LOT 16 WAS NEVER TO BE SOLD.
Generations pass and the estate’s directive is overturned.
Situated on a grassy hilltop overlooking a lake and wildlife preserve, the 30-acre parcel is perfect for Nora and Dex. They’ll escape their city’s rising crime, build a home with an amazing view, work remotely, and start a family.
Only, their idyllic sanctuary becomes anything but.
A troubled spirit haunts the land, forcing Nora to find clues to an unsolved mystery. Clues, which have been hidden for 70 years.
Nora must find them or risk the lives of those she loves.
In this excellent supernatural who-done-it, Ash (Mystified) deftly reveals a family’s dark secrets and their grave affect on an unknowing young couple who have purchased and moved onto family land. After being shoved onto train tracks while commuting to her Baltimore job, Nora has had it with city life. She and her husband Dex buy farmland in small-town Pennsylvania. As they build their dream house, Nora and Dex start to hear rumors of a deep, dark multigenerational secret—and a curse on Lot 16, their new home. A 70-year-old missing persons’ case is tied to the farm, the disappearance of 18-year-old Isabelle, and Isabelle in ghost form is soon exhorting Nora to uncover the truth about her disappearance.But Isabelle’s not the only ghost in town. As Ash conjures creepy scenes of flies and thunderstorms with an emotionally resonant edge, the couple must also contend with an unidentified malevolent spirit who is equally as determined to keep the truth from coming to light. And neither Ash nor that ghost are playing around, as the couple faces scares, shocks, and even injuries as Nora gets closer to the truth, an especially frightening situation once she discovers she’s pregnant. “I kept a few test kits on hand since Dex and I weren’t not trying,” Nora announces in narration, the line offhandedly suggesting the depth and precision of Ash’s character work. Readers will root for this compelling protagonist’s unrelenting quest to find out the truth about Isabelle’s death and safeguard her family’s future.
Ash notes in her afterword that she grew up in a haunted house, and it may have been those experiences (in addition to her demonstrable writing talent) that allowed her to develop such realistic and nuanced paranormal elements. Ash expertly pulls readers through a fast-paced plot riddled with tense scenes, portents of the beyond, and tantalizing red herrings that will keep readers turning the pages quickly. This arresting paranormal thriller shouldn’t be missed.
Takeaway: This first-rate paranormal pits a couple versus ghosts in a small town.
Comparable Titles: Shawn McGuire’s Family Secrets, Lisa Stone’s The Cottage.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
"An atmospheric, chilling, and riveting ghost story that’s perfect for Halloween."
“Find Them is a fascinating story that combines thrilling suspense, paranormal activity, and a deeply concealed family secret. Readers who enjoy horror stories, especially those rich in history, will be reeled into Ash’s masterpiece. But be prepared; the content may have you shivering and looking over your shoulder in fear as the haunting story unravels!” – Stephanie Elizabeth Long for Reader Views (5-Stars)
