“When the Dead People Brought a Dish-to-Pass” by Christine DeSmet is a ghost story both funny and sweet. Alyssa Swain finds a man hanging upside down, bleeding and apparently dead in his wrecked car. When she returns with the police, the body is gone, but this hunky spirit walks through her closed door later to help her prepare for a party she didn’t know she was having. It’s a potluck for dead people. Alyssa’s dead relatives are stuck in-between, unable to pass to the afterlife. A moonstone brooch adds a bit of mystery; it is the key to making peace with the past. This is a truly original story, my favorite in the collection. It is filled with both silliness and wisdom.

Karen Weisner gives the reader a spooky grown-up tale reminiscent of Hansel and Gretal in “Papa.”. Evil lurks in the dark woods near the town of Woodcutter’s Grim. And the dark powers evidently don’t believe in divorce. Randall Parker left his wife for his son’s teacher, and now the ex-wife and Rand’s two children are dead, killed in a car accident. New wife Amy is wracked with guilt. She has become reclusive, quitting her job and refusing to leave their small apartment. Rand tries to bring her back into the world, but their trip to a village where time stands still is a truly scary excursion.

"White Elephants" by C.J. Winters has twins Noel and Merry trying to salvage the contents of an old house before daybreak. The girls inherited their father's small deconstruction business, and this job could make or break them. A skeleton behind a bedroom wall complicates the project. Even if it was foul play, the bones are old and the girls reason the killer would be dead by now as well. They don’t want to call the police and miss their deadline, so Merry’s boyfriend Jonas leaves to dispose of the body. He stops to help a curious eight-year-old, and trick or treat takes a rather macabre twist. This is clever and readable, with just the right touch of humor.

Karen Woods contributes "Ghost of a Chance" and provides some traditional romance. Jake is mourning his wife Cathy, murdered almost a year ago. Coworker Mary has had feelings for Jake for a long time. Jake has noticed her, but the pull of his first love has not allowed him to act. Now, on her Halloween birthday, Cathy’s benign spirit tries to give her husband permission to move on.

Jane Toombs horror tale, “The Beast,” takes us into the mind of a hospital patient trying to remember what really happened at the Saints and Sinners Halloween costume party. Jealousy, perhaps insanity, and a possibly heart-chomping serial killer make this taut little psychological tale a winner.

“Trick or Treat” by Carrie S. Masek is a fun young adult story. Derrick Olsen wants to go with his friends to the Middle School Halloween dance, but instead he's stuck taking his baby sister trick-or-treating. A teenaged witch gives them a trick, both terrifying and empowering. Derrick is a responsible and caring young man, and he gains a bit of power here.

Margaret L. Carter’s “The Unvanished Hitchhiker” is a twist on an old urban legend. The bereaved mother waiting for her deceased daughter to knock on the door receives hope from one of the drivers who gives the ghostly girl a lift. Is there a way to put the spirit to rest?

This is a nice blend of genres and an enjoyable read.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Sweet

Reviewer: Lynn Bushey
May 2, 2007