Ghost on Black Mountain
Read Ghost on Black Mountain Online
Authors: Ann Hite
Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Ghost, #Historical, #Family Life
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Praise for
Ghost on Black Mountain
“Pull up a rocker and gaze into the hills at sundown. Old-time front porch storytelling unfolds in this dark, twisted tale where hardscrabble lives, murderous secrets, and ghosts intersect on a mysterious mountain.”
—Beth Hoffman,
New York Times
bestselling author of S
aving CeeCee Honeycutt
“Ann Hite’s
Ghost on Black Mountain
is an eerie page-turner told in authentic mountain voices that stick with the reader long after the last page is turned.”
—Amy Greene, author of
Bloodroot
“Haunting, dark and unnerving, Hite’s brilliant modern gothic casts an unbreakable spell.”
—Caroline Leavitt,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Pictures of You
“The authentic voice of Nellie Pritchard, who comes to Black Mountain as a new bride, wraps around you and pulls you deep into this haunted story. Ann Hite delivers an eerie page-turner that I couldn’t put down.”
—Joshilyn Jackson,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Gods in Alabama
and
Backseat Saints
Gallery Books
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 by Ann Hite
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, Ny 10020.
First Gallery Books trade paperback edition September 2011
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.
Designed by Davina Mock-Maniscalco
Map by Jerry Clifford Hite
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hite, Ann.
Ghost on Black Mountain / Ann Hite.—1st Gallery Books trade pbk. ed.
p. cm.
1. Women—Southern States—Fiction. 2. Country life—Southern
States—Fiction. 3. Murder—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3608.I845G56 2011
813′.6—dc22
2011000242
ISBN 978-1-4516-0642-3
ISBN 978-1-4516-0643-0 (ebook)
For Jack and Ella,
who are the very essence of this book,
my heart and soul.
Granny, your voice still lives.
Contents
Part One: Nellie Pritchard
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Part Two: Josie Clay
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Part Three: Shelly Parker
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Part Four: Rose Gardner
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Part Five: Iona Harbor
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Part Six: Annie Harbor
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Part One
Nellie Pritchard
One
