SMITH, AJ

Sixteen-year-old British teen Luke Manchett thinks he’s got it made when his estranged father suddenly dies. Dr. Horatio Manchett had been the host of the popular ghost-hunting TV show Nightwatch, and Luke will inherit six million pounds…if he just signs the creepy goatskin contract proffered by lawyer Mr. Berkley. Luke does—and quickly regrets his decision when it turns out he has also inherited his father’s necromantic power, the secret to his success. The eight archetypal spirits (each more dangerous and disturbing than the last) of his father’s Host arrive to serve Luke. With the help of necromantic text The Book of Eight and Elza Moss, an ostracized schoolmate who’s able to see ghosts, Luke learns that the Host will be at full strength on Halloween—only thirteen days away