Ghost Files Books In Order

Publication Order of The Ghost Files Books

The Ghost Files is a series of young adult paranormal romance novels written by Apryl Baker. The books follow the exploits of a teenage girl who can see ghosts.

+The Story
Mattie Hathaway is special, even more so than most people realize. She already stands out amongst those who know her because of her tragic past. Mattie’s mother tried to kill her. In fact, she almost succeeded, going so far as to stab the girl eight times.

And then she proceeded to take her own life. Mattie never understood the factors that drove her mother to act as she did. Everyone thought she was merely unstable. Fortunately, she failed in her endeavor.

Mattie survived. But with no other living relative available to take her in, the girl went into the foster system. There she remained for years, striving to find a semblance of normalcy in her new foster home and struggling with the trials and challenges of school life.

When readers first meet the heroine in the first novel in the Ghost Files series, Mattie looks a lot like the average well-adjusted teenage girl, albeit one with a tragic past. But not even the people closest to her know the truth.

Mattie can see ghosts. The ability manifested after her near-death experience. And by the time the events of the first Ghost Files novel roll around, she has more or less acclimated to her unique condition.

For a while, Mattie thought she would walk through life unperturbed by her gift. But then Sally, her foster sister, died, and when her ghost came knocking, Mattie realized that the girl had been murdered.

That revelation set Mattie on the path to a life spent combating the nefarious forces walking her world, using her gift to help the helpless.

The Ghost Files series is Mattie Hathaway’s journey. Each new installment in the series finds the heroine facing off against a new mystery, one that she can only solve by deploying her gift and looking to the spirits for answers.

The Ghost Files novels are categorized as YA. As such, they feature a lot of the tropes you would expect to encounter in the genre. For instance, Mattie, the heroine, is so self-conscious.

She spends most novels dealing with anxiety over her appearance, her actions, and the way people perceive her. She also spends considerable portions of her time over-analyzing every furtive glance the boys she likes give her.

Interestingly enough, this one aspect of the heroine has turned a lot of people off the Ghost Files series. The author tries to present Mattie as a strong, forceful heroine with a fiery will and a desire to do the right thing.

But according to some readers, Mattie is too whiny. Even when things go her way, even when she asserts herself in difficult situations, the heroine eventually devolves into a mess of tears which these readers consider a turn-off.

Complaints have also arisen regarding Mattie’s love life. Mattie’s primary crush is Dan, a twenty-year-old police detective who not only gives Mattie a listening ear but also avails her the resources she needs to contend with serial killers and criminals.

The fact that Mattie is 16 and Dan is 20 is a source of contention for some of Apryl Baker’s fan. Mattie develops a crush on Dan almost immediately. And while Dan’s interactions with Mattie are initially respectful and professional, his true feelings begin to manifest down the line.

He starts taking offense with all the other boys that might have caught Mattie’s eye. It is worth mentioning that practically every boy that Mattie encounters is strong, handsome, mysterious, and alluring.

And not only does she feel drawn to all of them but, even though she worries constantly about her appearance, all of Mattie’s crushes think she is the most beautiful woman in the world.

Apryl Baker apologists often defend her choices in these novels by pointing out the fact that the Ghost Files series was written with teenage readers in mind. Apryl makes Mattie the sort of heroine whose shoes every young lady would love to occupy; an empowered figure with a litany of flaws who can have any boy she wants.

According to such people, the fact that Mattie isn’t always likable, and the fact that she mistreats so many supporting characters, Dan included, merely adds to her character. It gives her room to grow.

For the most part, it seems like people who approve of Mattie’s personality and attitudes enjoy these books while those readers that hate her as a heroine are unlikely to put forth positive opinions about this series.

+The Author
Apryl Baker grew up in a small town in West Virginia. She spent her childhood in the great outdoors, climbing trees, exploring the woods and causing mayhem were she could.

As a child, she read a lot of Nancy Drew. As an adult, she found that she had an affinity for horror movies, realizing that they fed her imagination in ways that nothing else could. This is despite the fact that she scares quite easily.

+The Ghost Files
Mattie Hathaway is a 16-year-old girl who can see ghosts. That wasn’t always the case. Mattie was normal. Then her mother tried to kill her and everything changed. The woman eventually took her life.

Mattie survived the ordeal and went into the foster system. She has since grown accustomed to the ghouls and spirits that slip in and out of her life. And she has also learned to ignore them.

Things change when Sally, her foster sister, disappears. Everyone thought she was just another runaway. But Mattie doesn’t believe that narrative because she can see Sally’s ghost.

And if she wants to solve her murder, Mattie must join forces with a young police officer.

+The Ghost Files 2
Mattie is a 17-year-old girl whose mother tied to kill her, but she survived and now she can see ghosts.

Mattie thought that she and Dan Richards were meant to be together. But he broke her heart. To escape the pain, Mattie ran away, a decision that stranded her in a haunted mansion filled with ghosts, one of whom makes her feel things she’s never imagined.

One Response to “Ghost Files”

1. Athena: 2 years ago

   Great book- I’m just straining the 3

   Reply