, with all fun, carefree times of their younger selves, to the disappointment, suspicion, and anxiety of their older selves. A story of love, death, forgiveness, survival and betrayal. Lisa, QLD, 5 Stars
The Ghost of Gracie Flynn is omnipresent from the very first page. Eighteen years after her death, Sam, one of her three university friends, is found dead on a sailboat next to a woman who is not his wife. Sam, Cohen and Robyn went their separate ways after Gracie’s tragic death and by chance reunite opening old wounds. Sam has moved on. He is a successful novelist with a wife and new baby but begins a new relationship with Skye, a girl he meets in a bar. His ex-girlfriend, Robyn, is still haunted by memories of the past and leaves her job in London for a much needed mental health break back home in Perth with her father. Cohen is still mourning Gracie. He has got himself into dire straits financially and is jeopardising his marriage by trying to hide this from his wife, a successful Insta influencer. Gracie tells the story to Isla, Sam’s daughter, in a dreamlike manner. Will revisiting the past and solving the mystery of Sam’s death bring closure for those left behind? I loved this story with all its twists and turns. Sarah, NSW, 5 Stars
‘The Ghost of Gracie Flynn’ by Joanna Morrison is a real page turner of a novel. This story grips you from the first paragraph. It is a novel about 4 people that had been close friends at university in 1998, until one of them dies. The story travels back and forth from 1998 to the current year 2019 and slowly unravels the truth behind the death. I found this story of love and betrayal, was one of my favourite books this year, I would highly recommend it! Julie, VIC, 5 Stars
Mistakes are made. Life is short. Can records be set straight without betraying any friendships? Narrated by literally ‘the ghost of Gracie Flynn’, we go on a journey back and forth to learn what tragic events took place to end her life. A good sleuth crime novel that was hard to put down with the vibrant, captivating and edgy characters. Rachael, NSW, 5 Stars
‘The Ghost of Gracie Flynn’ tells the story of four friends from university days. They have each gone their separate ways following the death of one from the group. This has a huge effect on them, making it hard to deal with and to get on with their lives. They struggle with their own demons from the past when they meet up many years later. Having had no contact for so long makes it hard to re-connect. Their friendship and feelings towards each other are hard to rekindle after such a long time. The plot develops with unanswered questions, keeping the reader’s interest with an easy flow to the story. Joanna Morrison has cleverly entwined the characters. Her book showcases the powerful thread of friendship after a tragedy. However, jealousy and betrayal are strong emotions that lead to devastating consequences. Not telling the truth also causes suspicion of those who are innocent of any wrong doing. Enjoyed reading this book. The flow and descriptions of the characters and their environment was well done, making it easy to visualise. Cherylene, QLD, 5 Stars
I enjoyed reading this book. I’m a bit scared at first because I thought there is a ghost in the story. The story is set in 2019 and the period when Gracie, Cohen, Sam, and Robyn started their relationship. They are good friends and after Gracie was found dead, her friends went separated way. Sam, Cohen, and Robyn met a few years later by chance. Sam is an author, a family man with a baby daughter while Cohen is in a relationship and Robyn just returns to Australia as a journalist. When Sam is found dead on his boat, it mysteriously opens up the missing puzzle of Gracie’s cause of death. It’s a good plot and the novel format is good for my eyes. Thanks to the Better Reading team for my free copy. Margaret, NSW, 5 Stars
No wonder it was shortlisted for the Hungerford award, this book was fantastic. The characters were well thought out, the storyline easy to follow and the mystery well played out. I really enjoyed my first Joanna Morrison, hopefully it won’t be my last. Celia, SA, 5 Stars
This book is a page turner! Written in a clever narrative, which explores past relationships in our younger years. The choices and acts we made impact our lives and interactions now. How friendships past, reflected on later in life are revisited and analysed with a dawning that maybe things are not always as they seemed. Thoroughly enjoyed. A very good read. Claudia, SA, 5 Stars
This was an intriguing read. Without giving anything away, once I worked out from who’s perspective the story was told it made so much more sense. This a brilliant read with more than one mystery. It had me going all the way through to the last page so much so that I read it in one day. Definitely worth a read. Andrea, VIC, 5 Stars
The story is about three university friends Sam, Cohen and Robyn who are still haunted by the death of the fourth member of their group Gracie. The three friends had gone their separate ways but after a chance meeting eighteen years later they reunite and Sam dies in suspicious circumstances. The book as the title suggests is narrated by Gracie’s ghost and we are told about Sam’s death at the very beginning of the book so we begin with two mysteries to be solved. Who is responsible for Sam’s demise and what happened to Gracie all those years ago? The storyline is clever, well written and the twists keep you turning the pages. Although I may not have warmed to all of the characters I still found it an enjoyable read and would recommend it to anyone who likes a mystery. Paulette, QLD, 4 Stars
This a story about four university friends – Cohen, Gracie, Robyn and Sam who fell apart after a tragedy. Told from the point of view of Gracie, the writing style was fresh and clever, compelling and flowed well as Gracie addresses the story to Sam’s baby daughter. It moved easily between today/current day and the period 18 years ago of the friendship between the four leading to Gracie’s untimely and unexplained death. The (remaining) friends meet again as adults and they are all experiencing some challenges in their lives and another tragedy unfolds. This is a very good debut novel and I look forward to reading the next novel by Joanna Morrison. Many thanks to Better Reading and Fremantle Press for the advanced reading copy. Indigo, NSW, 4 Stars
Absolutely devoured this fresh and fast-paced debut! I loved the Gracie point-of-view and thought it was a really clever way to approach the story. The characters were so well written you couldn’t help but be drawn to them despite their flaws. While I’ve never been to Perth, the descriptions of the settings complemented the story perfectly and made me want to travel there. Thank you so much to Fremantle Press for the copy, I’m looking forward to reading more from Joanna in the future. Ami, VIC, 4 Stars
The Ghost of Gracie Flynn was my first venture into Joanna Morrison’s superb storytelling. This story is narrated by deceased, Gracie Flynn, and skips between the past and present time. The main characters are Gracie’s friends, Cohen, Robyn and Sam. The story follows their relationships as early adults and skips ahead to approximately 20 years later and how the impact of Gracie’s unresolved death shaped and continues to impact their lives. Joanna Morrison has an impeccable writing style, able to convey nuanced emotions with ease. I found myself intrigued by the development of the characters and the mystery behind Gracie’s and later Sam’s death. It’s introduced very early on about Sam’s demise (it’s also referred to in the blurb), however, Sam is very much alive for majority of this story and his impending death just adds to the mystery and growing tension that simmers throughout the book. I devoured this book and particularly enjoyed Gracie’s narration as we venture ever closer to finding out about her fate. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys reading about the complexity of relationships with a side of murder mystery. Lisa, VIC, 4 Stars
Very interesting take on a ghost story. Initially I thought it was going to be about the ghost of Gracie Flynn but it turned out to be a story of Gracie’s friends and how they dealt with their lives over a span of years as told by Gracie. Each dealt with the death of Gracie in their own way, but only one truly knew how Gracie died and how they are still Enamoured after all these years. Sometimes love has a way of lasting beyond the realms of the living. Terry, SA, 4 Stars
The Ghost of Gracie Flynn was a slow burning mystery, which had me staying up way past my bedtime to finish! Initially I wasn’t sure the writing style and narrator’s perspectives would be something I would enjoy, but after a few chapters I found myself really getting into the book. Thank for the preview read! Erin, QLD, 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this story about 4 friends (Sam, Cohen ,Gracie and Robyn) which is narrated by the deceased Gracie. The story flows easily and covers 3 time lines jumping backwards and forwards and letting us discover a little more about each character and the circumstances that led to Gracie’s tragic death and the effect it had on each of them in the ensuing 18 years. Once I started reading this book I was totally absorbed in the story. I felt involved with all the emotions that the 4 friends feel as they try to get on with their lives. It is a story of death, mystery, strong feelings and emotions and has a clever plot. Karin, VIC, 4 Stars
As an emerging writer Joanna Morrison has ticked a lot of boxes with her debut novel. This gentle mystery is set in Perth WA and centres around the lives of four friends and two deaths eighteen years apart. The story is narrated by Gracie after she dies. I thought this was a powerful way of telling the story. I say ‘gentle mystery’ as that’s the way it unfolds. At first I found it a bit confusing with the ‘toing and froing’ of dates but once I got caught up in the narrative I didn’t even notice them. I think the reader could easily relate to the characters, as they are people we could interact with in real life. They stayed true to themselves throughout especially Sam. I really enjoyed disliking him! I thought the book was very well written, often employing a lovely turn of phrase. I believe this novel has appeal for a wide range of readers and would highly recommend it. 4.5/5 Kay, VIC, 4 Stars
This is a book about Gracie and her University friends, Robyn, Cohen and Sam. Gracie and Robyn were best friends, Cohen was her partner and Sam was Sam. Relationships can be complicated at that age and theirs are no different. When Gracie died they all went their own ways and tried to move on with varying levels of success. Now they’re back together and trying to work out what happened. During this time Sam starts thinking about his life and while he is trying to make sense of things he is found dead in circumstances which suggest murder. I enjoyed the relationships aspect and the layer of mystery covering all their lives. The other thing I enjoyed was that the characters were real and flawed, and could have been any one of us. I would recommend this book for those who love trying to work out whodunnit times two, and those who like to analyse relationships. Tara, SA, 4 Stars
This book is a little hard to follow as there are dates that jump around. Gracie, basically narrates what is happening in the present of her friends Sam, Robyn and Cohen. It basically explains the intertwining relationships between these characters. This isn’t a ghost story as such, so don’t expect it to be. It is a ghost telling the story. Although a complicated text it is compelling and very interesting. A very good read that should have you guessing from start to end. I enjoyed this book. Rebecca, VIC, 4 Stars
This book was not what I expected! Instead of being a malevolent spirit, ‘Gracie Flynn’ provided a thoughtful and engaging narration as she watched over her friends and relayed the events of past and present. I thought this was an effective way of portraying events and added to the suspense. As I learnt more about what contributed to Gracie’s demise, I felt for her and her loved ones. As a character, she appeared to have the best interests of her close friends and she was a likeable storyteller. What was also likeable was the setting of this book; Western Australia and all its “Australianness” helped me to connect to the characters and story. The changing timelines initially took some reorienting, but were soon seamless transitions as I became familiar with the characters and interwoven plots. Overall an enjoyable read. Christelle, TAS, 4 Stars
Gracie, Cohen, Sam and Robyn were close until Gracie’s untimely and mysterious death eighteen years ago. The remaining three are again in Perth for the first time since then. Unanswered questions and unhealed wounds come to the surface as it is obvious that not everyone has moved in. Then Sam is also found dead. The ghost of Gracie Flynn herself then narrates of the story to Sam’s infant daughter. Gracie moves between the past and the present as she reveals the truth about the circumstances of her death and the four friends. Kim, QLD, 4 Stars
This book did not grab me at the start, I was a little confused with the first few chapters, but once I got further in, I started to enjoy it, by half way I could not put the book down, especially the last few chapters. Chapters are short making it a great book to pick up here and there for a quick read. Characters are really interesting, and the twists and turns keep you intrigued wondering how it will all play out in the end. I must say I was surprised and maybe a bit disappointed that the story finished the way it did. Easy to read book, nothing complicated and you can even find yourself relating to a lot giving you food for thought. Linda, VIC, 4 Stars
I recommend ‘The Ghost of Gracie Flynn’ by Joanna Morrison. It is an interesting easy read. Despite the title’s suggestion I don’t think of this novel as a ‘ghost story’. The novel opens with the suspicious death of Sam as observed by his friend Gracie. The difference is Gracie has been dead for 18 years. Close Uni friends Cohen, Robyn and Sam were shaken by Gracie’s untimely and unresolved death. The friends lose touch after the funeral and go on to lead separate and successful lives. Reunited again after 18 years Sam appears to have put the past behind him, whereas Robyn and Cohen still find it hard to come to terms with Gracie’s death. Gracies gentle spirit has however kept watch over her 3 friends for the past 18 years and is the only one who knows everything that happens and how connected the friends lives are. The reader follows along as Gracie tells their complicated story, in a simple way, to Sam’s infant daughter, Isla. Gracie hopes that by doing so Isla may grow up knowing something of them all. Gradually we learn the circumstances of how both Gracie and Sam die, who killed them and why. Gracies loving observations reminded me of the patient and observant Hanne, also a ghost, in Hannah Kent’s novel Devotion. This is a good novel for a lazy weekend read. The characters are just everyday people, easy to imagine, and the events make you wonder how well we really know those closest to us. Neville, NSW, 4 Stars
With the word Ghost being in the title I thought this book might be scary or spooky but it’s not at all. The story is told from Gracie’s view as she shares her memories up until she dies and then her observations after her death as she watches over her friends. Cohen who was her boyfriend, Sam who she felt attracted to and Robyn his girlfriend. Gracie shares all her knowledge with Isla who is Sams baby daughter. Sam adores his daughter but he is mistrusting of his wifes on going connection with an old boyfriend of hers. So much so that he risks his marriage to have an affair. When Sam is found dead 18 years after Gracie’s death the question is are these two friends’ deaths connected and if they are how and why? Robyn is now a journalist but she finds herself closer to the case than she would have liked. I found the characters in this book to be very real and the way the story flowed and kept you guessing was awesome. You think you know your friends but do you really? Excellent long weekend read. Annamaree, QLD, 4 Stars
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