American Ghost Towns

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.

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 extraordinary debut novel that became a modern classic Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose remarkable gift for...

Weird Route 66 Stories: A Funny Travel Guide to the Mother Road’s Strangest Stops, Roadside Legends, Neon Diners, Ghost Towns & Desert Oddities Take a hilarious and fascinating journey down America’s most iconic highway! Weird Route 66 Stories blends travel humor, history, and adventure into one unforgettable guide to the strangest sights along the Mother Road. From haunted motels and neon diners to ghost towns and desert oddities, this book uncovers the quirky, mysterious, and downright bizarre side of Route 66. It’s perfect for readers who love funny travel writing, road trip ...

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?

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...

The desert remembers. Across the vast landscapes of the American Southwest—where abandoned highways stretch into heat-shimmered horizons and ghost towns crumble under endless sun—stories linger like dust in the wind. Some are whispered in roadside diners. Some are passed down through generations. Others are warned about in hushed voices after dark. In this chilling collection, you’ll encounter: • Vanishing hitchhikers who walk out of the desert night • Cursed mines that swallow more than gold seekers • Phantom lights that hover over empty highways • Abandoned military sites ...

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...

In the American South, the air is thick—with humidity, memory, and stories that refuse to die. From moss-draped cemeteries to forgotten backroads, from Civil War battlefields to small towns where everyone knows your name, the South carries legends that linger long after the sun goes down. Some are whispered on porches at dusk. Others are told around campfires, in college dorm rooms, or passed down through generations like heirlooms no one asked for. Urban Legends of the American South explores the chilling tales that thrive where heat meets history. Ghostly hitchhikers on rural highways. ...

“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...

A lonely widower drives a familiar backroad to visit the memorial cross of his late wife. But the dead don’t rest at Crossroads — they wait. Some roads remember. Carl swore he’d never drive County E after dark again. But when the silence in his empty house grows too loud, he finds himself back on the bend where a white cross marks the place his wife died. The flowers he left a week ago are still fresh. The night smells faintly of her perfume. And when he turns, she’s standing there—just as he remembers, only quieter. Drawn into a conversation that feels like a dream, Carl agrees ...

The Hitchhiker’s Smile A Crossroads Horror Story by R.E. Cross Some smiles are an invitation. Some are a trap. When weary mechanic Daniel stops to offer a ride on a fog-choked highway, he finds a young hitchhiker standing by a memorial cross, her smile polite—yet somehow wrong. Each mile feels familiar. Each turn loops back to the same curve, the same white cross gleaming in his headlights. The girl hums along to a song that isn’t playing, and the fog smells faintly of river water and gasoline. By the time Daniel realizes who he's been riding with, it’s already too late. Because on ...

This cozy mystery with psychic clues helps to uncover whispers from beyond. A haunted Airbnb. A gossiping parrot. And a ghost who refuses to mind her own afterlife. Prime suspects in a Valentine’s Day crime. That’s what the Delgado family becomes the moment their talkative parrot, Pepito, mimics a stranger shouting “Switch the box!” just before the town’s beloved chocolatier collapses after tasting his own truffle. What should have been a cozy winter escape at The Evermore House for Hawthorne Corner’s Sweetheart Festival turns into a whirlwind of secrets, scandal, and ...

Book 2 in The Lost Bride trilogy by New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. Book two in the haunting Lost Bride trilogy - a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations. In need of an escape from her ex-fiance's betrayal, and the lucky...

The best Christmas gifts—family, friendship and second chances—are all waiting to be unwrapped in this sparkling new novel from USA TODAY bestselling author Sheila Roberts. Single mom Lexie Bell hopes to make this first Christmas in their new home special for her six-year-old son, Brock...

A CALL FROM BEYOND… When Kristi Stewart inherits a property in the old part of Savannah, she knows it comes with stories of hauntings. But she doesn’t believe in ghosts, even while she runs seances for the guests of McLane House Bed-and-Breakfast. Until the inexplicable midnight appearance...

THE TRUTH IS SCARIER THAN FICTION Keri Wolf has joined the crew of The Seekers, a show that searches for paranormal phenomena, as they explore a supposedly haunted old inn on the road between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. The place is famous for its warm welcome—and infamous for being the site...

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. ...

A mysterious girl. A boy blinded by love. And an old enemy waiting to strike… 18-year-old Noah Fortune is no stranger to the paranormal. Placed in charge of the various rites and rituals that guard the quiet town of Lashire Bluff, he’s a close friend of both the townsfolk and the spirits who watch over it. And when he stumbles upon a mysterious lost girl in the sacred woods near the town, the two hit it off immediately. Noah is enchanted by her native American ancestry and shaman powers. He feels a strange connection to the girl, one that he’s never felt before. But the spirits – ...

Three lives, one hundred years, one ghost town: an explosive novel about a mysterious place called Sunrise, where the secrets of the past refuse to stay buried, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Wife “I’ve loved every book Téa Obreht has written but I might love...