A collection of G.M.Hague's first three 'Paranormal Tales' novellas, this brings together classic horror and traditional ghost stories into a full-length book that will keep you awake long into the night and leaving the lights on. In 'Death Wish' a woman fervently wishes her adored husband wasn't dead - and gets far more than she wanted. 'The Girl in the Back Seat' is a cautionary tale about picking up hitchhikers. Teenage girls can be difficult, especially when their unhappy spirits become obsessed with the living. 'Footprints in the Snow' shows that war can be hell in an entirely different way. The strange abbey in the forest can never be a sanctury for anyone.
These three stories have everything for the true horror fan - ghosts, zombies, and terrifying mysteries from beyond the grave.
Simon Hall went to his class reunion to catch up with his first sweetheart, his best friend, and anyone else who might remember Simon. On the night, no one except Simon got to talk with Edward Bitter, the social outcast, the class pariah. That's because Bitter is dead - he was killed several years earlier. Nobody told Simon he was talking to a spectre.
Why would a ghost come to a class reunion? What dreadful secrets are the classmates keeping? Should Simon be scared after this one strange encounter with the paranormal?
Edward Bitter's unhappy spirit certainly has an axe to grind with the class of 2001. Not just Simon, but everyone should be very frightened indeed. No one liked Bitter when he was alive. Bitter is even more unpleasant now that he's dead.
Jacob Good was a man who could expect to see many ghosts. Angry spirits - and the wraiths of men and women filled with hate for Jacob - paraded their soured souls in front of him, surrounding Jacob with their rage.
After all, Jacob had killed a lot of people.
Now, a frightening, tragic ghost is taunting Jacob as he's about to retire, making his life a nightmare, and demanding that Jacob make sure the last guilty murderer doesn't miss his appointment with Jacob's noose. But who is to be Jacob's final victim? And do they deserve to escape the rope, or not? Will Jacob's last killing be a dreadful mistake?
A voyage of the Damned.
The annual blessing of the fishing fleet is more than a ceremony, it provides God's protection from the demons of the sea. But Captain John Boston has no time for God and holy sanctions. The church has betrayed him, with the local priest refusing to protect his sister from a violent husband, and Boston's wife is seriously ill.
The trawler hasn't had much luck this season and people are whispering that God has indeed turned his gaze from John Boston too, because he didn't accept the priest's traditional blessing. Now the boat is sailing one last time to try and fill its holds with fish. There's more than a mysterious fog, bad weather, and empty nets waiting for them.
The devil has a boat of his own and he's out on the cold ocean, trawling for dead men and their souls.
Giving a ride to a teenage girl hitchhiking in the middle of nowhere can be a bad idea, especially if they slip into the back seat unseen - because they're a lost and troubled spirit condemned to wander the lonely roads forever. Teenagers like Rachael can be obsessive, angry, and unreasonable, and they'll fall in love in a heartbeat. Being dead doesn't make any difference. Darren and Jean Madden should never have opened the car doors that night when their station wagon mysteriously broke down. Jean has always known her attractive husband would be a hard man to keep. Rachael won't take no for an answer. Even ghosts won't wait forever.
When dreams turn to nightmares. It was just an old bed, bought for the spare room. Except that a hundred years earlier a witch called Rose slept in it. Now Rose's unhappy spirit comes as part of the deal. An angry ghost comes with the bed. That's not what you'd call a bargain.
Angela and Nathan are a young couple, married only two years before.
Rose's spirit despises happy couples.
Sleeping in the bed promises erotic dreams with perfect lovers. A woman more passionate and daring than your wife, a man more considerate and satisfying than your husband. Before long, the dreams are much better than any reality.
Three's a crowd in any relationship, especially when one of those three is already dead.
When someone returns from the dead, it's never going to be good - no matter who it is. No one warned Linda that something dreadful was listening, waiting for the chance, feeding off her grief, when she unwittingly wished aloud that her husband Brian was still alive. She never meant that he should escape his grave. Now, to put things right, Linda has to play a frightening game with the mysterious, disturbing undertaker, James Bracken. The rules are impossible, horrifying. It's a good thing Linda didn't throw away Brian's favorite chair. He still likes to sit there, watching the blank television.
Emerging from the winter storm, it appeared to be a sanctuary, shelter from the freezing blizzard and the ravages of a desperate, final battle. But instead, the beckoning gates of the mysterious abbey are the entrance to a different kind of hell. The frightening shadows and maze of confusing hallways and rooms conceal things much more terrifying than the enemy beyond the walls. Sergeant Muller and his German Army platoon have witnessed countless horrors since the start of the war, but they still don't believe in ghosts or the dead returning from the grave. That's all about to change.
