Green Tea and Other Ghost Stories, by J. Sheridan LeFanu. Dover Publications, 1993; reissued 2015; originally written in the 1800s

LeFanu is highly thought of by a lot of horror aficionados, so I was exciting to have a chance to read this book. Dover’s edition is not the full volume that was published in the 40s; this book has four stories in it. “Green Tea” is the tale of a man haunted because he’s overstimulated his brain and body with, well, green tea; a demon of sorts follows him everywhere. “Squire Toby’s Will” is the tale of a father and two sons, and what happens when a parent favors one child too much over the other, creating hatred that transcends the grave. “The Fortunes of Robert Ardagh” and “Sir Dominic’s Bargain” are both deals with the devil tales, the second being a superior story. ‘Ardagh’ fails to deliver the creepiness for some reason.

LeFanu’s prose is lovely, if slow, to read. It comes from the era where something being ‘a fast read’ wasn’t a concern. It’s ornamental and lyrical in high Gothic manner. It creates an air of extreme tension in ‘Green Tea’, and dread in the others. If you like old school horror, try these tales. 

The above is an affiliate link. If you click through and buy something- anything- Amazon will give me a few cents. 

This book was given to me in return for a fair review by Net Galley. 

Neither of these things influenced my review.  

The Vanishing, by Wendy Webb. Hyperion, 2014

When Julia’s husband commits suicide after getting caught bilking people of millions, the courts come after all their assets, and reporters are hounding her, she doesn’t know what to do. So when Adrian Sinclair offers her a chance to come work as his mother’s companion and disappear off the radar, she takes the opportunity and leaves on the spot. But there are a few odd things about the situation; Amaris Sinclair has officially been dead for ten years, for starters. Their mansion is in the middle of untouched forest near Lake Superior, and they own the only town near it. Julia is having trouble remembering the actual trip to Havenwood. Her medications have been dumped. The only phone she’s found in the house vanishes after she makes one call. It’s obvious there are a lot of secrets- and ghosts.

The story starts out rather chilling. The sense that Julia is in danger is palpable, and she doesn’t know who she can trust. But it turns out somewhat fluffy, and many things are never explained- while other things are explained to death, with long expositions that tell rather than show. There are hints of reincarnation that are never explored. The story frustrated me, because it had a lot of potential and I didn’t feel it was done as well as it could have been. Not a great book by any means but if you want some creepies on a dark and stormy night it’s okay. 

The above is an affiliate link. If you click through and buy something, Amazon will pay me a few cents. This in no way influenced my review.