The Yesteryear Phantom

by W.E.D. Ross

Joyce Wales had come to the musty summer theater in Maine, little knowing the brutal terror she would soon feel. But in the dark, secret places of the theater buildings, Joyce sensed an ominous presence - a sinister portent of terror to come.

She frequently had nightmares of that long, dry August, and in them the heat and the phantom figure were inextricably linked. A summer theater was an unlikely place for the appearance of a violent ghost garbed in the motoring costume of a past era. Yet this phantom, undaunted by walls or doors, threatened to break up a show - and a life!

Genres: Gothic, Horror

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

William Edward Daniel Ross, W. E. Daniel "Dan" Ross (born 1912) is a bestselling Canadian novelist from Saint John, New Brunswick who wrote over 300 books in a variety of genres and under a variety of mostly female pseudonyms such as Laura Frances Brooks, Lydia Colby, Rose Dana, Jan Daniels, Ross Olin, Diane Randall, Clarissa Ross, Leslie Ames, Ruth Dorset, Ann Gilmer, Jane Rossiter, Dan Ross, Dana Ross, Marilyn Ross, Dan Roberts, and W.E.D. Ross. As Marilyn Ross he wrote popular Gothic fiction including a series of novels about the vampire Barnabas Collins based on the American TV series Dark Shadows (1966-71).

Reviews

[Katie T · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read like a cozy. It was a stupid, simple mystery that was enjoyable enough.

[Adrian Griffiths · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young woman called Joyce returns to her family mansion which also doubles as a theatre (I think that's right ...I just finished reading this and the details are already fading from my memory), only to find herself haunted by a ghost dressed in antiquated motoring gear. Murder soon follows as Joyce tries to uncover the truth behind the mysterious figure.

W.E.D. Ross sure did churn out these books, and this is no better or worse than any of his others. Maybe slightly worse...there isn't much atmosphere or tension. The climax is extremely brief, to the point on my checking that no pages were missing at the end of the book because I really couldn't believe how abruptly it ended. The cover painting (Avon Edition) is gorgeous but spoiled by the book's title, which is too light and whimsical for a Gothic thriller, and surprisingly this detracts from the overall appeal of the book - for me anyway.