ghost

Sep 2023 30

The Haunted Palace: Wayward Spirits of a Bad-Luck Bordello

2023 Articles, Hometown History, Sarah Peterson-Camacho

by Sarah Peterson-Camacho
Forty-eight hours before he was murdered, Percy Williams was living large on the last night of September, 1890.
The favorite son of a former Attorney General of California, Williams was all of 26 years old, wealthy, married, with an infant already in the ground, since the previous February—but here he was at the Palace, Stockton’s premier bordello, cozying up to madam Dora Russell on El Dorado Street…only several blocks from the mansion where his young wife Bessie slept alone in their cold marital bed.

Oct 2022 29

Lost in the Fog: The Hooded Phantom of Ave. 15

2022 Articles, Hometown History, Mysteryrat's Maze, Sarah Peterson-Camacho

by Sarah Peterson-Camacho

As the nights lengthen and the falling leaves unleash the fiery hues of autumn, the world darkens as the veil between realms grows thin. The cold, damp air thickens to an icy mist, blanketing the Central Valley in otherworldly fog.

Oct 2022 29

Halloween Short Story: Phantom Whines

2022 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Pets, Terrific Tales

by Chris Dreith

There is a fly buzzing around my nose. I twitch my mustache and it moves away, but it keeps coming back. I could catch it if I wanted to. Jump up and surprise it. But I don’t. Too tired. I just want to sleep a little longer.

Oct 2019 5

The House on Hallowed Ground By Nancy Cole Silverman: Review/Giveaway/Guest Post

2019 Articles, Cynthia Chow, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Cynthia Chow
& Nancy Cole Silverman

Once the Psychic to the Stars with a celebrity client base built over thirty years, Misty Dawn’s business has diminished from its lofty status as a consultant to both the FBI and the First Lady. Relying on one of her most frequent customers Darlene Thorne, Misty takes up the realtor’s offer to housesit her late brother’s Southern California home until it can be sold.

Oct 2018 13

The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller By Cleo Coyle: Review/Giveaway/Guest Post

2018 Articles, Lorie Lewis Ham, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Lorie Lewis Ham
& Cleo Coyle

The Ghost and the Bogus Bestseller is the new Haunted Bookshop Mystery by Cleo Coyle. This series started several years ago and stopped after five books. Now it's finally back with book 6. The series features widowed bookstore owner Penelope Thornton-McClure and the ghost that haunts her bookshop, 1940s P.I. Jack Shepard.

Oct 2017 26

Night of the Living Dead Ghost: Halloween Short Story

2017 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Terrific Tales

by Daryl Wood Gerber

“Ayiii!” Jenna stamped her foot and flicked the Hello Kitty pillow she got for Christmas six years ago across the room. Why was “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” playing on the radio? Didn’t the disc jockey know that Denny Henderson had dumped Jenna for Lili Littlefield today? Didn’t the DJ know that Jenna was at home, alone, on her birthday? Her parents took her brother and sister out to dinner on this chilly spring night because they thought Denny was taking Jenna for a burger and milkshake to celebrate. As if.

Nov 2015 23

The Ghost Who Came To Dinner: A Thanksgiving Mystery Short Story

2015 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Terrific Tales

by Gail Farrelly

Yesterday was the best Thanksgiving Day ever. But it didn't start out that way.
In the morning I figured I'd have nothing to be thankful for. Not when my mom announced at breakfast that she was appointing me "MAN in charge" of the kids' room for Thanksgiving dinner. Uh-oh. I didn't like the sound of that, not at all. "If I'm a man, why are you sticking me in the kids' room?" I asked. "I'm twelve years old, almost a teenager. Why should I be stuck with a bunch of little kids?"

Oct 2015 17

Gossamer Ghost By Laura Childs: Review/Giveaway

2015 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Sandra Murphy

by Sandra Murphy

Carmela’s scrapbooking shop is next door to Joubert’s shop, Oddities. It’s a weird collection of fun and creepy—heavy on creepy. On her way home from work, she hears odd noises coming from inside and checks to make sure everything is okay. It’s definitely not, as Joubert’s body falls out of a cabinet into Carmela’s arms.

Oct 2015 10

Three Hauntings for Halloween: Ghostly mysteries by Alice Hoffman, Kate Ellis & Paul Gallico

2015 Articles, Fantasy & Fangs, Mysteryrat's Maze, Sharon Tucker

by Sharon Tucker

As Halloween draws near, a good ghost story is just the thing to read. Of the ghostly tales out there, Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic (1995), Kate Ellis’s Watching the Ghosts (1979) and Paull Gallico’s Too Many Ghosts (1959) appealed to me this fall largely because, of all the ones I looked at, each of these is unusual in style and approach.

Apr 2014 5

Ghost of a Gamble By Sue Ann Jaffarian

2014 Articles, Cynthia Chow, Fantasy & Fangs, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Cynthia Chow

Apparently being ashamed of one's parent is a universal sentiment, and even a world-famous world-famous psychic medium such as Milo Ravenscroft isn’t immune. Perhaps he can be forgiven for not exactly approving of his showgirl-turned-fortune-telling mother, as having no powers herself and his own going on the fritz whenever they are together, Dolly Ravenscroft has never fully believed in his abilities.