The Unquiet Grave – Sharyn McCrumb

You have to admit that Zona and Trout made a beautiful couple.  She with her hazel eyes and strawberry blond hair, him with his crinkly black hair and sculptured face. But their hasty marriage was doomed from the start. Zona didn’t care a whit about cooking or house cleaning, and Trout loved to eat, and expected a neat and tidy place to live in. Sounds like not much that couldn’t be fixed, but in Greenbrier County, West Virginia in 1897, those were major problems. You wouldn’t think they’d be so major as to provoke him to kill her. But that’s just what happened. He’d of gotten away with it, too, if Zona’s ghost hadn’t interfered.

Sharyn McCrumb has once again written a compelling story, mixing historical events with fiction. This time she uses extensive genealogical research to retell the folk story of the Greenbrier Ghost, a well known mountain folk tale. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. It would be fine for older teens and I highly recommend it.

eGalley review                                 Publication date 6.20.17