The Stories That Haunt Us

by Bill Jessome

This latest collection by Maritime Mysteries' former TV host and actor Bill Jessome includes forty of the best stories collected from around the Maritimes. Using his journalist's skills, Jessome weaves incredible stories that charm readers and chill our nerves. Maritime Canada has an extensive storytelling tradition and a large part of that storytelling lexicon consists of stories of the supernatural. Many of these stories are told over the generations and Jessome has acquired these chilling accounts by listening to Maritimers at the kitchen table, around the flickering campfire, and when the moon is full.

Genres: Ghost Stories

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Bill Jessome was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia and served in Italy during World War Two. Jessome worked in television, radio, and as a stage actor in the United States before returning to the Maritimes in the 1960s. For many years, his popular television show Maritime Mysteries was broadcast throughout the region.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although a select few of the Maritime ghost stories that Bill Jessome recounts and features in his 2004 The Stories That Haunt Us are sufficiently interesting and also feel like they might possibly be true or have at least some minor elements of truth contained in them, sorry, but for the vast majority of this collection (and as such very much unlike his Maritime Mysteries), not only do most of Bill Jessome’s featured tales generally feel more like urban legends and made-up yarns to me, far too many of them are also penned in a way that feels rather artificially creepy, almost as though Bill Jessome is actually adding spooky elements to his stories but not really incorporating these bits and pieces all that successfully and smoothly into his narratives. And no, I therefore do not really believe in the veracity of most of The Stories That Haunt Us albeit that I do think that the author, that Bill Jessome rather does seem to expect and want his readers to consider the ghost accounts of The Stories That Haunt Us to be at least a bit possibly true (but honestly, what I could easily do with much if not even with most of Maritime Mysteries has simply not been possible with The Stories That Haunt Us, as for me the latter tales just do not ring all that much as being bona fide or even as possible reality for me, and yes, even with those stories where specific Maritime provinces cities, towns and areas and first and last names are being textually provided).

Now if the actual tales I read in The Stories That Haunt Us were for the most part readable and engaging, I could definitely have enjoyed both Bill Jessome’s storytelling and his presented contents and thematics sufficiently for a diverting and general three star reading experience (even if I still would be a bit disappointed that there really is nothing in The Stories That Haunt Us which tells me that this is supposed to represent either historical or present-day truth and factual details). However, I honestly have not really enjoyed either Bill Jessome’s writing style or his contents for The Stories That Haunt Us even as just tales of mystery in and of themselves. And therefore, with me having only from almost two hundred pages of ghost stories, of featured haunted tales only truly enjoyed reading about five or six of them, for me personally, a low two star rating is all that I am willing and able to consider for The Stories That Haunt Us (and to also be happy to have perused The Stories That Haunt Us for free on Open Library and not to have considered purchasing a copy for my personal library).

[Bobandace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a good ghost story. When i was little, Mr Jessome had a segment on after the news each week that would spotlight a ghost story from the Maritimes. I couldn't wait for it to come on and snuggle up with my Grandfather to watch it. He eventually came out with these collection of books, and i could not wait to meet him and have him sign my books when he came. What an amazing, intelligent, well mannered man. These are the type of stories to tell around a campfire! Love

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm. Not very scary. lol