The Women in the Walls by Tim McGregor

The Women in the Walls Reviews

• 
  Carol [Goodreads Addict]

  The Women in the Walls is classified as book 3 in the Spookshow series by Tim McGregor. This book was generously provided to me in exchange for an honest review by the author. I have now read all three of the first three books of this series but the actual order sequence should be as follows: #1 Welcome to the Spookshow, #2, The Women in the Walls, #3, The Spookshow.
  
  
  
  Billie has accepted her gift/curse of being able to see the dead. But she has learned how to turn it off, to close them out, and tries to resume some semblance of a normal life, working nights as a bartender and zipping around town on her bicycle. Of her three friends, one of them, Kaitlin, completely believes in Billie’s ability and encourages her to use it. Kaitlin seems to have an unhealthy interest in the undead. Billie is still dealing with her crush on Police Detective Ray Mockler. She knows, though, that he is not available and that it is best she just keep her distance.
  
  
  
  Ray has been chomping at the bit to be lead investigator in one of his cases. But it is just his luck that when he finally gets his wish, its for one of the most horrific findings the city has ever seen. In an old abandoned warehouse, an interior brick wall has somehow tumbled down, revealing the skeletons of seven women hidden within. Seven women, all brutally murdered. Who are these women, how did their bodies come to be hidden within these walls, and more importantly, who killed them? The clues come to a dead end fast with no forensic evidence to go on. So Ray is forced to turn to the one person he should stay away from, Billie.
  
  
  
  We again can’t help but to care about this woman whose life just never seems to give her a break. She’s fallen for a man she can’t have, and she sees dead people. Not only that, they follow her everywhere. One lives with her in her apartment! Of course, things don’t go as she might have hoped when she tries to help. But the dead have their own way of getting what they want.
  
  
  
  John Gantry is back in the picture as well. I still haven’t figured this guy out. Is he a bad guy or a good guy? All I can say is that he always shows up when Billie needs him and helps her out. I’m not sure of the extent of his own abilities but he seems to know when Billie needs him.
  
  This book wasn’t as spooky as the first one. But it was still so good. It makes me wonder what might be wandering around my house or wherever I happen to be that I can’t see. The next time I feel an unexplained breeze or chill, I’m going to wonder at it’s origin. Could there be someone looking over my shoulder that I can’t see? I look forward to the next book in this series, Bringing up the Bodies, which is already out.
  
  
• 
  Diana (geeky_diana)

  Couldn't put it down. Adding to my favourite series.
• 
  Crush Critiques

  I enjoyed the first book (whichever book number that was since the author wrote and/or released them out of order for some odd reason (despite the random typos & some disjointed conversations), however this book was returned after a few measly chapters.
  
  The first issue was a paragraph about Billie’s zoning out where her best friend inquires where she went when she “zoned out.” This is the following text: "Well stop it. You scare me when you space-out like that." Billie felt her back go up. "I don't do that." "You've done it since we were kids." That was news to Billie. She didn't pursue it. “Sorry."
  
  In the previous book there are paragraphs about how Billie has done this her entire life and how she went to numerous doctors to find out why but they couldn’t agree on a diagnosis. It’s literally a big part of the story and her repressing her abilities. Now I’m not sure if the author wrote this before or after that book since they are numerically out of order (again, why?!) but regardless it’s a pretty big part of your main character’s backstory to forget and/or screw up.
  
  That irritated me enough to make a note of it, but what completely ruined any chance of me reading anything else was the use of the R slur 17 pages later. There was absolutely no reason for the author to write, “ These Welsh r*tards are getting restless." when they are plenty non-offensive words that not only would have sufficed, they would have been better suited. Using that slur is completely unacceptable now and it was completely unacceptable in 2015 when this was published. Since I don’t enjoy reading derogatory and ableist slurs, I highly doubt I’ll be reading anything else from this author.
• 
  Felicia Wood

  Horror, mystery, crime, and with a touch of romance 'on the way'. I love this series! It's oddly intriguing. So creepy that I find myself reading with the light on and holding my breath before I turn the page. Billie's relationships with every character are so individual, special, and unique; yet she's still such a loner (reminds me of myself.) Billie grows a ton in this book, as does Det. Mockler, which is making their interactions something that we look forward to rather than feel awkward about. Can't wait to see what happens with 'the girls' Kaitlin especially; this next book is going to be amazeballs!
• 
  Karley Jones

  Loving the characters. Billie is a character that I like and I am enjoying following her in her journey, plus I am a sucker for all things ghosts.
• 
  Carlene Cayenne

  I love this series. It’s spooky in all the right places. it’s well written. It’s got great characterization and the main character Billie is strong and very likeable. I love that the author includes a lot of Canadian landmarks. I like the fact that he’s a Canadian author and I think that more people should read his books.
• 
  Ellen Williams

  sequel to the prequel but still before book 1
  
  More details of Billie’s past and another ghost adventure- but still leading up to where we start in book 1. I would say 3.5 stars - I like the world and I like the ghost mysteries but I would like more forward progress with the plot instead of a sequel to the prequel.
• 
  Julie Pfleuger

  Was it the same?
  
  After reading three of Tim McGregor's books I'm beginning to wonder if he has read his own work? Besides book #2 really being book #1 and now it seems that book #3 has forgotten what happened in book #2. A lot of plot inconsistencies
• 
  Lisa A. Privitera

  A good read
  
  Just got through this 3rd in the series and ready for #4. Love the characters, especially Gantry. Can't wait to find out the mysterious connection between Billie and Mockler. Wondering why they don't make a TV series out of this.
• 
  Angela

  Billie just keeps on stumbling into mystery she feels obligated to solve. Mockler calls asking for assistance with a case. This one has a suspect who's already dead.
• 
  linda

  Keep coming back
  
  I've read the first three now and I just keep coming back. It's like watching a tv show in your head. You simply want to know what happens next.
• 
  Nicola

  Brilliant. Just brilliant.
• 
  Doug

  good continuation of the story.
• 
  Finn

  3.5 stars
• 
  Suzy Richard

  This should be listed as book 2. I wish the books were in timeline order because some events have been discussed in “previous” books.
• 
  d.mcnicholas

  I really like this series. I've read the first three books, so far it's kept my interest. It was a bit confusing in the order of telling as the second book is a prequel to the first but if you read the in quick succession you get to grips with the story. I love the characters although I really wanted to go and clean up Billy's apartment when she was feeling sorry for herself lol. I want to know more about Gantry and what he's afraid of. This book wasn't as spooky as the last two but still good...now for the next one ...
• 
  Brandi ;)

  A-HA!!<\b>
  This was my go-to word throughout this book. The backstory questions I had in Book 1 were mostly wrapped all up & made clear by the end of Book 3 & I am still really surprised to say I loved the way these books were written. They are, in a way, out of order<\i>, but it works because Book 1 wasn't so cryptic you didn't know what was going on & it had its own story to follow. But it had those moments you questioned 'why' or 'who' or 'wtf' because of the lack of a full backstory. However it didn't interfere with the current story & it wasn't annoying in a way that deterred from the story, just back of the mind questions. Then along comes Book 2 & 3 and since they take place before<\i> Book 3, a lot of those niggly little questions/moments you wondered about get answered. Hence my constant A-HA's and several wide-eyed gasps when things clicked into place. This book brought out a lot of expressions from me & I LOVED IT!! I need a spooky book to make me physically & verbally react, to make me sit and stare off into the distance for an ungodly amount of time contemplating WTF just happened. Now, I don't care for over-the-top, just-for-shock-value gory books. That's not my kind of spooky. I like my ghosts, I'm ok with a little blood & a lot of fear, I want to be scared & think 'it could be true...' & then jump over every noise in my house. This series has fulfilled all my scary wants & spooky needs in a fantastic ghosty ghouly way & I am grateful & oh-so freaking happy that I stumbled upon it!!
  Im excited for the next book because even though Book 2 & 3 answered background questions for Book 1 (and I'm totally guessing here so I could be wrong) but now I'm thinking Book 4 will carry on from the end of the story in Book 1. Confused? Don't worry, you won't be once you start reading, you'll just be hooked. And even if Book 4 doesn't pick up after Book 1, it won't matter, this series, this author, has proven to be fabulous to me so I'm reading it no matter where it goes.
  I have found a new favorite author, there are more books coming in this series & he has another different series! Woohoo for me!
  So if you like ghosts, scary shit, great characters & a story written a little different than the normal formula, then check this one out. You won't be disappointed!
  Also, check it out just so you can meet Half-Boy. Half-Boy rocks! He is an awesome creepy little shit & his hatred for Gantry is fabulous. I so love Half-Boy & hope to learn more about him in books to come.
  Oh, one more thing, I totally thought Gantry was a crotchety old English dude, mid-60's or so, but I've learned he's not. Another thing that's interesting (to me) is there are no ages given and I can't recall any real in-depth descriptions of the characters personal appearances. You just paint them in your head to look how you feel they should look & make changes as you learn more about them. This has worked for me until I found out Gantry isn't what I thought. Still trying to wrap my head around him being younger.
  Now as always, what works for me might not work for you, but give it a try, at least for Half-Boy.
  Enjoy :)
  
• 
  Jana

  Part ghost story, part “Criminal Minds”, Spookshow 3 returns to the powerful conciseness of Spookshow 1. I was tickled to death to be asked to read it for an honest opinion.
  
  Our heroine is self-conscious, self-depreciating and believes herself unremarkable, except for one thing: our heroine sees ghosts. And if she’s not careful, the ghosts can see her. Sometimes she can help the ghosts, but this is no sappy “Ghost Whisperer”. These ghosts can be forceful, demanding and vindictive. And our heroine has no one to teach her, no way to learn to control these abilities that she does not want. I believe she is smarter and stronger than she thinks she is—which just goes to show how invested I have become. I’ve said it before, Mr. McGregor can develop a character more in a few sentences than most authors can in a few chapters.
  
  Chronologically, Book 3 takes place before Book 1 and after Book 2. Don’t let it confuse you, just go with it. It is really rather cool.
  
  What I love: 1) aside from these über cool covers, there is NO physical description of any of the characters. So, in our respective imaginations, these characters can be any shape, size, or ethnicity. I like it. A lot.
  2) Our characters are well “fleshed out”, with traits both endearing and irritating, both glorious and downright hateful. Love them, or love to hate them. Warts and all, I’m enthralled.
  3) In Book 3 we see more background, more of Billie’s history, answering some questions, yet raising others. And while this story comes to a satisfactory conclusion, there are unresolved issues that I am sure will be developed in future.
  
  What I don’t love: Hmmmm. Nope. Can’t think of anything.
  
  Thank you, Mr. McGregor, this is a damn fine story. I look forward to Book 4.
• 
  David Foster

  I enjoyed the whole Spookshow series. Yes, it's kind of lame to post the same review for each novel, but I tore right through them and honestly can't remember which was which - they were all good.
  
  These are good adventure tales populated by people who act in realistic ways when faced with impossible situations. There's no blindly stumbling into danger, or when there is it's because the characters honestly don't understand or can't accept what's going on. Finally, the characters are honestly traumatized by what happens to them, as they should be.
  
  Finally, the best part is what's not there. No shiny vampires. No unsuspecting hero that masters her new powers in the space of one novel. And most importantly: No sappy, unrequited romance. (Yes, there's romance, but they approach it like real people: shy to admit to their feelings at first, insecure about how the others feel, but then they eventually gather the courage to do something about it. No endless, weepy pining.)
  
  Hats off to the author for crafting an engrossing experience and keeping the quality high throughout all the novels. Keep it up!
• 
  Manda "The BookBud"

  This was the best on so far. I appreciated the realness of the characters this time and the relationships that are beginning to take shape. There’s also build of an underlining plot beginning to take shape alluding to who these people may all actually be. All of that, plus a pretty intriguing plot line made this a fun read. I feel this one was much more in depth with tapping into the personalities and the quick pace and interesting plot points made this a very enjoyable read. I really can’t say very much without giving away too much spoiler information, taking away from watching this one unravel for yourself. Where I do feel much more invested in the story this time around and now lack any confusion on what is going on, it was probably also the least fear inducing. There is anticipation and hopeless more felt throughout this and where I can appreciate the writing for that, it contained less of what I personally am looking for from this series. It was so realistic, I forgot for parts of it that the ghosts are unbelievable to some of the characters.
• 
  April Sarah

  This book really got me hooked. I'm officially fully invested in this series. I really enjoy Billie and the spooks just round it out nicely.
  
  I was a bit confused at first, with the story. I was stuck trying to figure out where the first book fell in. It was only a good way through that I realized that book one happens after book three. With that figured out, I started to see book one in a whole different light. This really started making sense. I actually love the way the books are all out of order. It was an extra puzzle to put together. (Of course I went back through book one and had those 'Ah Ha!' moments).
  
  This book, by far is probably my favorite of the series to date. Everything has a cohesive feel but still leaves a bit for your imagination to run with. That and it is interesting to see Billie coming into her own with her powers. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the series brings. Can't wait.
  
  More:
  https://youtu.be/HabAkmfQ-C0
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  Cheryl (Takin' It Easy This Year!)

  I am just devouring these books. Another gripping page turner that I couldn't put down. The non sequential order of the books did throw me - they should be Welcome to Spookshow (Book 2), The Women in the Walls (Book 3) followed by Spookshow (Book 1).
  Each book has it's own separate storyline as well as an overall storyline that encompasses the series. I haven't quite worked out whether Gantry is good or bad, & I'm dying to find out the story behind Billie's "half-boy".
  Definitely one of my new favorite authors. Onto the fourth!!
• 
  Nancy

  Great book, although this still does not cover book 1 this book takes off after book 2 and leads you up to book 1. It was a bit confusing till I figured that out. The next book should pick up where book 1 left off. I would think. But you never know.
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  Emily (Heinlen) Davis

  I cannot put these books down. I devoured this book in one sitting, as I did with the last two. I LOVE this series, the characters and the author's writing style. So good! I cannot wait to read the next book.