When Michael Calls

Missouri native John Farris is an author, screenwriter, and movie director. His first novel was published when he was just 19 years of age. He has contributed to suspense, crime-fiction, and romance genres, but is mostly known for his horror and suspense novels. I read Farris' When Michael Calls, a 1967 novel that was made into a television film in 1972 starring Michael Douglas.

This is a suspense thriller, but the first half of it is steeped in the idea of a paranormal ghostly haunting. The reason is that the main character, a widow named Helen, is receiving phone calls from a little kid that claims to be her nephew Michael. The problem is that little Michael died in a blizzard years ago when he was a child. Helen, who now has a child of her own named Peggy, receives these calls and finds them disturbing because Michael frequently refers to her as Auntie Helen, an endearment that only Michael would have known. As the plaguing calls continue, they trend into more ominous warnings that people in town are going to die. 

The novel's murders all play out like a slasher horror film. Victims will hear noises or see shadows and, when investigating, meet their demise in some heinous fashion. Along with the murders is a robust list of suspects that could be Michael. The main suspect is Michael himself either as a ghostly demonic child or existing in a plausibility that he never really died as a child. The other is Michael's older brother Craig, who works in town as a psychiatrist and still has a great relationship with Helen. Other suspects are Craig's girlfriend Amy and also the idea of an out-of-town stranger.

The phone calls are creepy. The kills are satisfying. But, my favorite part of the book is a character named Doremus. He's a hardboiled retired homicide detective that is a widow himself. He comes to Helen's aid after the sheriff is killed, offering a charismatic approach to the investigation. He rides a scooter, plays chess, and provides a captivating backstory on how he lost his wife years ago.

Overall, When Michael Calls is an enjoyable book and I felt the pace was just right to allow the murders to happen in a way that keeps the investigation plot-propuslive. It was a chain reaction that worked really well. Amy, Helen, and Doremus are all excellent characters that have plenty of time to develop in the novel. If you haven't seen the movie, definitely steer clear of it until you read the book. This is a book that probably doesn't have as much impact once the culprit is revealed.

Get When Michael Calls HERE.