Ghost Story / by Peter Straub

In the small town of Milburn, four old men share a tradition of telling ghost stories to pass the time on the long, cold winter nights. The four--Dr. John Jaffrey, Lewis Benedikt, Sears James and Ricky Hawthorne--have been friends all their lives, the quartet known as The Chowder Society, all well-recognized as upstanding citizens of their community. Until recently, the foursome had a fifth member named Ed Wanderley who passed away a year previous under some rather strange conditions. Ed had been found dead in an upstairs bedroom of Dr. Jaffrey's home during a party, his grey hair completely white and his face frozen in a look of shocked horror, as if he'd been frightened to death.

.

The the year succeeding their friend's death has not been pleasant for the remaining Chowders who've all suffered horrible nightmares and other unpleasant occurrences. When Jaffrey dies only days after the one-year anniversary of Ed's death of an 'apparent suicide', thought to have jumped off a bridge, terror really strikes the hearts of Lewis, Sears and Ricky who decide to take action against whomever or whatever is seemingly out to get them. Wanting to keep things secret, they summon the nephew of their late friend Ed, Donald Wanderley, an expert on the occult and other paranormal phenomenon, to investigate what's plaguing them and hopefully put an end to the growing presence of terror in their lives.

.

Straub's Ghost Story, originally published in 1979, is one of the most thrilling--and chilling--horror novels of the twentieth century. Combining elements of the paranormal and occult with long dead and buried secrets, it is a book rich in both character detail and terror-driven suspense. The real strength of the story lies in the bond between the friends, the close-knit group confronted by a mutually regrettable past and a present evil coming back to haunt them. The plot, though complex at times, does include all of the key devices necessary for a classic ghost/horror tale: subtle warning signs, death, eerie links to the afterlife and the 'principle of evil' embodied within demonic forms and/or otherworldly beings. It's a great book to get into during say, a really rainy weekend. (FIC STRAUB)