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Edward Harter Mystery #2
Haunts
When a devastating flood in the Allegheny Mountains hits Shawnee and unearths an old skeleton, Detective Harter's investigation prompts a new murder that bridges the past and present
230 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1990
4 people want to read
About the author
John Douglas
5 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
John Douglas was born in Cumberland, Maryland in 1947. He has lived most of his life in Morgan County, West Virginia. His mystery novels—Shawnee Alley Fire, Blind Spring Rambler and Haunts—are set in this region and were shaped by his experience. Douglas was longtime editor of The Morgan Messenger in Berkeley Springs, W. Va., and The Hancock News in Hancock, Md. During his newspaper career, he won many journalism awards, often for editorial writing and court coverage. He is also author of George Washington & Us, an illustrated history of the First President’s connections with the Berkeley Springs vicinity, and Joltin’ Jim: Jim McCoy’s Life in Country Music (2007), the illustrated biography of the music entrepreneur who discovered Patsy Cline. His work has appeared in Southern Cultures, Blues Access, Goldenseal, Wonderful West Virginia, The Washington Post, the Killing Waters books about the West Virginia Flood of 1985, and elsewhere.
John Douglas was born in Cumberland, Maryland in 1947. He has lived most of his life in Morgan County, West Virginia. His mystery novels—Shawnee Alley Fire, Blind Spring Rambler and Haunts—are set in this region and were shaped by his experience. Douglas was longtime editor of The Morgan Messenger in Berkeley Springs, W. Va., and The Hancock News in Hancock, Md. During his newspaper career, he won many journalism awards, often for editorial writing and court coverage. He is also author of George Washington & Us, an illustrated history of the First President’s connections with the Berkeley Springs vicinity, and Joltin’ Jim: Jim McCoy’s Life in Country Music (2007), the illustrated biography of the music entrepreneur who discovered Patsy Cline. His work has appeared in Southern Cultures, Blues Access, Goldenseal, Wonderful West Virginia, The Washington Post, the Killing Waters books about the West Virginia Flood of 1985, and elsewhere.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 18, 2025
Haunts is the second (and final) novel in John Douglas’ Edward Harter series of mysteries. The books are set in the Allegheny Mountains in a fading railroad town named Shawnee. Harter is a cynical, cigarette-smoking cop who struggles to deal with a hard, corrupt world.
In Haunts, a flood causes much earth to wash away in Shawnee. An old skeleton is exposed and Harter is tasked with trying to figure out the person’s identity and manner of death. His investigation takes him back decades into the past. A subplot involves an unstable Vietnam veteran who keeps coming into the police station and falsely confessing that he’s shot his wife.
The first novel in the series - Shawnee Alley Fire - was only pretty good. I thought that the ending of that one was too easy to guess and that there was too much political content. But I’m glad that I gave Haunts a chance. Author Douglas does a good job with keeping the plot moving and uses the setting well. The book does get a little choppy at the end as Douglas tries to tie the threads together.
In short, I recommend Haunts to mystery fans.
In Haunts, a flood causes much earth to wash away in Shawnee. An old skeleton is exposed and Harter is tasked with trying to figure out the person’s identity and manner of death. His investigation takes him back decades into the past. A subplot involves an unstable Vietnam veteran who keeps coming into the police station and falsely confessing that he’s shot his wife.
The first novel in the series - Shawnee Alley Fire - was only pretty good. I thought that the ending of that one was too easy to guess and that there was too much political content. But I’m glad that I gave Haunts a chance. Author Douglas does a good job with keeping the plot moving and uses the setting well. The book does get a little choppy at the end as Douglas tries to tie the threads together.
In short, I recommend Haunts to mystery fans.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews