The Black Beacon Book of Ghosts

by Cameron Trost, Sam Dawson, Matthew R. Davis

DARK DELIGHTS FROM FIFTEEN CONJURERS OF THE CREEPY AND CREPUSCULAR!

Anthologies of ghost stories haunt bookshelves the world over, so why should you read The Black Beacon Book of Ghosts? The answers are spooky in their simplicity. Firstly, you have to admit there’s no such thing as—oh, you thought I was going to say ghosts? How silly of you! No, not at all. I was going to say—too many ghost stories. We always have been and always will be mesmerised by tales from the other side—the great unknown. We tell ourselves that superstition is dead and that even if we do go on in some spiritual form—some metaphysical manifestation—after death, there’s no way the veil between planes of existence can be breached. We tell ourselves this whenever that sense of the uncanny creeps into our minds—every time that little detail doesn’t sit quite right. See great-granddad in the old photograph on the mantelpiece...wasn’t he facing left last time you looked? That cup of tea you made, just the way mum used to like it...doesn’t the steam rising from it remind you of her tender hand? Or is it your mind playing tricks on you? We can’t get enough of the chilling tales that tap into these feelings.

Now, if you’ve already read a Black Beacon Books anthology, you’ll know we love a nasty twist or a clever take on an old trope. That’s what we have in these haunted pages. You’ve read and loved all the classic voices, from M.R. James to May Sinclair, and you know all the big contemporary names in the genre, but how many of these fifteen conjurers of the creepy and the crepuscular have you already visited? These are their own dark delights, and you’ve never tasted strange fruit of the like ever before.

Turn the page, if you dare. By the time you reach the other end of the book, ready to step back out again, you’ll have changed ever so much, as will the world around you. Will you know which side of the veil you’re on?

Sally's in the Well - Sam Dawson
Effigy in Flagrante - Matthew R. Davis
The Spreading Rot - Leanbh Pearson
The Widow of Wood Forge - C. M. Saunders
The Ice Tigs - Rose Biggin
The Gospel of Abbott Wulfbald - Lawrence Harding
Red Dirt - Em Starr
The Yūrei of Old Stonybrook Lane - Michael Picco
Through a Looking Glass Darkly - Karen Keeley
Where the Heart Is - Mike Adamson
Fiachra Conneally's Bargain - L. P. Ring
Open Book - Cameron Trost
The Creeper - David Turnbull
Dead Angel Trail - Robert Allen Lupton
A Passage in Time - E. Michael Lewis

Cover design by Meg Wright (Red Wallflower)

Genres: Horror

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2024

About the author

Cameron Trost is an author of mystery, suspense, post-apocalyptic, and horror fiction best known for his puzzles featuring Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable. He has written four novels, Dead on the Dolmen, Flicker, The Tunnel Runner, and Letterbox, and three collections, Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable, Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales, and The Animal Inside. He runs the independent press, Black Beacon Books, and is a member of the Australian Crime Writers Association and The Short Mystery Fiction Society. Originally from Brisbane, Australia, his home is now in southern Brittany, between the rugged coast and treacherous marshland.

I aim to rate every book I finish and I usually leave a short review. I rarely leave one-star or two-star ratings. If I don't like a book, I won't finish or rate it. I'm here to share good reads.

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Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great stories in this anthology. I especially loved “Red Dirt” by Em Starr. But there are spooky tales for all tastes.

[Robert Petyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn’t like a good ghost story? As we approach Halloween I finished reading “The Black Beacon Book of Ghosts,” an interesting and scary anthology. Like most anthologies it’s a mixed bag. I have to admit, some of the stories didn’t scare me, and some left me feeling blah. But most were excellent.
I loved “The Creeper” by David Turnbull about a young boy who keeps hearing someone, or something, crawling about his house. Another Favorite is “Open Book,” by Cameron Trost about genealogy research that uncovers unpleasant truths. This one includes clever messages from the deceased.

But if I had to pick my favorite I’d go with Robert Allan Lupton’s “Dead Angel Trail” about a pair of runners jogging up a mountain trail where a famous runner had died/disappeared. This is a great adventure tale that kept me turning the pages.

I’ll be looking forward to the next “scary” anthology.