Ghosts Know, by Ramsey Campbell

I was slightly disappointed by Ghosts Know. Not that it’s a bad book. It’s anything but bad. I was expecting something a little different.

Ramsey Cambell is known for writing various types of books. There are supernatural/occult novels like The Doll Who Ate His Mother and The Wise Friend. Campbell also writes paranoid suspense thrillers, exemplified by The Face That Must Die and The Count of Eleven.

I hadn’t read a purely supernatural horror novel in a little while, and I was in the mood for one. You’ll understand why I assumed Ghosts Know fell into that category.

Upon reflection, maybe it does, in a sly, subtle manner.

The protagonist of Ghosts Know, if you can call him that, is Graham Wilde. He’s the host of a call-in radio show called Wilde Card. Graham isn’t exactly a shock jock, but he’s confrontational. His superiors urge controversy. It’s good for ratings, and if the on-air talent goes too far, there’s always another in line waiting to take his place.

Graham isn’t a likable character. He’s often angry, dismissive, unctuous, and condescending to others. A famed psychic comes to town and is scheduled to be a guest on Wilde Card. Graham takes an obsessive dislike to the man and does his best to discredit him.

There’s a local girl who’s gone missing and the neighborhood is angry and scared. The psychic claims to have visions that suggest Graham is responsible for it. Did he truly experience visions concerning Graham, or is it revenge for Graham’s verbal attacks?

Graham grows increasingly paranoid and consumed with rage. People turn against him, including his co-workers, townspeople, and even his loved ones.

As if he isn’t incriminated enough, Graham finds the girl’s body in a canal. Graham’s life spirals out of control as he tries to discover who is responsible for the murder. Even if he is the guilty party.

Campbell’s literary environment is oppressive and threatening. Graham sees menace everywhere, some of it real and some imagined. He is threatened, beaten, and his job, home, relationships, and life are in danger.

I started off disliking Graham, but as I raced toward the book's conclusion, I began to sympathize, and even like him. Most of us know what it's like to have our backs against the wall and find ourselves behaving in unpleasant ways.

Ramsey Campbell has a reputation for suggestive fiction, but he can play rough when he has a mind to do so. There’s a grisly scene in Ghosts Know that had me squirming. This is also a deeply frightening novel. After all, what’s more terrifying than losing your sanity?

Ghosts Know also contains a generous amount of humor.

Upon completion of Ghosts Know, my minor disappointment vanished. This is a masterful novel, surely among Campbell’s better accomplishments.

Ramsey Campbell is a treasure. He’s arguably the finest living horror writer. His first book, The Inhabitant of the Lake and Other Less Welcome Tenants, was published by Arkham House way back in 1964. He’s still at it, writing and publishing a steady supply of books. It’s a remarkable run, unmatched by anyone in or out of the horror genre. We are so fortunate to have him. You should read one of his books.

Written by Mark Sieber