Review: Strong Drama, Strong Mystery, But Where Are the Ghosts?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 11, 2012
Ghost stories have been my forte probably since grade school. I used to check out the same ghost story anthologies over and over again from the school library when I wasn't buying them from the Scholastic Book Fair. Now in my late 30s, they are still a favorite of mine to read which is probably why I was eager to read Ghostly Tidewater Trilogy, a collection of three stories by Kath Russell.In each story, Russell weaves a grape vine of multi-layered complex characters with equally complex plot lines. Honestly, I found myself caring less about the ghosts and spirits and more about the conflicts each protagonist was up against in the real world.Our first story, "The Ghost of John Wilkes Booth," follows a journalist visiting a small town to write a novel. When a greedy businessman starts buying up old historical homes to bulldoze them down for land development, the journalist joins the townsfolk in a plot to stop him. When the journalist photographs a rare osprey living on the property of the businessman's recent purchase, his plans are halted and a murder mystery unravels instead. Add to this the possibility of John Wilkes Booth's ghost being the murderer.  However, Wilkes is only mentioned in a handful of sentences, but I was okay with that because I found the journalist and the gossipy neighbors to be much more interesting.Our second story, "Ghost of a Smile," is about a bronze sculptor casting a statue in commemoration of a town witch named Moll Dyer, but the religious hierarchy of the town are out to stop her.  Well, it's either them or the ghost of the witch herself. Again, the cast of characters here is much more interesting than all the witch sightings though the ending was a bit of  an odd let down for me when you find out who the real guilty party is.The third story, "The Ghost of Lyon Lodge," deals with a college campus ghost, but he barely even makes an appearance in the story. Instead we follow a young girl who is being harassed by an overbearing male classmate. Again, great writing with severe intensity and strong characters, but the ghost is an afterthought.Russell can write; that's a fact!  Any indie authors out there who want to study the craft of the short story, drama, or mystery genre, look no further. Her intricate plots, cliff hangers, and handling of multiple strong characters in an East Coast "tidewater" setting really drives these stories and makes them interesting reads.  But honestly, I would change the title and market this has strong drama or mysteries instead because the ghostly elements just aren't there, and what is there isn't really important.