I got this good-condition hardcover from the ongoing charity-sale shelves at Hannaford's; looks like a nice Gothic horror story.

Later: Yep, lots of elements of classic horror, including several nods to M. R. James in the "oops, we broke the tomb that has a do-not-touch warning on it" sense, with increasingly mysterious things happening after that. The narrator is an academic with interests of his own, and keeps putting off responding to the desperate pleas for help from the initial victim - even after he's quite sure that something evil and supernatural is involved. It's partly that he knows enough to be afraid, and to realize that he doesn't have the knowledge to put an end to the problem by himself...

The story has nice atmosphere but I did find that it dragged a bit; might have worked better as a short story. But by the end there's a well-earned victory - and a nicely-creepy suggestion that maybe it's not over after all!

I plan to leave this book in or near the Tap House at around 3, when I stop by for food; hope the finder enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2017 Spooktacular October release challenge. ***

*** Released for the 2017 Tick Tock release challenge, for the embedded "AD" in the title. ***

*** Released for the 2017 You're Such an Animal release challenge, for the embedded "shad" in the title. ***