Drawing inspiration from Edith Wharton’s ghost story “Kerfol,” this collection of five linked stories follows the mysterious and frightening events at a French estate over the centuries. The first story retells the events of Wharton’s original, in which a young woman is convicted of murdering her husband, the aging lord of the manor. Subsequent stories feature a visiting artist, a spoiled rich girl, an American couple and a deaf gardener. All are visited by the various spirits that haunt the estate: Dead dogs roam the property, frightening visitors; a murdered lord seeks revenge for his untimely death; a beautiful maiden mourns her lost love in the orchards. Told from a variety of perspectives, each story builds on the last, drawing the reader deeper into the passion and misery that wind their way through the estate. Beautiful and genuinely frightening. (Fiction. 12 & up)
