Shake Out the Ghosts

A beautifully funny and deeply moving contemporary queer romance with a magical twist, the perfect next read for fans of TJ Klune and Ashley Poston.

A brutal assault nine months ago left eccentric portrait artist Micah with facial scars and PTSD. He's struggled to leave his apartment ever since, and he can't let anyone in. Then his only sanctuary is disrupted by signs of a haunting.

Between the 80s synth pop and motivation messages scrawled on his bathroom mirror, Micah finds himself more charmed than frightened by who he believes to be Cosmo, the deceased previous resident of his apartment. But when Cosmo's ghostly visits suddenly stop, Micah is determined to lure him back.

Meanwhile, sculpture artist Cosmo - dramatic, unconventional, and very much alive - is mourning his old self. His boyfriend's a serial cheater, he's continually passed over for a promotion at work, and he's lost contact with his best friend. To make matters worse, his apartment is being haunted by the ghost of a bespectacled man with an eye socket of scars. It's his last straw, and seeking a new start, Cosmo moves out.

In a chance meeting, Cosmo and Micah's paths cross again, and tentative sparks fly. But the phantoms of their pasts still linger. In order to find a future where they can both be happy together, Micah and Cosmo need to confront their trauma once and for all.

Author: Al Hess
Publisher: Angry Robot
Published: 03/17/2026
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 7.73h x 5.13w x 0.95d
ISBN: 9781915998965


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 01/05/2026

About the Author
Al Hess is the author of the self-published post-apocalyptic Travelers series and the 1930s flavoured dystopian series, Hep Cats of Boise. When not hunched before a computer screen, Al can be found at his art desk. He does portraits in both pencil and oil paint, and loves drawing fellow authors' characters nearly as much as his own. He writes cozy and uplifting stories with queer, trans, and neurodiverse representation.