The Horror Bookshelf

BOOK INFO

Length: 51 Pages

Publisher: Samhain Horror

Continuing my review of Hunter Shea’s series of books featuring Jessica Backman, next up is the novella The Graveyard Speaks, which is a direct tie-in to Sinister Entity. While Forest of Shadows shows a glimpse of Jessica thirteen years after the events in Shida, The Graveyard Speaks is our first real look at what Jessica is up to and how she handled the trauma of her past.

The Graveyard Speaks follows Jessica as she re-launches her father’s website, fearnone.com, and attempts to continue his work investigating paranormal phenomena. She receives a message from Jimmy Felton, a night guard at Woodlawn Cemetery, who claims he has seen a ghost by the same grave night after night. Along with her friend Angela, Jessica sets up an investigation into the haunting armed with nothing more than her bravery and a tripod camera. Their first investigation into the mysterious events surrounding the Spooner grave gives them a bit more than they expected as they witness an enormous shadow form around the grave site before seeping into the ground  chilling screams can be heard coming from beneath the earth. Now that Jessica has confirmed Felton’s sightings first hand, she begins going back and gathering more evidence. As she uncovers the details about the life and death of Meredith Spooner, she soon finds herself in a dangerous situation that pushes her skills to the limit.

While The Graveyard Speaks features plenty of scares and an intriguing mystery behind the haunting at the Woodlawn Cemetery, the reason I loved this novella was the way Shea builds up Jessica’s character. In Forest of Shadows, Jessica is a six-year-old who has a very distinct identity, but it is largely John’s story. However, now in her late teens, Jessica has developed into an even stronger character who is fearless and does not let her age or anything else stand in her way. She is strong, confident and a bit of a smartass, which are only a few of the reasons she is such an endearing character. The events of Forest of Shadows could have easily traumatized her for life, but instead, she uses it as fuel to drive her passion of helping others. She even graduated high school early and now studies anthropology at Hofstra University.

We also learn that Jessica has a very unique ability in regards to spirits, or as she refers to them, “EB’s”. I don’t want to give it away for those who have yet to read the books, but it is something that sets her apart from your run-of-the-mill paranormal investigator. The Graveyard Speaks works well as a stand-alone story like the rest of the books featuring Jessica, but I loved this little twist because it builds off an important scene in Forest of Shadows that shows Jessica may have a truly special gift.

This was a pretty quick and entertaining read and for those who are on the fence about checking out the books featuring Jessica Backman, this is a good place to start. The book is available for free through Samhain Horror and captures Hunter’s excellent storytelling ability that is present in all of his books.

Rating: 4/5

LINKS

Hunter Shea’s Official Website

Samhain Horror’s Official Website

Purchase The Graveyard Speaks on Amazon (Free e-book)