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Haunting Clarity #1
Maggie, I Have Your Baby: The Haunting Of Maggie's Bridge
The legend of Maggie's Bridge is well known to locals. In the late 1800's a young girl, pregnant and frightened, loses her life on a lonely bridge in a terrible storm. But what is the truth behind the story? Who was Maggie Bloxom? What fates brought her to that dark place and stole her future away from her? Claire Ludlow is a local. She grew up visiting the bridge at midnight and calling for Maggie. One night when she was 16 she sees more than she thought possible. When life draws her back to her home town years later and drops her within arms reach of the bridge, can she use newly discovered clues and somehow coax the story of Maggie's life from the spirit of Maggie herself? Maybe even free her from decades of torment where she is trapped in an endless night. Or will the troubles in Claire's own life get in the way and threaten her own safety?
Will she save Maggie or will Maggie save her?
Will she save Maggie or will Maggie save her?
- GenresHorrorParanormalGhosts
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 9, 2022
12 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Lidji
10 books12 followersI grew up in Delaware surrounded by ghost stories handed down through generations. My own teenage years were filled with trips out to Maggie's bridge with my friends to try and raise her spirit, (and scare ourselves in the process) or white knuckling it driving the road at night that goes by Cokebury Church. (If alone, I was leaving myself vunerable to the ghost that wandered the road there.)
I want to embrace these stories and give them the attention they deserve.
I want to embrace these stories and give them the attention they deserve.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 3, 2022
Having lived in the Nanticoke River area for many years and being familiar with the stories of Maggie's bridge, I was interested to read the book; the setting (roads, ferry, houses, bridge, etc.) was all very familiar. The plot was decently developed with some interesting characters and a good juxtapositioning of the mores of different eras. However, for me -- a former English teacher -- the book was flawed by terrible copy-editing! [I read the book on Kindle.] Lots of words left out, words confused, etc.!!
March 21, 2023
Maggie I Have Your Baby, the freshman novel of Delaware author Kelly Lidji is a spooky combo of two things I love! Delaware history and a well told creepy story.
Growing up in Sussex County, Delaware I’ve heard a few versions of the Maggie’s Bridge legend. As a child, I also grew up near the infamous bridge. When I was little, I’d swap ghost stories with other kids who grew up near Woodland, Delaware. And there was even a version of the tale I learned while sleeping away at Delaware State 4-H Camp.
But Kelly Lidji’s version of the Maggie Bloxom ghost story has got to be my favorite!
The legend of Maggie's Bridge is well known to Delaware locals. In the late 1800's a young girl, pregnant and frightened, loses her life on a lonely bridge in a terrible storm. But what is the truth behind the story? Who was Maggie Bloxom? What fates brought her to that dark place and stole her future away from her?
Claire Ludlow is as local as they come. She grew up visiting the Maggie's Bridge at midnight and calling for the ghost of Maggie Bloxom. One night when she was 16 she sees more than she thought possible.
When life draws her back to her home town years later and drops her within arms reach of the bridge, can she use newly discovered clues and somehow coax the story of Maggie's life from the spirit of Maggie herself? Maybe even free her from decades of torment where she is trapped in an endless night. Or will the troubles in Claire's own life get in the way and threaten her own safety?
Will she save Maggie or will Maggie save her?
The author’s love of books, reading, and writing is made clear through the lives of the main character, and her Mom’s bookshop. I always like it when an author reveals a little about themselves in the stories they tell. Done well, it is subtle. Stephen King sprinkles autobiography throughout his work, but you wouldn’t know it unless you studied his biography. Kelly Lidji has done a fine job telling us all about her life in this story.
She does a good job balancing two different story lines in different time periods. Then, when it matters most, she masterfully draws them them together into a cohesive whole.
The novel is a good mystery, with suspense built up and intriguing items and incidents placed at just the right beats. The answers are revealed at the right moments, just as more of Maggie’s story is revealed and just as Claire Ludlow faces her own problems head on. This aspect of the story structure was very well done.
Lidji employs an interesting storytelling device by having the tale told through three different points of view - that of Claire the young protagonist, the living Maggie wrestling with love and pregnancy in a time of strict morality, and the lost spirit of Maggie Bloxom trapped in the dark and rainy afterlife.
Overall, the novel is a full, well-rounded, and well developed story. There are complete story arcs that don’t feel forced. All the loose ends are tied up in a satisfying bow to deliver a fine present of great storytelling. I look forward to reading another Kelly Lidji entry in the haunted history of Delaware.
Kelly Lidji lives in Lewes, Delaware with Jason and her two macaws, Rufus and Finn. She grew up in the 80’s trying to raise the ghost of Maggie Bloxom with her friends out at Maggie’s Bridge in Woodland, DE.
‘Maggie I Have Your Baby’ is her first novel. She followed it up with ‘That Devil Knows My Name’, ‘Where The Eidolon Sleep’, and ‘81 Miles’.
Read more from Kelly Lidji at http://kellylidji.com and find her on social media at Facebook(kellylidjiauthor).
Growing up in Sussex County, Delaware I’ve heard a few versions of the Maggie’s Bridge legend. As a child, I also grew up near the infamous bridge. When I was little, I’d swap ghost stories with other kids who grew up near Woodland, Delaware. And there was even a version of the tale I learned while sleeping away at Delaware State 4-H Camp.
But Kelly Lidji’s version of the Maggie Bloxom ghost story has got to be my favorite!
The legend of Maggie's Bridge is well known to Delaware locals. In the late 1800's a young girl, pregnant and frightened, loses her life on a lonely bridge in a terrible storm. But what is the truth behind the story? Who was Maggie Bloxom? What fates brought her to that dark place and stole her future away from her?
Claire Ludlow is as local as they come. She grew up visiting the Maggie's Bridge at midnight and calling for the ghost of Maggie Bloxom. One night when she was 16 she sees more than she thought possible.
When life draws her back to her home town years later and drops her within arms reach of the bridge, can she use newly discovered clues and somehow coax the story of Maggie's life from the spirit of Maggie herself? Maybe even free her from decades of torment where she is trapped in an endless night. Or will the troubles in Claire's own life get in the way and threaten her own safety?
Will she save Maggie or will Maggie save her?
The author’s love of books, reading, and writing is made clear through the lives of the main character, and her Mom’s bookshop. I always like it when an author reveals a little about themselves in the stories they tell. Done well, it is subtle. Stephen King sprinkles autobiography throughout his work, but you wouldn’t know it unless you studied his biography. Kelly Lidji has done a fine job telling us all about her life in this story.
She does a good job balancing two different story lines in different time periods. Then, when it matters most, she masterfully draws them them together into a cohesive whole.
The novel is a good mystery, with suspense built up and intriguing items and incidents placed at just the right beats. The answers are revealed at the right moments, just as more of Maggie’s story is revealed and just as Claire Ludlow faces her own problems head on. This aspect of the story structure was very well done.
Lidji employs an interesting storytelling device by having the tale told through three different points of view - that of Claire the young protagonist, the living Maggie wrestling with love and pregnancy in a time of strict morality, and the lost spirit of Maggie Bloxom trapped in the dark and rainy afterlife.
Overall, the novel is a full, well-rounded, and well developed story. There are complete story arcs that don’t feel forced. All the loose ends are tied up in a satisfying bow to deliver a fine present of great storytelling. I look forward to reading another Kelly Lidji entry in the haunted history of Delaware.
Kelly Lidji lives in Lewes, Delaware with Jason and her two macaws, Rufus and Finn. She grew up in the 80’s trying to raise the ghost of Maggie Bloxom with her friends out at Maggie’s Bridge in Woodland, DE.
‘Maggie I Have Your Baby’ is her first novel. She followed it up with ‘That Devil Knows My Name’, ‘Where The Eidolon Sleep’, and ‘81 Miles’.
Read more from Kelly Lidji at http://kellylidji.com and find her on social media at Facebook(kellylidjiauthor).
February 3, 2025
i REALLY wanted to like this book. I met this author at a workshop about horror writing and LOVED the experience, and I was so excited to see a story written about the ghost stories and urban legends of my home state. That premise alone was enough to earn it two stars, but honestly, I found the book pretty hard to get through. I thought the ghost flashbacks were well-written, and they were definitely my favorite part of the story, but the dialogue of the characters felt just a little bit modern for the older time period. That on its own would be a complete non-issue—I don’t mind suspending my disbelief for the sake of a good story, and I get that it can be hard to write antiquated dialogue without feeling like a caricature—but it feels like the author tried to compensate for it by pushing the present-day chapters into SUPER modern dialogue to contrast it. The main character, who’s supposed to be a grown woman, talks like a boomer comic parody of a 14 year old girl. The entirety of her dialogue and narration is full of dated “OMGGGG that was TOOOOTALLY CRAY-CRAY!!!!” slang that got pretty grating to read, and overall the whole plot of the modern day storyline seems like it doesn’t know what story it wants to tell: it feels disconnected, and there’s a bunch of subplots, like a stalker obsessed with the main character, that just come off as very shoehorned-in and tropey, and don’t connect to the rest of the story in a way that feels narratively satisfying. I truly hope to see improvement in the other books in this series, because the author genuinely seems like a lovely person and I hate to leave a negative discouraging review like this. I love the premise of spinning a story around Delaware’s fascinating ghost stories, but ultimately I found myself skimming through most of the actual storyline just waiting to get back to Maggie, and I think that the author would be a lot better off either sticking to historical writing, or directing her contemporary stories at a younger audience with a younger protagonist.
August 23, 2023
At an incredibly boring graduation party, Claire meets Jesse – a handsome stranger who is acquainted with the brother of her friend. Claire tells Jesse the story of Maggie’s Bridge, a local legend about a woman who was killed along with her baby in the 1880s. Desperate for something a little more fun to do, the pair along with a couple friends decide to drive to the bridge. They follow the instructions, and nothing happens…until all four hear a scream. Terrified, they run to the car and speed off, but not before Claire sees a woman on the bridge. With no head.
It's spring 2023 and Claire, who is living with now boyfriend Jesse is moving home to Delaware to help her mother open her new bookstore, The Dusty Bookshelf, while Jesse is completing his vet internship in Vermont. Claire’s mother and stepfather have recently finished renovating a beautiful 1860 home right down the road from Maggie’s Bridge. The story flips between Maggie’s story in 1880 and the present day with Claire, who is attempting to figure out what happened to Maggie.
I took me a bit to get into this but once I did, I literally couldn’t put it down. Letting the dogs out? Walking to the door while reading. Starting the shower? Walking to the bathroom while reading. Letting the dogs back in? Still reading, to the detriment of my actual job. Totally worth it though.
If you like urban legends, creepy ghost stories, or just a horror fan, this one is for you!
It's spring 2023 and Claire, who is living with now boyfriend Jesse is moving home to Delaware to help her mother open her new bookstore, The Dusty Bookshelf, while Jesse is completing his vet internship in Vermont. Claire’s mother and stepfather have recently finished renovating a beautiful 1860 home right down the road from Maggie’s Bridge. The story flips between Maggie’s story in 1880 and the present day with Claire, who is attempting to figure out what happened to Maggie.
I took me a bit to get into this but once I did, I literally couldn’t put it down. Letting the dogs out? Walking to the door while reading. Starting the shower? Walking to the bathroom while reading. Letting the dogs back in? Still reading, to the detriment of my actual job. Totally worth it though.
If you like urban legends, creepy ghost stories, or just a horror fan, this one is for you!
August 4, 2024
Local lore is always inviting. Meeting Kelly Lidji at the Festival of Words in 2023 was equally exciting in getting to talk with her as well. The familiar sites found across Delaware in this book, as well as the hint of the lore and mystery of Maggie's Bridge found near the Woodland Ferry were spun in a GREAT story.
Certainly much fascination can bring attention to local areas here in Delaware. It certainly is an understatement to say Kelly Lidji is a valuable asset to Delaware in exploring the genre of horror, suspense, mystery, and drama.
Check out episode 1 :
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...
and episode 2:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...
Certainly much fascination can bring attention to local areas here in Delaware. It certainly is an understatement to say Kelly Lidji is a valuable asset to Delaware in exploring the genre of horror, suspense, mystery, and drama.
Check out episode 1 :
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...
and episode 2:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...
August 21, 2025
What if the ghost you’re hunting… is the only one who can save you?” 👻
This isn’t just a ghost story—it’s a chilling retelling of a real Delaware legend. Maggie was a young woman who died on a bridge during a storm… and now she’s searching for her baby. Claire, a woman in the present day, becomes obsessed with Maggie’s story—and the deeper she digs, the more the line between the living and the dead starts to blur.
✨ Why You’ll Love It
• Creepy small-town vibes + local folklore 🕯️
• Told through three perspectives—living, dead, and the in-between 💀
• Mystery, heartbreak, and a haunting you won’t forget
If you love ghost stories with real emotional punch and a dash of history, Maggie, I Have Your Baby will keep you reading way past midnight. 🌙📚
This isn’t just a ghost story—it’s a chilling retelling of a real Delaware legend. Maggie was a young woman who died on a bridge during a storm… and now she’s searching for her baby. Claire, a woman in the present day, becomes obsessed with Maggie’s story—and the deeper she digs, the more the line between the living and the dead starts to blur.
✨ Why You’ll Love It
• Creepy small-town vibes + local folklore 🕯️
• Told through three perspectives—living, dead, and the in-between 💀
• Mystery, heartbreak, and a haunting you won’t forget
If you love ghost stories with real emotional punch and a dash of history, Maggie, I Have Your Baby will keep you reading way past midnight. 🌙📚
May 27, 2025
Picked up this book after meeting the author at Browseabout Books. Absolutely loved it and went back to get the rest of the series.
I'm a born and raised local on the west end of Seaford so Woodland has always been a stones throw away. Reading about places I've been to many times has been an absolute gamechanger for me while reading.
The backstory on Maggie and Elias was fantastic and heartbreaking. The flashbacks were well told and almost a shock when you went back to Claire's POV.
definitely don't sleep on this gem.
I'm a born and raised local on the west end of Seaford so Woodland has always been a stones throw away. Reading about places I've been to many times has been an absolute gamechanger for me while reading.
The backstory on Maggie and Elias was fantastic and heartbreaking. The flashbacks were well told and almost a shock when you went back to Claire's POV.
definitely don't sleep on this gem.
July 12, 2024
I thought this was a pretty good book. I really enjoyed reading it. Once I got started it was hard to put down. I like how this story is based on a true legend in Delaware and how the author fictionalized the story and made it very creepy. I like the duel timelines where we get both Maggie's point of view and Claire's point of view. I like how Claire is a local and gets wrapped up in this local legend that has been haunting her town for centuries
December 11, 2023
This book follows the story of two people. One of Claire and the other Maggie. Two very different tales but enough to draw you in. Maggie, I have your baby is over all a ghost story but it more than that as well. Claire become so consumed with the thought of Maggie that she must know the truth. Very easy read and book one of the haunting clarity series.
July 5, 2024
Kelly Lidji does an amazing job bringing the story of Maggie Bloxom to life. Kelly is a local author in the state I live in and retold the well-known urban legend in a way the reader can get to know her as a person while growing to understand the story behind her “ghost story” at the local bridge, now nicknamed “Maggie’s Bridge.”
May 31, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. It left you thinking and wanting to turn the next page. The story of Maggie from the 1800s was very interesting and I felt portrayed very well for that time error. I kept wanting to know what happened to Maggie throughout the book. The book does take place in the past and present so I did like the jump back-and-forth with the past and the modern day almost version of everything. I highly recommend this book. It is a great occult classic book.
September 2, 2025
I enjoyed this! I bought the book at a local author's group in Milford. I was not expecting to enjoy the book so much and I am happy it is a part of my shelf. I thought the character's were well rounded and although the book was short, I loved the detail put into people. I was kicking my feet during certain moments with Jesse. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.
October 8, 2025
Dual timelines, dual points of view.
Story follows an old legend, passed down for generations. Where did Maggie go? Where is her baby and who has them? Is this all made up to spook the town folks? Listen to find out - the ending is spooky!
Story follows an old legend, passed down for generations. Where did Maggie go? Where is her baby and who has them? Is this all made up to spook the town folks? Listen to find out - the ending is spooky!
September 28, 2022
Because I live in this area, and have driven over this bridge many times, plus know the legend...this book intrigued me. Kelly did an outstanding job of giving life to a legend! Well done
October 3, 2022
What a great story.
Gripping. Engaging. I could not get Maggie out of my head. If someone is looking for a Halloween read, this is my recommendation.
Gripping. Engaging. I could not get Maggie out of my head. If someone is looking for a Halloween read, this is my recommendation.
December 31, 2023
Enjoyed reading a local author and hearing the legendary love story! Looking forward to reading more from this author!
June 30, 2024
Not bad, but extremely easy to skim.
July 28, 2024
Fantastic read ! An amazing spin on a local legend !
June 26, 2025
Great read. The author made you feel like you experienced it first hand!!
October 6, 2025
Full video review is available @DarinasReads BookTok https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8AMp4Fj/ and Bookstagram.
4.5 stars rounded down to 4 - I have my reservations for solid 5 stars.
Not my regular reading choice - a book club book outside my reading comfort zone.
But I did FEEL this book - all the emotions. I felt rage, love, horror, suspense, anxiety, fear - all of it.
There was one page that I don’t think I was breathing at all while reading it. Cliché. But the suspense did made me hold my breath.
The writing is this good. It does have quite a few confusing typos (ok, more than just a few). But in general the writing is really good!
I enjoyed it. I found it had to put it down.
Yet I have my questions: how Maggie could become solid and manipulate the physical objects?
How could she see without her head?
How come she didn’t have any friends when she was alive? She lived in a tight large community with large families. There bound to be at least a couple of girls her age she could be friends with and rely on their help to pass the notes.
What happened to her parents? Did they make it that night?
How come Clair is building all her life around a man she can’t even afford to have a lease together? She doesn’t have any after school education. No paid job. No place of her own. No plans for the future. No plans to study. Just an idea to someday become a writer. She’s 23 and she is back to live with her mom “temporarily” as she thinks. I get that her mom needed help. But what would she have done without this excuse to move in with her mom? Her boyfriend is moving his career ladder, switching places, studying. And she just… floats without doing something for her own self present and future.
Why didn’t she go to college after school? She stayed with her mom for 2 years after graduating for high school and then “begged her mom to let her drive to New York” at 19. Duh… I would have thought her mom was a control freak. No, she is easy going and do-whatever-you-feel-best kind of mom. It’s just Claire - a drifter on the surface. I am not a fan of book characters like her.
Still, I liked it. Both timelines had their own suspense and kept me on edge all the way through.
4.5 stars rounded down to 4 - I have my reservations for solid 5 stars.
Not my regular reading choice - a book club book outside my reading comfort zone.
But I did FEEL this book - all the emotions. I felt rage, love, horror, suspense, anxiety, fear - all of it.
There was one page that I don’t think I was breathing at all while reading it. Cliché. But the suspense did made me hold my breath.
The writing is this good. It does have quite a few confusing typos (ok, more than just a few). But in general the writing is really good!
I enjoyed it. I found it had to put it down.
Yet I have my questions: how Maggie could become solid and manipulate the physical objects?
How could she see without her head?
How come she didn’t have any friends when she was alive? She lived in a tight large community with large families. There bound to be at least a couple of girls her age she could be friends with and rely on their help to pass the notes.
What happened to her parents? Did they make it that night?
How come Clair is building all her life around a man she can’t even afford to have a lease together? She doesn’t have any after school education. No paid job. No place of her own. No plans for the future. No plans to study. Just an idea to someday become a writer. She’s 23 and she is back to live with her mom “temporarily” as she thinks. I get that her mom needed help. But what would she have done without this excuse to move in with her mom? Her boyfriend is moving his career ladder, switching places, studying. And she just… floats without doing something for her own self present and future.
Why didn’t she go to college after school? She stayed with her mom for 2 years after graduating for high school and then “begged her mom to let her drive to New York” at 19. Duh… I would have thought her mom was a control freak. No, she is easy going and do-whatever-you-feel-best kind of mom. It’s just Claire - a drifter on the surface. I am not a fan of book characters like her.
Still, I liked it. Both timelines had their own suspense and kept me on edge all the way through.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews