Doctor Darvyn Luciano September is everything one could want in a paranormal investigator: Shrewd, determined, mysterious, and endlessly dedicated to his work. He is also a complete fraud. Beneath the gray hair dye and the battered hat, Dennis Gufehautt is a skittish con artist-turned-author who has fallen back on his old grifting habits while trying to combat his writer’s block. After all, running confidence schemes against the unwary has proven to be decidedly more inspiring than staring at a blank page all day, even if it does pose greater risks... some of which are less avoidable than others. While operating under his adopted persona, Dennis inadvertently makes contact with the ghost
of a seventeen-year-old girl haunting an antique armchair, and the experience sets off a chain of events which is as bizarre as it is thrilling. Along the way, he finds himself stumbling headfirst into terrifying (and often hilarious) situations, and befriending a cast of memorable characters, from a perpetually-smoking matron to a charismatic charlatan who masquerades as an African shaman. Together they work to exorcise the haunted furniture and return their lives to a state of moderate normality.
Easier said than done.
No sooner has Dennis accepted the ghost-hunting gig than he finds himself being pursued by an overzealous private detective. Thinking that it’s a case of mistaken identity, Dennis pushes forward, relying as heavily as he can on the irritatingly rational advice offered by a psychiatrist named Samuel Harding. However, as facts are revealed and the details of a clandestine plot are brought into focus, Dennis begins to suspect that those whom he thought he could trust have been manipulating him from the start. To make matters worse, his marriage is growing increasingly tense, and his best friend – a grumbling bartender named Luke – has fallen into gambling debt, making the ghost’s whispers of a hidden fortune all the more tempting.
With few options left and his sanity being called into question, Dennis resorts to the only investigative tactic he hasn’t tried, once again adopting the role of a con artist as he sifts through the spirit’s fractured memories and does his best to avoid her wanton flirtations. The detective grows hot on Dennis’ heels as he tears into the past, desperately trying to solve the decades-old mystery that he has unwittingly become a part of, and time runs short as his only living lead draws ever closer to joining the ranks of the dearly departed.
A con artist’s worst fear is finding out that he’s been played, and Dennis Gufehautt has only begun to discover just how absurd a nightmare it can be...
Although light-hearted and entertaining, this intrigue-fueled drama courses through themes of betrayal, greed, and unexpected friendships, with numerous twists and aberrations that will keep readers guessing until the end. The supernatural aspects serve as plot points rather than the primary focus of the book, which is character-driven and largely realistic, despite trending into absurd territory. It offers a similar experience as some novels by Jim Butcher, F Paul Wilson, and Christopher Moore, and is comparable to the literary fiction of Dave Barry. While the book does stand apart from any readily-defined genre, it nonetheless holds the potential to draw audiences from any demographic – particularly those who enjoy the precarious balance between comedy and suspense – as it follows a complex storyline that is as much an intense mystery as it is a mischievous caper. Finally, though it exists strongly on its own, Nearly Departed is an exciting beginning to what promises to be a side-splitting and captivating series, with some of the most unlikely protagonists of all time.
Nearly Departed is currently in need of representation, and the author welcomes inquiries from interested literary agents. For more information, please visit the Contact section of this website.
