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...

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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...

“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 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 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...

It’s a cozy, spicy, spooky season treat in this opposites-attract romance between a mystery writer who pretends to talk to ghosts and the one-night stand who might actually be haunted… Kirsty Henson is an expert at one thing: faking it. A mystery writer with a hit series, she knows her...

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 ...

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?

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 ...

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 ...