Little Ghosts by Gregg Dunnett

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⭐ 2.5/5 Book Review: Little Ghosts by Gregg Dunnett

👉 Grab Little Ghosts on Amazon (affiliate link)

⚠️ Trigger Warnings

  • Child abduction & murder 🧒💔

  • Ghostly apparitions 👻

  • Violence, torture, snakes 🐍

  • Child in peril ⚠️

  • Police corruption 🚨

My Love-Hate (Mostly Hate) Relationship with Little Ghosts

Confession time: I went into this book so hyped after loving The Lake House Children. I thought, “Yes, another Gregg Dunnett emotional thriller that’ll keep me up at night!” Instead, I got… a ghost story. And not the cool, spine-tingly kind with deep lore or clever pseudo-science. No, just ghost because plot. 🙃

Apparently, Layla is hanging around because her case is unsolved. Except… she’s been floating around even before the case went cold. So, yeah. Explanation = nonexistent.

And while we’re at it: the book is called Little GhostS. Plural. Where are the other ghosts? Did they get lost on the way to the séance? 👻👀

Also, big problem: no twists. We know the killer pretty early on, and not because of a genius reveal, but because a ghost and a 10-year-old just kind of figure it out. From then on, we’re basically twiddling our thumbs until the cops finally catch him. Yawn.

That said, let’s break this wild ride down. Buckle up for the full spoiler-y summary. 🚨

📖 Full Plot Summary (Major Spoilers Ahead!)

Rachel and Jon Martin are grieving parents after their daughter Layla was abducted and murdered at age 10. Their son Gale has just reached the same age—and suddenly, Layla’s ghost starts chilling in his bedroom. At first Gale thinks it’s grief-brain, but when she starts revealing where his lost Lego submarine is hidden? Yeah, hard to ignore.

Rachel and Jon are clashing: Rachel wants Layla’s case revived, Jon wants to move on. Enter DI Kieran Clarke, the supposedly charming detective who’s “helping.” Spoiler (except not really a spoiler): he’s the killer. And the book tells us that really early.

Layla reveals she was lured from an ice cream line by Clarke, held captive in a snake-filled basement (because why not make it extra creepy), and eventually murdered. Gale and his cousin Becky start investigating, stumble onto Clarke’s address via a reptile shop, and try to frame it like they “remembered” seeing him before. Clarke gaslights everyone, making Gale look like a traumatized kid with an overactive imagination.

Meanwhile, Clarke monologues to himself about how smart, sneaky, and handsome he is. (Classic narcissist move.) He even calls into a crime show pretending to be Layla’s killer—oops, oversharing too much because he literally can’t help himself. 🙄

Things escalate when Clarke kidnaps Gale, chains him up in a basement, and torments him. Gale keeps insisting that Layla told him the truth. Clarke scoffs, but his paranoia grows. Subplot cop Ellen Cross—single mom, crumbling apartment, drowning in exams—slowly pieces together the puzzle. Honestly, her chapters saved me from DNF’ing.

The cops exhume Layla’s body, find snake venom, and use this as proof. They track Clarke to his hideout just in time. He strangles Gale as they storm in, and Layla’s ghost begs Gale to let her “take over his body” so he can survive. Clarke is shot, Gale is revived (thanks to Ellen’s CPR), and Clarke eventually kills himself.

Finally, Layla’s ghost has a heartfelt goodbye with Gale, telling him the afterlife is beautiful and she has to move on. Cue the tissues. Rachel and Jon set up “Layla’s Light,” a foundation in her memory, and Gale starts to recover. The end.

👍 What I Liked

  • Gale is actually a great protagonist. Brave little guy. 🫶

  • Ellen Cross deserves her own spin-off.

  • Clarke is creepy as heck, even if obvious.

  • The ending with Layla saying goodbye hit me right in the feels. 🥲

👎 What I Didn’t Like

  • Ghost logic = none. Ghost just… ghosts.

  • No twists. We know the villain way too early.

  • Dragged pacing. Felt like 400 pages of “catch the guy already.”

  • Predictability. Once you know, you know.

  • Misleading title: where are the plural ghosts?! 👻

Final Thoughts & Rating

If you’re into straightforward paranormal thrillers where the ghost is just… there, you might enjoy it. For me though? The lack of tension, the early villain reveal, and the snail-paced middle made this one a slog.

⭐ 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Sorry Gregg, but I’m sticking with The Lake House Children as my favorite.

📚 If You Liked This, Try…

👻 So, what do you think? Are you okay with a ghost just… existing for plot reasons? Or do you need your paranormal to come with at least some explanation? Drop your thoughts below! ✨

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