Ghost Riders

Ballad #7

by Sharyn McCrumb

Disguising herself as a boy to join the Union Army alongside her husband, Malinda Blalock raids the farms of Confederate sympathizers and promotes the efforts of governor Zebulon Vance, who would protect Appalachian interests. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Civil War, Historical, Mystery Thriller, Southern

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

​
    Sharyn McCrumb, an award-winning Southern writer, is best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, including the New York Times best sellers The Ballad of Tom Dooley, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, and The Songcatcher. Ghost Riders, which won the Wilma Dykeman Award for Literature from the East Tennessee Historical Society and the national Audie Award for Best Recorded Books. The Unquiet Grave, a well-researched novel about West Virginia's Greenbrier Ghost, will be published in September by Atria, a division of Simon &Schuster.        
       Sharyn McCrumb, named a Virginia Woman of History by the Library of Virginia and a Woman of the Arts by the national Daughters of the American Revolution,  was awarded the Mary Hobson Prize for Arts & Letters in 2014. Her books have been named New York Times and Los Angeles Times Notable Books. In addition to presenting programs at universities, libraries, and other organizations throughout the US, Sharyn McCrumb has taught a writers workshop in Paris, and served as writer-in-residence at King University in Tennessee, and at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

My lovely long suffering spouse, a fan of McCrumb, recommended this one to me. I found it an interesting and educational historical novel. McCrumb weaves an engaging tale of Appalachia blending the perspective of contemporary fictional characters with those of historical characters. The author shows the Civil War in a light I'd not seen before with the stories of Union supporting guerrillas, committed Confederates and their modern descendants dealing with the lingering traumas from the war.
I'm often put off by the inclusion of supernatural elements into novels, but I like the way McCrumb brought folk magic and spirits into this book to link the present with cultural and personal wounds from the past. All of the characters felt real with natural voices and authentic motivations. I'll look for more books by Sharyn McCrumb and I'll look for one of the books she mentioned she found inspiration for her story from.

[Barbara Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently Sharyn McCrumb posted on her Facebook page that her next novel will be out in August 2011, and suggested that we should read her earlier book Ghost Riders before then. The new book will be about Tom Dooley, of "Hang down your head, Tom Dooley" fame. His lawyer in the real story was Zebulon Vance, who is a major character in Ghost Riders. By the way, Tom's real name was Tom Dula but everyone mispronounced it.

I had a copy of Ghost Riders on my shelf so I have now read it. The characters in this book are some of McCrumb's best work. A few are real, others fictional, but all totally believable and fascinating. Everyone's favorite McCrumb character, Nora Bonesteel, makes a sort of cameo appearance in it, but another character with "the Sight" is one of the main characters. He is called "Rattler" and he is inseparable from the mountains he lives in, the Appalachians of western North Carolina. He's a loner but frequently reenactors of the Civil War camp in the mountains and if he wants some conversation he'll go visit them. Problem is, their uniforms and firing of period weapons seems to be bringing back ghosts of the real war.

In flashback we meet McKesson (Keith) and Malinda Blalock, union sympathizers in a "secesh" area. This is one of the toughest couples you'll ever meet. When he is forced to join the Confederate Army, Malinda dresses like a boy and joins up too as "Sam Blalock." Turns out she's a good soldier and they plan to cross over to the Union army as soon as they can. It's only when her husband is wounded and is to be sent home that she reveals her sex and goes home with him. That isn't the end of their wartime experiences though, far from it.

There are other superbly drawn characters to fill out the story of mountain people divided by a war they have little stock in, the cruelty shown toward the women, children, and old people trying to survive at home while the young men fight and die, and the lingering feuds that result, a la the Hatfields and the McCoys. This is the war I'm interested in rather than battles and generals and tactics so I greatly enjoyed this wonderful story. Above all, the people's sense of belonging to the Appalachians and their knowledge of the mountains prevails.

I highly recommend this book regardless of whether you are a Sharyn McCrumb fan or not. If you aren't, you will be after reading this book.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another very solid Ballad entry. This one concerns the civil war and should raise the hairs on the back of your neck.

[Bon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fascinating read from McCrumb. While I wish the ghosts had been leaned into more, this novel, while historical fiction, is stuffed with real history and lends nuance to the Civil War in a way I'd never considered. Another enjoyable, educational read from this author.

[Nancy Cook-senn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent "Ballad novel" from Appalachian historical fiction pro who shows once again the past is never past.

[Dennis Fischman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharyn McCrumb began this series writing police procedurals that gave you a deep, rich sense of Appalachian life. In the last book and even more in this one, she has moved on to writing historical fiction that happens to have Sheriff Arrowood as a present-day character. McCrumb shows how Appalachia is haunted, figuratively and (in this book) literally by the ghosts of conflict past. Nora Bonesteel, everybody's favorite wisewoman, gives us some slim hope that the ghosts can be laid to rest.

[Teresa Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fascinating! I grew up in Western North Carolina, so all the names in the book were familiar to me, but I know them as streets or places. I’d never given thought to the people they were named for. I want more! I’ve got several more books on my list now, so I can dig deeper into this history.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only didn't like this one cos it's a bit too political for me. And I found this one trickier to follow

[Betsy Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated four rather than five only because books covering parts of the Civil War absolutely overwhelm me with all the battles, skirmishes, place names and participants. Feel like I should be memorizing everything. Putting that aside, I was caught up with the various stories and as always, appreciate McCrumb’s wonderful phrasing and insight. Book club discussion was great with members sharing family lore and history re the war.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generally these mysteries have just a couple points of view. This one had so many characters of both past and present that sometime I had trouble keeping up. However, this one had many strong Civil War stories and research in it so.... if that is your thing, you might appreciate this one.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is another book that I may have never read if it had not been lent to me. I love how sharing books can open up new ways of thinking for people! I am so glad I read it as it has wet my appetite for learning more about the Reconstruction following the Civil War.

"Ghost Riders" is set in the Appalachian Mountains and tells the tale of the impact of the Civil War on those who lived in these mountains bordering North and South Carolina, in particular. Sharyn McCrumb poured over historical documents to learn more about the people who lived in these mountains and the way the war affected them. Families were divided on which side they were on from farm to farm and that made for a very unique war.

McCrumb used the real stories of a woman who dressed as a male soldier to fight alongside her husband, a famous governor of North Carolina (Zebulon Vance), and a few other central characters to provide a frame of realistic reference and offer credibility to her story.

The story is told from the perspective of several characters and weaves its way through modern and past times to show the way the Civil War left a massive impact that is still felt to this day. The tales of those who faced the war head on are juxtaposed with the modern-day reenactors and those who have "the sight" and are able to communicate with the ghosts that play a significant part in the story. At times, these changing perspectives can be confusing and it is easy to mix them up, but the style offers a comprehensive way of viewing the way the mountains bore the horrors of war.

She uses the supernatural presence of ghosts of soldiers on both sides to signify the ways in which the war is still not over. Grudges were formed between families who sided with either the Confederacy or the Union that she suggests are still felt today.

Having grown up in both North and South Carolina, I have often visited Grandfather Mountain, a unique mountain that is now known for its mile high suspension bridge between the twin peaks. Grandfather Mountain is an important character of sorts in the book as it serves as a haven to those resisting joining up with the Confederates and also a death trap for those who are caught. Thinking of all of the time I have spent there hiking and visiting, it is difficult to fathom the role it played during the Civil War.

At the end of the story, I was struck by how difficult it must have been to go on after the war was over. In the story, one of the characters sagely suggests that it is easy to start a war but almost impossible to make it stop. Despite the fact that the Confederacy had surrendered, there were still scores that many felt needed to be settled and the war was far from over for them. This was a dark time for our country and a time of healing that I imagine many thought was not possible.

McCrumb does a wonderful job of proving this difficulty and making her readers really think about how such a war tore apart our country.

[Ericka Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little slow for me. It takes place during the civil war and tells several stories. One of Keith and Malinda Blalock, lawyer and political figure Zebulon Vance and a snippet of sheriff Arrowood and Nora Bonesteel.

[Irishcoda · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a frustrating book!  On the one hand, I liked the voices of the characters very much.  I could just about hear them speaking in my mind.  I truly enjoyed some of the characters very much but they didn't appear as often as I liked.

On the downside:  what was this story supposed to be about?  I was drawn to it because of the title and the summary I saw in the book club newsletter:  it's the Civil War and a young woman dresses up like a man and follows her husband off to war.  There were not-so-subtle hints about a ghost story, too.  Well...look at the title, Ghost Riders.  But ... I feel like I was misled!  Yes, young Malinda Blalock dressed up like a soldier and followed her husband to war ... that was about one chapter.  There were small chapters interspersed that told of the spirits of Civil War soldiers stirred up by the re-enactments going on around them.  There wasn't enough of that.

There was an awful lot about Zebulon Vance, an ambitious mountain boy who becomes a lawyer, then a politician, then a soldier, then the governor of North Carolina...so?  I kept waiting for him to have more encounters with the Blalocks but he never did.  Their paths crossed just once, back when Malinda disguised herself as "Sam".

What was the point of the book anyway?  Feuds don't die?  Be careful not to stir up the restless ghosts by dressing up in Civil War uniforms and shooting off weapons of the time?  I couldn't figure it out.

It's not a bad book because I think Sharyn McCrumb has a way with words and characterizations.  I wouldn't recommend it to anyone though. I wouldn't know what to tell them it's about!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second time of reading for this book. I appreciated it much more the second time through. I now live where the story took place. I have been to some of the places mentioned. I now know of the people mentioned.
The Appalachian mountains at the time of the civil war was a divided area. Communities were divided on the issues that provoked The War. Families were divided. Neighbors killed neighbors, abused neighbors, and hated neighbors. After the war many returned to their homes and hoped that life would get back to normal. For many that did not happen. In this area the wounds of war festered for a long long time. Feuds began. Families did not speak. Feeling continue to the present time. When love turns to hate, we hate with the same intensity we loved. And maybe in communities like in individuals, the past is always with us.

[Tasha Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. The title is Ghost Riders and various synopsis indicated it was a novel centered around soldiers who continue to fight a war that ended 150 yrs ago despite the fact they are dead. There were only a few references to the paranormal in the book. The novel introduces the reader to some interesting historical people allowing them to speak in the first person. Overall the book was more about Zebulon Baird and Malinda Blalock who are both very interesting but the book fell extremely short if the book's plot was supposed to be primarily, or even somewhat, about ghostly soldiers. The book was an alright read only because of the historical information in my opinion however I would not recommend if the reader wants a good ghost story.

[Dixie Goode · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this novel, there is a skilled blending of well researched historical figures, who come to life, and the author’s own created characters who end up feeling just as real. Both the civil war moments and the more modern day ones are easy to read and lose myself in. There is a slight touch of the supernatural but set in such a way as to feel completely natural. Keith and Malinda Blalock are a husband and wife with Union sympathies who first must join the Rebels as soldiers, well, she didn’t have to, but join she did, and they were not the fictional part of this tale. I’m really intrigued by the two books I’ve read so far in this series, and since there doesn’t seem to be a strong need to read them in order, I am just grabbing them as I find them.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictionalized account of the Civil War in the mts. of Tenn. and NC. Many people sided with the Union because they didn't own slaves. Your neighbor might be your enemy - the wrong army is whichever one you joined. Malinda and Keith joined the Conf. army - she dressed as a boy. They spend the war as Union guerrilla fighters. Also tells of Zebulon Vance (a real person) governor of NC and who fought for Appalachio.

Well-written.

Great quote by Malinda, "It's easy to start a war, much harder to stop it.?

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great historical fiction about the Civil War as it was fought in the mountains of North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. My favorite Ballad characters from the present day, Sheriff Arrowood and Nora Bonesteel, made appearances as a dissonance brought about by Civil War re-enactors linked the two time periods together. That part was a little fuzzy and it took a while to get into the story what with all the multiple time period first person accounts to sort out. But it did come together near the end and I enjoyed the small tie-in with two other Ballad novels, Frankie Silver and Tom Dooley.

[Colby · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that makes me not want to read books. There were moments and good writing, sure, but I felt like I was reading five books at the same time. You'd no more want to jumble twelve stories (some Civil War, some about the wilderness) into one volume and call it a novel than John Grisham pile A Time to Kill, the Firm, and the Pelican Brief between a cover and a back because they happen to take place in a courtroom. I mean, kudos for the accuracy and making history fun, but it was hard at times to decide if I was reading a novel or a textbook.

[Crystal Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a native North Carolinian and Civil War history buff, so I figured I would hate this recommendation since I have high standards. I was thankfully very wrong. I loved this book. McCrumb creates haunting characters who stick with you: real and ghostly. I shared this book immediately with friends who are history majors.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel presents a very realistic account of the stresses and crimes and nastinesses of the Civil War in Appalachia. Told from the point of view of varied characters who lived the conflict, with perspective from a modern character, the story shows the violence, the transformation of peace loving common people of Appalachia to vindictive, revenge seeking, violent soldiers and officers.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't one of my favorites and I'm leaning more towards 3.5 but I do love her books. She did manage to tie it all together in the end which I was beginning to wonder about at various points so the .5 to round up to a 4 rating. And I am somewhat of a completest with certain authors so...

[Kaethe]

maybe some other time; I've burned out on her

[Mkotch · Rating 1 out of 5]

too many points of view! Couldn't latch on anyone I really cared about.

[Georgene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was told from a few different perspectives - Melinda Blalock, who disguised herself as a boy and joined the Confederate Army to stay near her husband, Zebulon Vance, lawyer, Governor of North Carolina during the Civil War and Congressman, and Rattler, Nora Bonesteel, and Spencer Arrowood, who are regular characters in the Ballad series. These different perspectives helped move the story along. Some character voices were more interesting than others.

My favorite character was Melinda Blalock, who was a real person. She was one tough woman. The supernatural elements were OK, but I felt they detracted from the historical fiction story. The chapters with Zeb Vance dictating letters to various people and reading about the Shelton Laurel killings as a way for the reader to find out about them was the most boring part of the book. I almost abandoned this book at that point.

As always, I found the history behind this story about the people living in the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee mountains during the Civil War to be fascinating. The author did quite a bit of research in secondary sources in order to write this book. As a genealogist researching this area, the context was very helpful.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading books about wars the U.S. has been involved in. This one is about the Civil War, and I have to admit, before selecting it because it was a war tale (and included histories of two real people), I chose it because of its title. My name means, in Old High German "ghost rider." So there you have it.

Ghost riders do appear in the story, but briefly, and don't hold as much importance to the main narrative itself. Battle stories and politics make up most of it.

Malinda Blalock joins her husband, Keith, in the war effort dressed as a boy. She pulls if off for a while, then they eventually become, rather than soldiers, avenging guerilla fighters. Outlaws hiding out in the North Carolina hills, they take revenge on Confederates who raid the farms of their families and neighbors.

Malinda (Sam) Blalock was a real person, as was Zebulon Vance who rose in the political offices of the Confederacy to become governor. Their stories mesh with present day stories of two mountain people trying to calm the Civil War ghosts who still wander the mountains.

[Jeanne Manton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Nora Bonesteel and have been a fan since The Rosewood Casket. So happy she saved everyone from the Nightriders. My ancestry is Pennsylvania in the Laurel Mountains and my beloved grandmother thrilled me with family tales. I later found many of these in Agnes Sleigh Turnbulls works but which came first - the chicken or the egg? In 1947 my family visited Gettysburg and my mother found six relatives on the Pennsylvania mounument. But missing in action so to speak was my great-great-grandfather. Fast forward to 1980 and the wonder of a computerized data base. Robert Wray, born in Delaware, followed his convictions and fought for the south. The family legend made sense: after his release from federal prison he came home and his neighbors hung him from his own apple tree.

Although I was born in western Pennsylvania, I ended up in Oregon and finally California! Laugh out loud. Thank you , Ms. McCrumb.

[Bradley Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like McCrumb's other "Ballad" stories, this one has wonderful atmosphere and characters. The story's told in a leisurely, episodic fashion, from the viewpoint of at least a half-dozen different characters scattered in time from the Civil War to the present. It takes a while to get going, and the different streams of the story seem only loosely connected. But it's a pleasant amble, with a few cold chills along the way. Not all of them are from the phantom sightings implied by the title. The most chilling part of the story is the inexorable, merciless change that one of the main characters undergoes. Such changes are, perhaps, inevitable in the kind of war depicted here -- just one more aspect of a long-ago backwoods war between neighbors and kinsmen that modern-day hobbyists find it all too easy to simplify and glamorize.

[Nolan · Rating 1 out of 5]

A consummate waste of my time; not worthy of a full review. I finished, but I don't know what possessed me to do it. Had the iPad on which I listen to my books not belonged to my employer, I would have defenestrated it with neither apology nor regret. I read hoping, hoping, hoping it would get better. It never did.

Some guy's wife binds herself so she can fight like someone's kid brother in the Civil War. Can you say threadbare trope? I knew you could. This at once bored, frustrated, and angered me. All that paranormal unpalatable nonsense ...

There are a few more books in the series. I've no idea whether I have the inner resources to get through them. Earlier books were engaging and beautifully written--poetic, lyrical, magnificent stuff. I suspect I went into this with expectations the book never met.

[William Howle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I am very familiar with the area she writes about I found it to be interesting. I was not aware of the Waynesville battle, although I have been there many times visiting Lake Junaluska which is mentioned in the book. I was very familiar with Zebulon Vance, but knew little about Augustus Merrimon. The animosity between the two was laid out in the book, but continued well past the Civil War. Nora Bonesteel makes an appearance as she does in most Ballad books. The aspects of Civil War ghosts is mentioned in many books dealing with battle fields including Gettysburg. The neighbor against neighbor was probably more evident in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina than other areas during this war.