PHOTOGRAPHS OF OCTOBER

Two college professors deal with the ghosts of their ancestors in this debut novel.

When photography professor Olivia Norwich agrees to take a series of photos for Warren’s Harvest Festival, she sees it as nothing more than an opportunity to earn some quick cash. But odd things start happening once she starts snapping photos around the small Kansas town. First, there’s the unsettling image of a skeletal horse that appears in her prints. She is also plagued by bizarre visions and “random memories” as well as a strange “musical voice” in her head. Curious about the town’s past, she turns to Dr. Simon Monroe, a fellow professor at the local university with a particular interest in Warren’s macabre history (and a fascination with the notorious headless horseman). But Simon has his own problems—persistent headaches and inexplicable blank spots in his memory. Then there are the missing women, who all bear an unusual resemblance to Olivia. Olivia and Simon try to unravel the mystery while confronting their growing attraction to each other. Meanwhile, alternating chapters set a century earlier and rich in historical details (especially related to late 19th-century photography) tell the story of a love triangle involving Evelyn Weatherford, her childhood friend Austin Hearth, and Warren’s Mayor William Monroe. Deppner spins a gripping tale. Though the plot is at times convoluted, she conjures a vivid prairie gothic atmosphere, bringing to life a small town troubled by the misdeeds of its long-dead residents. The creepy story delivers chills aplenty, as when Olivia visits William’s former home and encounters a terrifying, “gargoyle-like” creature with “humanoid features” and “covered in what looked like tar or black mud or thick oil.” William—the story’s villain—is a nasty piece of work, the kind of man who would be scary even without the added twist of likely demonic possession. The inventively grisly finale to William, Evelyn, and Austin’s tragic tale will stick in readers’ minds for some time.

This entertaining historical/supernatural thriller digs deep into the seedy underbelly of a Midwestern town.