The Ghosts of Holleford Lake

De: Nick Adams

Narrado por: Nick Adams

Spencer Dickson was a city boy, so when he decided that a housing development on a large tract of forested lakeshore was an excellent new business venture, he was in for a shock. Before he could unleash the bulldozers there were environmental and archaeological studies to complete. "You mean I'm going to have to pay for a bunch of tree-huggers and hippies to stomp around on my property, finding stuff that's going to cost me yet more money?" he said.

Under Steve Dawson’s leadership, the archaeologists soon confirmed Spencer’s fears. The history of the property proved far more interesting and complex than they’d anticipated, leading them to seek answers to a host of questions. Why had the Davison family abandoned their early 19th century homestead? What had happened to burn the 16th century First Nations village to the ground with all the people still inside the houses? Who was the mysterious young girl Theo had encountered in the woods? And whose bones had the police dug from the terrace by the lake shore?

It seemed inevitable that the housing development would eventually proceed, yet there were powerful forces working to keep the forest safe.

©2021 Nicholas R. Adams (P)2021 Nicholas R. Adams

Balancing Acts and Ghost Stories

Reading The Ghosts of Holleford Lake feels a bit like watching someone balance a spinning plate atop a stick on the tip of his nose—impressive enough, right? Then the guy starts juggling at the same time. Well, that’s Nick Adams. You think you know him as the brilliant motorcycle travel writer aboard his 1972 Moto Guzzi Eldorado, stirring up dust on the gravel roads of the Canadian Shield with his wry humor and elegant storytelling—and then suddenly he reveals he can write deeply moving fiction, too. Whaaat?

This story is human and quietly haunting, enriched by the unmistakable depth of someone who writes what he knows. Adams’s background in archaeology gives the narrative a rare authenticity—never bogged down by technical detail—while making every layer of history feel alive. It’s the first in a trilogy, and I’m already queuing up the next two. You will be, too.