So I’ve deleted the Twitter app from my phone (I still have an account but am not using it just now) and am not reading anyone’s posts on Facebook because so many are sharing things that, frankly, frighten me. So, to combat this, I’m reading ghost (and other unexplained mystery) stories.
Yes, to escape the real world during lockdown I’ve been using my Kindle Unlimited subscription to discover “real” spooky tales. I recommend these as a great way to bury your head in the sand for a few hours!
First up, and my favourite so far, is Credible Witness by Andy Gilbert. The author is not a “professional” writer, he’s a retired UK police officer who gathered together some accounts from his colleagues around England and put them into this book, and the sequel, Credible Witness II, which is also well worth a punt. You can expect to read about haunted police stations (noises mostly, but also shadowy figures), disembodied voices, mysterious sensations and, my personal favourite, a ghostly joy-rider. The style is very dry and matter-of-fact which actually lends credence to the officers’ accounts and makes both books much more, well, credible in my opinion. There’s no sensationalism or flowery prose in an attempt to tart it all up and it works extremely well. Both volumes are short and I don’t think the author had all that much material to work with so you are left wanting more but that’s not his fault. I just hope he gets more accounts and does a part 3. If you’re an ex-UK copper and have a story, please send it to him, you can find him on Facebook as “Andy Gilbert writer & comedy performer”.
Here’s the link to the first, 5-star book, give it a go! LINK
The second is by Steph Young. I came to her book because I’m quite interested in the “Missing 411” phenomenon which, if you don’t know, is about the incredibly high number of people who go missing from mostly US national parks under very strange circumstances. They’re often found miles away from where they should be, maybe high up on inaccessible cliffs or something. The guy who brought this to the world’s attention is David Paulides but his books are only available through him and cost a small fortune, while Steph Young has written similar ones that you can get cheaply on Kindle. However, when I looked her up on Amazon, this title caught my eye: Tales of Mystery Unexplained.
Hmm. Well, I just went to get the link for this and apparently it’s unavailable as there were so many quality issues in it. That’s a shame – I thought it was really in need of a proof reader but still enjoyed it a lot. Hopefully the author sorts it out and makes it available again because it’s worth a look and was actually number 1 in its chart the other day.
Cases covered are UFO’s, ghosts and others like creepy and mysterious disappearances such as the sad story of Elisa Lam (if you don’t know about this, check out the video of her in her hotel lift the night she disappeared HERE).
Check out Tales of Mystery Unexplained on Amazon here: LINK
The last book I’ve been reading is not spooky, it’s a fantasy book I first read when I was about 12. I guess it’s aimed at teenagers or young adults but that just means it’s an easy read and perfect escapism for these scary days. Dragons of Autumn Twilight kicked off the Dragonlance series which became something of a phenomenon in the 80’s. I really loved the characters and, although it is rather twee and simplistic (don’t expect Game of Thrones style violence or sex) the Dragonlance books are a lot of fun. Not all of them, of course, as there’s bloody hundreds of them now, but the original set of four, plus the LEGENDS trilogy, are still good. Unfortunately they’re not on Kindle Unlimited so you’ll have to pay for them! Also worth a look are the original Shannara books, starting with The Sword of Shannara which I reviewed HERE a couple of years ago.
LINK to Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Don’t forget, my own books are ALL available FREE on Kindle Unlimited worldwide, and The Druid is free on Prime Reading in the UK and Canada just now. You can also get most of my books for FREE with a month’s trial on Audible. Worth a look!
STEVEN A. McKAY - Historical Fiction Author 