The supernatural is a subject that holds a great deal of interest for many people. It’s not hard to understand why – anything related to the unknown is inherently interesting. In fact such is the interest in the subject, that there are now a number of popular TV shows that are related to the paranormal. When you talk about paranormal TV shows most people will immediately think of The X-Files. However whilst that show dealt with a broad range of areas that related to the paranormal, there is now a new breed of television shows dealing specifically with mediums who use their ability to help solve crime.
Hit TV shows such as Medium, Psych and The Mentalist all deal with the idea of a person using his/her paranormal abilities (real or pretend) in solving crime, though in different ways. In Psych, a novice crime consultant with excellent observational skills is able to convince people that he solves crimes using psychic abilities when in fact he doesn’t possess any. It deals with the subject matter in a very light hearted way and is a million miles away from a show such as Medium, which deals with the subject in a much more serious way.
The subject of crime solvers with paranormal abilities isn’t limited to television shows however. There are also a number of books on the subject such as Mary O’Reilly’s ‘Paranormal Mysteries’. The reason this subject holds so much interest for people is that through solving crimes, mediums are seemingly able to prove that their abilities are in fact genuine. It makes for compelling subject matter regardless of the medium it’s presented in and the popularity of this area of the paranormal looks set to continue for a good while yet.
A recently published book “Phantom Dreams” by T. K. Harris is a continuation of this trend – it’s a mystery novel with a significant paranormal twist that involves a serial killer, a 35 year old FBI agent chasing that killer and a 29 year old woman, Kathy Gilliam, who sees excruciating details of those murders in her dreams, or rather nightmares since they are filled with pain and death. Oh, I almost forgot, there also a psychiatric twist since the serial killer has conversations with another “person” who just exists in his head.
Kathy, the women who sees these vivid and frightening nightmares, seeks psychiatric treatment, and based on suggestions of her health provider, she writes down the details of those dreams. After she confides in her close friend, realizes that the murders she dreamt of were real murders, and somehow her paranormal abilities allowed her to see those gruesome killings as dreams. In the book, when she approaches the authorities, first she is written off as an eccentric person seeking attention, but later, when FBI realizes Kathy knows the intimate details which were not disclosed to the public, they start suspecting her. However, they also realize that Kathy matches the height, age and features of the women who were killed; they wonder if she is the next victim.
The story ends with a surprise twist, a satisfying dramatic ending.
Kathy, the women who sees these vivid and frightening nightmares, seeks psychiatric treatment, and based on suggestions of her health provider, she writes down the details of those dreams. After she confides in her close friend, realizes that the murders she dreamt of were real murders, and somehow her paranormal abilities allowed her to see those gruesome killings as dreams. In the book, when she approaches the authorities, first she is written off as an eccentric person seeking attention, but later, when FBI realizes Kathy knows the intimate details which were not disclosed to the public, they start suspecting her. However, they also realize that Kathy matches the height, age and features of the women who were killed; they wonder if she is the next victim.
The story ends with a surprise twist, a satisfying dramatic ending.
“Phantom Dreams” might be a perfect example of the success of this genre.
First of all, bringing in the paranormal factor gives the author more room to be creative, permitting him/her to cross the constraint of a rational normal world.
In addition, like some of the other successful paranormal media productions (such as the hit TV series “Medium”) “Phantom Dreams” spends as much energy about describing Kathy’s exhaustion her dual role as a caregiver of her ailing father and her work as it does over describing the gory details of the murders and mayhem. I believe most women readers can relate to the stress resulting from trying to find the balance between their work and their role as care givers, be it Kathy, a single 29 year old in “Phantom Dreams” who takes care of her father while also dealing with tons of issues at work, or the married Alison Dubois of a similar age in the hit TV series “Medium” who attempts to balance family life with helping the police solving mysteries using her special gift.
I think these two factors make this new twist to the paranormal mystery genre popular among women readers, who are looking for more than just a straight murder mystery, putting “Phantom Dreams” on a path of success and popularity among readers of both genders.
I think these two factors make this new twist to the paranormal mystery genre popular among women readers, who are looking for more than just a straight murder mystery, putting “Phantom Dreams” on a path of success and popularity among readers of both genders.
