There’s something amazing about a used book that a brand new one seems to lack. Perhaps it’s the little curls of the pages of a well-read book, or, if you’re very lucky like I was in finding a copy of this book, an author’s signature. Whatever it is, I thoroughly enjoyed spotting the clues of this book’s previous owner as well as the ghost stories and history pinned by Steven Vernon in Halifax Haunts. I even found a shopping list wedged between the pages! I do hope they remembered those TV dinners.

What inspired me to pick up this book in the first place is that this year I plan to write a continuation to my novella The Unforgivable Act, a Baumont Bros. Circus Mystery #1, and needed to do a bit of research before plunging into this tale which will be set in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the late 19th century. But what kept me reading to the very end was Vernon’s story-telling skills and the geographical significance that all of these ghost stories take place in.

The only thing I wish this book had more of was the historical events and how exactly all of these ghosts people are seeing died. There were many stories that had this information, but a few fascinating ones didn’t have it which makes me wonder if the information has just been lost with time.

My favorite part of this book was learning about all the secret tunnels underneath the city of Halifax and George’s Island. No one’s sure why they’re there and this bit of mystery makes my imagination wander with all the possibilities!

If you enjoy learning about a new place and find ghost stories thrilling, I would highly recommend this book. It’s a short read, includes a map so that you can follow along with each story, and it even has pictures so you can feel like you’ve actually traveled to Halifax!