Two nights back I felt like celebrating a small personal victory, so I treated myself to a one buck ebook, and I got me The House of Ka, by Walter Bosley.

I was intrigued by the cover – and then of course the author runs the Lost Continent Library blog, so I was pretty sure I picked a winner.

The House of Ka is a 120 pages novella, and I read it in two sittings.
And very good it was.
Bosley brews an interesting mix of hardboiled thriller and supernatural horror, developing a classic pulp plot but setting his story in the present day (with a few flashbacks).

In the story, a suitably crumpled, old-fashioned veteran turned PI helps a mysterious young lady on what looks like a strange treasure hunt. But there’s a ghost haunting him, an old enemy hot on the girl heels and quite a few surprise turns.

And if I have to admit I felt a little let down when I discovered the story had a modern setting (the cover had me dreaming about a 1930s adventure) – well, I did not feel like that for long.
Indeed, the old-fashioned storyline coupled with the contemporary setting works just great.
The characters are well drawn and intriguing, the dialogues are sharp and snappy, the action is tough and believable.
The House of Ka is an interesting, fast, fun read.
Highly recommended.