The Monster Museum by J.L. Bryan [Review]

The Monster Museum (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #10) by J.L. Bryan
Format: ebook
Source: provided for review
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: August 23, 2018

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper
1. Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper
2. Cold Shadows
3. The Crawling Darkness
4. Terminal
5. House of Whispers
6. Maze of Souls
7. Lullaby
8. The Keeper
9. The Tower
10. The Monster Museum - Paperback | Kindle
11. Fire Devil
12. The Necromancer's Library
13. The Trailwalker
14. Midnight Movie
15. The Lodge
16. Cabinet Jack
17. Fallen Wishes
18. Sunset House
19. The Funtime Show
20. Miracle Mountain
21. Mortuary Manor
22. Robber's Road

J.L. Bryan
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Just outside the small but colorful mountain resort town of Foxboro, Tennessee lies Dr. Weirdman's Mountain Museum of Monsters, Curiosities, and Ancient Mysteries. Once a major tourist attraction, it offers travelers the amusement of touring unusual underground caves and pseudo-scientific exhibits ranging from strange creatures to the supposed artifacts of lost civilizations.

Now the museum is a crumbling relic of an older age, fallen into disrepair. Its longtime owner has died, leaving it in the hands of a younger distant relative who knows nothing of how to run a failing tourist trap of a museum, but who is desperate to make a living and provide for his own children.

The museum has a serious ghost problem, though, and Ellie Jordan is called in from Savannah to help. An unexpected old friend joins Ellie at the last moment so that they can spend a snow-filled Christmas together in the mountains...if the ghosts of the restless dead don't turn the holidays into a horrific tragedy.

Thoughts on The Monster Museum: Ellie's life is certainly a bumpy ride. I mean, the issues with her job get ironed out, but her boyfriend is possessed and ends up breaking up with her (understandable, really. I mean, the guy went through A LOT during that time.). She's alone and sort of resigned to that and then AND THEN (please read that dramatically, because I said it REALLY dramatically in my head when I wrote it) Michael comes to terms with his possession and now he's looking to see if there's still a place for him in Ellie's life.

Which I'm cool with, in case you're wondering. Ellie needs people and Michael was good for her. The unfortunate possession was sucktastic and I get that he needed time to work things out in his head. Michael's a pretty stand up guy and I hope things stick between him and Ellie.

On the ghost hunting front, this one was a sort of problematic job. Not because of the ghosts necessarily, but because Ellie's guilt and sense of obligation led her to do things on her own she probably shouldn't have done. Plus, there's a little something going on in the background that affects things in a BIG way.

But that's a story for another book.

Ellie takes chances here. With her usual cohorts spending time away for the holidays, Ellie feels very alone. She might have a certain someone close by, but she's determined to do everything she can to protect those she cares about from the ghosties who haunt her and that puts her in a vulnerable position.

For a ghost trapper, that's not a great place to be.

THINGS are happening here. BIG THINGS. I'm dying (figuratively) to see what happens next.