Hungry Ghost

A New York Times Notable Book

"Fresh and alluring. . . . Hungry Ghost offers a new twist on the kind of covert dharma fiction we’re familiar with in the works of Kate Wheeler and Jim Harrison.” — New York Times Book Review

Carter Cox is a talented but dissipated freelance photojournalist living in New York City's East Village with his sad dog and bad habits. Though he travels to exotic places taking pictures of models and celebrities, he yearns to do more meaningful work and to mend his womanizing ways. He also wants to put into practice the lessons he learns from his Buddhist betters, but he continues to carry with him his “seduction kit”: a chessboard, cigarettes, and a Cormac McCarthy novel.

At a Buddhist retreat, he meets Mia Malone, a beautiful, smart devout Catholic determined to remain a virgin until she is married. Carter falls hard, and Mia nervously agrees to join him on a photo shoot in Morocco. With both of their souls hanging in the balance, they quickly go from the ocean to hot water: crashing their car, getting arrested, running afoul of a sadistic gendarme, and trying to flee the country. Over the course of their adventure, they discover that karma and the human heart work in very mysterious ways.

Carter Cox is thirty-eight, a talented but dissipated freelance photographer living in New York's East Village with his sad dog and his bad habits. Though he travels to exotic places taking pictures of models and celebrities, he yearns to do more meaningful artistic work and to mend his womanizing, substance-abusing ways. He also tries to practice what he learns from his Buddhist betters but continues to carry with him his "seduction kit" -- a chessboard, cigarettes, a deck of cards, and a Cormac McCarthy novel -- along with a plentiful supply of rationalizations for his caddish behavior.

At a Buddhist retreat in upstate New York, Carter meets Mia Malone, twenty-six, beautiful, smart, and serious -- a devout Catholic interested in other religions and determined to remain a virgin until she is married. Carter falls hard, and Mia -- attracted by Carter's struggle with Buddhism, his passion for photography, and his knowledge of the world -- nervously agrees to join him on a five-night, beachfront photo shoot in Morocco. With both of their souls hanging in the balance, they quickly go from the ocean to hot water. During their romantic standoff, Carter and Mia crash their rental car, get arrested, run afoul of a sadistic gendarme, and try to flee the country -- an adventure that leads to the discovery that karma and the human heart work in very mysterious ways. With its sure pace and narrative surprises, Hungry Ghost is a serious, sexy novel about chastity and salvation, and will satisfy any reader's appetite for entertainment and literary excellence.

“Keith Kachtick’s fine first novel has a lot going for it: gripping suspense, tender romance, and characters you deeply care about on a high-throttle adventure in exotic Morocco. The pages of Hungry Ghost seem to turn themselves, it’s that good.” - Ron Hansen

"The pages of HUNGRY GHOST seem to turn themselves, it’s that good." - Ron Hansen

“Keith Kachtick writes in clear, often clever prose.” - San Francisco Chronicle

“[Hungry Ghost] is an excellent, excellent novel." - Adrienne Miller, Esquire

“Kachtick proves himself an inventive storyteller . . . fresh and interesting.” - Booklist

“An engaging chronicle of Calvin Klein-clad soul-searching.” - Publishers Weekly

“Hungry Ghost offers a new twist on the kind of covert dharma fiction we’re familiar with in the works of Kate Wheeler and Jim Harrison.” - New York Times Book Review

“Kachtick writes with assurance and verve.” - New York Times Book Review

A unique and fearless novel, dancing along the razor’s edge between flesh and spirit, cynicism and belief. - Kate Wheeler

“Beach reading--for Ph.D.s.” - New York Sun

“[An] enviable talent.” - Poets & Writers