One problem with ghost stories is that the characters always have to do something stupid in order to advance the plot. My husband and I have some trouble with our suspension of disbelief when this happens. Other than that this was very entertaining. We really enjoyed the author's note at the end. ( )

This is a bit too much like the "Haunting of Hill House" to be particularly interesting. I did love the narrator who told the story of a group of people in the late 1800's who gather together on the Island of Dorn to investigate strange happenings including the death of the original family and several others later.

There are strange happenings: the fire mysteriously goes out, someone is seen in bed and in the kitchen at the same time, equipment is moved. etc. This is the beginning of the wireless and one of the individuals is setting up an experiment with it. There are several women, including a writer of murder mysteries and a recent widow who has had strange visitations in the past. Another man is a professional "magician" or one who debunks the beliefs of the occult and psychic which was so popular at this time.

A sort of good read to listen to while walking. ( )

Josiah Frost narrates the story of an expedition to Dorn Island, where a supposed haunted house is, along with William James, Adam Winter, Catherine, Madeline, Mrs. Northrup, and other members of the Society for Psychical Research. They want to scientifically test to see if there is a real haunting at play in the mysterious history of the house, though some are more skeptical than others. What they begin to experience has them unsure if they can trust each other, even as they try to get to the bottom of the cause of the phenomena they experience, which gets creepier the longer they stay.

This is the sort of (possibly) ghost story that I can enjoy, giving you just a hint of creepiness and chills but not paralyzing fear. Josiah annoyed me at times. He seems to think that either of the young women on the expedition are there to fall in love with him, and gets a chip on his shoulder about feeling like an outsider with the rest of the group that I wasn't sure was true or just in his mind. Also... well, for making a point of saying no one should be alone, Josiah ends up alone and doing simply foolhardy things a couple of times. All that aside, however, the story does have the atmosphere to tingle your spine on a fall day in front of a fire. It's an audio original and ably read by Julian Rhind-Tutt who only falters a bit on the American accent of William James as many Brits do putting the wrong sort of emphasis on the "r's". I also enjoyed the author's note explaining where Larson took from real life. ( )

Erik Larsen has long been one of my favourite non-fiction writers, and when I saw that he had created a fiction book, I had to listen to it. This book is Erik Larsen's examination of metaphysics and the occult which was very popular at the end of the 19 century and into the early 20 century. The book has only been released as an audiobook because Erik Larsen himself states that "it is is the only way to experience a ghost story, especially while sitting in a cozy darkened room with a glowing fire and a a glass of something in your hand," The book includes some real historical people, as well as some fictional characters who together encompass the actual ideas and beliefs of the occult during this time. The book is set in early 20 th century England, and introduces an intrepid band of ghost hunters led by William James (who is a real historical figure well-known to be involved in metaphysical phenomenon.). This group sets sail to an island in the north Atlantic called Dorn where an entire family had disappeared mysteriously years ago. The Isle of Dorn is fictional, but groups and societies like this were quite commonplace during this time. There is an undercurrent of danger on Dorn that is felt by all members of the group, and when mysterious things start occurring, and when bodies keep turning up on the beach, the group knows they are not alone on this mysterious island. Erik Larsen is right. This is a great way to experience a ghost story, and the narrator, Julian Rhind-Tutt, does a great job reading this creepy, believable ghost story. As Erik Larson himself says at the end of the book, he thought this fictional offering would be a nice change for fans of his more grisly and hard-hitting non-fiction books that paint such realistic pictures of some of he world's better known evil geniuses, like Dr. Hawley Crippen, H.H. Holmes, and Adolf Hitler. I did enjoy listening to this book, and appreciated the insight into the early days of metaphysical beliefs, and the groups and societies that were formed throughout the world at the turn of the century. The memberships of these groups included some very well-known people of the time. ( )

This year's spooky season read is a historical fiction novella by one of my favorite narrative nonfiction authors. It was released only on audio because, as Larson explained, ghost stories are meant to be told aloud. I was happy to get this one from my library just in time for Halloween, and I listened to it for an hour or so each night, in bed with the lights off for maximum effect.

The cast of characters is a mix of real-life historical figures, like William James (brother of novelist Henry), who really was a psychologist who pioneered research into "psychical phenomena," and fictional creations who are either loosely based on real people or entirely made up for the purposes of the plot. The story is narrated by Josiah, a young scientist who is working for the General Post Office on the nascent technology of wireless communication. In 1905, Josiah joins James and a group of researchers on a trip to the Isle of Dorn off the Cornish coast to investigate several mysterious disappearances over the years, including an entire family of four.

The researchers are a nice mix of skeptics, like the infuriatingly smug Adam Winter, true believers like the son of a famous medium and the lovely Catherine, and those with an inquiring but open mind like James and the lovely Madeline. (Indeed, the sheer number of romantic pairings-off in this short novella would do a 21st-century teen comedy proud). The island setting and the house that stands upon it are beautiful and serene, making it hard to believe that anything evil could lurk within. But mysterious things start happening from the first night the researchers spend on the island, and Josiah and the rest must figure out whether someone is playing pranks or if there's a more sinister force at work.

This is not the sort of hair-raising horror that will make you afraid to walk down the dark hall to the bathroom (Stephen King, I'm looking at you). But it's nicely atmospheric and the tension ratchets up in a satisfying way. Carrying on past the climactic scene seemed to be a miscalculation, as it's a bit deflating to read a summation of what happens to each of the main characters in the years following their experience on the Isle of Dorn, but then right at the end there's a secondary twist that kind of pulls it all together and ties the story off neatly.

In terms of audiobook quality, the narrator Julian Rhind-Tutt is fine, though the American accent he attempts for William James is a bit wobbly. It's far from the worst I've ever listened to, though, and didn't really detract from getting engrossed in the narrative. ( )