Published : 1913 Format: E-book Genre : Occult Mystery / Horror short story collection Pages: 241

This is a series of occult detective stories centered around Thomas Carnacki . He is a pleasant , smart , and experienced detective . The stories are typically told at dinner parties he holds .

First Story : The Gateway Of The Monster

“Flesh and blood can do nothing , Sir , against devils; and that’s whats in the Grey Room after dark.”

Summary : Our Hero investigates the Grey Room , a place where 3 people have been strangled. Maybe we can just close off the room guys .

Second Story : The House Among The Laurels

“As though the report had been a signal , all the doors along the north and east walls moved slowly open , and Wentworth and his men were staring , frightened , into the black shapes of the empty doorways.”

Summary : A man named Wentworth buys a manor where two tramps died mysteriously , so naturally , he invites the local villagers to spend the night … that sounds dangerous .

Third Story : The Whistling Room

“It’s not ordinary whistling , and it isn’t the wind . Wait till you hear it.”

Summary : Our hero investigates Iastrae Castle , a place that has a room where a mysterious noise frightens the owners . This is one of my favorite short stories with some cool visuals .

Fourth Story : The Horse Of The Invisible

“I gathered from the records that the haunting of the girls was so constant and horrible that two of the girls lovers fairly ran away from their lady-loves.”

Summary : For several generations of the Hisgins family if the eldest turned out to be a woman the unlucky lady would meet a violent end . That sucks but I guess if the guy still wants to marry you after knowing that then you got a keeper .

Fifth Story : The Searcher Of The End House

“I mean , it is so often like that – one suddenly knows about a thing that really recorded itself on one’s consciousness , perhaps a year before.”

Summary : This time Carnaki is investigating a case involving his own mother . Such a good boy .

Sixth Story : The Thing Invisible

“They’ve been rather proud of this , I could see , until , suddenly , quite lately , the ghost has started being dangerous – deadly dangerous , too – the butler being nearly stabbed to death in the chapel with a queer old dagger.”

Summary : An old chapel is being haunted by a ghost dagger . This ghost is making it’s point .

Seventh Story : The Hog

“A failure to be what I might term efficiently insulated – spiritually – from the outer monstrosities . “

Summary : A man believes his soul is in Hell due to his nightmares . Damn , Carnaki really goes beyond for people .

Eighth Story : The Haunted Jarvee

“They get frightened and they see things and they feel things . An’ I’ve lost a power o’men out of her . Fallen from a loft , you know . She’s getting a bad name.”

Summary : Our hero investigates a friends haunted old ship , Carnaki’s a real homie for that .

Ninth Story : The Find

“If I were a rich man I would gladly give a thousand pounds to possess it.”

A one of a kind book suddenly gets a second copy . Carnaki investigates how that’s possible . Not going to lie , this one doesn’t hit as hard as the other stories .

Review : This is overall a good collection of ghost detective stories . Some are fake hauntings, some are real, and they do a good job of keeping you guessing which . You can get the collection pretty cheap online so get it if you are like me and just enjoy a nice ghost detective story .

Recommendations : Books

1. The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker
2. Dark Water by Koji Suzuki
3. Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg
4. Hell House by Richard Matheson
5. The Little White Trip : A Night in the Pines by Peter Joseph Gallagher

Songs

1. Twilight Zone – Golden Earring
2. Ghosts – Michael Jackson
3. Hellhound On My Trail – Robert Johnson
4. Son of a Wolf – Powerwolf
5. Ghost riders in the Sky – Johnny Cash

Movies

1. Lord of Illusions (1995)
2. Angel Heart (1987)
3. The X-Files (1998)
4. Soloman Kane (2009)
5. Van Helsing (2004)

Lesson : Learn how to make an electric pentacle !