In the Night Room is a sequel of sorts, although it's not necessary to have read the earlier lost boy lost girl. Both feature novelist Tim Underhill, both deal with tense family relationships (especially lost boy lost girl), both are superbly written. Yet for all of the supernatural elements present in the first book, In the Night Room requires an enormous suspension of disbelief.
About the time Underhill begins getting emails from his deceased classmates, he receives a visit from a literal fan-from-hell who greatly upsets the author. It seems there's something about Underhill's books he doesn't like. Of course this isn't just some rabid fan. This is speculative fiction, so there's more to it.
Venturing further into the plot would be a pointless exercise, but I will say that one of the book's main themes is the battle between fiction and reality. Either you'll be able to suspend disbelief and enjoy the book or you'll hate it. There's not much middle ground. For me, the book tottered oh-so close to the edge many times and maybe even derailed a time or two, but Straub's writing is so strong, so compelling that I was willing to follow him to the end of the tale. A must-read for Straub fans, but for first-timers, lost boy lost girl or maybe an earlier title like Ghost Story might fit the bill.
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