Wadsworth Camp (1879–1936)

An atmospheric supernatural (?) / mystery (?) story from 1915. Jim Miller has been asked in a rather strange message to sail down south for a visit to some friends’ new winter home on a small island. He expects a pleasant island with beaches and hotels. He finds instead a secluded, disagreeable snake infested island which is shunned by all the locals. His friends are terrified at what appear to be ghostly manifestations from a woman murdered in their house years ago (why people in stories like this stay in these kinds of places is another story entirely). The first part of the story where Miller is sailing to the island as it is getting dark is very well done and very spooky. The rest of the novel doesn’t live up to the beginning but it is still worth reading.… (mere)