Book Review: Seven Ghostly Spins by Patricia Bossano

Seven Ghostly Spins by Patricia Bossano
Reviewed by Emerian Rich

I met Patricia Bossano at the Berkley Book Fair and she impressed upon me she’s a bright, energetic author with loads of imagination. Her main book series, Faerie Legacy, features a teen girl living in the faerie realm. But I am here to talk about her ghost story book, Seven Ghostly Spins, which also includes one story by her daughter, Kelsey E. Gerard.

A collection of paranormal tales based on harrowing legends and nightmares, Seven Ghostly Spins reads more like a haunted travel book than a fiction book. For those of you who like realism in your ghost stories, you will enjoy the walk through seven worlds where humans aren’t quite sure if they are in the real world or dealing with something supernatural.

My favorite story in the book is “By the Iron Gate” which tells the story of a girl who—in the 70’s—has haunting dreams that are manifested by a real love story that took place on the same property in the early 1900’s. The description and way this story unfolds is so realistic, it had me wondering if some of the imaginings I have experienced were maybe just real event impressions from beyond.

The other stories included are:

Alison–The adage goes “no self-respecting theater house is without its ghost”
Peery’s Egyptian Theater; Ogden’s historic movie palace, joined the ranks in 1924.

She Caught a Ride–Gone but not Forgotten
Night after night, young Florence awaits a secret signal,

Abiku–In this paranormal thriller, a seventeen-year-old boy unwittingly summons a demon from across the sea, setting off a heart-stopping countdown into madness.

A Curse Lifted–Experience the power of a parting gift.

205 1/2 25th Street–A haunting encounter featuring the legendary Rosetta Duccini Davie; seductive madam of the most elegant brothel on Two-Bit Street in the mid 1940’s: The Rose Rooms.

Carolina Blue–Hundreds have heard the anguished scream or have seen the wisp of blue on the railroad tracks… only a precious few will overcome experiencing the lady’s haunting cries.

Several of the stories have a little blurb about the real place or ghost the story was based on so you may be able to visit or look more into the location. A couple of these tales, including “Allison,” are truly heartbreaking. Most of the stories revolve around teens, so that makes the book skew younger just by theme alone.

The majority of these stories will be too tame for the hard-core horror junkie, but if you are looking for a good gateway for your younger family members, are into real ghost stories, or maybe just want to read something light and creepy, this book is for you.