Seaside Spectres

In the preface to this book the author writes that he was first intrigued with this kind of book during his childhood as he read books by a trio of well-known authors of this type of book. Among the books he mentioned was a book by Nancy Roberts that also led to my fascination with ghost stories. I immediately knew that I had found a kindred spirit, pun intended. There are a few flaws that I found in this book but the obvious respect the author holds for his subject matter more than make up for any shortcomings. There are very few recent accounts by witnesses to be found in this book and those accounts always add greatly to this type book. There are also a few stories that have nothing at all to do with ghosts and that always gets under my skin. Much to the author's credit however, it is very clear that he has an open mind on the subject of ghosts and is not writing a simple collection of what he views as pure folklore. That kind of condescending attitude can ruin the best of ghost books and it is not present here at all. Daniel Barefoot takes his readers on a spiritual journey all along North Carolina's coast, an area where supernatural events are to be found in abundance. He has done an excellent job of avoiding ghost stories that have been told and retold in numerous other books and only the story of, "Aunt Nora" was familiar to me. Considering the many North Carolina ghost books in my collection that in itself was quite a feat for this author. Also, Barefoot tells his readers how to reach some of the sites he writes about, especially if the reader will be likely to see something that is mentioned in the story. On a recent trip to coastal North Carolina I passed very close to some of the points mentioned and I really wish I had read this book before my trip. Barefoot's writing style is very pleasing and it takes no time to breeze through this book. At the end you will find yourself wanting more and I'm happy to say that there is more to be had. This is only volume one in a series of three volumes that cover every county in North Carolina. Maybe I'll get the other two volumes for Christmas. Read this book on a cool windy October evening like I did and you will almost be able to hear the Tar River banshee as she wails outside your window. You might even catch a glimpse of Whit Stallings as he checks to make sure you are not after his treasure.