THE GHOST OF BLACK HAWK ISLAND

The plot when described may have a familiar ring, but under the pen of August Derieth, it takes on a certain uniqueness. 'Way back in 1923 two young boys decide to take advantage of the scenic islands in the Wisconsin River for a vacation of swimming and fishing. Once on Black Hawk Island, the appearance of an ""Indian ghost"", chanting in the black of night, unnerves but cannot terrorize two such practical fellows. Why they query, should someone want them off the island? In several subsequent trips to the mainland by canoe, they hear of a jewelry theft and now assuming the roles of amateur detectives, they carefully research their deductions. Having come upon both the loot and the thief, the boys outrun the villain and arrive at the mainland only to be accused of the theft themselves. Vindication is swift however and the boys return home and once again in Fred Jones' harness shop where it all began, look back over their experience. The mystery is tidy, at times even chilling; the flavor revealed through a first person account is pleasantly homespun.