From the author of the "wonderfully crafted" (San Francisco Book Review) Ghost on Black Mountain comes a haunting gothic novel set in the Depression-era South about two young women who form an unlikely alliance when the spirit of a dead woman takes up residence in their home.Shelly Parker, a sixteen-year-old servant who works for the tyrannical Pastor Dobbins and his family, has had the gift of sight for as long as she can remember. She's grown accustomed to coexisting with the spirits of the dead who roam Black Mountain, telling Shelly their stories and warning her of the dangers that surround her. When the ghost of Arleen Brown, a poor woman who died on the mountain during childbirth five years earlier, begins to pursue Pastor's daughter Faith-hell-bent on revealing a terrible secret that she took to her grave-Shelly is the only person that can help her. The two young women soon find themselves tangled up in a web of secrets and lies that takes them from Black Mountain to the murky saltwater marshes of Georgia, uncovering long-hidden truths that put their own lives in danger
Atmospheric and infused with supernatural elements, Hite's novel is a rich and wonderfully eerie tale that will stay with you long after the story ends.
Industry Reviews
The Storycatcher transports you high atop rural Black Mountain, North Carolina, smack in the middle of a gothic tale so haunting and with characters and voices so authentic you'd swear you were living amongst them. Ann Hite's ability to weave the reader through the pages of the story catches you off guard with each and every spooky twist. Impossible to put it down. Brilliant!--Lisa Patton "bestselling author of Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter"
"The Storycatcher is a riveting tale of right, wrong, and vengeance. Restless souls (on Earth, as well as from the spirit world) can find peace only through justice, and at times, only by working together. Ann Hite writes brilliantly about the human condition - in this world and the next."--Amy Hill Hearth "author of Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society"
"Haunting and daring, The Storycatcher grasps readers by the wrists and pulls them into world where the only boundary is the one of unfinished business. Ann Hite is a fearless writer who leaves her readers breathless, always looking back over their shoulders, unaware of the turn up ahead. The Storycatcher is riveting southern gothic literature. Hite has written an unforgettable novel that is lyrical and beautiful, absorbing and graceful, proving that she herself is a master storycatcher.--Karen Spears Zacharias "author of Mother of Rain"
Steeped in lushly-drawn landscapes and teeming with mystery, The Storycatcher is a beautifully-rendered story of the journey for redemption and justice that drives the human heart, even beyond the flesh--and the knots of family we tie, and sometimes must untangle, along the way. I was utterly absorbed from the first, riveted and captivated, and no more able to leave the side of Ann Hite's haunted characters than the ghosts that are leading them toward their impossible secret.--Erika Marks "author of The Guest House"
The inhabitants of Black Mountain live side-by-side with the spirits of the dead, throw spells and dig for treasure, solve their problems with careful alliances and the occasional murder. This is a story where the spookiness of a mountain village comes to life through gritty characters whose feelings and motivations seem all too similar to our own. Ann Hite captures their voices so well, you'd swear they're whispering into your ear. Ghost on Black Mountain is captivating.--Rebecca Coleman "author of Mother of Rain"
There is a powerful new Southern voice sweeping across the literary landscape and it belongs to Ann Hite . . . [She] is a born storyteller who has crafted a mesmerizing and haunting tale. The Storycatcher is one that you'll want to put at the top of your reading stack and savor.--Michael Morris, author of Man in the Blue Moon "author of Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society"
