American Ghost Towns

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A long-abandoned silver mine for sale sounded like an adventure too great to pass up, but it turned into much more—a calling, a community of millions, and hard-earned lessons about chasing impractical dreams. “Inspiring and meditative—the story of man vs...

The story of the American mining frontier can be traced in the ghost towns - from the camps of California's forty-niners to the 20th-century ruins in the Nevada desert. They mark an epoch of high adventure, of quick wealth and quicker poverty, of gambling and gun-slinging and hell-raising. We who have seen too many Western movies sometimes think that the legends of the Wild West were invented by scriptwriters - but the ghost towns remain.

One of NPR’s Great Reads of 2016 “A lively assemblage and smart analysis of dozens of haunting stories…absorbing…[and] intellectually intriguing.” —The New York Times Book Review From the author of The Unidentified, an intellectual feast for fans of offbeat history that takes readers...

Macon Fallon had never needed more than a deck of cards, a fast horse, and a ready gun; he was counting on those things now as he led an unsuspecting group of settlers to an abandoned mining town. But while Fallon prepared to pass the ghost town off as a gold mine in the making, a funny thing...

“A haunted, haunting examination of mental illness and murder in a more or less ordinary American city…Mature and thoughtful…A Helter Skelter for our time, though without a hint of sensationalism—unsettling in the extreme but written with confidence and deep empathy” (Kirkus Reviews...

In "Library Conundrum," excitement brews as Kayla Luna, the vivacious head librarian, eagerly awaits a generous donation from esteemed resident Angus Connolly. His prized books promise to enrich the shelves of the local library with tales of wonder and knowledge. Yet, amidst the anticipation, a startling discovery disrupts the tranquility. A mysterious book, not intended for donation, slips into the collection—an innocuous mistake with profound consequences. This book, "Secrets of Sweethaven," clandestinely records the intimate details and hidden indiscretions of the town's inhabitants. ...

How would you feel if your child could see the undead? Claire Mumford is just coming to terms with it when tragedy strikes her. Now she is trapped at home recovering and can't escape the very ghosts that haunt her six year old. Ghosts that don't rest easily. Can she uncover the mystery of the plague that struck over twenty citizens in the tiny hamlet of Woodland, Delaware in 1903? Can the spirits that are haunting their lives finally be put to rest? Can she find where the smallpox riddled bodies were buried and give them peace before they they run out of patience?

A haunting past. A town with secrets. A debt that refuses to die. When John Miller retreats to an isolated coastal town to escape the ghosts of his past, he never expects those ghosts to follow. Twenty years after a tragic accident, strange whispers fill his home, unsettling symbols appear, and shadows move where no one stands. As John digs deeper into the town’s dark history, he uncovers a chilling connection between his own guilt and an ancient curse that has haunted the cliffs for generations. But someone—or something—is determined to keep the past buried. And the more John learns,...

In the forgotten town of Black Hollow, nestled in the shadows of the Appalachian hills, the past lingers like a bitter chill. Children have vanished for decades, sucked up by the earth and its dark secrets. The townsfolk whisper of a malevolent force, an entity buried deep beneath the crumbling landscape, waiting for the right moment to resurface. The summer of 1978 was hotter than anyone could remember. When three prisoners make a desperate escape from the local penitentiary cemetery, chaos erupts in the already beleaguered town. As Sheriff Thomas leads the frantic search, one of the ...

A cozy mystery brimming with unexpected twists, turns, and a touch of ghostly magic. In the friendly and quiet town of Sweethaven, an elderly schoolteacher, Elizabeth Bordine, has faithfully served the community for decades. But when a young, ambitious teacher named Zack Tracy arrives to take her place, Miss Bordine’s peaceful retirement is disrupted. As strange events start to unfold around the historic one-room schoolhouse, tensions rise between the two educators. A curious 13-year-old boy named Diego Diaz becomes fascinated with the mysteries of the town's past, including the tales of ...

Nothing can harm them - or can it? There's a house on a hill at the very edge of the small town of Warren's End, a house that no one had any business in building up there. It's been said many times before now, but there's nothing quite like hindsight to bring everything into focus. Morris Stumper never was too good at taking advice, even when that advice could save a person a bushel load of heartache. Unfortunately, this hill was once the site of a cemetery with a ghastly history. Morris, anxious to pay as little money as possible for a home with a view, heedlessly sat his house on the ...