Beneath the Stones

Susan
Coryell
Genre: 
Mystery

SOUTHERN GOTHIC:  With Ashby Overton’s writing career progressing nicely and an upcoming wedding on the horizon, she can now assume the role of caretaker to her family’s beloved antebellum plantation. She has no idea, however, that she was also inheriting dire financial problems.  She is forced to become creative and resort to selling 50 acres of her family’s much prized land. Included in the parcel is the antiquated overseer’s cottage; where strange smells, whispers and violent pushes begin to take place. With the help of family, friends, and a psychic medium, will Ashby be able to lay the family ghosts to rest before she loses everything she loves?

 

Readers will enjoy this intriguing ghost story, sprinkled with love in this rich Virginia read! While the author presents an intriguing gothic story steeped with family Civil War drama, some readers may find that the storyline hiccups with an overabundance of side activity. One may quickly become lost in the flurry of action surrounding Ashby’s upcoming nuptials and attempts to save her family’s plantation, as well as being the prime target of a haunting specter. While some readers will view the frequent entries of Ashby’s personal diary as a treat to the inner dialogue and musings of the heroine, others may find this off-putting, and distracting from the overall theme.  Additionally, while each individual character brings life and purpose, one may feel that the overwhelming cast of secondary characters is perplexing. Ms. Coryell delivers a suspenseful thriller that is sure to not only keep a reader guessing, but turning the pages.

 

Stephanie Lodes