by Terrance Mc Arthur
& Randy Overbeck

This week we have a review of a supernatural mystery perfect for Halloween season written by Randy Overbeck. We also have a ghost related guest post by Randy. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win either an ebook or print copy of the book (winner’s choice), and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Crimson at Cape May: A Haunted Shores Mystery By Randy Overbeck
Review by Terrance McArthur

Darrell Henshaw is a good football coach, has OCD that’s sort-of in check (he counts and touches things, but it’s not a debilitating, Monk-level), and just lost his job and his girlfriend in Maryland. He’s working a junior-high football camp in Cape May, New Jersey, hoping to get together again with Erin, and wishing that ghosts would leave him alone. That’s how things are in Randy Overbeck’s Crimson at Cape May.

Yes, Darrell has a problem with ghosts. They follow him down the street, leave notes for him in bars, and enter his hotel bathroom. The Haunted Bride, a white figure who starts bleeding the closer she gets, wants help—and not just for herself. It’s a mystery of disappearances, of families, and hidden secrets. There are snakes, too—physical and moral.

Another person in Cape May is Cassie, a runaway with a similar, oh-no-not-another-ghost problem. The two of them, with the help of Erin, who happens to be a nurse, begin to pick away at the riddles concealed in the town. Who knows what? Why is nobody trying to find a string of missing teen girls?

Overbeck creates a tightly knit community with powerful people, good cops and corruption, a town where people in the underbelly of society can be the most helpful, even if they aren’t all that nice.

There are flashback references to Overbeck’s first Haunted Shores Mystery, Blood on the Chesapeake, as Darrell remembers the ghost that took him through a past of racism and hate. This book deals with another evil, one that plagues today’s society. It’s a paranormal mystery with romance, but you could take out the ghosts and still have a quirky sleuth with stalwart sidekicks, as well as a solid mystery. The ghosts just give it that little extra “Oh, yeah!”

You don’t need to have read the first book (But it couldn’t hurt!), and the recap information is unobtrusive. The tension builds quietly, subtly, to a level that will keep you reading into the night to the ending, where everything is neatly tied with a bow. Then you will ask, “When will the next book come out?”

Check out the trailer for the book:

Terrance V. Mc Arthur is a Librarian in Fresno County, California. He is also a storyteller, puppeteer, magician, and maker of pine needle baskets. On top of that he writes stories that range from rhymed children’s tales to splatterpunk horror. He’s an odd bird, but he’s nice to have around.

They Are Still Among Us
By Randy Overbeck

“Do you really believe in ghosts?”

During the many author talks I gave for my first ghost story/mystery Blood on the Chesapeake, before the pandemic struck, this was the most common question I got. The short answer is yes. And as for the second question, no, I’ve not had a personal encounter with a ghost. Not yet. But, as I’ve conducted my research into this area, I learned there are just too many unexplained phenomena, too many spectral instances that can’t be rationalized away by science or logic.

Oh, I hear you. Only idiots and kids really believe in ghosts. It’s all smoke and mirrors. But would you be surprised to know that in my belief in spirits from the other side I’m in very good company? What if I shared that there are any number of scientists and inventors, well-known athletes, even famous statesmen who shared the conviction that some spirits are still with us, long after they’ve met their natural end? Here are just few examples.

Marie Curie, the famous nineteenth century scientist, won two Nobel prizes for her work with radioactive elements and was the ultimate pragmatist (and was featured in the Amazon movie Radioactive). But toward the end of her life, she came to believe there are things that science just can’t explain. She participated in seances and believed she could talk with the dead.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (or Junior as he’s known to his avid fans) is a name practically synonymous with NASCAR success, having won more races than I could name. Junior is also a believer. In 2004, a fiery crash trapped him inside his Corvette at the LaMans Race in Sonoma. He is certain that a ghost grabbed him by the armpits and dragged him out of the burning car and saved his life that day.

Then there’s the case of Thomas Edison, the American inventor who holds an amazing 1083 patents for everything from the electric light bulb to the movie camera to the alkaline battery. Even though this man commanded a scientific knowledge of more areas than about anyone at his time, he also believed in ghosts. In fact, during one interview, he confided to a reporter that he was working on an invention for a spirit phone so he could talk to the dead.

Or how about POTUS? At least two of our presidents were quite candid about their belief in ghosts. According to White House sources, Ronald Reagan, our 40th president, saw a tall, ghostly image in the Lincoln Bedroom—and never went back in that room for eight years! And Abraham Lincoln, who is regarded by historians as the greatest American president, reported that he had regular talks with the ghost of his dead son, Willy, in the Oval Office.

Like I said, famous company.

So as I imagined, drafted, created, and wrote the novels in my new series, the Haunted Shores Mysteries, I was intrigued enough about the possibilities of the spirit world to wrap each cold case murder mystery inside an eerie ghost mystery. The first entry in the series, Blood on the Chesapeake, was published last year by the Wild Rose Press and earned rave reviews and national awards. The second installment, Crimson at Cape May, was released this year, and it quickly picked up two 5-star reviews and a national award, the Gold Award from Literary Titan. Both titles are available in either print or ebook form at all outlets—Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, Apple books, Goodreads, Bookbub, etc.

PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon: Randy Overbeck Book Page
Barnes and Noble: Randy Overbeck
BAM! Books a Million: Randy Overbeck
BookBub: Randy Overbeck

AUTHOR LINKS
authorrandyoverbeck.com
Facebook: Author Randy Overbeck
Twitter: @OverbeckRandy

To enter to win either an ebook or print copy of Crimson at Cape May, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “cape,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 24, 2020. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. BE SURE TO STATE WHETHER YOU WANT PRINT OR EBOOK. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.