When Ghosts Come Home

A Novel

By: Wiley Cash

Narrated by: JD Jackson

Winner of the SIBA Southern Book Prize for Fiction

“I loved it and devoured it with fury, straight to its blazing end.” —Lily King, author of Writers & Lovers

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Land More Kind Than Home, a tender and haunting story of a father and daughter, crime and forgiveness, race and memory.

When the roar of a low-flying plane awakens him in the middle of the night, Sheriff Winston Barnes knows something strange is happening at the nearby airfield on the coast of North Carolina. But nothing can prepare him for what he finds: a large airplane has crash-landed and is now sitting sideways on the runway, and there are no signs of a pilot or cargo. When the body of a local man is discovered—shot dead and lying on the grass near the crash site—Winston begins a murder investigation that will change the course of his life and the fate of the community that he has sworn to protect.

Everyone is a suspect, including the dead man. As rumors and accusations fly, long-simmering racial tensions explode overnight, and Winston, whose own tragic past has followed him like a ghost, must do his duty while facing the painful repercussions of old decisions. Winston also knows that his days as sheriff may be numbered. He’s up for re-election against a corrupt and well-connected challenger, and his deputies are choosing sides. As if these events weren’t troubling enough, he must finally confront his daughter Colleen, who has come home grieving a shattering loss she cannot fully articulate.

As the suspense builds and this compelling mystery unfolds, Wiley Cash delves deep into the hearts of these richly drawn, achingly sympathetic characters to reveal the nobility of an ordinary man struggling amidst terrifying, extraordinary circumstances.

I’m an Oak Island resident

The narrator mispronounced area names. If your story has a real place, learn to pronounce the names properly. Shallotte, is pronounced Shalote. Horry county is pronounced Orry.
I felt he story was not as good as his others. The ending felt cut off, not finished.

Stick with it

The story bogs down in a few places, but just when I was ready to give it up, I was catapulted into an amazing resolution. I love Wiley Cash's writing and this is the second book that I listened to by this author. I recommend!

Another excellent novel by Wiley Cash

This is a well-paced, even methodical mystery. The story is sad, but there is also hope. The story touches on old prejudices and new hopes in a part of the country that is rife with both. The story has a lot of heart. The five stars is for the story and the narration.

Engaging characters. Abrupt ending.

A well narrated book with many touching scenes, especially the scenes between father and daughter. But for me, the ending felt abrupt. It seemed like there were too many unanswered questions.

Narration poor story so-so

Narrator misprounced names of towns in Brunswick County and Horry County SC.

Characters formulaic.